Accumulation of the amyloid  (A) peptide derived from the proteolytic processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) is the defining pathological hallmark of Alzheimer disease. We previously demonstrated that the C-terminal 37 amino acids of lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) robustly promoted A generation independent of FE65 and specifically interacted with Ran-binding protein 9 (RanBP9). In this study we found that RanBP9 strongly increased BACE1 cleavage of APP and A generation. This pro-amyloidogenic activity of RanBP9 did not depend on the KPI domain or the Swedish APP mutation. In cells expressing wild type APP, RanBP9 reduced cell surface APP and accelerated APP internalization, consistent with enhanced -secretase processing in the endocytic pathway. The N-terminal half of RanBP9 containing SPRY-LisH domains not only interacted with LRP but also with APP and BACE1. Overexpression of RanBP9 resulted in the enhancement of APP interactions with LRP and BACE1 and increased lipid raft association of APP. Importantly, knockdown of endogenous RanBP9 significantly reduced A generation in Chinese hamster ovary cells and in primary neurons, demonstrating its physiological role in BACE1 cleavage of APP. These findings not only implicate RanBP9 as a novel and potent regulator of APP processing but also as a potential therapeutic target for Alzheimer disease.
The major defining pathological hallmark of Alzheimer disease (AD)2 is the accumulation of amyloid  protein (A), a neurotoxic peptide derived from -and ␥-secretase cleavages of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). The vast majority of APP is constitutively cleaved in the middle of the A sequence by ␣-secretase (ADAM10/TACE/ADAM17) in the non-amyloidogenic pathway, thereby abrogating the generation of an intact A peptide. Alternatively, a small proportion of APP is cleaved in the amyloidogenic pathway, leading to the secretion of A peptides (37-42 amino acids) via two proteolytic enzymes, -and ␥-secretase, known as BACE1 and presenilin, respectively (1).The proteolytic processing of APP to generate A requires the trafficking of APP such that APP and BACE1 are brought together in close proximity for -secretase cleavage to occur. We and others have shown that the low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP), a multifunctional endocytosis receptor (2), binds to APP and alters its trafficking to promote A generation. The loss of LRP substantially reduces A release, a phenotype that is reversed when full-length (LRP-FL) or truncated LRP is transfected in LRP-deficient cells (3, 4). Specifically, LRP-CT lacking the extracellular ligand binding regions but containing the transmembrane domain and the cytoplasmic tail is capable of rescuing amyloidogenic processing of APP and A release in LRP deficient cells (3). Moreover, the LRP soluble tail (LRP-ST) lacking the transmembrane domain and only containing the cytoplasmic tail of LRP is sufficient to enhance A secretion (5). This activity of LRP-ST is achieved by promoting APP/BACE1 intera...