Effect of PS1 deficiency and an APP gamma-secretase inhibitor on Notch1 signaling in primary mammalian neurons.

Presenilin1 (PS1) has been implicated in normal Notch1 processing and signaling in several experimental systems. In the present study, the relationship between PS1 and Notch1 in mammalian neurons is studied by analyzing Notch1 cleavage and C-terminal nuclear translocation as well as Notch1 signaling via the transactivation of a CBF1-luciferase reporter construct. We show that full-length Notch1 [N1(FL)] transfected into wild type (WT) primary neurons is cleaved in the presence of its biological ligand Delta (Dl) and translocated to the nucleus within 1--3 min of ligand addition. PS1 deficient neurons show normal Notch1 insertion into the cellular membrane, yet lack Notch1 activation resulting in markedly inhibited nuclear translocation of the C-terminal Notch fragment (NICD). PS1 deficient neurons also have impaired Notch1 signaling which can be restored fully or partially to levels seen in WT littermates by transfection with WT or familial Alzheimer's disease-associated M146L mutant PS1, respectively. We also show that pharmacological inhibition of PS1-associated gamma-secretase activity parallels the effects of genetic PS1 deficiency in these assays. These results support the hypothesis that PS1 deficiency blocks neuronal Notch1 processing and signaling.