Turning the tide on Alzheimer’s disease: modulation of γ-secretase

Cell & Bioscience

Yue-Ming Li¹  Joanna E. Luo¹ 

[1] Chemical Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 10065, New York, NY, USA;Program of Pharmacology, Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences of Cornell University, 10021, New York, NY, USA;

关键词: γ-secretase;    Alzheimer’s disease;    Inhibitor;    Modulator;    Mechanism;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13578-021-00738-7

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of neurodegenerative disorder. Amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques are integral to the “amyloid hypothesis,” which states that the accumulation of Aβ peptides triggers a cascade of pathological events leading to neurodegeneration and ultimately AD. While the FDA approved aducanumab, the first Aβ-targeted therapy, multiple safe and effective treatments will be needed to target the complex pathologies of AD. γ-Secretase is an intramembrane aspartyl protease that is critical for the generation of Aβ peptides. Activity and specificity of γ-secretase are regulated by both obligatory subunits and modulatory proteins. Due to its complex structure and function and early clinical failures with pan inhibitors, γ-secretase has been a challenging drug target for AD. γ-secretase modulators, however, have dramatically shifted the approach to targeting γ-secretase. Here we review γ-secretase and small molecule modulators, from the initial characterization of a subset of NSAIDs to the most recent clinical candidates. We also discuss the chemical biology of γ-secretase, in which small molecule probes enabled structural and functional insights into γ-secretase before the emergence of high-resolution structural studies. Finally, we discuss the recent crystal structures of γ-secretase, which have provided valuable perspectives on substrate recognition and molecular mechanisms of small molecules. We conclude that modulation of γ-secretase will be part of a new wave of AD therapeutics.

【 授权许可】

CC BY