Gain-of-function enhancement of IP3 receptor modal gating by familial Alzheimer's disease-linked presenilin mutants in human cells and mouse neurons

Familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) is caused by mutations in amyloid precursor protein or presenilins (PS1 and PS2). Many FAD-linked PS mutations affect intracellular calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis bymechanisms proximal to and independent of amyloid production, although the molecular details are controversial. We found that several FAD-causing PS mutants enhance gating of the inositol trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) Ca2+ release channel by a gain-of-function effect that mirrored the genetics of FAD and was independent of secretase activity. In contrast, wild-type PS or PS mutants that cause frontotemporal dementia had no such effect. FAD-causing PS mutants altered the modes in which the IP3R channel gated. Recordings of endogenous IP3R in lymphoblasts derived from individuals with FAD or cortical neurons of asymptomatic PS1-AD mice revealed they were more likely than IP 3R in cells with wild-type PS to dwell in a high open-probability burst mode, resulting in enhanced Ca2+ signaling. These results indicate that exaggerated Ca2+ signaling through IP3R-PS interaction is a disease-specific and robust proximal mechanism in FAD. Copyright 2008 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science; all rights reserved.