Recombinant human amyloid precursor-like protein 2 (APLP2) expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris can stimulate neurite outgrowth

The human amyloid precursor-like protein 2 (APLP2) is a member of the Alzhe imer's disease amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene family. The human APLP2 ectodomain (sAPLP2) was expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris and the rec ombinant sAPLP2 was purified from the culture medium in a single step by me tal-chelating Sepharose chromatography. The neuritotrophic activity of APLP 2 was compared to the APP isoforms sAPP695 and sAPP751 on chick sympathetic neurones. APLP2 had neurite outgrowth-promoting activity similar to that o f APP isoforms. This suggests that APP and APLP2 have a similar or related role and supports the idea of a redundancy in function between the APP-gene family proteins. (C) 1999 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.