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Canet G, Gratuze M, Zussy C, Bouali ML, Diaz SD, Rocaboy E, Laliberté F, El Khoury NB, Tremblay C, Morin F, Calon F, Hébert SS, Julien C, Planel E. Age-dependent impact of streptozotocin on metabolic endpoints and Alzheimer's disease pathologies in 3xTg-AD mice. Neurobiol Dis 2024; 198:106526. [PMID: 38734152 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2024.106526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disease with a complex origin, thought to involve a combination of genetic, biological and environmental factors. Insulin dysfunction has emerged as a potential factor contributing to AD pathogenesis, particularly in individuals with diabetes, and among those with insulin deficiency or undergoing insulin therapy. The intraperitoneal administration of streptozotocin (STZ) is widely used in rodent models to explore the impact of insulin deficiency on AD pathology, although prior research predominantly focused on young animals, with no comparative analysis across different age groups. Our study aimed to fill this gap by analyzing the impact of insulin dysfunction in 7 and 23 months 3xTg-AD mice, that exhibit both amyloid and tau pathologies. Our objective was to elucidate the age-specific consequences of insulin deficiency on AD pathology. STZ administration led to insulin deficiency in the younger mice, resulting in an increase in cortical amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau aggregation, while tau phosphorylation was not significantly affected. Conversely, older mice displayed an unexpected resilience to the peripheral metabolic impact of STZ, while exhibiting an increase in both tau phosphorylation and aggregation without significantly affecting amyloid pathology. These changes were paralleled with alterations in signaling pathways involving tau kinases and phosphatases. Several markers of blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity declined with age in 3xTg-AD mice, which might have facilitated a direct neurotoxic effect of STZ in older mice. Overall, our research confirms the influence of insulin signaling dysfunction on AD pathology, but also advises careful interpretation of data related to STZ-induced effects in older animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey Canet
- Laval University, Faculty of Medicine, Neurosciences and Psychiatry department, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada; Neurosciences axis, CHU de Québec Research Center, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada.
| | - Maud Gratuze
- Laval University, Faculty of Medicine, Neurosciences and Psychiatry department, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada; Institute of Neurophysiopathology (INP), University of Aix-Marseille, CNRS UMR 7051, 13385 Marseille, France.
| | - Charleine Zussy
- Laval University, Faculty of Medicine, Neurosciences and Psychiatry department, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada; Neurosciences axis, CHU de Québec Research Center, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada.
| | - Mohamed Lala Bouali
- Laval University, Faculty of Medicine, Neurosciences and Psychiatry department, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
| | - Sofia Diego Diaz
- Laval University, Faculty of Medicine, Neurosciences and Psychiatry department, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
| | - Emma Rocaboy
- Laval University, Faculty of Medicine, Neurosciences and Psychiatry department, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
| | - Francis Laliberté
- Neurosciences axis, CHU de Québec Research Center, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada
| | - Noura B El Khoury
- Laval University, Faculty of Medicine, Neurosciences and Psychiatry department, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada; University of Balamand, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Departement of Psychology, Tueini Building Kalhat, Al-Kurah, P.O. Box 100, Tripoli, Lebanon.
| | - Cyntia Tremblay
- Neurosciences axis, CHU de Québec Research Center, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada.
| | - Françoise Morin
- Neurosciences axis, CHU de Québec Research Center, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada.
| | - Frédéric Calon
- Neurosciences axis, CHU de Québec Research Center, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; Laval University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Neurosciences and Psychiatry department, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
| | - Sébastien S Hébert
- Laval University, Faculty of Medicine, Neurosciences and Psychiatry department, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada; Neurosciences axis, CHU de Québec Research Center, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada.
| | - Carl Julien
- Research Center in Animal Sciences of Deschambault, Québec, QC G0A 1S0, Canada; Laval University, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
| | - Emmanuel Planel
- Laval University, Faculty of Medicine, Neurosciences and Psychiatry department, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada; Neurosciences axis, CHU de Québec Research Center, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada.
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Theofilas P, Wang C, Butler D, Morales DO, Petersen C, Ambrose A, Chin B, Yang T, Khan S, Ng R, Kayed R, Karch CM, Miller BL, Gestwicki JE, Gan L, Temple S, Arkin MR, Grinberg LT. iPSC-induced neurons with the V337M MAPT mutation are selectively vulnerable to caspase-mediated cleavage of tau and apoptotic cell death. Mol Cell Neurosci 2024:103954. [PMID: 39032719 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2024.103954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 07/09/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tau post-translational modifications (PTMs) result in the gradual build-up of abnormal tau and neuronal degeneration in tauopathies, encompassing variants of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Tau proteolytically cleaved by active caspases, including caspase-6, may be neurotoxic and prone to self-aggregation. Also, our recent findings show that caspase-6 truncated tau represents a frequent and understudied aspect of tau pathology in AD in addition to phospho-tau pathology. In AD and Pick's disease, a large percentage of caspase-6 associated cleaved-tau positive neurons lack phospho-tau, suggesting that many vulnerable neurons to tau pathology go undetected when using conventional phospho-tau antibodies and possibly will not respond to phospho-tau based therapies. Therefore, therapeutic strategies against caspase cleaved-tau pathology could be necessary to modulate the extent of tau abnormalities in AD and other tauopathies. METHODS To understand the timing and progression of caspase activation, tau cleavage, and neuronal death, we created two mAbs targeting caspase-6 tau cleavage sites and probed postmortem brain tissue from an individual with FTLD due to the V337M MAPT mutation. We then assessed tau cleavage and apoptotic stress response in cortical neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) carrying the FTD-related V337M MAPT mutation. Finally, we evaluated the neuroprotective effects of caspase inhibitors in these iPSC-derived neurons. RESULTS FTLD V337M MAPT postmortem brain showed positivity for both cleaved tau mAbs and active caspase-6. Relative to isogenic wild-type MAPT controls, V337M MAPT neurons cultured for 3 months post-differentiation showed a time-dependent increase in pathogenic tau in the form of caspase-cleaved tau, phospho-tau, and higher levels of tau oligomers. Accumulation of toxic tau species in V337M MAPT neurons was correlated with increased vulnerability to pro-apoptotic stress. Notably, this mutation-associated cell death was pharmacologically rescued by the inhibition of effector caspases. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest an upstream, time-dependent accumulation of caspase-6 cleaved tau in V337M MAPT neurons promoting neurotoxicity. These processes can be reversed by caspase inhibition. These results underscore the potential of developing caspase-6 inhibitors as therapeutic agents for FTLD and other tauopathies. Additionally, they highlight the promise of using caspase-cleaved tau as biomarkers for these conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panos Theofilas
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Chao Wang
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Dulce O Morales
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Cathrine Petersen
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Andrew Ambrose
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Small Molecule Discovery Center, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Shireen Khan
- ChemPartner San Francisco, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Raymond Ng
- ChemPartner San Francisco, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Rakez Kayed
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | | | - Bruce L Miller
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jason E Gestwicki
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Li Gan
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, CA, USA; Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute, Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Michelle R Arkin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Small Molecule Discovery Center, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Lea T Grinberg
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Pathology, University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Brazil.
