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Molecular studies of the γ-secretase complex : focus on genetic and pharmacological modulation

thesis
posted on 2024-09-02, 18:17 authored by Johanna Wanngren

γ-Secretase is a multi-subunit protease complex, composed of presenilin (PS1 or PS2), Nicastrin, Pen-2 and Aph-1, which generates the Alzheimer disease (AD) related 30-43 amino acid long amyloid β-peptide (Aβ). The complex is also crucial for important cell signaling, such as the Notch receptor pathway. More than 200 different Familial AD (FAD) causing mutations have been identified. They are all restricted to either PS1, PS2 or the amyloid β-precursor protein (APP), from which Aβ is generated, therefore proving how central γ-secretase mediated Aβ production is in AD pathogenesis. A common feature of FAD mutants is an increased Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio production. This results in a more amyloidogenic Aβ product and accelerated oligomerization and plaque formation.

A number of γ-secretase inhibitors have been in clinical trials but so far there have been no major progress, due to mechanism-based side effects that is probably caused by impaired Notch signaling. It is therefore very important to develop novel therapeutic strategies targeting Aβ production without interfering with other crucial γ-secretase signaling pathwats. The aim of my thesis was to i) get a better understanding of the molecular basis behind the heterogeneous activity of γ-secretase resulting in different Aβ peptides, ii) to identify novel ways to target γ-secretase mediated Aβ production in a Notch sparing manner, iii) to explore the impact of a novel class of drugs called γ-secretase modulators (GSMs) on different γ-secretase processes.

In Paper I, we specifically investigated whether the membrane integration and/or the active site of PS would be affected by different PS1 FAD mutations, which cause an increased Aβ42/Aβ40 production ratio. We found that while some FAD mutations located in hydrophobic domains around the catalytic site (TMD6, H7 and TMD7) changed the membrane integration of PS1, all FAD mutations studied affected the structure of the catalytic site of γ-secretase.

In Paper II the large hydrophilic loop of PS1 was examined. Interestingly, by using a deletion mutant strategy, we found that, similar to many FAD mutants, Aβ38, Aβ39 and Aβ40 were dramatically decreased in the absence of the loop, while Aβ42 was affected to a lesser extent, resulting in a net increase in the Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio. Importantly, neither AICD nor NICD formation was impaired, suggesting that the integrity of the loop region is important for proper γ-site cleavage but not for the overall cleavage activity at the ε-site.

To further study the mechanism of γ-secretase processing, we reported in Paper III the first study describing single residues in a γ-secretase component besides presenilin, such as Nicastrin, that affects the processing of γ-secretase substrates differently.

In the final study, Paper IV, we studied the pharmacology of different GSMs and found that it is possible to generate in vivo potent second-generation γ-secretase-targeting modulatory compounds that are pre-selective for Aβ over Nβ production without affecting NICD formation. These findings may have major implications for the development of GSMs for AD and will be further discussed in the thesis.

List of scientific papers

I. Johanna Wanngren, Patricia Lara, Karin Öjemalm, Silvia Maioli, Nasim Moradi, Lars O. Tjernberg, Johan Lundkvist, IngMarie Nilsson and Helena Karlström. The role of Presenilin 1 FAD-linked mutations for changed membrane integration and catalytic site conformation. [Manuscript]

II. Johanna Wanngren, Jenny Frånberg, Annelie I Svensson, Hanna Laudon, Fredrik Olsson, Bengt Winblad, Frank Liu, Jan Näslund, Johan Lundkvist and Helena Karlström. The large hydrophilic loop of presenilin 1 is important for regulating γ-secretase complex assembly and dictating the amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) profile without affecting Notch processing. J Biol Chem. 285, 8527-36 (2010).
https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M109.055590

III. Annelie Pamrén, Johanna Wanngren, Lars O. Tjernberg, Bengt Winblad, Ratan Bhat, Jan Näslund and Helena Karlström. Mutations in Nicastrin protein differentially affect amyloid beta peptide production and Notch protein processing. J Biol Chem. 286, 31153-8 (2011).
https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.C111.235267

IV. Johanna Wanngren, Jan Ottervald, Santiago Parpal, Erik Portelius, Kia Strömberg, Tomas Borgegård, Rebecka Klintenberg, Anders Juréus, Jenny Blomqvist, Kaj Blennow, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Lundkvist, Susanne Rosqvist and Helena Karlström. Second generation γ-secretase modulators exhibit different modulation of Notch β and Aβ production. J Biol Chem. Jul 31 (2012).
https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M112.376541

History

Defence date

2012-10-05

Department

  • Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society

Publisher/Institution

Karolinska Institutet

Main supervisor

Karlström, Helena

Publication year

2012

Thesis type

  • Doctoral thesis

ISBN

978-91-7457-855-3

Number of supporting papers

4

Language

  • eng

Original publication date

2012-09-13

Author name in thesis

Wanngren, Johanna

Original department name

Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society

Place of publication

Stockholm

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