Carbon monoxide attenuates amyloidogenesis via down‐regulation of NF‐κB‐mediated BACE1 gene expression

• Published in: Aging cell 2019-02, Vol.18 (1), p.e12864-n/a
• Main Authors: Kim, Hyo Jeong, Joe, Yeonsoo, Chen, Yingqing, Park, Gyu Hwan, Kim, Uh‐Hyun, Chung, Hun Taeg
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 27‐hydroxycholesterol; Advertising executives; Alzheimer's disease; Amyloid - biosynthesis; Amyloid beta-protein; Amyloid precursor protein; Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases - genetics; Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases - metabolism; Amyloidogenesis; Amyloidosis; Animals; Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases - genetics; Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases - metabolism; BACE1; Carbon monoxide; Carbon Monoxide - pharmacology; Cell Line, Tumor; Cholesterol; Cholesterol, Dietary; Development and progression; Diet, High-Fat; Down-Regulation - drug effects; Drug development; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic - drug effects; Genetic engineering; Genetic research; Heme; High cholesterol diet; High fat diet; Humans; Hydrogen peroxide; Hydroxycholesterols - metabolism; Male; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Transgenic; Neurodegenerative diseases; Neuroprotection; NF-kappa B - metabolism; NF‐κB; Original; Oxidation; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Oxygenase; Plaques; Proteolysis; Secretase; Secretion; SIRT1; SIRT1 protein; Sirtuin 1 - metabolism; Toxicity; Transcription; Transcription, Genetic - drug effects; Transgenic mice; β-Site APP-cleaving enzyme 1
• ISSN: 1474-9718; 1474-9726
• DOI: 10.1111/acel.12864

Amyloid‐β (Aβ) peptides, the major constituent of plaques, are generated by sequential proteolytic cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) via β‐secretase (BACE1) and the γ‐secretase complex. It has been proposed that the abnormal secretion and accumulation of Aβ are the initial causative events in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Drugs modulating this pathway could be used for AD treatment. Previous studies indicated that carbon monoxide (CO), a product of heme oxygenase (HO)‐1, protects against Aβ‐induced toxicity and promotes neuroprotection. However, the mechanism underlying the mitigative effect of CO on Aβ levels and BACE1 expression is unclear. Here, we show that CO modulates cleavage of APP and Aβ production by decreasing BACE1 expression in vivo and in vitro. CO reduces Aβ levels and improves memory deficits in AD transgenic mice. The regulation of BACE1 expression by CO is dependent on nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB). Consistent with the negative role of SIRT1 in the NF‐κB activity, CO fails to evoke significant decrease in BACE1 expression in the presence of the SIRT1 inhibitor. Furthermore, CO attenuates elevation of BACE1 level in brains of 3xTg‐AD mouse model as well as mice fed high‐fat, high‐cholesterol diets. CO reduces the NF‐κB‐mediated transcription of BACE1 induced by the cholesterol oxidation product 27‐hydroxycholesterol or hydrogen peroxide. These data suggest that CO reduces the NF‐κB‐mediated BACE1 transcription and consequently decreases Aβ production. Our study provides novel mechanisms by which CO reduces BACE1 expression and Aβ production and may be an effective agent for AD treatment.