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Shi H, Mirzaei N, Koronyo Y, Davis MR, Robinson E, Braun GM, Jallow O, Rentsendorj A, Ramanujan VK, Fert-Bober J, Kramerov AA, Ljubimov AV, Schneider LS, Tourtellotte WG, Hawes D, Schneider JA, Black KL, Kayed R, Selenica MLB, Lee DC, Fuchs DT, Koronyo-Hamaoui M. Identification of retinal oligomeric, citrullinated, and other tau isoforms in early and advanced AD and relations to disease status. Acta Neuropathol 2024; 148:3. [PMID: 38980423 PMCID: PMC11233395 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-024-02760-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 06/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
This study investigates various pathological tau isoforms in the retina of individuals with early and advanced Alzheimer's disease (AD), exploring their connection with disease status. Retinal cross-sections from predefined superior-temporal and inferior-temporal subregions and corresponding brains from neuropathologically confirmed AD patients with a clinical diagnosis of either mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia (n = 45) were compared with retinas from age- and sex-matched individuals with normal cognition (n = 30) and non-AD dementia (n = 4). Retinal tau isoforms, including tau tangles, paired helical filament of tau (PHF-tau), oligomeric-tau (Oligo-tau), hyperphosphorylated-tau (p-tau), and citrullinated-tau (Cit-tau), were stereologically analyzed by immunohistochemistry and Nanostring GeoMx digital spatial profiling, and correlated with clinical and neuropathological outcomes. Our data indicated significant increases in various AD-related pretangle tau isoforms, especially p-tau (AT8, 2.9-fold, pS396-tau, 2.6-fold), Cit-tau at arginine residue 209 (CitR209-tau; 4.1-fold), and Oligo-tau (T22+, 9.2-fold), as well as pretangle and mature tau tangle forms like MC-1-positive (1.8-fold) and PHF-tau (2.3-fold), in AD compared to control retinas. MCI retinas also exhibited substantial increases in Oligo-tau (5.2-fold), CitR209-tau (3.5-fold), and pS396-tau (2.2-fold). Nanostring GeoMx analysis confirmed elevated retinal p-tau at epitopes: Ser214 (2.3-fold), Ser396 (2.6-fold), Ser404 (2.4-fold), and Thr231 (1.8-fold), particularly in MCI patients. Strong associations were found between retinal tau isoforms versus brain pathology and cognitive status: a) retinal Oligo-tau vs. Braak stage, neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), and CDR cognitive scores (ρ = 0.63-0.71), b) retinal PHF-tau vs. neuropil threads (NTs) and ABC scores (ρ = 0.69-0.71), and c) retinal pS396-tau vs. NTs, NFTs, and ABC scores (ρ = 0.67-0.74). Notably, retinal Oligo-tau strongly correlated with retinal Aβ42 and arterial Aβ40 forms (r = 0.76-0.86). Overall, this study identifies and quantifies diverse retinal tau isoforms in MCI and AD patients, underscoring their link to brain pathology and cognition. These findings advocate for further exploration of retinal tauopathy biomarkers to facilitate AD detection and monitoring via noninvasive retinal imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoshen Shi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 127 S. San Vicente Blvd., A6212, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Nazanin Mirzaei
- Department of Neurosurgery, Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 127 S. San Vicente Blvd., A6212, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Yosef Koronyo
- Department of Neurosurgery, Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 127 S. San Vicente Blvd., A6212, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Miyah R Davis
- Department of Neurosurgery, Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 127 S. San Vicente Blvd., A6212, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Edward Robinson
- Department of Neurosurgery, Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 127 S. San Vicente Blvd., A6212, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Gila M Braun
- Department of Neurosurgery, Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 127 S. San Vicente Blvd., A6212, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Ousman Jallow
- Department of Neurosurgery, Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 127 S. San Vicente Blvd., A6212, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Altan Rentsendorj
- Department of Neurosurgery, Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 127 S. San Vicente Blvd., A6212, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - V Krishnan Ramanujan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Justyna Fert-Bober
- Smidt Heart Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Advanced Clinical Biosystems Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Andrei A Kramerov
- Eye Program, Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Division of Applied Cell Biology and Physiology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Alexander V Ljubimov
- Department of Neurosurgery, Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 127 S. San Vicente Blvd., A6212, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
- Eye Program, Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Division of Applied Cell Biology and Physiology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lon S Schneider
- Departments of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences and Neurology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Warren G Tourtellotte
- Department of Neurosurgery, Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 127 S. San Vicente Blvd., A6212, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Division of Applied Cell Biology and Physiology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Debra Hawes
- Department of Pathology Program in Neuroscience, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Julie A Schneider
- Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Keith L Black
- Department of Neurosurgery, Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 127 S. San Vicente Blvd., A6212, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Rakez Kayed
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
- Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Maj-Linda B Selenica
- Sanders-Brown Center On Aging, Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Daniel C Lee
- Sanders-Brown Center On Aging, Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Dieu-Trang Fuchs
- Department of Neurosurgery, Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 127 S. San Vicente Blvd., A6212, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Maya Koronyo-Hamaoui
- Department of Neurosurgery, Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 127 S. San Vicente Blvd., A6212, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA.
- Division of Applied Cell Biology and Physiology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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Gaikwad S, Puangmalai N, Sonawane M, Montalbano M, Price R, Iyer MS, Ray A, Moreno S, Kayed R. Nasal tau immunotherapy clears intracellular tau pathology and improves cognitive functions in aged tauopathy mice. Sci Transl Med 2024; 16:eadj5958. [PMID: 38959324 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adj5958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Pathological tau aggregates cause cognitive decline in neurodegenerative tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). These aggregates are prevalent within intracellular compartments. Current tau immunotherapies have shown limited efficacy in clearing intracellular tau aggregates and improving cognition in clinical trials. In this study, we developed toxic tau conformation-specific monoclonal antibody-2 (TTCM2), which selectively recognized pathological tau aggregates in brain tissues from patients with AD, dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). TTCM2 potently inhibited tau-seeding activity, an essential mechanism underlying tauopathy progression. To effectively target intracellular tau aggregates and ensure rapid delivery to the brain, TTCM2 was loaded in micelles (TTCM2-ms) and administered through the intranasal route. We found that intranasally administered TTCM2-ms efficiently entered the brain in hTau-tauopathy mice, targeting pathological tau in intracellular compartments. Moreover, a single intranasal dose of TTCM2-ms effectively cleared pathological tau, elevated synaptic proteins, and improved cognitive functions in aged tauopathy mice. Mechanistic studies revealed that TTCM2-ms cleared intracellular, synaptic, and seed-competent tau aggregates through tripartite motif-containing 21 (TRIM21), an intracellular antibody receptor and E3 ubiquitin ligase known to facilitate proteasomal degradation of cytosolic antibody-bound proteins. TRIM21 was found to be essential for TTCM2-ms-mediated clearance of tau pathology. Our study collectively provides evidence of the effectiveness of nasal tau immunotherapy in targeting and clearing intracellular tau pathology through TRIM21 and enhancing cognition in aged tauopathy mice. This study could be valuable in designing effective tau immunotherapies for AD and other tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sagar Gaikwad
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Nicha Puangmalai
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Minal Sonawane
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Mauro Montalbano
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Rachel Price
- Department of Science, University "Roma Tre," Viale G. Marconi 446 00146 Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Sandra Moreno
- Department of Science, University "Roma Tre," Viale G. Marconi 446 00146 Rome, Italy
| | - Rakez Kayed
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
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Yao Y, Muench M, Alle T, Zhang B, Lucero B, Perez‐Tremble R, McGrosso D, Newman M, Gonzalez DJ, Lee VM, Ballatore C, Brunden KR. A small-molecule microtubule-stabilizing agent safely reduces Aβ plaque and tau pathology in transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimers Dement 2024; 20:4540-4558. [PMID: 38884283 PMCID: PMC11247666 DOI: 10.1002/alz.13875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Intraneuronal inclusions composed of tau protein are found in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies. Tau normally binds microtubules (MTs), and its disengagement from MTs and misfolding in AD is thought to result in MT abnormalities. We previously identified triazolopyrimidine-containing MT-stabilizing compounds that provided benefit in AD mouse models and herein describe the characterization and efficacy testing of an optimized candidate, CNDR-51997. METHODS CNDR-51997 underwent pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, safety pharmacology, and mouse tolerability testing. In addition, the compound was examined for efficacy in 5XFAD amyloid beta (Aβ) plaque mice and PS19 tauopathy mice. RESULTS CNDR-51997 significantly reduced Aβ plaques in 5XFAD mice and tau pathology in PS19 mice, with the latter also showing attenuated axonal dystrophy and gliosis. CNDR-51997 was well tolerated at doses that exceeded efficacy doses, with a good safety pharmacology profile. DISCUSSION CNDR-51997 may be a candidate for advancement as a potential therapeutic agent for AD and/or other tauopathies. Highlights There is evidence of microtubule alterations (MT) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain and in mouse models of AD pathology. Intermittent dosing with an optimized, brain-penetrant MT-stabilizing small-molecule, CNDR-51997, reduced both Aβ plaque and tau inclusion pathology in established mouse models of AD. CNDR-51997 attenuated axonal dystrophy and gliosis in a tauopathy mouse model, with a strong trend toward reduced hippocampal neuron loss. CNDR-51997 is well tolerated in mice at doses that are meaningfully greater than required for efficacy in AD mouse models, and the compound has a good safety pharmacology profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuemang Yao
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease ResearchPerelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Megan Muench
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease ResearchPerelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Thibault Alle
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of CaliforniaSan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Bin Zhang
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease ResearchPerelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Bobby Lucero
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of CaliforniaSan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Roxanne Perez‐Tremble
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease ResearchPerelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Dominic McGrosso
- Department of PharmacologyUniversity of CaliforniaSan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Mira Newman
