N-cadherin-based adhesion enhances A beta release and decreases A beta(42/40) ratio

In neurons, Presenilin 1(PS1)/gamma-secretase is located at the synapses, bound to N-cadherin. We have previously reported that N-cadherin-mediated cell-cell contact promotes cell-surface expression of PS1/gamma-secretase. We postulated that N-cadherin-mediated trafficking of PS1 might impact synaptic PS1-amyloid precursor protein interactions and A beta generation. In the present report, we evaluate the effect of N-cadherin-based contacts on A beta production. We demonstrate that stable expression of N-cadherin in Chinese hamster ovary cells, expressing the Swedish mutant of human amyloid precursor protein leads to enhanced secretion of A beta in the medium. Moreover, N-cadherin expression decreased A beta(42/40) ratio. The effect of N-cadherin expression on A beta production was accompanied by the enhanced accessibility of PS1/gamma-secretase to amyloid precursor protein as well as a conformational change of PS1, as demonstrated by the fluorescence lifetime imaging technique. These results indicate that N-cadherin-mediated synaptic adhesion may modulate A beta secretion as well as the A beta(42/40) ratio via PS1/N-cadherin interactions.