Proteolytic processing of the Alzheimer's disease amyloid precursor protein within its cytoplasmic domain by caspase-like proteases.

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by neurodegeneration and deposition of betaA4, a peptide that is proteolytically released from the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Missense mutations in the genes coding for APP and for the polytopic membrane proteins presenilin (PS) 1 and PS2 have been linked to familial forms of early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Overexpression of presenilins, especially that of PS2, induces increased susceptibility for apoptosis that is even more pronounced in cells expressing presenilin mutants. Additionally, presenilins themselves are targets for activated caspases in apoptotic cells. When we analyzed APP in COS-7 cells overexpressing PS2, we observed proteolytic processing close to the APP carboxyl terminus. Proteolytic conversion was increased in the presence of PS2-I, which encodes one of the known PS2 pathogenic mutations. The same proteolytic processing occurred in cells treated with chemical inducers of apoptosis, suggesting a participation of activated caspases in the carboxyl-terminal truncation of APP. This was confirmed by showing that specific caspase inhibitors blocked the apoptotic conversion of APP. Sequence analysis of the APP cytosolic domain revealed a consensus motif for group III caspases ((IVL)ExD). Mutation of the corresponding Asp664 residue abolished cleavage, thereby identifying APP as a target molecule for caspase-like proteases in the pathways of programmed cellular death.