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease ResearchPerelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - David J. Gonzalez
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of CaliforniaSan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
- Department of PharmacologyUniversity of CaliforniaSan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Virginia M.‐Y. Lee
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease ResearchPerelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Carlo Ballatore
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of CaliforniaSan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Kurt R. Brunden
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease ResearchPerelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
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Chu D, Yang X, Wang J, Zhou Y, Gu JH, Miao J, Wu F, Liu F. Tau truncation in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease: a narrative review. Neural Regen Res 2024; 19:1221-1232. [PMID: 37905868 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.385853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT Alzheimer's disease is characterized by two major neuropathological hallmarks-the extracellular β-amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles consisting of aggregated and hyperphosphorylated Tau protein. Recent studies suggest that dysregulation of the microtubule-associated protein Tau, especially specific proteolysis, could be a driving force for Alzheimer's disease neurodegeneration. Tau physiologically promotes the assembly and stabilization of microtubules, whereas specific truncated fragments are sufficient to induce abnormal hyperphosphorylation and aggregate into toxic oligomers, resulting in them gaining prion-like characteristics. In addition, Tau truncations cause extensive impairments to neural and glial cell functions and animal cognition and behavior in a fragment-dependent manner. This review summarizes over 60 proteolytic cleavage sites and their corresponding truncated fragments, investigates the role of specific truncations in physiological and pathological states of Alzheimer's disease, and summarizes the latest applications of strategies targeting Tau fragments in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dandan Chu
- Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration of Jiangsu and Ministry of Education, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Tissue Engineering Technology Products, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Xingyue Yang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yan Zhou
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Jin-Hua Gu
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Affiliated Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Jin Miao
- Laboratory of Animal Center, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Feng Wu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Fei Liu
- Department of Neurochemistry, Inge Grundke-Iqbal Research Floor, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY, USA
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Böken D, Cox D, Burke M, Lam JYL, Katsinelos T, Danial JSH, Fertan E, McEwan WA, Rowe JB, Klenerman D. Single-Molecule Characterization and Super-Resolution Imaging of Alzheimer's Disease-Relevant Tau Aggregates in Human Samples. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202317756. [PMID: 38523073 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202317756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Hyperphosphorylation and aggregation of the protein tau play key roles in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). While the molecular structure of the filamentous tau aggregates has been determined to atomic resolution, there is far less information available about the smaller, soluble aggregates, which are believed to be more toxic. Traditional techniques are limited to bulk measures and struggle to identify individual aggregates in complex biological samples. To address this, we developed a novel single-molecule pull-down-based assay (MAPTau) to detect and characterize individual tau aggregates in AD and control post-mortem brain and biofluids. Using MAPTau, we report the quantity, as well as the size and circularity of tau aggregates measured using super-resolution microscopy, revealing AD-specific differences in tau aggregate morphology. By adapting MAPTau to detect multiple phosphorylation markers in individual aggregates using two-color coincidence detection, we derived compositional profiles of the individual aggregates. We find an AD-specific phosphorylation profile of tau aggregates with more than 80 % containing multiple phosphorylations, compared to 5 % in age-matched non-AD controls. Our results show that MAPTau is able to identify disease-specific subpopulations of tau aggregates phosphorylated at different sites, that are invisible to other methods and enable the study of disease mechanisms and diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorothea Böken
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Dezerae Cox
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Melanie Burke
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Jeff Y L Lam
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Taxiarchis Katsinelos
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK
| | - John S H Danial
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Emre Fertan
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - William A McEwan
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - James B Rowe
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - David Klenerman
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
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8
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Zhang D, Zhang W, Ming C, Gao X, Yuan H, Lin X, Mao X, Wang C, Guo X, Du Y, Shao L, Yang R, Lin Z, Wu X, Huang TY, Wang Z, Zhang YW, Xu H, Zhao Y. P-tau217 correlates with neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease, and targeting p-tau217 with immunotherapy ameliorates murine tauopathy. Neuron 2024; 112:1676-1693.e12. [PMID: 38513667 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Neuronal loss is the central issue in Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet no treatment developed so far can halt AD-associated neurodegeneration. Here, we developed a monoclonal antibody (mAb2A7) against 217 site-phosphorylated human tau (p-tau217) and observed that p-tau217 levels positively correlated with brain atrophy and cognitive impairment in AD patients. Intranasal administration efficiently delivered mAb2A7 into male PS19 tauopathic mouse brain with target engagement and reduced tau pathology/aggregation with little effect on total soluble tau. Further, mAb2A7 treatment blocked apoptosis-associated neuronal loss and brain atrophy, reversed cognitive deficits, and improved motor function in male tauopathic mice. Proteomic analysis revealed that mAb2A7 treatment reversed alterations mainly in proteins associated with synaptic functions observed in murine tauopathy and AD brain. An antibody (13G4) targeting total tau also attenuated tau-associated pathology and neurodegeneration but impaired the motor function of male tauopathic mice. These results implicate p-tau217 as a potential therapeutic target for AD-associated neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denghong Zhang
- Center for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710038, China
| | - Chen Ming
- Department of Public Health and Medicinal Administration, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR 999078, China; Ministry of Education Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR 999078, China; Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR 999078, China
| | - Xuheng Gao
- Center for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Huilong Yuan
- Center for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Xiaojie Lin
- Center for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Xinru Mao
- Center for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Chunping Wang
- Center for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Xiaoyi Guo
- Center for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Ying Du
- Department of Neurology, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710038, China
| | - Lin Shao
- Center for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Renzhi Yang
- Institute for Brain Science and Disease, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Zhihao Lin
- Center for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Xilin Wu
- Department of Neurology, Center for Cognitive Neurology, Institute of Clinical Neurology, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian 350001, China
| | - Timothy Y Huang
- Degenerative Diseases Program, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Zhanxiang Wang
- Center for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Yun-Wu Zhang
- Center for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Huaxi Xu
- Center for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Yingjun Zhao
- Center for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China.
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9
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Parra Bravo C, Giani AM, Madero-Perez J, Zhao Z, Wan Y, Samelson AJ, Wong MY, Evangelisti A, Cordes E, Fan L, Ye P, Zhu D, Pozner T, Mercedes M, Patel T, Yarahmady A, Carling GK, Sterky FH, Lee VMY, Lee EB, DeTure M, Dickson DW, Sharma M, Mok SA, Luo W, Zhao M, Kampmann M, Gong S, Gan L. Human iPSC 4R tauopathy model uncovers modifiers of tau propagation. Cell 2024; 187:2446-2464.e22. [PMID: 38582079 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
Tauopathies are age-associated neurodegenerative diseases whose mechanistic underpinnings remain elusive, partially due to a lack of appropriate human models. Here, we engineered human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived neuronal lines to express 4R Tau and 4R Tau carrying the P301S MAPT mutation when differentiated into neurons. 4R-P301S neurons display progressive Tau inclusions upon seeding with Tau fibrils and recapitulate features of tauopathy phenotypes including shared transcriptomic signatures, autophagic body accumulation, and reduced neuronal activity. A CRISPRi screen of genes associated with Tau pathobiology identified over 500 genetic modifiers of seeding-induced Tau propagation, including retromer VPS29 and genes in the UFMylation cascade. In progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD) brains, the UFMylation cascade is altered in neurofibrillary-tangle-bearing neurons. Inhibiting the UFMylation cascade in vitro and in vivo suppressed seeding-induced Tau propagation. This model provides a robust platform to identify novel therapeutic strategies for 4R tauopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celeste Parra Bravo
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Alice Maria Giani
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Jesus Madero-Perez
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Zeping Zhao
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Yuansong Wan
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Avi J Samelson
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Man Ying Wong
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Alessandro Evangelisti
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Ethan Cordes
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Li Fan
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Pearly Ye
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Daphne Zhu
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Tatyana Pozner
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Maria Mercedes
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Tark Patel
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Allan Yarahmady
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Gillian K Carling
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Fredrik H Sterky
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Gothenburg, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Clinical Chemistry, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Virginia M Y Lee
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Edward B Lee
- Institute of Aging, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Michael DeTure
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Dennis W Dickson
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Manu Sharma
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Sue-Ann Mok
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Wenjie Luo
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Mingrui Zhao
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Martin Kampmann
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Shiaoching Gong
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.
| | - Li Gan
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.
