Structure, mechanism and inhibition of γ-secretase and presenilin-like proteases
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Michael S. Wolfe
Abstract
Presenilin is the catalytic component of γ-secretase, a complex aspartyl protease and a founding member of intramembrane-cleaving proteases. γ-Secretase is involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and a top target for therapeutic intervention. However, the protease complex processes a variety of transmembrane substrates, including the Notch receptor, raising concerns about toxicity. Nevertheless, γ-secretase inhibitors and modulators have been identified that allow Notch processing and signaling to continue, and promising compounds are entering clinical trials. Molecular and biochemical studies offer a model for how this protease hydrolyzes transmembrane domains in the confines of the lipid bilayer. Progress has also been made toward structure elucidation of presenilin and the γ-secretase complex by electron microscopy as well as by studying cysteine-mutant presenilins. The signal peptide peptidase (SPP) family of proteases are distantly related to presenilins. However, the SPPs work as single polypeptides without the need for cofactors and otherwise appear to be simple model systems for presenilin in the γ-secretase complex. SPP biology, structure, and inhibition will also be discussed.
©2010 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York
Articles in the same Issue
- Guest Editorial
- Highlight: The Biology of Proteolytic Systems
- Highlight: 6th General Meeting of the International Proteolysis Society
- Structure, mechanism and inhibition of γ-secretase and presenilin-like proteases
- Is BACE1 a suitable therapeutic target for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease? Current strategies and future directions
- Pharmacogenetic features of cathepsin B inhibitors that improve memory deficit and reduce β-amyloid related to Alzheimer's disease
- Proteases in lymphocyte killer function: redundancy, polymorphism and questions remaining
- Pseudo-active sites of protease domains: HGF/Met and Sonic hedgehog signaling in cancer
- Proteolysis of platelet receptors in humans and other species
- Blunting the knife: development of vaccines targeting digestive proteases of blood-feeding helminth parasites
- Impaired turnover of autophagolysosomes in cathepsin L deficiency
- Nuclear cysteine cathepsin variants in thyroid carcinoma cells
- Deletion of cathepsin H perturbs angiogenic switching, vascularization and growth of tumors in a mouse model of pancreatic islet cell cancer
- Cathepsin E enhances anticancer activity of doxorubicin on human prostate cancer cells showing resistance to TRAIL-mediated apoptosis
- Hydrophilic residues surrounding the S1 and S2 pockets contribute to dimerisation and catalysis in human dipeptidyl peptidase 8 (DP8)
- Molecular contortionism – on the physical limits of serpin ‘loop-sheet’ polymers
- The substrate specificity profile of human granzyme A
- Use of granzyme B-based fluorescent protein reporters to monitor granzyme distribution and granule integrity in live cells
Articles in the same Issue
- Guest Editorial
- Highlight: The Biology of Proteolytic Systems
- Highlight: 6th General Meeting of the International Proteolysis Society
- Structure, mechanism and inhibition of γ-secretase and presenilin-like proteases
- Is BACE1 a suitable therapeutic target for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease? Current strategies and future directions
- Pharmacogenetic features of cathepsin B inhibitors that improve memory deficit and reduce β-amyloid related to Alzheimer's disease
- Proteases in lymphocyte killer function: redundancy, polymorphism and questions remaining
- Pseudo-active sites of protease domains: HGF/Met and Sonic hedgehog signaling in cancer
- Proteolysis of platelet receptors in humans and other species
- Blunting the knife: development of vaccines targeting digestive proteases of blood-feeding helminth parasites
- Impaired turnover of autophagolysosomes in cathepsin L deficiency
- Nuclear cysteine cathepsin variants in thyroid carcinoma cells
- Deletion of cathepsin H perturbs angiogenic switching, vascularization and growth of tumors in a mouse model of pancreatic islet cell cancer
- Cathepsin E enhances anticancer activity of doxorubicin on human prostate cancer cells showing resistance to TRAIL-mediated apoptosis
- Hydrophilic residues surrounding the S1 and S2 pockets contribute to dimerisation and catalysis in human dipeptidyl peptidase 8 (DP8)
- Molecular contortionism – on the physical limits of serpin ‘loop-sheet’ polymers
- The substrate specificity profile of human granzyme A
- Use of granzyme B-based fluorescent protein reporters to monitor granzyme distribution and granule integrity in live cells
