APPepsilon, the epsilon-secretase-derived N-terminal product of the beta-amyloid precursor protein, behaves as a type I protein and undergoes alpha-, beta-, and gamma-secretase cleavages.

beta-Amyloid peptide accumulates in the brain of patients affected by sporadic or familial forms of Alzheimer's disease. It derives from the proteolytic attacks of the beta-amyloid precursor protein (betaAPP) by beta- and gamma-secretase activities. An additional epsilon cleavage taking place a few residues C-terminal to the gamma-site has been reported, leading to the formation of an intracellular fragment referred to as APP intracellular domain C50.

The disintegrin ADAM9 indirectly contributes to the physiological processing of cellular prion by modulating ADAM10 activity.

The cellular prion protein (PrP(c)) is physiologically cleaved in the middle of its 106-126 amino acid neurotoxic region at the 110/111 downward arrow112 peptidyl bond, yielding an N-terminal fragment referred to as N1. We recently demonstrated that two disintegrins, namely ADAM10 and ADAM17 (TACE, tumor necrosis factor alpha converting enzyme) participated in both constitutive and protein kinase C-regulated generation of N1, respectively. These proteolytic events were strikingly reminiscent of those involved in the so-called "alpha-secretase pathway" that leads to the production of secreted sAPPalpha from betaAPP.

JLK inhibitors: isocoumarin compounds as putative probes to selectively target the gamma-secretase pathway.

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the extracellular deposition of the amyloid beta-peptide that derives from its precursor betaAPP by sequential actions of beta- and gamma- secretases, respectively. Recent studies aimed at identifying these enzymes have been reported as it is thougth that their inhibition should hopefully lead to reduce Abeta load in the AD brains. beta-secretase seems to be due to BACE1, a novel membrane-bound aspartyl protease.

Design and characterization of a new cell-permeant inhibitor of the beta-secretase BACE1.

1 The beta-secretase BACE1 is one of the enzymes that contribute to the production of the Abeta peptide, in vitro and in vivo. JMV1195 was previously shown to inhibit BACE activity in vitro but was unable to block cellular BACE activity. We have designed a new permeable inhibitor, JMV2764 that corresponds to a derivative of JMV1195 to which a penetratin sequence had been added at its N-terminus.

BACE1- and BACE2-expressing human cells: characterization of beta-amyloid precursor protein-derived catabolites, design of a novel fluorimetric assay, and identification of new in vitro inhibitors.

We have set up stably transfected HEK293 cells overexpressing the beta-secretases BACE1 and BACE2 either alone or in combination with wild-type beta-amyloid precursor protein (betaAPP). The characterization of the betaAPP-derived catabolites indicates that cells expressing BACEs produce less genuine Abeta1- 40/42 but higher amounts of secreted sAPPbeta and N-terminal-truncated Abeta species. This was accompanied by a concomitant modulation of the C-terminal counterpart products C89 and C79 for BACE1 and BACE2, respectively.