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10
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Zheng H, Sun H, Cai Q, Tai HC. The Enigma of Tau Protein Aggregation: Mechanistic Insights and Future Challenges. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4969. [PMID: 38732197 PMCID: PMC11084794 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25094969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2024] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Tau protein misfolding and aggregation are pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease and over twenty neurodegenerative disorders. However, the molecular mechanisms of tau aggregation in vivo remain incompletely understood. There are two types of tau aggregates in the brain: soluble aggregates (oligomers and protofibrils) and insoluble filaments (fibrils). Compared to filamentous aggregates, soluble aggregates are more toxic and exhibit prion-like transmission, providing seeds for templated misfolding. Curiously, in its native state, tau is a highly soluble, heat-stable protein that does not form fibrils by itself, not even when hyperphosphorylated. In vitro studies have found that negatively charged molecules such as heparin, RNA, or arachidonic acid are generally required to induce tau aggregation. Two recent breakthroughs have provided new insights into tau aggregation mechanisms. First, as an intrinsically disordered protein, tau is found to undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) both in vitro and inside cells. Second, cryo-electron microscopy has revealed diverse fibrillar tau conformations associated with different neurodegenerative disorders. Nonetheless, only the fibrillar core is structurally resolved, and the remainder of the protein appears as a "fuzzy coat". From this review, it appears that further studies are required (1) to clarify the role of LLPS in tau aggregation; (2) to unveil the structural features of soluble tau aggregates; (3) to understand the involvement of fuzzy coat regions in oligomer and fibril formation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Hwan-Ching Tai
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
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11
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Meftah S, Cavallini A, Murray TK, Jankowski L, Bose S, Ashby MC, Brown JT, Witton J. Synaptic alterations associated with disrupted sensory encoding in a mouse model of tauopathy. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcae134. [PMID: 38712321 PMCID: PMC11073755 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Synapse loss is currently the best biological correlate of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. Synapses seem to be highly vulnerable to tau-mediated disruption in neurodegenerative tauopathies. However, it is unclear how and when this leads to alterations in function related to the progression of tauopathy and neurodegeneration. We used the well-characterized rTg4510 mouse model of tauopathy at 5-6 months and 7-8 months of age, respectively, to study the functional impact of cortical synapse loss. The earlier age was used as a model of prodromal tauopathy, with the later age corresponding to more advanced tau pathology and presumed progression of neurodegeneration. Analysis of synaptic protein expression in the somatosensory cortex showed significant reductions in synaptic proteins and NMDA and AMPA receptor subunit expression in rTg4510 mice. Surprisingly, in vitro whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology from putative pyramidal neurons in layer 2/3 of the somatosensory cortex suggested no functional alterations in layer 4 to layer 2/3 synaptic transmission at 5-6 months. From these same neurons, however, there were alterations in dendritic structure, with increased branching proximal to the soma in rTg4510 neurons. Therefore, in vivo whole-cell patch clamp recordings were utilized to investigate synaptic function and integration in putative pyramidal neurons in layer 2/3 of the somatosensory cortex. These recordings revealed a significant increase in the peak response to synaptically driven sensory stimulation-evoked activity and a loss of temporal fidelity of the evoked signal to the input stimulus in rTg4510 neurons. Together, these data suggest that loss of synapses, changes in receptor expression and dendritic restructuring may lead to alterations in synaptic integration at a network level. Understanding these compensatory processes could identify targets to help delay symptomatic onset of dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soraya Meftah
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Department of Clinical and Biomedical Science, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Annalisa Cavallini
- Erl Wood Manor, Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals, Windlesham, Surrey, GU20 6PH, UK
| | - Tracey K Murray
- Erl Wood Manor, Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals, Windlesham, Surrey, GU20 6PH, UK
| | - Lukasz Jankowski
- Erl Wood Manor, Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals, Windlesham, Surrey, GU20 6PH, UK
| | - Suchira Bose
- Erl Wood Manor, Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals, Windlesham, Surrey, GU20 6PH, UK
| | - Michael C Ashby
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Jonathan T Brown
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Department of Clinical and Biomedical Science, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK
| | - Jonathan Witton
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Department of Clinical and Biomedical Science, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
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12
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Terron HM, Parikh SJ, Abdul-Hay SO, Sahara T, Kang D, Dickson DW, Saftig P, LaFerla FM, Lane S, Leissring MA. Prominent tauopathy and intracellular β-amyloid accumulation triggered by genetic deletion of cathepsin D: implications for Alzheimer disease pathogenesis. Alzheimers Res Ther 2024; 16:70. [PMID: 38575959 PMCID: PMC10996108 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-024-01443-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cathepsin D (CatD) is a lysosomal protease that degrades both the amyloid-β protein (Aβ) and the microtubule-associated protein, tau, which accumulate pathognomonically in Alzheimer disease (AD), but few studies have examined the role of CatD in the development of Aβ pathology and tauopathy in vivo. METHODS CatD knockout (KO) mice were crossed to human amyloid precursor protein (hAPP) transgenic mice, and amyloid burden was quantified by ELISA and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Tauopathy in CatD-KO mice, as initially suggested by Gallyas silver staining, was further characterized by extensive IHC and biochemical analyses. Controls included human tau transgenic mice (JNPL3) and another mouse model of a disease (Krabbe A) characterized by pronounced lysosomal dysfunction. Additional experiments examined the effects of CatD inhibition on tau catabolism in vitro and in cultured neuroblastoma cells with inducible expression of human tau. RESULTS Deletion of CatD in hAPP transgenic mice triggers large increases in cerebral Aβ, manifesting as intense, exclusively intracellular aggregates; extracellular Aβ deposition, by contrast, is neither triggered by CatD deletion, nor affected in older, haploinsufficient mice. Unexpectedly, CatD-KO mice were found to develop prominent tauopathy by just ∼ 3 weeks of age, accumulating sarkosyl-insoluble, hyperphosphorylated tau exceeding the pathology present in aged JNPL3 mice. CatD-KO mice exhibit pronounced perinuclear Gallyas silver staining reminiscent of mature neurofibrillary tangles in human AD, together with widespread phospho-tau immunoreactivity. Striking increases in sarkosyl-insoluble phospho-tau (∼ 1250%) are present in CatD-KO mice but notably absent from Krabbe A mice collected at an identical antemortem interval. In vitro and in cultured cells, we show that tau catabolism is slowed by blockade of CatD proteolytic activity, including via competitive inhibition by Aβ42. CONCLUSIONS Our findings support a major role for CatD in the proteostasis of both Aβ and tau in vivo. To our knowledge, the CatD-KO mouse line is the only model to develop detectable Aβ accumulation and profound tauopathy in the absence of overexpression of hAPP or human tau with disease-associated mutations. Given that tauopathy emerges from disruption of CatD, which can itself be potently inhibited by Aβ42, our findings suggest that impaired CatD activity may represent a key mechanism linking amyloid accumulation and tauopathy in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather M Terron
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine (UCI MIND), Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Sagar J Parikh
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine (UCI MIND), Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Samer O Abdul-Hay
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA
| | - Tomoko Sahara
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA
| | - Dongcheul Kang
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA
| | - Dennis W Dickson
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA
| | - Paul Saftig
- Institut für Biochemie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, D-24098, Kiel, Germany
| | - Frank M LaFerla
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine (UCI MIND), Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Shelley Lane
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine (UCI MIND), Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Malcolm A Leissring
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine (UCI MIND), Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA.
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13
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Arezoumandan S, Cousins KA, Ohm DT, Lowe M, Chen M, Gee J, Phillips JS, McMillan CT, Luk KC, Deik A, Spindler MA, Tropea TF, Weintraub D, Wolk DA, Grossman M, Lee V, Chen‐Plotkin AS, Lee EB, Irwin DJ. Tau maturation in the clinicopathological spectrum of Lewy body and Alzheimer's disease. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2024; 11:673-685. [PMID: 38263854 PMCID: PMC10963284 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.51988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Alzheimer's disease neuropathologic change and alpha-synucleinopathy commonly co-exist and contribute to the clinical heterogeneity of dementia. Here, we examined tau epitopes marking various stages of tangle maturation to test the hypotheses that tau maturation is more strongly associated with beta-amyloid compared to alpha-synuclein, and within the context of mixed pathology, mature tau is linked to Alzheimer's disease clinical phenotype and negatively associated with Lewy body dementia. METHODS We used digital histology to measure percent area-occupied by pathology in cortical regions among individuals with pure Alzheimer's disease neuropathologic change, pure alpha-synucleinopathy, and a co-pathology group with both Alzheimer's and alpha-synuclein pathologic diagnoses. Multiple tau monoclonal antibodies were used to detect early (AT8, MC1) and mature (TauC3) epitopes of tangle progression. We used linear/logistic regression to compare groups and test the association between pathologies and clinical features. RESULTS There were lower levels of tau pathology (β = 1.86-2.96, p < 0.001) across all tau antibodies in the co-pathology group compared to the pure Alzheimer's pathology group. Among individuals with alpha-synucleinopathy, higher alpha-synuclein was associated with greater early tau (AT8 β = 1.37, p < 0.001; MC1 β = 1.2, p < 0.001) but not mature tau (TauC3 p = 0.18), whereas mature tau was associated with beta-amyloid (β = 0.21, p = 0.01). Finally, lower tau, particularly TauC3 pathology, was associated with lower frequency of both core clinical features and categorical clinical diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies. INTERPRETATION Mature tau may be more closely related to beta-amyloidosis than alpha-synucleinopathy, and pathophysiological processes of tangle maturation may influence the clinical features of dementia in mixed Lewy-Alzheimer's pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanaz Arezoumandan
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | | | - Daniel T. Ohm
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - MaKayla Lowe
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Min Chen
- Department of RadiologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - James Gee
- Department of RadiologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Jeffrey S. Phillips
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Corey T. McMillan
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Kelvin C. Luk
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Andres Deik
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | | | - Thomas F. Tropea
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Daniel Weintraub
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - David A. Wolk
