Proteolysis mediated by lysosomal
cathepsin proteases maintains a physiological flow in autophagy, phagocytosis and endocytosis.
Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (NCL) is a childhood
neurodegenerative disorder characterized by disturbed autophagic flow and pathological accumulation of
proteins. We demonstrated a therapeutic clearance of
protein aggregates after dosing NCL10 mice with recombinant human
pro-cathepsin-D. Prompted by these results and speculating that
cathepsins may act in a redundant and in an hierarchical manner we envisaged that a treatment with human recombinant
cysteine proteases pro-
cathepsin-L (proCTSL) and pro-
cathepsin-B (proCTSB) could similarly be used to induce protein degradation. Both
enzymes were taken up by
mannose 6-phosphate receptor- and LRP-receptor-mediated endocytosis and processed to the lysosomal mature
cathepsins. In murine NCL10 astrocytes an abnormal increase in LAMP1 and
saposin expression was revealed. Although proCTSB application did not improve this phenotype, proCTSL treatment led to reduced
saposin-C levels in this model as well as in an acute brain slice model. Intracerebral dosing in a NCL10 mouse model revealed cellular and lysosomal uptake of both
enzymes. Only proCTSL mildly reduced
saposin-C levels and attenuated reactive
astrogliosis. Application of both
proteases did not improve
weight loss and mortality of mutant mice. Our data reveal that although recombinant lysosomal
proteases can be efficiently delivered to neuronal lysosomes
cysteine proteases are less efficient in
protein aggregates clearance as compared to the
cathepsin-D treatment. Our data including in vitro degradation assays support the idea that bulk proteolysis requires a hierarchical process in which both aspartyl and
cysteine hydrolases play a role.