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Abstract
IntroductionAlzheimer’s disease brains are characterized by extracellular plaques containing the aggregated amyloid β42 (Aβ42) peptide and intraneuronal tangles containing hyperphosphorylated tau. Aβ42 is produced by sequential processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) by β-secretase followed by γ-secretase. Substantial efforts have been put into developing pharmaceuticals preventing the production or increasing the clearance of Aβ42. However, treatments inhibiting γ-secretase have proven disappointing due to off-target effects. To circumvent these effects, γ-secretase modulators (GSMs) have been developed, which rather than inhibiting γ-secretase shift its preference into producing less aggregation-prone shorter Aβ peptides. Belonging to the same family of proteins as APP, amyloid-like protein 1 (APLP1) is also a substrate for γ-secretase. Herein we investigated whether the GSM E2012 affects APLP1 processing in the central nervous system by measuring APLP1 peptide levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) before and after E2012 treatment in dogs.MethodsAn in-house monoclonal APLP1 antibody, AP1, was produced and utilized for immunopurification of APLP1 from human and dog CSF in a hybrid immuno-affinity mass spectrometric method. Seven dogs received a single dose of 20 or 80 mg/kg of E2012 in a randomized cross-over design and CSF was collected prior to and 4, 8 and 24 hours after dosing.ResultsWe have identified 14 CSF APLP1 peptides in humans and 12 CSF APLP1 peptides in dogs. Of these, seven were reproducibly detectable in dogs who received E2012. We found a dose-dependent relative increase of the CSF peptides APLP1β17, 1β18 and 1β28 accompanied with a decrease of 1β25 and 1β27 in response to E2012 treatment. All peptides reverted to baseline over the time of sample collection.ConclusionWe show an in vivo effect of the GSM E2012 on the processing of APLP1 which is measurable in CSF. These data suggest that APLP1 peptides may be used as biomarkers to monitor drug effects of GSMs on γ-secretase processing in clinical trials. However, this requires further investigation in larger cohorts, including studies in man.
Highlights
Alzheimer’s disease brains are characterized by extracellular plaques containing the aggregated amyloid β42 (Aβ42) peptide and intraneuronal tangles containing hyperphosphorylated tau
We found a dose-dependent relative increase of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) peptides APLP1β17, 1β18 and 1β28 accompanied with a decrease of 1β25 and 1β27 in response to E2012 treatment
The proteolytic activity of Sjödin et al Alzheimer's Research & Therapy (2015) 7:77 α-secretase is likely attributed to the protein disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-containing protein 10 (ADAM10) [8]; β-secretase has been identified as β-site amyloid precursor protein (APP)-cleaving enzyme (BACE) [9]; whereas γ-secretase is a multisubunit protein complex consisting of nicastrin (NCSTN), anterior pharynx-defective 1 (APH-1), presenilin enhancer 2 (PEN2) and the N- and C-terminal fragments of presenilin 1 or 2 (PS1 or PS2) [10]
Summary
Alzheimer’s disease brains are characterized by extracellular plaques containing the aggregated amyloid β42 (Aβ42) peptide and intraneuronal tangles containing hyperphosphorylated tau. Treatments inhibiting γ-secretase have proven disappointing due to off-target effects To circumvent these effects, γ-secretase modulators (GSMs) have been developed, which rather than inhibiting γ-secretase shift its preference into producing less aggregation-prone shorter Aβ peptides. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the most prevalent form of dementia [1] It is characterized by extracellular plaques, containing aggregated amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides [2], and intraneuronal tangles consisting of hyperphosphorylated tau [3]. Aβ42 production is prevented in the non-amyloidogenic pathway where α-secretase rather than β-secretase cleaves APP within the Aβ sequence generating shorter Aβ peptides [12]
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