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Murray Grossman
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Virginia Lee
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | | | - Edward B. Lee
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - David J. Irwin
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
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14
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Ifediora N, Canoll P, Hargus G. Human stem cell transplantation models of Alzheimer's disease. Front Aging Neurosci 2024; 16:1354164. [PMID: 38450383 PMCID: PMC10915253 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1354164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most frequent form of dementia. It is characterized by pronounced neuronal degeneration with formation of neurofibrillary tangles and deposition of amyloid β throughout the central nervous system. Animal models have provided important insights into the pathogenesis of AD and they have shown that different brain cell types including neurons, astrocytes and microglia have important functions in the pathogenesis of AD. However, there are difficulties in translating promising therapeutic observations in mice into clinical application in patients. Alternative models using human cells such as human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) may provide significant advantages, since they have successfully been used to model disease mechanisms in neurons and in glial cells in neurodegenerative diseases in vitro and in vivo. In this review, we summarize recent studies that describe the transplantation of human iPSC-derived neurons, astrocytes and microglial cells into the forebrain of mice to generate chimeric transplantation models of AD. We also discuss opportunities, challenges and limitations in using differentiated human iPSCs for in vivo disease modeling and their application for biomedical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nkechime Ifediora
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Peter Canoll
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Gunnar Hargus
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
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15
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Shi H, Mirzaei N, Koronyo Y, Davis MR, Robinson E, Braun GM, Jallow O, Rentsendorj A, Ramanujan VK, Fert-Bober J, Kramerov AA, Ljubimov AV, Schneider LS, Tourtellotte WG, Hawes D, Schneider JA, Black KL, Kayed R, Selenica MLB, Lee DC, Fuchs DT, Koronyo-Hamaoui M. Identification of retinal tau oligomers, citrullinated tau, and other tau isoforms in early and advanced AD and relations to disease status. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.13.579999. [PMID: 38405854 PMCID: PMC10888760 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.13.579999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Importance This study identifies and quantifies diverse pathological tau isoforms in the retina of both early and advanced-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD) and determines their relationship with disease status. Objective A case-control study was conducted to investigate the accumulation of retinal neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), paired helical filament (PHF)-tau, oligomeric tau (oligo-tau), hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau), and citrullinated tau (Cit-tau) in relation to the respective brain pathology and cognitive dysfunction in mild cognitively impaired (MCI) and AD dementia patients versus normal cognition (NC) controls. Design setting and participants Eyes and brains from donors diagnosed with AD, MCI (due to AD), and NC were collected (n=75 in total), along with clinical and neuropathological data. Brain and retinal cross-sections-in predefined superior-temporal and inferior-temporal (ST/IT) subregions-were subjected to histopathology analysis or Nanostring GeoMx digital spatial profiling. Main outcomes and measure Retinal burden of NFTs (pretangles and mature tangles), PHF-tau, p-tau, oligo-tau, and Cit-tau was assessed in MCI and AD versus NC retinas. Pairwise correlations revealed associations between retinal and brain parameters and cognitive status. Results Increased retinal NFTs (1.8-fold, p=0.0494), PHF-tau (2.3-fold, p<0.0001), oligo-tau (9.1-fold, p<0.0001), CitR 209 -tau (4.3-fold, p<0.0001), pSer202/Thr205-tau (AT8; 4.1-fold, p<0.0001), and pSer396-tau (2.8-fold, p=0.0015) were detected in AD patients. Retinas from MCI patients showed significant increases in NFTs (2.0-fold, p=0.0444), CitR 209 -tau (3.5-fold, p=0.0201), pSer396-tau (2.6-fold, p=0.0409), and, moreover, oligo-tau (5.8-fold, p=0.0045). Nanostring GeoMx quantification demonstrated upregulated retinal p-tau levels in MCI patients at phosphorylation sites of Ser214 (2.3-fold, p=0.0060), Ser396 (1.8-fold, p=0.0052), Ser404 (2.4-fold, p=0.0018), and Thr231 (3.3-fold, p=0.0028). Strong correlations were found between retinal tau forms to paired-brain pathology and cognitive status: a) retinal oligo-tau vs. Braak stage (r=0.60, P=0.0002), b) retinal PHF-tau vs. ABC average score (r=0.64, P=0.0043), c) retinal pSer396-tau vs. brain NFTs (r=0.68, P<0.0001), and d) retinal pSer202/Thr205-tau vs. MMSE scores (r= -0.77, P=0.0089). Conclusions and Relevance This study reveals increases in immature and mature retinal tau isoforms in MCI and AD patients, highlighting their relationship with brain pathology and cognition. The data provide strong incentive to further explore retinal tauopathy markers that may be useful for early detection and monitoring of AD staging through noninvasive retinal imaging.
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16
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Takahashi H, Bhagwagar S, Nies SH, Ye H, Han X, Chiasseu MT, Wang G, Mackenzie IR, Strittmatter SM. Reduced progranulin increases tau and α-synuclein inclusions and alters mouse tauopathy phenotypes via glucocerebrosidase. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1434. [PMID: 38365772 PMCID: PMC10873339 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45692-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Comorbid proteinopathies are observed in many neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease (AD), increase with age, and influence clinical outcomes, yet the mechanisms remain ill-defined. Here, we show that reduction of progranulin (PGRN), a lysosomal protein associated with TDP-43 proteinopathy, also increases tau inclusions, causes concomitant accumulation of α-synuclein and worsens mortality and disinhibited behaviors in tauopathy mice. The increased inclusions paradoxically protect against spatial memory deficit and hippocampal neurodegeneration. PGRN reduction in male tauopathy attenuates activity of β-glucocerebrosidase (GCase), a protein previously associated with synucleinopathy, while increasing glucosylceramide (GlcCer)-positive tau inclusions. In neuronal culture, GCase inhibition enhances tau aggregation induced by AD-tau. Furthermore, purified GlcCer directly promotes tau aggregation in vitro. Neurofibrillary tangles in human tauopathies are also GlcCer-immunoreactive. Thus, in addition to TDP-43, PGRN regulates tau- and synucleinopathies via GCase and GlcCer. A lysosomal PGRN-GCase pathway may be a common therapeutic target for age-related comorbid proteinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideyuki Takahashi
- Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Repair, Departments of Neurology and of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06536, USA
| | - Sanaea Bhagwagar
- Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Repair, Departments of Neurology and of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06536, USA
- College of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Sarah H Nies
- Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Repair, Departments of Neurology and of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06536, USA
- Graduate School of Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, D-72074, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hongping Ye
- Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health Science Center At San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Xianlin Han
- Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health Science Center At San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center At San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Marius T Chiasseu
- Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Repair, Departments of Neurology and of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06536, USA
| | - Guilin Wang
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Ian R Mackenzie
- Department of Pathology, University of British Columbia and Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Stephen M Strittmatter
- Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Repair, Departments of Neurology and of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06536, USA.
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17
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McGregor ER, Lasky DJ, Rippentrop OJ, Clark JP, Wright SLG, Jones MV, Anderson RM. Reversal of neuronal tau pathology, metabolic dysfunction, and electrophysiological defects via adiponectin pathway-dependent AMPK activation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.07.579204. [PMID: 38370802 PMCID: PMC10871331 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.07.579204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Changes in brain mitochondrial metabolism are coincident with functional decline; however, direct links between the two have not been established. Here, we show that mitochondrial targeting via the adiponectin receptor activator AdipoRon (AR) clears neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and rescues neuronal tauopathy-associated defects. AR reduced levels of phospho-tau and lowered NFT burden by a mechanism involving the energy-sensing kinase AMPK and the growth-sensing kinase GSK3b. The transcriptional response to AR included broad metabolic and functional pathways. Induction of lysosomal pathways involved activation of LC3 and p62, and restoration of neuronal outgrowth required the stress-responsive kinase JNK. Negative consequences of NFTs on mitochondrial activity, ATP production, and lipid stores were corrected. Defects in electrophysiological measures (e.g., resting potential, resistance, spiking profiles) were also corrected. These findings reveal a network linking mitochondrial function, cellular maintenance processes, and electrical aspects of neuronal function that can be targeted via adiponectin receptor activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric R McGregor
- Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, SMPH, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
| | - Danny J Lasky
- Department. of Neuroscience, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
| | | | - Josef P Clark
- Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, SMPH, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
| | | | - Mathew V Jones
- Department. of Neuroscience, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
| | - Rozalyn M Anderson
- Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, SMPH, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
- GRECC William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI
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18
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Guo X, Yan L, Zhang D, Zhao Y. Passive immunotherapy for Alzheimer's disease. Ageing Res Rev 2024; 94:102192. [PMID: 38219962 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2024.102192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease characterized by cognitive impairment with few therapeutic options. Despite many failures in developing AD treatment during the past 20 years, significant advances have been achieved in passive immunotherapy of AD very recently. Here, we review characteristics, clinical trial data, and mechanisms of action for monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting key players in AD pathogenesis, including amyloid-β (Aβ), tau and neuroinflammation modulators. We emphasized the efficacy of lecanemab and donanemab on cognition and amyloid clearance in AD patients in phase III clinical trials and discussed factors that may contribute to the efficacy and side effects of anti-Aβ mAbs. In addition, we provided important information on mAbs targeting tau or inflammatory regulators in clinical trials, and indicated that mAbs against the mid-region of tau or pathogenic tau have therapeutic potential for AD. In conclusion, passive immunotherapy targeting key players in AD pathogenesis offers a promising strategy for effective AD treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyi Guo
- Center for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Li Yan
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, China
| | - Denghong Zhang
- Center for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Yingjun Zhao
- Center for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China.
