Presenilins are not required for A beta 42 production in the early secretory pathway.

Presenilins 1 and 2 (PS1/PS2) have been suggested to be gamma-secretases responsible for the proteolytic cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) to form amyloid-beta (A beta), a protein implicated in the development of Alzheimer's disease. Here we examined whether these presenilins are required for the generation of multiple A beta species by analyzing the production of several forms of secreted and intracellular A beta in mouse cells lacking PS1, PS2 or both proteins. Although most A beta species were abolished in PS1/PS2(-/-) cells, the production of intracellular A beta 42 generated in the endoplasmic reticulum/intermediate compartment was unaffected by the absence of these proteins, either singly or in combination. These results indicate that production of this pool of A beta occurs independently of PS1/PS2, and therefore, another gamma-secretase activity must be responsible for cleavage of APP within the early secretory compartments.