Purification and tissue level of the beta-amyloid peptide precursor of rat brain.

The beta-amyloid peptide precursor (beta-APP) exists in brain tissue as a membrane-associated protein extractable with 1% Triton X-100. beta-APP has been purified to near homogeneity by the following procedure: 1) anion exchange chromatography, 2) affinity chromatography on heparin agarose, and 3) immunoaffinity adsorption on matrix-bound antibodies directed to a synthetic peptide corresponding to the last 24 amino acids of the cDNA derived amino acid sequence of beta-APP. Conditions were chosen to minimize denaturation of the protein. The identity of the protein was confirmed by its immunoreactivity with antisera directed to five subsequences derived from the cDNA sequence. The amino-terminal sequence of beta-APP was found to be Leu-Glu-Val-Pro-Thr-Asp-Gly-Asn-Ala-Gly-Leu-Leu-Ala-Glu-Pro, which commences at residue 18 of the cDNA-derived primary structure. The procedure resulted in a 2000-fold purification of beta-APP. The purified protein migrated on polyacrylamide gels as a doublet of apparent molecular mass 100-120 kDa, although the predicted molecular mass of its constituent amino acids is 76 kDa. beta-APP clearly behaves anomalously in gel electrophoresis. The beta-APP content of rat brain amounted to 46 micrograms/g tissue. The half-life of the protein was calculated to be about 10 h, which is 30 times as long as that observed by others in transfected PC-12 cells. We conclude that transfected cell systems may not be adequate models for beta-APP processing.     

Cysteine 144 Is a Key Residue in the Copper Reduction by the β-Amyloid Precursor Protein

The beta-amyloid precursor protein (beta-APP) contains a copper-binding site localized between amino acids 135 and 156 (beta-APP(135-156)). We have employed synthetic beta-APP peptides to characterize their capacities to reduce Cu(II) to Cu(I). Analogues of the wild-type beta-APP(135-156) peptide, containing specific amino acid substitutions, were used to establish which residues are specifically involved in the reduction of copper by beta-APP(135-156). We report here that beta-APP's copper-binding domain reduced Cu(II) to Cu(I). The single-mutant beta-APP(His147-->Ala) and the double-mutant beta-APP(His147-->Ala/His149-->Ala) showed a small decrease in copper reduction in relation to the wild-type peptide and the beta-APP(Cys144-->Ser) mutation abolished it, suggesting that Cys144 is the key amino acid in the oxidoreduction reaction. Our results confirm that soluble beta-APP is involved in the reduction of Cu(II) to Cu(I).     

Thimet oligopeptidase cleaves the full-length Alzheimer amyloid precursor protein at a beta-secretase cleavage site in COS cells.

We developed an assay method using a novel quenched fluorescent substrate (QFS) flanking the beta-cleavage site of amyloid precursor protein (APP), and purified a candidate beta-secretase from bovine brain. N-terminal amino acid analysis showed the candidate to be thimet oligopeptidase (TOP). The cDNA for human TOP was cloned from a human brain cDNA library and expressed in COS cells. The enzyme was further purified on a Ni2+-agarose column. TOP cleaved the Swedish Alzheimer's substrate (SEVNLDAEFR) as well as the normal substrate (SEVKMDAEFR). We then coexpressed TOP with APP695 in COS cells, collected transfected cells and conditioned media, and analyzed them by immunoblotting. The antibody against the specific secreted APP cleaved by beta-secretase (sAPPbeta) detected the secretion of sAPPbeta only from APP/hTOP-overexpressing cells, and not from cells overexpressing of antisense hTOP cDNA. Finally, we analyzed the immunolocalization of overexpressed hTOP in COS cells. Most hTOP was localized in the nuclei, but a small amount was localized in the Golgi or other organelles around the nuclei. These results suggest that TOP has a beta-secretase-like activity responsible for the processing of APP.     

A protease activity associated with acetylcholinesterase releases the membrane-bound form of the amyloid protein precursor of Alzheimer's disease.

