γ-Secretase is a membrane protein complex comprised of presenilin, nicastrin, aph-1, and pen-2

WT Kimberly, MJ LaVoie… - Proceedings of the …, 2003 - National Acad Sciences
WT Kimberly, MJ LaVoie, BL Ostaszewski, W Ye, MS Wolfe, DJ Selkoe
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2003National Acad Sciences
γ-Secretase catalyzes the intramembrane proteolysis of Notch, β-amyloid precursor protein,
and other substrates as part of a new signaling paradigm and as a key step in the
pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. This unusual protease has eluded identification,
though evidence suggests that the presenilin heterodimer comprises the catalytic site and
that a highly glycosylated form of nicastrin associates with it. The formation of presenilin
heterodimers from the holoprotein is tightly gated by unknown limiting cellular factors. Here …
γ-Secretase catalyzes the intramembrane proteolysis of Notch, β-amyloid precursor protein, and other substrates as part of a new signaling paradigm and as a key step in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. This unusual protease has eluded identification, though evidence suggests that the presenilin heterodimer comprises the catalytic site and that a highly glycosylated form of nicastrin associates with it. The formation of presenilin heterodimers from the holoprotein is tightly gated by unknown limiting cellular factors. Here we show that Aph-1 and Pen-2, two recently identified membrane proteins genetically linked to γ-secretase, associate directly with presenilin and nicastrin in the active protease complex. Coexpression of all four proteins leads to marked increases in presenilin heterodimers, full glycosylation of nicastrin, and enhanced γ-secretase activity. These findings suggest that the four membrane proteins comprise the limiting components of γ-secretase and coassemble to form the active enzyme in mammalian cells.
National Acad Sciences