A Function for EHD Family Proteins in Unidirectional Retrograde Dendritic Transport of BACE1 and Alzheimer’s Disease Aβ Production

• Endocytosed BACE1 undergoes exclusive retrograde transport to the soma in dendrites
• EHD1 and EHD3 regulate unidirectional dendritic transport of internalized BACE1
• Axonal sorting and transport of BACE1 are impaired when EHD function is compromised
• Knockdown of EHD1 and EHD3 expression attenuates Aβ secretion in neurons

SummaryAbnormal accumulation of β-secretase (BACE1) in dystrophic neurites and presynaptic β-amyloid (Aβ) production contribute to Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis. Little, however, is known about BACE1 sorting and dynamic transport in neurons. We investigated BACE1 trafficking in hippocampal neurons using live-cell imaging and selective labeling. We report that transport vesicles containing internalized BACE1 in dendrites undergo exclusive retrograde transport toward the soma, whereas they undergo bidirectional transport in axons. Unidirectional dendritic transport requires Eps15-homology-domain-containing (EHD) 1 and 3 protein function. Furthermore, loss of EHD function compromises dynamic axonal transport and overall BACE1 levels in axons. EHD1/3 colocalize with BACE1 and APP β-C-terminal fragments in hippocampal mossy fiber terminals, and their depletion in neurons significantly attenuates Aβ levels. These results demonstrate unidirectional endocytic transport of a dendritic cargo and reveal a role for EHD proteins in neuronal BACE1 transcytosis and Aβ production, processes that are highly relevant for Alzheimer’s disease.

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