Amyloid deposits in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) contain a protein (beta A4) which is abnormally cleaved from a larger transmembrane precursor protein (APP). APP is believed to be normally released from membranes by the action of a protease referred to as APP secretase. Amyloid deposits have also been shown to contain the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE). In this study, a protease activity associated with AChE was found to possess APP secretase activity, stimulating the release of a soluble 100K form of APP from HeLa cells transfected with an APP cDNA. The AChE-associated protease was strongly and specifically inhibited by soluble APP (10 nM) isolated from human brain. The AChE-associated protease cleaved a synthetic beta A4 peptide at the predicted cleavage site. As AChE is decreased in AD, a deficiency of its associated protease might explain why APP is abnormally processed in AD.     

β-Amyloid Precursor Protein Isoforms in Various Rat Brain Regions and During Brain Development

To address the question of the possible functions of different Alzheimer's disease beta-amyloid precursor protein (beta-APP) isoforms in the brain, we studied their expression at different times during postnatal rat brain development and in various regions of the adult rat brain. Polyclonal antibodies directed to two peptide antigens were used. The majority of all beta-APP forms was found to be soluble as revealed by western blot analysis. The highest level of most beta-APP forms was reached in the second postnatal week, which is the time of brain maturation and completion of synaptic connections. Strikingly high concentrations of the Kunitz protease inhibitor-containing beta-APP were present in the adult olfactory bulb, where continuous synaptogenesis occurs in the adult animal. These findings support the idea of an involvement of beta-APPs in the processes of cell differentiation and, probably, in the establishment of synaptic contacts.     

Cleavage of amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP) by membrane-type matrix metalloproteinases

Amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP) was identified on expression cloning from a human placenta cDNA library as a gene product that modulates the activity of membrane-type matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MT1-MMP). Co-expression of MT1-MMP with APP in HEK293T cells induced cleavage and shedding of the APP ectodomain when co-expressed with APP adaptor protein Fe65. Among the MT-MMPs tested, MT3-MMP and MT5-MMP also caused efficient APP shedding. The recombinant APP protein was cleaved by MT3-MMP in vitro at the A463-M464, N579-M580, H622-S623, and H685-Q686 peptide bonds, which included a cleavage site within the amyloid beta peptide region known to produce a C-terminal fragment. The Swedish-type mutant of APP, which produces a high level of amyloid beta peptide, was more effectively cleaved by MT3-MMP than wild-type APP in both the presence and absence of Fe65; however, amyloid beta peptide production was not affected by MT3-MMP expression. Expression of MT3-MMP enhanced Fe65-dependent transactivation by APP fused to the Gal4 DNA-binding and transactivation domains. These results suggest that MT1-MMP, MT3-MMP and MT5-MMP should play an important role in the regulation of APP functions in tissues including the central nervous system.     

Intracellular Accumulation of Detergent-Soluble Amyloidogenic Aβ Fragment of Alzheimer's Disease Precursor Protein in the Hippocampus of Aged Transgenic Mice

To study amyloid beta-protein (A beta) production and aggregation in vivo, we created two transgenic (Tg) mouse lines expressing the C-terminal 100 amino acids of human amyloid precursor protein (APP): Tg C100.V717F and Tg C100.WT. Western blot analysis showed that human APP-C100 and A beta were produced in brain and some peripheral tissues and A beta was produced in serum. Using antibodies specific for the A beta C terminus we found that Tg C100.V717F produced a 1.6-fold increase in A beta42/A beta40 compared with Tg C100.WT. Approximately 30% of total brain A beta (approximately 122 ng/g of wet tissue) was water-soluble. The remaining 70% of A beta partitioned into the particulate fraction and was completely sodium dodecyl sulfate-soluble. In contrast, human Alzheimer's disease brain has predominantly sodium dodecyl sulfate-insoluble A beta. Immunohistochemistry with an A beta(5-8) antibody showed that A beta or A beta-containing fragments accumulated intracellularly in the hippocampus of aged Tg C100.V717F mice. The soluble A beta levels in Tg brain are similar to those in normal human brain, and this may explain the lack of microscopic amyloid deposits in the Tg mice. However, this mouse model provides a system to study the intracellular processing and accumulation of A beta or A beta-containing fragments and to screen for compounds directed at the gamma-secretase activity.     

