Mechanisms that lessen benefits of β-secretase reduction in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

The β-secretase enzyme BACE1 (β-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme 1), which initiates amyloid-β (Aβ) production, is an excellent therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, recent evidence raises concern that BACE1-inhibiting approaches may encounter dramatic declines in their abilities to ameliorate AD-like pathology and memory deficits during disease progression. Here, we used BACE1 haploinsufficiency as a therapeutic relevant model to evaluate the efficacy of partial inhibition of this enzyme. Specifically, we crossed BACE1(+/−) mice with 5XFAD transgenic mice and investigated the mechanisms by which Aβ accumulation and related memory impairments become less sensitive to rescue by BACE1(+/−) reduction. Haploinsufficiency lowered BACE1 expression by ∼50% in 5XFAD mice regardless of age in concordance with reduction in gene copy number. However, profound Aβ plaque pathology and memory deficits concomitant with BACE1 equivalent to wild-type control levels remained in BACE1(+/−)·5XFAD mice with advanced age (15–18 months old). Therefore, BACE1 haploinsufficiency is not sufficient to block the elevation of BACE1 expression (approximately twofold), which is also reported to occur during human AD progression, in 5XFAD mice. Our investigation revealed that PERK (PKR-endoplasmic reticulum-related kinase)-dependent activation of eIF2α (eukaryotic translation initiation factor-2α) accounts for the persistent BACE1 upregulation in BACE1(+/−)·5XFAD mouse brains at 15–18 months of age. Moreover, BACE1 haploinsufficiency was also no longer able to prevent reduction in the expression of neprilysin, a crucial Aβ-degrading enzyme, in 5XFAD mice with advanced age. These findings demonstrate that partial BACE1 suppression cannot attenuate deleterious BACE1-elevating or neprilysin-reducing mechanisms, limiting its capabilities to reduce cerebral Aβ accumulation and rescue memory defects during the course of AD development.