Title
Nicastrin functions to sterically hinder γ-secretase–substrate interactions driven by substrate transmembrane domain
Author
David M. Bolduc, Daniel R. Montagna, Yongli Gu, Dennis J. Selkoe, Michael S. Wolfe
Year
2016
Journal
PNAS
Abstract
γ-Secretase is an intramembrane-cleaving protease that processes many type-I integral membrane proteins within the lipid bilayer, an event preceded by shedding of most of the substrate’s ectodomain by α- or β-secretases. The mechanism by which γ-secretase selectively recognizes and recruits ectodomain-shed substrates for catalysis remains unclear. In contrast to previous reports that substrate is actively recruited for catalysis when its remaining short ectodomain interacts with the nicastrin component of γ-secretase, we find that substrate ectodomain is entirely dispensable for cleavage. Instead, γ-secretase–substrate binding is driven by an apparent tight-binding interaction derived from substrate transmembrane domain, a mechanism in stark contrast to rhomboid—another family of intramembrane-cleaving proteases. Disruption of the nicastrin fold allows for more efficient cleavage of substrates retaining longer ectodomains, indicating that nicastrin actively excludes larger substrates through steric hindrance, thus serving as a molecular gatekeeper for substrate binding and catalysis.
Full Article
Instrument
J-815
Keywords
Circular dichroism, Secondary structure, Chemical stability, Biochemistry