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19
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Guo R, Liu J, Min X, Zeng W, Shan B, Zhang M, He Z, Zhang Y, He K, Yuan J, Xu D. Reduction of DHHC5-mediated beclin 1 S-palmitoylation underlies autophagy decline in aging. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2024; 31:232-245. [PMID: 38177673 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-023-01163-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Autophagy is a lysosome-dependent degradation pathway essential for cellular homeostasis, which decreases with age. However, it is unclear how aging induces autophagy decline. Here we show the role of protein S-palmitoylation in autophagy. We identify the palmitoyl acyltransferase DHHC5 as a regulator of autophagy by mediating the palmitoylation of beclin 1, which in turn promotes the formation of ATG14L-containing class III phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase complex I and its lipid kinase activity by promoting the hydrophobic interactions between beclin 1 and adapter proteins ATG14L and VPS15. In aging brains of human and nonhuman primate, the levels of DHHC5 exhibit a marked decrease in expression. We show that DHHC5 deficiency in neurons leads to reduced cellular protein homeostasis in two established murine models of Alzheimer's disease, which exaggerates neurodegeneration in an autophagy-dependent manner. These findings identify reduction of DHHC5-mediated beclin 1 S-palmitoylation as an underlying mechanism by which aging induces autophagy decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Guo
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianping Liu
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xia Min
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wen Zeng
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bing Shan
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Mengmeng Zhang
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhuohao He
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yaoyang Zhang
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Aging Studies, Shanghai, China
| | - Kaiwen He
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Junying Yuan
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Daichao Xu
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Aging Studies, Shanghai, China.
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20
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Kumar M, Quittot N, Dujardin S, Schlaffner CN, Viode A, Wiedmer A, Beerepoot P, Chun JE, Glynn C, Fernandes AR, Donahue C, Steen JA, Hyman BT. Alzheimer proteopathic tau seeds are biochemically a forme fruste of mature paired helical filaments. Brain 2024; 147:637-648. [PMID: 38236720 PMCID: PMC10834235 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Aggregation prone molecules, such as tau, form both historically well characterized fibrillar deposits (neurofibrillary tangles) and recently identified phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) extract species called proteopathic seeds. Both can cause normal endogenous tau to undergo templated misfolding. The relationship of these seeds to the fibrils that define tau-related diseases is unknown. We characterized the aqueous extractable and sarkosyl insoluble fibrillar tau species derived from human Alzheimer brain using mass spectrometry and in vitro bioassays. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) including phosphorylation, acetylation and ubiquitination are identified in both preparations. PBS extract seed competent tau can be distinguished from sarkosyl insoluble tau by the presence of overlapping, but less abundant, PTMs and an absence of some PTMs unique to the latter. The presence of ubiquitin and other PTMs on the PBS-extracted tau species correlates with the amount of tau in the seed competent size exclusion fractions, with the bioactivity and with the aggressiveness of clinical disease. These results demonstrate that the PTMs present on bioactive, seed competent PBS extract tau species are closely related to, but distinct from, the PTMs of mature paired helical filaments, consistent with the idea that they are a forme fruste of tau species that ultimately form fibrils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mukesh Kumar
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Noé Quittot
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Simon Dujardin
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Christoph N Schlaffner
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Arthur Viode
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Anne Wiedmer
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Pieter Beerepoot
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Joshua E Chun
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Calina Glynn
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Analiese R Fernandes
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Cameron Donahue
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Judith A Steen
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Bradley T Hyman
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
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21
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Fereydouni-Forouzandeh P, Canet G, Diego-Diàz S, Rocaboy E, Petry S, Whittington RA, Planel E. Western Blot of Tau Protein from Mouse Brains Extracts: How to Avoid Signal Artifacts. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2754:309-321. [PMID: 38512673 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3629-9_16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein enriched in the axonal compartment. Its most well-known function is to bind and stabilize microtubules. In Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases known as tauopathies, tau undergoes several abnormal post-translational modifications including hyperphosphorylation, conformational changes, oligomerization, and aggregation. Numerous mouse models of tauopathies have been developed, and Western blotting remains an invaluable tool in studying tau protein physiological and pathological changes in these models. However, many of the antibodies that have been developed to analyze tau post-translational modifications are mouse monoclonal, which are at risk of producing artifactual signals in Western blotting procedures. This risk does not arise due to their lack of specificity, but rather because the secondary antibodies used to detect them will also react with the heavy chain of endogenous mouse immunoglobulins (Igs), leading to a non-specific signal at the same molecular weight as tau protein (around 50 kDa). Here, we present the use of anti-light-chain secondary antibodies as a simple and efficient technique to prevent non-specific Ig signals around 50 kDa. We demonstrate the efficacy of this method by either eliminating or identifying artifactual signals when using monoclonal antibodies directed at non-phosphorylated epitopes (T49, Tau3R, Tau4R), phosphorylated epitopes (MC6, AT180, CP13), or an abnormal tau conformation (MC1), in wild-type (WT) mice with tau hyperphosphorylation (hypothermic), transgenic mice overexpressing human tau (hTau mice), and tau knockout (TKO) mice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Geoffrey Canet
- Université Laval, Faculté de Médecine, Département de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Quebec, QC, Canada
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Neurosciences, Quebec, QC, Canada
| | - Sofia Diego-Diàz
- Université Laval, Faculté de Médecine, Département de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Quebec, QC, Canada
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Neurosciences, Quebec, QC, Canada
| | - Emma Rocaboy
- Université Laval, Faculté de Médecine, Département de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Quebec, QC, Canada
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Neurosciences, Quebec, QC, Canada
| | - Serena Petry
- Université Laval, Faculté de Médecine, Département de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Quebec, QC, Canada
| | - Robert A Whittington
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Emmanuel Planel
- Université Laval, Faculté de Médecine, Département de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Quebec, QC, Canada.
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Neurosciences, Quebec, QC, Canada.
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22
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Canet G, Rocaboy E, Laliberté F, Boscher E, Guisle I, Diego-Diaz S, Fereydouni-Forouzandeh P, Whittington RA, Hébert SS, Pernet V, Planel E. Temperature-induced Artifacts in Tau Phosphorylation: Implications for Reliable Alzheimer's Disease Research. Exp Neurobiol 2023; 32:423-440. [PMID: 38196137 PMCID: PMC10789175 DOI: 10.5607/en23025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 12/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
In preclinical research on Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies, tau phosphorylation analysis is routinely employed in both cellular and animal models. However, recognizing the sensitivity of tau phosphorylation to various extrinsic factors, notably temperature, is vital for experimental accuracy. Hypothermia can trigger tau hyperphosphorylation, while hyperthermia leads to its dephosphorylation. Nevertheless, the rapidity of tau phosphorylation in response to unintentional temperature variations remains unknown. In cell cultures, the most significant temperature change occurs when the cells are removed from the incubator before harvesting, and in animal models, during anesthesia prior to euthanasia. In this study, we investigate the kinetics of tau phosphorylation in N2a and SH-SY5Y neuronal cell lines, as well as in mice exposed to anesthesia. We observed changes in tau phosphorylation within the few seconds upon transferring cell cultures from their 37°C incubator to room temperature conditions. However, cells placed directly on ice post-incubation exhibited negligible phosphorylation changes. In vivo, isoflurane anesthesia rapidly resulted in tau hyperphosphorylation within the few seconds needed to lose the pedal withdrawal reflex in mice. These findings emphasize the critical importance of preventing temperature variation in researches focused on tau. To ensure accurate results, we recommend avoiding anesthesia before euthanasia and promptly placing cells on ice after removal from the incubator. By controlling temperature fluctuations, the reliability and validity of tau phosphorylation studies can be significantly enhanced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey Canet
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Québec G1V 4G2, Canada
- Neurosciences Axis, Research Center of the CHU de Québec - Laval University, Québec G1V 4G2, Canada
| | - Emma Rocaboy
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Québec G1V 4G2, Canada
| | - Francis Laliberté
- Neurosciences Axis, Research Center of the CHU de Québec - Laval University, Québec G1V 4G2, Canada
| | - Emmanuelle Boscher
- Neurosciences Axis, Research Center of the CHU de Québec - Laval University, Québec G1V 4G2, Canada
| | - Isabelle Guisle
- Neurosciences Axis, Research Center of the CHU de Québec - Laval University, Québec G1V 4G2, Canada
| | - Sofia Diego-Diaz
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Québec G1V 4G2, Canada
| | | | - Robert A. Whittington
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Sébastien S. Hébert
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Québec G1V 4G2, Canada
- Neurosciences Axis, Research Center of the CHU de Québec - Laval University, Québec G1V 4G2, Canada
| | - Vincent Pernet
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Québec G1V 4G2, Canada
- Department of Neurology, Bern University Hospital, Bern 3010, Switzerland
| | - Emmanuel Planel
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Québec G1V 4G2, Canada
- Neurosciences Axis, Research Center of the CHU de Québec - Laval University, Québec G1V 4G2, Canada
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23
