Amyloid precursor
proteins (APPs) are processed by β-, γ-, and ε-
secretases and
caspase-3 to generate C-terminal fragments of APP (APP-CTFs), which may contribute to the pathology of
Alzheimer's disease (AD). In addition to
amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, AD brains contain Hirano bodies, which are rod-like structures mostly composed of actin and the
actin-binding protein,
cofilin. However, the mechanisms underlying the formation of
cofilin-actin rods are still unknown. In this study, we aim to elucidate the effects of APP-CTFs on the
actin-depolymerizing factor [(ADF)/
cofilin]. Our data indicate that transfection with APP-CT99 and APP-CT57 may increase the phosphorylation level of Ser3 of ADF/
cofilin and Thr508 of
LIM-kinase 1 in rat primary cortical neuronal cultures. S3
peptide, a synthetic
peptide competitor of
LIM-kinase 1 for ADF/
cofilin phosphorylation and an inhibitor of APP-CTFs, induced ADF/
cofilin phosphorylation. In comparison with the wild-type mouse, the APP-CT transgenic mouse showed increased immunoreactivity of phosphorylated
cofilin (p-
cofilin) in the brain. Treatment with
DAPT, an inhibitor of γ-
secretase, resulted in a decrease in p-
cofilin protein level in the group transfected with full-length APP-695. Transfection with the mutant APP-CTF with a deleted YENPTY domain resulted in no significant increase in p-
cofilin level. Thus, APP-CTFs induced
cofilin phosphorylation to facilitate nuclear translocation. These results suggest a relationship between APP-CTFs and ADF/
cofilin that may be suggestive of a new toxic pathway in the pathology of AD.