title: Crystal structure of an active form of BACE1, an enzyme responsible for amyloid beta protein production.
abstract: BACE1 (beta-secretase) is a transmembrane aspartic protease that cleaves the beta-amyloid precursor protein and generates the amyloid beta peptide (Abeta). BACE1 cycles between the cell surface and the endosomal system many times and becomes activated interconvertibly during its cellular trafficking, leading to the production of Abeta. Here we report the crystal structure of the catalytically active form of BACE1. The active form has novel structural features involving the conformation of the flap and subsites that promote substrate binding. The functionally essential residues and water molecules are well defined and play a key role in the iterative activation of BACE1. We further describe the crystal structure of the dehydrated form of BACE1, showing that BACE1 activity is dependent on the dynamics of a catalytically required Asp-bound water molecule, which directly affects its catalytic properties. These findings provide insight into a novel regulation of BACE1 activity and elucidate how BACE1 modulates its activity during cellular trafficking.
authors: Laboratory for Structural Neuropathology, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
authors: Hideaki
authors: H
authors: Shimizu
authors: Asako
authors: A
authors: Tosaki
authors: Kumi
authors: K
authors: Kaneko
authors: Tamao
authors: T
authors: Hisano
authors: Takashi
authors: T
authors: Sakurai
authors: Nobuyuki
authors: N
authors: Nukina
mesh_terms: D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001665:Binding Sites; D002384:Catalysis; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000737:chemistry; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; C414614:OM99-2; D009842:Oligopeptides; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases; C509280:BACE1 protein, human