Altered levels and distribution of APP and its processing enzymes in Niemann-Pick Type C1-deficient mouse brains

Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) disease is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by intracellular accumulation of cholesterol and glycosphingolipids in many tissues including the brain. The disease is caused by mutations of either NPC1 or NPC2 gene and is accompanied by a severe loss of neurons in the cerebellum, but not in the hippocampus. NPC pathology exhibits some similarities with Alzheimer’s disease, including increased levels of amyloid β (Aβ)-related peptides in vulnerable brain regions, but very little is known about the expression of amyloid precursor protein (APP) or APP secretases in NPC disease. In the present study, we evaluated age-related alterations in the level/distribution of APP and its processing enzymes, β- and γ-secretases, in the hippocampus and cerebellum of Npc1−/− mice, a well-established model of NPC pathology. Our results show that levels and expression of APP and β-secretase are elevated in the cerebellum prior to changes in the hippocampus, whereas γ-secretase components are enhanced in both brain regions at the same time in Npc1−/− mice. Interestingly, a subset of reactive astrocytes in Npc1−/− mouse brains expresses high levels of APP as well as β- and γ-secretase components. Additionally, the activity of β-secretase is enhanced in both the hippocampus and cerebellum of Npc1−/− mice at all ages, while the level of C-terminal APP fragments is increased in the cerebellum of 10-week-old Npc1−/− mice. These results, taken together, suggest that increased level and processing of APP may be associated with the development of pathology and/or degenerative events observed in Npc1−/− mouse brains.