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Paterno G, Bell BM, Riley-DiPaolo A, LaVoie MJ, Giasson BI. Polymerization of recombinant tau core fragments in vitro and seeding studies in cultured cells. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1268360. [PMID: 38161790 PMCID: PMC10757379 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1268360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The relative polymerization of specific tau protein cores that define Alzheimer's disease, Pick's disease and corticobasal degeneration were investigated using amyloid fluorometry and electron microscopy. In addition, the relative prion-like activities of polymers comprised of these respective tau protein segments were investigated in a cell-based assay. It is demonstrated that the seeding activities of specific tau core fibrils are affected by the presence of pathogenic tau missense mutations and the microtubule binding domain composition of tau. The unique impact of tau phosphorylation on seeding propensity was also investigated by altering stretches of phospho-mimetic and phospho-null residues in the presence of Alzheimer's disease tau core fibrils. These results have important mechanistic implications for mutation and isoform-specific driven pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giavanna Paterno
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Brach M. Bell
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Alexis Riley-DiPaolo
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Matthew J. LaVoie
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Benoit I. Giasson
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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Esquer A, Blanc F, Collongues N. Immunotherapies Targeting Amyloid and Tau Protein in Alzheimer's Disease: Should We Move Away from Diseases and Focus on Biological Targets? A Systematic Review and Expert Opinion. Neurol Ther 2023; 12:1883-1907. [PMID: 37812325 PMCID: PMC10630258 DOI: 10.1007/s40120-023-00541-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia worldwide, making it a major public health issue. Anti-amyloid and anti-tau antibodies are the most advanced therapeutic approach at present. Three drugs (lecanemab, donanemab and aducanumab) are on track to be marketed in the coming months. In this systematic review, we review all Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials conducted in this indication and the particularities of the molecules tested. METHODS The PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched through February 2023 for Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials involving passive anti-amyloid or anti-tau immunotherapies with published results. This review has been compiled in compliance with the PRISMA checklists. RESULTS Of the 165 studies found and after eliminating duplicates, 40 studies had their results published on PubMed and/or ClinicalTrials.gov. Eight anti-amyloid molecules and four anti-tau molecules were the subject of Phase 2 studies, seven anti-amyloids were the subject of Phase 3 trials, and two molecules were granted early marketing approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The results were compiled in summary tables showing the primary endpoints used, results, age of the study population and specific adverse events for these molecules. DISCUSSION Passive immunotherapy in AD is largely dominated by anti-amyloid antibodies, which are more numerous and more advanced in the pipeline. Lecanemab, donanemab and aducanumab are distinguished by their relative efficacy in terms of cognitive and functional evaluation but also by a decrease in amyloid and tau proteins in the brain. These three molecules have in common that they bind to N-terminal ends of amyloid fibrils and plaques. The findings of their studies raise the question of which criteria to apply when choosing which patient will receive them when marketed, such as the apoliprotein E gene's fourth allele (APOE4) genetic status of patients. The large number of negative studies may also raise the question of the criteria for defining the disease and the possible interest in redefining it on biological grounds to offer a more personalized medicine to patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Esquer
- Center for Clinical Investigation, INSERM U1434, Strasbourg, France
- Geriatrics Day Hospital and Cognitive-Behavioral Unit, Geriatrics Department, Centre Mémoire de Ressources et de Recherche (CM2R), University Hospital of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Frédéric Blanc
- Geriatrics Day Hospital and Cognitive-Behavioral Unit, Geriatrics Department, Centre Mémoire de Ressources et de Recherche (CM2R), University Hospital of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- Strasbourg University and CNRS, ICube Laboratory UMR 7357 and FMTS (Fédération de Médecine Translationnelle de Strasbourg), IMIS Team, Strasbourg, France
| | - Nicolas Collongues
- Center for Clinical Investigation, INSERM U1434, Strasbourg, France.
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
- Biopathology of Myelin, Neuroprotection and Therapeutic Strategy, INSERM U1119, Strasbourg, France.
- Department of Pharmacology, Addictology, Toxicology, and Therapeutics, Strasbourg University, Strasbourg, France.
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Congdon EE, Ji C, Tetlow AM, Jiang Y, Sigurdsson EM. Tau-targeting therapies for Alzheimer disease: current status and future directions. Nat Rev Neurol 2023; 19:715-736. [PMID: 37875627 PMCID: PMC10965012 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-023-00883-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in older individuals. AD is characterized pathologically by amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and tau neurofibrillary tangles in the brain, with associated loss of synapses and neurons, which eventually results in dementia. Many of the early attempts to develop treatments for AD focused on Aβ, but a lack of efficacy of these treatments in terms of slowing disease progression led to a change of strategy towards targeting of tau pathology. Given that tau shows a stronger correlation with symptom severity than does Aβ, targeting of tau is more likely to be efficacious once cognitive decline begins. Anti-tau therapies initially focused on post-translational modifications, inhibition of tau aggregation and stabilization of microtubules. However, trials of many potential drugs were discontinued because of toxicity and/or lack of efficacy. Currently, the majority of tau-targeting agents in clinical trials are immunotherapies. In this Review, we provide an update on the results from the initial immunotherapy trials and an overview of new therapeutic candidates that are in clinical development, as well as considering future directions for tau-targeting therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin E Congdon
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Changyi Ji
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Amber M Tetlow
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yixiang Jiang
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Einar M Sigurdsson
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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Davidson R, Krider RI, Borsellino P, Noorda K, Alhwayek G, Vida TA. Untangling Tau: Molecular Insights into Neuroinflammation, Pathophysiology, and Emerging Immunotherapies. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2023; 45:8816-8839. [PMID: 37998730 PMCID: PMC10670294 DOI: 10.3390/cimb45110553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroinflammation, a core pathological feature observed in several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), is rapidly gaining attention as a target in understanding the molecular underpinnings of these disorders. Glial cells, endothelial cells, peripheral immune cells, and astrocytes produce a variety of pro-inflammatory mediators that exacerbate the disease progression. Additionally, microglial cells play a complex role in AD, facilitating the clearance of pathological amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ) plaques and aggregates of the tau protein. Tau proteins, traditionally associated with microtubule stabilization, have come under intense scrutiny for their perturbed roles in neurodegenerative conditions. In this narrative review, we focus on recent advances from molecular insights that have revealed aberrant tau post-translational modifications, such as phosphorylation and acetylation, serving as pathological hallmarks. These modifications also trigger the activation of CNS-resident immune cells, such as microglia and astrocytes substantially contributing to neuroinflammation. This intricate relationship between tau pathologies and neuroinflammation fosters a cascading impact on neural pathophysiology. Furthermore, understanding the molecular mechanisms underpinning tau's influence on neuroinflammation presents a frontier for the development of innovative immunotherapies. Neurodegenerative diseases have been relatively intractable to conventional pharmacology using small molecules. We further comprehensively document the many alternative approaches using immunotherapy targeting tau pathological epitopes and structures with a wide array of antibodies. Clinical trials are discussed using these therapeutic approaches, which have both promising and disappointing outcomes. Future directions for tau immunotherapies may include combining treatments with Aβ immunotherapy, which may result in more significant clinical outcomes for neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Thomas A. Vida
- Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, 625 Shadow Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89106, USA; (R.D.); (R.I.K.); (P.B.); (K.N.); (G.A.)
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Terron HM, Parikh SJ, Abdul-Hay SO, Sahara T, Kang D, Dickson DW, Saftig P, LaFerla FM, Lane S, Leissring MA. Prominent tauopathy and intracellular β-amyloid accumulation triggered by genetic deletion of cathepsin D: Implications for Alzheimer disease pathogenesis. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3464352. [PMID: 37961253 PMCID: PMC10635349 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3464352/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Background Cathepsin D (CatD) is a lysosomal protease that degrades both the amyloid-β protein (Aβ) and the microtubule-associated protein, tau, which accumulate pathognomonically in Alzheimer disease (AD), but few studies have examined the role of CatD in the development of Aβ pathology and tauopathy in vivo. Methods CatD knockout (KO) mice were crossed to human amyloid precursor protein (hAPP) transgenic mice, and amyloid burden was quantified by ELISA and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Tauopathy in CatD-KO mice, as initially suggested by Gallyas silver staining, was further characterized by extensive IHC and biochemical analyses. Controls included human tau transgenic mice (JNPL3) and another mouse model characterized by pronounced lysosomal dysfunction (Krabbe A). Additional experiments examined the effects of CatD inhibition on tau catabolism in vitro and in cultured neuroblastoma cells with inducible expression of human tau. Results Deletion of CatD in hAPP transgenic mice triggers large increases in cerebral Aβ, manifesting as intense, exclusively intracellular aggregates; extracellular Aβ deposition, by contrast, is neither triggered by CatD deletion, nor affected in older, haploinsufficient mice. Unexpectedly, CatDKO mice were found to develop prominent tauopathy by just ~ 3 weeks of age, accumulating sarkosyl-insoluble, hyperphosphorylated tau exceeding the pathology in aged JNPL3 mice. CatDKO mice exhibit pronounced perinuclear Gallyas silver staining reminiscent of mature neurofibrillary tangles in human AD, together with widespread phospho-tau immunoreactivity. Striking increases in sarkosyl-insoluble phospho-tau (~ 1250%) are present in CatD-KO mice, but notably absent from Krabbe A mice collected at an identical antemortem interval. In vitro and in cultured cells, we show that tau catabolism is slowed by blockade of CatD proteolytic activity, including via competitive inhibition by Aβ42. Conclusions Our findings support a major role for CatD in the proteostasis of both Aβ and tau in vivo. To our knowledge, CatD-KO mice are the only model to develop detectable Aβ acumulation and profound tauopathy in the absence of overexpression of hAPP or human tau with disease-associated mutations. Given that tauopathy emerges from disruption of CatD, which can itself be potently inhibited by Aβ42, our findings suggest that impaired CatD activity may represent a key mechanism linking amyloid accumulation and tauopathy in AD.
