CorrectionsAGRICULTURAL SCIENCES. For the article ''Characterization of capsaicin synthase and identification of its gene (csy1) for pungency factor capsaicin in pepper (Capsicum sp.),'' by B. C. Narasimha

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In addition to its documented role in the proteolytic processing of Notch-1 and the β-amyloid precursor protein, presenilin 1 (PS1) associates with β-catenin. In this study, we show that this interaction plays a critical role in regulating β-catenin/T Cell Factor/Lymphoid Enhancer Factor-1 (LEF) signaling. PS1 deficiency results in accumulation of cytosolic β-catenin, leading to a β-catenin/LEF-dependent increase in cyclin D1 transcription and accelerated entry into the S phase of the cell cycle. Conversely, PS1 specifically represses LEF-dependent transcription in a dose-dependent manner. The hyperproliferative response can be reversed by reintroducing PS1 expression or overexpressing axin, but not a PS1 mutant that does not bind β-catenin (PS1Δcat) or by two different familial Alzheimer's disease mutants. In contrast, PS1Δcat restores Notch-1 proteolytic cleavage and Aβ generation in PS1-deficient cells, indicating that PS1 function in modulating β-catenin levels can be separated from its roles in facilitating γ-secretase cleavage of β-amyloid precursor protein and in Notch-1 signaling. Finally, we show an altered response to Wnt signaling and impaired ubiquitination of β-catenin in the absence of PS1, a phenotype that may account for the increased stability in PS1-deficient cells. Thus, PS1 adds to the molecules that are known to regulate the rapid turnover of β-catenin.

In addition to its well-established role in gamma-secretase cleavage, presenilin (PS) also plays a role in regulating the stability of cytosolic beta-catenin, a protein involved in Wnt signaling. Several familial Alzheimer's disease-associated PS1 mutations have been shown to increase the stability of the signaling pool of beta-catenin, correlating with enhanced cell proliferation. Accordingly, we hypothesized that in the setting of PS1 mutations, abnormal activation of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling leads to increased cell division. We tested this hypothesis by examining whether there is evidence of increased neurogenesis in the hippocampus of adult transgenic mice that overexpress the PS1 A246E mutation. In PS1/PS2-deficient fibroblasts, expression of PS1 A246E Familial AD mutation failed to restore the rapid turnover of beta-catenin compared with wild-type PS1. We then examined whether the same mutation enhanced neurogenesis in vivo in adult hippocampus of PS1-deficient mice when restored by wild-type human PS1 (PS1(-/-)WT) or A246E PS1 mutation (PS1(-/-)AE). The PS1 A246E mutation stimulated the proliferation of progenitor cells in the dentate gyrus of adult mice, as assessed by 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine incorporation, but did not influence their survival or differentiation. These observations suggest that the PS1 A246E mutation influences cell growth putatively via abnormal beta-catenin signaling in vivo.