Presenilins interact with Rab11, a small GTPase involved in the regulation of vesicular transport

Abstract

Presenilin 1 (PS1) mutations account for the majority of early-onset dominant cases of familial Alzheimer's disease. Presenilins (PSs) are located in many intracellular compartments such as the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, nuclear region and vesicular structures. These proteins include from seven to nine putative transmembrane domains, with the N- and C-terminal ends and a large hydrophilic loop orientated towards the cytoplasm. We report an interaction between the human PS1 or PS2 hydrophilic loop and Rab11, a small GTPase belonging to the Ras-related superfamily. Interaction domains were mapped to codons 374-400 for PS1 and to codons 106-179 for Rab11, a region including the fourth GTP-binding domain. Considering the implication of Rab proteins in vesicular transport pathways, the PS-Rab11 interaction suggests that PSs might be involved in amyloid precursor protein vesicular routing.