γ-Secretase activating protein (GSAP) is known
to play an
important role in the β-amyloid pathway. It acts as a modulator
and accentuates the truncation of the amyloid precursor protein C-99
fragment through the γ-secretase complex. GSAP has four isoforms,
out of which canonical isoform 1, a 16 kDa C-terminal portion, has
been extensively studied, whereas the function of other three isoforms
remains unknown. Here, we explore the GSAP isoform 4 (GSAP_I4) expression
and purification from inclusion bodies followed by the refolding of
the protein. The secondary structure of GSAP_I4 is predicted using
circular dichroism. The protein is further characterized by western
blotting and mass spectroscopy analysis. Additionally, biochemical
assays and in silico molecular docking and molecular simulation are
performed to investigate the binding of GSAP_I4 and APP-C99 peptide
fragments. The results reflect that although GSAP_I1 and GSAP_I4 share
high sequence similarity, the isoform 4 does not show any affinity
toward APP-C99 peptide fragments. This hints toward the fact that
GSAP_I4 might have a different role in the living system that is yet
unexplored.
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