Complementary deoxyribonucleic acid cloning of a novel transforming growth factor-beta messenger ribonucleic acid from chick embryo chondrocytes

Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF beta 1) has been purified and the mRNA cloned from a number of mammalian species including human, murine, bovine, porcine, and simian. Using a human TGF beta 1 cDNA probe, we have detected two distinct TGF beta RNAs in cultured primary chick embryo chondrocytes. One of these RNAs, migrating at about 1.7 kilobases, shows similarity to mammalian TGF beta 1. The second RNA, migrating at about 3 kilobases, is a novel TGF beta mRNA which we have named TGF beta 3. Clones corresponding to each of these RNAs were isolated from a cultured primary chick embryo chondrocyte cDNA library. Two cDNA clones for TGF beta 3, pTGFB-ChX17 and pTGFB-ChX25, contained a 39 nucleotide-long 5'-untranslated region, a 1236 nucleotide-long coding region, and a 911 nucleotide-long 3'-untranslated region. The predicted protein includes a signal peptide of 20-23 amino acids as in human TGF beta 1 and 2, and a precursor protein consisting of 412 amino acids, which can be cleaved at a lys-arg site to produce a 112 amino acid processed peptide containing nine cysteine residues in the same positions as in human TGF beta 1 and 2. At the nucleotide level, the processed coding region of TGF beta 3 shows 72% and 76% identity with the processed coding regions of human TGF beta 1 and TGF beta 2, respectively; at the amino acid level, TGF beta 3 shows 76% identity with TGF beta 1 and 79% identity with TGF beta 2.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Induction of human beta-defensin-2 expression in human astrocytes by lipopolysaccharide and cytokines

Defensins are cationic peptides with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. They are members of a supergene family consisting of alpha and beta subtypes and each subtype is comprised of a number of different isoforms. For example, human alpha-defensin (HAD) has six isoforms, which are expressed by polymorphonuclear leukocytes and Paneth cells. In contrast, human beta-defensin (HBD) has two isoforms that are expressed by epithelial cells of the skin, gut, respiratory and urogenital tracts. Recently, HBD-1 was detected in human brain biopsy tissue. However, little is known about the expression of HBD-1 or HBD-2 in the CNS and whether neural cells can secrete these peptides. For the present study, human astrocyte, microglial, meningeal fibroblast and neuronal cultures were probed for the expression of HBD-1 and HBD-2 mRNA and protein. Each cell type was either maintained in tissue culture medium alone or in medium containing lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 1 microgram/mL, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta) at 1-50 ng/mL, or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) at the same concentrations. The expression of HBD-1 and HBD-2 mRNAs was monitored by RT-PCR. The cDNA products were sequenced to characterize the gene product. HBD-2 protein was detected by immunoblot, immunoprecipitation and immunocytochemistry. Results of these studies showed that HBD-1 mRNA was detected in all cell cultures except in those enriched for neurons. In contrast, HBD-2 mRNA was detected only in astrocyte cultures that were treated with LPS, IL-1beta or TNF-alpha. The detection of the respective proteins correlated positively with the mRNA results. As such, these data represent the first demonstration of HBD-2 expression by astrocytes and suggest that this peptide may play a role in host defense against bacterial CNS pathogenesis.     

Purification of bovine S100A12 from recombinant Escherichia coli.

