Title | Cyclic cis-Locked Phospho-Dipeptides Reduce Entry of AβPP into Amyloidogenic Processing Pathway. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2017 |
Authors | Fisher, CL, Resnick, RJ, De, S, Acevedo, LA, Lu, KPing, Schroeder, FC, Nicholson, LK |
Journal | J Alzheimers Dis |
Volume | 55 |
Issue | 1 |
Pagination | 391-410 |
Date Published | 2017 |
ISSN | 1875-8908 |
Abstract | The cis/trans isomerization of X-Pro peptide bonds in proteins in some instances acts as a molecular switch in biological pathways. Our prior work suggests that the cis isomer of the phospho-Thr668-Pro669 motif, located in the cytoplasmic domain of the amyloid-β protein precursor (AβPP), is correlated with an increase in amyloidogenic processing of AβPP and production of amyloid-beta (Aβ), the neurotoxic peptide fragment in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We designed a 100% cis-locked cyclic dipeptide composed of cyclized phospho-Thr-Pro (pCDP) as a mimic for this putative pathological conformation, and three phosphate-blocked derivatives (pCDP-diBzl, pCDP-Bzl, and pCDP-diPOM). Two H4 neuroglioma cell lines were established as AD cell models for use in testing these compounds: H4-AβPP695 for stable overexpression of wild-type AβPP695, and H4-BACE1 for stable overexpression of β-site AβPP cleaving enzyme-1 (BACE1). The level of the secreted AβPP fragment resulting from BACE1 activity, sAβPPβ, served as a key proxy for amyloidogenic processing, since cleavage of AβPP by BACE1 is a requisite first step in Aβ production. Of the compounds tested, pCDP-diBzl decreased sAβPPβ levels in both cell lines, while pCDP-diPOM decreased sAβPPβ levels in only H4-BACE1 cells, all with similar dose-dependences and patterns of proteolytic AβPP fragments. Enzymatic assays showed that none of the pCDP derivatives directly inhibit BACE1 catalytic activity. These results suggest a model in which pCDP-diBzl and pCDP-diPOM act at a common point to inhibit entry of AβPP into the amyloidogenic AβPP processing pathway but through different targets, and provide important insights for the development of novel AD therapeutics. |
DOI | 10.3233/JAD-160051 |
Alternate Journal | J. Alzheimers Dis. |
PubMed ID | 27662285 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC5096988 |
Grant List | R21 AG042056 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States S10 OD012254 / OD / NIH HHS / United States T32 GM008267 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States |