title: Isoaspartate-containing amyloid precursor protein-derived peptides alter efficacy and specificity of potential beta-secretases.
abstract: Neuritic plaques of Alzheimer patients are composed of multiple protein components. Among them, the amyloid beta-peptides (Abeta) 1-40/42 and further N- and C-terminally modified fragments of Abeta are highly abundant. Most prominent are the isoaspartate (isoAsp)-Abeta peptides and pyroglutamyl (pGlu)-Abeta. While pGlu-Abeta can only be formed from an N-terminal glutamate by glutaminyl cyclase, spontaneous isoAsp-isomerization cannot occur at an N-terminal aspartate of peptides. This means that isoAsp-Abeta formation must precede proteolysis of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Abeta generation from APP by beta- and gamma-secretases initiates the amyloid peptide aggregation and deposition process. Two aspartate proteases have been identified as secretases: BACE-1 (beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme) and the intramembrane gamma-secretase multiprotein complex. However, recent evidence supports more than one beta-secretase initiating this cascade. Formation of Abeta1-40/42 was predominantly studied by expression of mutated human APP sequences in cell culture and transgenic animals, generating Abeta fragments that did not contain such multiple posttranslational modifications as in Alzheimer's disease. This prompted us to investigate the catalytic turnover of Asp- or isoAsp-containing APP-derived peptide sequences by BACE-1 and cathepsin B, another potential beta-secretase. While cathepsin B is more effective than BACE-1 in processing the Asp-containing peptide derivatives, only cathepsin B can cleave the isoAsp-containing peptides, which occurs with high catalytic efficiency.
authors.affiliation: Probiodrug AG, Biocenter, Weinbergweg 22, D-06120 Halle/Saale, Germany.
authors.forename: Livia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Böhme
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Manhart
authors.forename: Raik
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: Hans-Ulrich
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Demuth
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000682:Amyloid / Q000378:metabolism*; D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases / Q000378:metabolism*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D006801:Humans; D026581:Isoaspartic Acid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D000682:Amyloid; D026581:Isoaspartic Acid; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases