Minocycline inhibits cell death and decreases mutant Huntingtin aggregation by targeting Apaf-1

Minocycline (7-dimethylamino-6-dimethyl-6-deoxytetracycline) is a second-generation tetracycline that can cross the blood-brain barrier and has anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. The potential of minocycline as a drug for treating Huntington's disease has been studied; however, the molecular mechanism underlying the neuroprotective properties of minocycline remains elusive. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that a principal cellular target of minocycline is Apaf-1, a key protein in the formation of the apoptosome, a multiprotein complex involved in caspase activation. Minocycline binds to Apaf-1, as shown by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and inhibits apoptosome activity in vitro and in ex vivo models. As a consequence, minocycline-treated cells as well as Apaf-1 knock-out cells are resistant to the development of mutant huntingtin-dependent protein aggregation.