S100A12, a member of the S100 family of EF-hand calcium-binding proteins, was purified from Escherichia coli cells expressing the corresponding cDNA. The procedure involved washing induced E. coli cells with EDTA-containing hypotonic solution, ion-exchange chromatography, and HPLC. Recombinant S100A12 was purified to homogeneity with the final yield around 6.7 mg per 20 ml of culture. The purified protein was identical to native S100A12 in the N-terminal amino acid sequence, lysylendopeptidase peptide mapping, mass spectrum, and Ca2+-dependent binding affinity to amlexanox, an antiallergy drug. However, the N-terminal methionine residue of the purified protein was not cleaved off as in the native protein. The method used in the present study permits the purification of recombinant S100A12 in large quantities and may also be applicable to preparation of other S100 family proteins.     

Caffeine Stimulates Amyloid β-Peptide Release from β-Amyloid Precursor Protein-Transfected HEK293 Cells

Abstract: Extracellular amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) deposition is a pathological feature of Alzheimer's disease and the aging brain. Intracellular Aβ accumulation is observed in the human muscle disease, inclusion body myositis. Aβ has been reported to be toxic to neurons through disruption of normal calcium homeostasis. The pathogenic role of Aβ in inclusion body myositis is not as clear. Elevation of intracellular calcium following application of calcium ionophore increases the generation of Aβ from its precursor protein (βAPP). A receptor-based mechanism for the increase in Aβ production has not been reported to our knowledge. Here, we use caffeine to stimulate ryanodine receptor (RYR)-regulated intracellular calcium release channels and show that internal calcium stores also participate in the genesis of Aβ. In cultured HEK293 cells transfected with βAPP cDNA, caffeine (5–10 m M ) significantly increased the release of Aβ fourfold compared with control. These actions of caffeine were saturable, modulated by ryanodine, and inhibited by the RYR antagonists ruthenium red and procaine. The calcium reuptake inhibitors thapsigargin and cyclopiazonic acid potentiated caffeine-stimulated Aβ release. NH₄Cl and monensin, agents that alter acidic gradients in intracellular vesicles, abolished both the caffeine and ionophore effects. Immunocytochemical studies showed some correspondence between the distribution patterns of RYR and cellular βAPP immunoreactivities. The relevance of these findings to Alzheimer's disease and inclusion body myositis is discussed.     

Cleavage of apolipoprotein E by membrane-type matrix metalloproteinase-1 abrogates suppression of cell proliferation

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) in a human fetal brain cDNA library was identified, using the expression cloning method, as a gene product that formed a complex with latent matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2. Co-expression of membrane-type MMP-1 (MT1-MMP) with apoE in HEK293T cells reduced the amount of apoE secreted into the culture medium, whereas cell-associated apoE core protein was not affected. Incubation of native apoE protein with recombinant MT1-MMP resulted in the cleavage of apoE. Recombinant apoE protein fused to glutathione S-transferase (apoE-GST) was cleaved by MT1-MMP at the following peptide bonds; T(85)-M(86), K(93)-S(94), R(246)-L(247), A(255)-E(256) and G(296)-L(297). HT1080 cells transfected with the apoE gene, which express endogenous MT1-MMP, secreted a low level of apoE protein and its cleaved fragments, and treatment with MMP inhibitor BB94 induced accumulation of apoE and retardation of cell proliferation. Addition of apoE-GST protein to the culture of HEK293T cells suppressed cell proliferation, and stable transfection of the MT1-MMP gene partly abrogated the suppression. These results suggest that cleavage of apoE protein by MT1-MMP abrogates apoE-mediated suppression of cell proliferation.     

Design, synthesis, and characterization of chromogenic substrates of coagulation factor XIIIa

A series of Glu(pNA)-containing peptides was designed to determine the activity of the transglutaminase factor XIIIa at 405 nm due to p-nitroaniline release. The most suitable substrate properties were found for peptides containing the Glu(pNA) residue in the second position from the N terminus. For the best substrate 12 (H-Tyr-Glu(pNA)-Val-Lys-Val-Ile-Gly-NH(2)), a k(cat)/K(m) value of 3531 s(-1)M(-1) was found. Although the k(cat)/K(m) values of the Glu(pNA) peptides are more than 100-fold reduced compared with the previously reported cleavage of natural glutamine-containing substrates such as α(2)-antiplasmin and β-casein, these chromogenic substrates can be useful tools for convenient determination of FXIII-A(2)* activity e.g., for in vitro inhibitor screening. As an example, peptide 12 was used to characterize the inhibition of FXIII-A(2)* by the well-known irreversible inhibitor iodoacetic acid.     

