RESUMEN
The amyloid ß-peptide (Aß), strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), is produced from the amyloid ß-protein precursor (APP) through consecutive proteolysis by ß- and γ-secretases. The latter protease contains presenilin as the catalytic component of a membrane-embedded aspartyl protease complex. Missense mutations in presenilin are associated with early-onset familial AD, and these mutations generally both decrease Aß production and increase the ratio of the aggregation-prone 42-residue form (Aß42) to the 40-residue form (Aß40). The connection between these two effects is not understood. Besides Aß40 and Aß42, γ-secretase produces a range of Aß peptides, the result of initial cutting at the ε site to form Aß48 or Aß49 and subsequent trimming every three or four residues. Thus, γ-secretase displays both overall proteolytic activity (ε cutting) and processivity (trimming) toward its substrate APP. Here we tested whether a decrease in total activity correlates with decreased processivity using wild-type and AD-mutant presenilin-containing protease complexes. Changes in pH, temperature, and salt concentration that reduced the overall activity of the wild-type enzyme did not consistently result in increased proportions of longer Aß peptides. Low salt concentrations and acidic pH were notable exceptions that subtly alter the proportion of individual Aß peptides, suggesting that the charged state of certain residues may influence processivity. Five different AD mutant complexes, representing a broad range of effects on overall activity, Aß42:Aß40 ratios, and ages of disease onset, were also tested, revealing again that changes in total activity and processivity can be dissociated. Factors that control initial proteolysis of APP at the ε site apparently differ significantly from factors affecting subsequent trimming and the distribution of Aß peptides.