Gamma-secretase subunits associate in intracellular membrane compartments in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Gamma-secretase is a multisubunit complex with intramembrane proteolytic activity. In humans it was identified in genetic screens of patients suffering from familial forms of Alzheimer's disease, and since then it was shown to mediate cleavage of more than 80 substrates, including amyloid precursor protein or Notch receptor. Moreover, in animals, γ-secretase was shown to be involved in regulation of a wide range of cellular events, including cell signalling, regulation of endocytosis of membrane proteins, their trafficking, and degradation. Here we show that genes coding for γ-secretase homologues are present in plant genomes. Also, amino acid motifs crucial for γ-secretase activity are conserved in plants. Moreover, all γ-secretase subunits: PS1/PS2, APH-1, PEN-2, and NCT colocalize and interact with each other in Arabidopsis thaliana protoplasts. The intracellular localization of γ-secretase subunits in Arabidopsis protoplasts revealed a distribution in endomembrane system compartments that is consistent with data from animal studies. Together, our data may be considered as a starting point for analysis of γ-secretase in plants.
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań, Poland michasia@amu.edu.pl przemow@amu.edu.pl.
Michalina
M
Smolarkiewicz
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań, Poland.
Tomasz
T
Skrzypczak
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań, Poland.
Michał
M
Michalak
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań, Poland.
Krzysztof
K
Leśniewicz
Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, Mayfield Rd, Edinburgh EH9 3JH, UK.
J Ross
JR
Walker
Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, Mayfield Rd, Edinburgh EH9 3JH, UK UMR 5667 CNRS-INRA-ENSL-UCB Lyon I, Reproduction et Développement des Plantes, ENS Lyon, 46, Allée d'Italie, 69364 LYON Cedex 07, France.
Gwyneth
G
Ingram
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań, Poland michasia@amu.edu.pl przemow@amu.edu.pl.
Przemysław
P
Wojtaszek
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000201:enzymology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011523:Protoplasts / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases
Authophagy; complex assembly; endomembrane system; gamma-secretase; intramembrane protease; localization; presenilin; senescence; vesicular trafficking.