Beta-endoproteolysis of the cellular prion protein by dipeptidyl peptidase-4 and fibroblast activation protein.

The cellular prion protein (PrP ^C ) converts to alternatively folded pathogenic conformations (PrP ^Sc ) in prion infections and binds neurotoxic oligomers formed by amyloid-β α-synuclein, and tau. β-Endoproteolysis, which splits PrP ^C into N- and C-terminal fragments (N2 and C2, respectively), is of interest because a protease-resistant, C2-sized fragment (C2 ^Sc ) accumulates in the brain during prion infections, seemingly comprising the majority of PrP ^Sc at disease endpoint in mice. However, candidates for the underlying proteolytic mechanism(s) remain unconfirmed in vivo. Here, a cell-based screen of protease inhibitors unexpectedly linked type II membrane proteins of the S9B serine peptidase subfamily to PrP ^C β-cleavage. Overexpression experiments in cells and assays with recombinant proteins confirmed that fibroblast activation protein (FAP) and its paralog, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4), cleave directly at multiple sites within PrP ^C 's N-terminal domain. For wild-type mouse and human PrP ^C substrates expressed in cells, the rank orders of activity were human FAP ~ mouse FAP > mouse DPP4 > human DPP4 and human FAP > mouse FAP > mouse DPP4 >> human DPP4, respectively. C2 levels relative to total PrP ^C were reduced in several tissues from FAP-null mice, and, while knockout of DPP4 lacked an analogous effect, the combined DPP4/FAP inhibitor linagliptin, but not the FAP-specific inhibitor SP-13786, reduced C2 ^Sc and total PrP ^Sc levels in two murine cell-based models of prion infections. Thus, the net activity of the S9B peptidases FAP and DPP4 and their cognate inhibitors/modulators affect the physiology and pathogenic potential of PrP ^C .