Role of Lipid Rafts in Gamma Secretase Processing of APP
Principal Investigator
Project Summary
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the major cause of dementia in the elderly. Mutations in genes encoding Presenilins and Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) cause early onset AD. These mutant proteins increase the production of toxic beta-amyloid peptides (Aβ), which accumulate in the brains of individuals with AD. Production and accumulation of Aβ are central events in AD pathogenesis. This proposal seeks to investigate the regulation of Aβ production. Aβ is released from truncated APP by the action of “y-secretase”, composed of Presenilins and three other proteins. Specialized microdomains of cellular membranes, called lipid rafts, seem to play important role in Aβ production. Dr. Thinakaran seeks to investigate how y-secretase complex is selectively targeted to lipid rafts. He also proposes to examine the regulation of y-secretase complex and APP by a variety of molecular and cell biological approaches. A better understanding of the relationship between y-secretase and lipid rafts will shed more light on the mechanisms involved in Aβ production. Information stemming from the biochemical, molecular and cellular investigations will likely be critical in developing novel and rational strategies for therapeutic intervention for AD aimed at reducing Aβ burden.
Publications
Vetrivel KS, Gong P, Bowen JW, Cheng H, Chen Y, Carter M, Nguyen PD, Placanica L, Wieland FT, Li YM, Kounnas MZ and Thinakaran G. Dual roles of the transmembrane protein p23/TMP21 in the modulation of amyloid precursor protein metabolism. Mol Neurodegener. 2007 Feb 8;2(1):4. 
Vetrivel KS, Zhang X, Meckler X, Cheng H, Lee S, Gong P, Chen Y, Iwata\ N, Parent A, Saido TC, Li Y, Sisodia ss, Thinakaran G: Evidence that CD147 modulation of ABeta levels is mediated by extracellular degradation of secreted ABeta. J. Biol. Chem. 283:19489-98, 2008.
Chen H, Vetrivel KS, Drisdel R, Li T, Carter M, Gong P, Chen Y, Nguyen PD, Placania L, Li Y-M, Wong PC, Green WN, Kounnas MZ and Thinakaran G: S-palmitoylation of secretase subunits. J. Biol. Chem. 284:1373-1384, 2009.
Thinakaran G, and Koo EH: APP trafficking, processing and function. J. Biol. Chem. 283:29615-29619, 2008.
First published on: June 11, 2008
Last modified on: December 22, 2024