Identification of a Chymotrypsin-Like Mast Cell Protease in Rat Brain Capable of Generating the N-Terminus of the Alzheimer Amyloid β-Protein

Abstract: Cleavage after Met⁵⁹⁶ of the β-amyloid precursor protein to generate the N-terminus of β-protein indicates the activity of a protease having chymotrypsin-like specificity. A chymotrypsin-like protease is further implicated in Alzheimer's disease by the increased synthesis of the protease inhibitor α₁-antichymotrypsin in pathologically affected brain regions and by the presence in the amyloid deposits of inactivated forms of α₁-antichymotrypsin (indicating irreversible binding to a target chymotrypsin-like protease). In the present report, we have purified from rat brain a chymotrypsin-like protease that (a) binds with high affinity to human α₁-antichymotrypsin, (b) proteolytically generates a β-protein-containing C-terminal fragment from full-length recombinant human β-amyloid precursor protein, and (c) selectively cleaves methoxysuccinyl-Glu-Val-Lys-Met-p-nitroanilide (a substrate modeling the protease recognition domain for the β-protein N-terminal cleavage site). Amino acid sequences of tryptic fragments of the purified rat brain chymotrypsin-like protease indicate an identity with rat mast cell protease I. Moreover, the ontogeny and compartmentalization of rat brain chymotrypsin-like protease are consistent with those of connective tissue-type mast cells in the meningeal and intracortical perivasculature. Because these areas in human brain form extensive β-amyloid deposits in Alzheimer's disease, Down's syndrome, and hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis of Dutch origin, the present findings suggest that a brain mast cell chymotrypsin-like protease may participate in generating perivascular β-protein, which ultimately aggregates into β-amyloid deposits.     

Biochemical and kinetic characterization of BACE1: investigation into the putative species-specificity for beta- and beta'-cleavage sites by human and murine BACE1

Beta-amyloid peptides (Abeta) are produced by a sequential cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) by beta- and gamma-secretases. The lack of Abeta production in beta-APP cleaving enzyme (BACE1)(-/-) mice suggests that BACE1 is the principal beta-secretase in mammalian neurons. Transfection of human APP and BACE1 into neurons derived from wild-type and BACE1(-/-) mice supports cleavage of APP at the canonical beta-secretase site. However, these studies also revealed an alternative BACE1 cleavage site in APP, designated as beta', resulting in Abeta peptides starting at Glu11. The apparent inability of human BACE1 to make this beta'-cleavage in murine APP, and vice versa, led to the hypothesis that this alternative cleavage was species-specific. In contrast, the results from human BACE1 transgenic mice demonstrated that the human BACE1 is able to cleave the endogenous murine APP at the beta'-cleavage site. To address this discrepancy, we designed fluorescent resonance energy transfer peptide substrates containing the beta- and beta'-cleavage sites within human and murine APP to compare: (i) the enzymatic efficiency; (ii) binding kinetics of a BACE1 active site inhibitor LY2039911; and (iii) the pharmacological profiles for human and murine recombinant BACE1. Both BACE1 orthologs were able to cleave APP at the beta- and beta'-sites, although with different efficiencies. Moreover, the inhibitory potency of LY2039911 toward recombinant human and native BACE1 from mouse or guinea pig was indistinguishable. In summary, we have demonstrated, for the first time, that recombinant BACE1 can recognize and cleave APP peptide substrates at the postulated beta'-cleavage site. It does not appear to be a significant species specificity to this cleavage.     

