| First Author | Majercak J | Year | 2006 |
| Journal | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | Volume | 103 |
| Issue | 47 | Pages | 17967-72 |
| PubMed ID | 17098871 | Mgi Jnum | J:117130 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3695648 | Doi | 10.1073/pnas.0605461103 |
| Citation | Majercak J, et al. (2006) LRRTM3 promotes processing of amyloid-precursor protein by BACE1 and is a positional candidate gene for late-onset Alzheimer's disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 103(47):17967-72 |
| abstractText | Rare familial forms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are thought to be caused by elevated proteolytic production of the Abeta42 peptide from the beta-amyloid-precursor protein (APP). Although the pathogenesis of the more common late-onset AD (LOAD) is not understood, BACE1, the protease that cleaves APP to generate the N terminus of Abeta42, is more active in patients with LOAD, suggesting that increased amyloid production processing might also contribute to the sporadic disease. Using high-throughput siRNA screening technology, we assessed 15,200 genes for their role in Abeta42 secretion and identified leucine-rich repeat transmembrane 3 (LRRTM3) as a neuronal gene that promotes APP processing by BACE1. siRNAs targeting LRRTM3 inhibit the secretion of Abeta40, Abeta42, and sAPPbeta, the N-terminal APP fragment produced by BACE1 cleavage, from cultured cells and primary neurons by up to 60%, whereas overexpression increases Abeta secretion. LRRTM3 is expressed nearly exclusively in the nervous system, including regions affected during AD, such as the dentate gyrus. Furthermore, LRRTM3 maps to a region of chromosome 10 linked to both LOAD and elevated plasma Abeta42, and is structurally similar to a family of neuronal receptors that includes the NOGO receptor, an inhibitor of neuronal regeneration and APP processing. Thus, LRRTM3 is a functional and positional candidate gene for AD, and, given its receptor-like structure and restricted expression, a potential therapeutic target. |
