Small GTPases control macropinocytosis of amyloid precursor protein and cleavage to amyloid-β

The overproduction of the toxic peptide amyloid-beta (Aβ) generated from the cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) is proposed to be a critical event in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Evidence suggests that the cleavage of APP occurs after its internalization from the cell surface. Previously, we identified a novel pathway for APP internalization, which traffics cell surface APP directly to lysosomes by macropinocytosis, leading to its processing into Aβ. We also demonstrated that ADP-ribosylation factor 6 (Arf6) is required for the macropinocytosis of APP. Here, we characterized the roles of Arf6’s downstream effectors Rac1, Cdc42 and RhoA. Both pharmacological inhibition and siRNA knockdown of these proteins reduced the amount of APP colocalized with LAMP1-labelled lysosomes without affecting APP transport to early endosomes. Decreases in the production of both Aβ40 and Aβ42 were also observed by ELISA in response to inhibitor treatment. These findings together demonstrate that Rac1, Cdc42 and RhoA are components of the mechanism regulating the macropinocytosis of APP and targeting these components can reduce the production of Aβ.