BACE1 (β-Secretase) FRET Assay Kit, red

BACE1 (β-secretase) is a key enzyme involved in the production of Amyloid beta-peptides (Abeta) found in extracellular amyloid plaques of Alzheimers disease (AD). In some cases, early onset familial AD can be attributed to a “Swedish” mutation in the amyloid precursor protein (APP), dramatically enhancing the cleavage of this protein by BACE1. This and other genetic and pathological evidence has led to therapeutic approaches focusing on the inhibition of BACE1 and other APP-cleaving enzymes, such as gamma-secretase. The BACE1 fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) Assay Kit provides a sensitive and efficient method for screening potential BACE1 inhibitors. This kit uses purified baculovirus-expressed BACE1 and a new red FRET peptide substrate based on the “Swedish” mutant.

The BACE1 FRET Assay Kit offers:

• Red emission to reduce compound interference
• Excitation at 545 nm and read emission at 585 nm
• An easy-to-use, rapid, homogeneous assay that is performed in solution
• Versatile formatting for high-throughput screening
• Stable results—measurements can be made for up to 24 hours

The principle of the BACE1 FRET assay is as follows: The peptide substrate is synthesized with two fluorophores, a fluorescent donor (a rhodamine (Rh) derivative), and a proprietary quenching acceptor. The distance between these two groups has been selected so that upon light excitation, the donor (D) fluorescence energy is significantly quenched by the acceptor (A) through a quantum mechanical phenomenon known as resonance energy transfer (Figure 1). Upon cleavage by the protease, the fluorophore is separated from the quenching group, restoring the full fluorescence yield of the donor. Thus, a weakly fluorescent peptide substrate becomes highly fluorescent upon enzymatic cleavage; the increase in fluorescence is linearly related to the rate of proteolysis.

Source of BACE1 Enzyme:
A cDNA sequence encoding amino acids 1-460 of human BACE1, corresponding to the ectodomain, was expressed in recombinant, baculovirus-infected insect cells. Purified BACE1 exists as the proBACE1 form having an apparent molecular weight of 55 kDa and an N-terminal sequence of TQHGIRLPLR.