Developmental Regulation of β-Thymosins in the Rat Central Nervous System

HPLC analysis of guanidinium hydrochloride extracts of neonatal and adult rat brain revealed a polypeptide that is present in high concentration in the immature nervous system, but whose levels decline dramatically in the adult. This polypeptide has been isolated and its complete amino acid sequence determined by gas-phase Edman degradation following specific chemical and enzymatic cleavages. The molecule is identified as thymosin beta 10, a member of a multigene family that encodes a structurally conserved series of small acidic polypeptides of uncertain function. Thymosin beta 10 is present in the developing nervous system as early as embryonic day 9. Levels subsequently increase to peak values between embryonic day 15 and postpartum day 3, before falling to adult values (about a 20-fold reduction) by postpartum day 14. The elevated levels of thymosin beta 10 in fetal and neonatal brain correlate with high levels of thymosin beta 10 mRNA, whereas the low values of the polypeptide in the adult and juvenile are mirrored by an approximate 15-fold reduction in specific mRNA. In comparison, the levels of thymosin beta 4 polypeptide, a homologue of thymosin beta 10, only decline by about 20% during the same developmental period. However, the mRNA encoding thymosin beta 4 is elevated in fetal brain, and its levels decrease approximately four-fold to a stable value around the time of birth. The reason for this discrepancy between thymosin beta 4 protein and mRNA levels is unknown. Thymosin beta 10 can also be detected by HPLC in fetal liver, where levels are approximately 5% of those in brain. In liver, thymosin beta 10 also declines following birth. It is concluded that beta-thymosin expression (as measured by steady-state mRNA and polypeptide levels) is both up- and down-regulated during different phases of maturation of the mammalian nervous system.     

The Up-Regulation of Endosomal-Lysosomal Components in Amyloid β-Resistant Cells

The abundance of amyloid beta peptide (A beta) and the selective loss of neurons are characteristics of Alzheimer's disease. However, subpopulations of brain cells survive, including neurons near A beta-rich plaques. The surviving neurons may have gene expression profiles that allow them to be resistant to A beta toxicity. Here we use the differential display technique to compare the profiles of gene expression in an A beta-resistant cell line with its parental cells. Prominent among the changes are two components of the endosomal-lysosomal system, insulin growth factor II receptor/mannose-6-phosphate receptor and arylsulfatase B. Both are more highly expressed in the A beta-resistant clone, and arylsulfatase is inducible by A beta and hydrogen peroxide. Another lysosomal enzyme, beta-glucuronidase, is also up-regulated in A beta-resistant cells. These results are consistent with the observation that the endosomal-lysosomal system is highly activated in Alzheimer's disease brains, and they raise the possibility that the high expression of endosomal-lysosomal components is important for neuronal survival in the presence of A beta.     

Effect of Apolipoprotein E on Neurite Outgrowth and β-Amyloid-Induced Toxicity in Developing Rat Primary Hippocampal Cultures

Abstract: The correlation between the ε4 allele of apolipoprotein E (apoE) and Alzheimer's disease is well established. However, the role of apoE in normal as well as pathological brain processes remains unclear. We evaluated the effect of apoE treatment on development and β-amyloid (Aβ)-induced toxicity using primary cultures of developing rat hippocampal neurons. The source of apoE was conditioned media from HEK cells stably transfected with human apoE3 or apoE4 cDNA, a preparation where apoE is lipid-associated. Morphological and biochemical changes in the cultures were assessed at 1 and 3 days following low- and high-density plating with either apoE3 or E4 with or without Aβ. Both apoE isoforms were neurotrophic, as measured by increased neurite length. Aged Aβ(1–42), a peptide preparation exhibiting extensive fibril and aggregate formation, is toxic to these cultures. Addition of apoE3 and E4 significantly and comparably attenuated the Aβ-induced reduction in both neurite length and cell viability. The level of protection against this toxicity was proportional to the neurotrophic actions of the two apoE isoforms. Thus, apoE acts as a potent growth factor in both the absence and the presence of Aβ, supporting a potentially important role for apoE in neurobiology.