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Wang KW, Zhang G, Kuo MH. Frontotemporal Dementia P301L Mutation Potentiates but Is Not Sufficient to Cause the Formation of Cytotoxic Fibrils of Tau. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14996. [PMID: 37834443 PMCID: PMC10573866 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241914996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The P301L mutation in tau protein is a prevalent pathogenic mutation associated with neurodegenerative frontotemporal dementia, FTD. The mechanism by which P301L triggers or facilitates neurodegeneration at the molecular level remains unclear. In this work, we examined the effect of the P301L mutation on the biochemical and biological characteristics of pathologically relevant hyperphosphorylated tau. Hyperphosphorylated P301L tau forms cytotoxic aggregates more efficiently than hyperphosphorylated wildtype tau or unphosphorylated P301L tau in vitro. Mechanistic studies establish that hyperphosphorylated P301L tau exacerbates endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-associated gene upregulation in a neuroblastoma cell line when compared to wildtype hyperphosphorylated tau treatment. Furthermore, the microtubule cytoskeleton is severely disrupted following hyperphosphorylated P301L tau treatment. A hyperphosphorylated tau aggregation inhibitor, apomorphine, also inhibits the harmful effects caused by P301L hyperphosphorylated tau. In short, the P301L single mutation within the core repeat domain of tau renders the underlying hyperphosphorylated tau more potent in eliciting ER stress and cytoskeleton damage. However, the P301L mutation alone, without hyperphosphorylation, is not sufficient to cause these phenotypes. Understanding the conditions and mechanisms whereby selective mutations aggravate the pathogenic activities of tau can provide pivotal clues on novel strategies for drug development for frontotemporal dementia and other related neurodegenerative tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Min-Hao Kuo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; (K.-W.W.); (G.Z.)
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Cummings JL, Gonzalez MI, Pritchard MC, May PC, Toledo-Sherman LM, Harris GA. The therapeutic landscape of tauopathies: challenges and prospects. Alzheimers Res Ther 2023; 15:168. [PMID: 37803386 PMCID: PMC10557207 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-023-01321-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
Tauopathies are a group of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the aggregation of the microtubule-associated protein tau. Aggregates of misfolded tau protein are believed to be implicated in neuronal death, which leads to a range of symptoms including cognitive decline, behavioral change, dementia, and motor deficits. Currently, there are no effective treatments for tauopathies. There are four clinical candidates in phase III trials and 16 in phase II trials. While no effective treatments are currently approved, there is increasing evidence to suggest that various therapeutic approaches may slow the progression of tauopathies or improve symptoms. This review outlines the landscape of therapeutic drugs (indexed through February 28, 2023) that target tau pathology and describes drug candidates in clinical development as well as those in the discovery and preclinical phases. The review also contains information on notable therapeutic programs that are inactive or that have been discontinued from development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey L Cummings
- Chambers-Grundy Center for Transformative Neuroscience, Department of Brain Health, School of Integrated Health Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), Henderson, NV, USA
| | | | | | - Patrick C May
- ADvantage Neuroscience Consulting LLC, Fort Wayne, IN, USA
| | | | - Glenn A Harris
- Rainwater Charitable Foundation, 777 Main Street, Suite 2250, Fort Worth, TX, 76102, USA.
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Ahn S, Suh JS, Jang YK, Kim H, Han K, Lee Y, Choi G, Kim TJ. TAUCON and TAUCOM: A novel biosensor based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer for detecting tau hyperphosphorylation-associated cellular pathologies. Biosens Bioelectron 2023; 237:115533. [PMID: 37517333 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2023.115533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Tauopathies are neurodegenerative diseases characterized by abnormal conformational changes in tau protein. Early hyperphosphorylation-induced conformational changes are considered a hallmark of tauopathy, but real-time tracking methods are lacking. Here, we present two novel fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based tau biosensors that detect such changes with high spatiotemporal resolution at the single-cell level. The TAUCON biosensor measures instantaneous conformational changes in hyperphosphorylated tau within 20 min, while the TAUCOM biosensor detects changes in the paper-clip structure of microtubule-associated tau. Our biosensors provide faster and more precise detection than conventional methods and can serve as valuable tools for investigating the initial causes, mechanisms, progression, and treatment of tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanghyun Ahn
- Department of Integrated Biological Science, College of Natural Sciences, Pusan National University, Pusan, 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung-Soo Suh
- Department of Integrated Biological Science, College of Natural Sciences, Pusan National University, Pusan, 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoon-Kwan Jang
- Department of Integrated Biological Science, College of Natural Sciences, Pusan National University, Pusan, 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Heonsu Kim
- Department of Integrated Biological Science, College of Natural Sciences, Pusan National University, Pusan, 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Kiseok Han
- Department of Integrated Biological Science, College of Natural Sciences, Pusan National University, Pusan, 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Yerim Lee
- Department of Integrated Biological Science, College of Natural Sciences, Pusan National University, Pusan, 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Gyuho Choi
- Department of Integrated Biological Science, College of Natural Sciences, Pusan National University, Pusan, 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae-Jin Kim
- Department of Integrated Biological Science, College of Natural Sciences, Pusan National University, Pusan, 46241, Republic of Korea; Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Pusan National University, Pusan, 46241, Republic of Korea; Institute of System Biology, Pusan National University, Pusan, 46241, Republic of Korea.
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31
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Rodrigues S, Anglada-Huguet M, Hochgräfe K, Kaniyappan S, Wegmann S, Mandelkow EM. Spreading of Tau Protein Does Not Depend on Aggregation Propensity. J Mol Neurosci 2023; 73:693-712. [PMID: 37606769 PMCID: PMC10694122 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-023-02143-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
The stereotypical progression of Tau pathology during Alzheimer disease has been attributed to trans-neuronal spreading of misfolded Tau proteins, followed by prion-like templated aggregation of Tau. The nature of Tau and the cellular mechanisms of Tau spreading are still under debate. We hypothesized that Tau's propensity for aggregation would correlate with its ability to spread across synapses and propagate pathology. To study the progressive propagation of Tau proteins in brain regions relevant for Alzheimer disease, we used mice expressing near-physiological levels of full-length human Tau protein carrying pro-aggregant (TauΔK280, TauΔK) or anti-aggregant (TauΔK280-PP, TauΔK-PP) mutations in the entorhinal cortex (EC). To enhance Tau expression in the EC, we performed EC injections of adeno-associated virus (AAV) particles encoding TauΔK or TauΔK-PP. The brains of injected and non-injected EC/TauΔK and EC/TauΔK-PP mice were studied by immunohistological and biochemical techniques to detect Tau propagation to dentate gyrus (DG) neurons and Tau-induced pathological changes. Pro- and anti-aggregant mice had comparable low transgene expression (~0.2 times endogenous mouse Tau). They accumulated human Tau at similar rates and only in expressing EC neurons, including their axonal projections of the perforant path and presynaptic terminals in the molecular layer of the DG. Pro-aggregant EC/TauΔK mice showed misfolded Tau and synaptic protein alterations in EC neurons, not observed in anti-aggregant EC/TauΔK-PP mice. Additional AAV-mediated expression of TauΔK or TauΔK-PP in EC/TauΔK or EC/TauΔK-PP mice, respectively, increased the human Tau expression to ~0.65 times endogenous mouse Tau, with comparable spreading of TauΔK and TauΔK-PP throughout the EC. There was a low level of transcellular propagation of Tau protein, without pathological phosphorylation or misfolding, as judged by diagnostic antibodies. Additionally, TauΔK but not TauΔK-PP expression induced hippocampal astrogliosis. Low levels of pro- or anti-aggregant full-length Tau show equivalent distributions in EC neurons, independent of their aggregation propensity. Increasing the expression via AAV induce local Tau misfolding in the EC neurons, synaptotoxicity, and astrogliosis and lead to a low level of detectable trans-neuronal spreading of Tau. This depends on its concentration in the EC, but, contrary to expectations, does not depend on Tau's aggregation propensity/misfolding and does not lead to templated misfolding in recipient neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Rodrigues
- DZNE, German Ctr. for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Venusberg-Campus 1/99, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marta Anglada-Huguet
- DZNE, German Ctr. for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Venusberg-Campus 1/99, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Katja Hochgräfe
- DZNE, German Ctr. for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Venusberg-Campus 1/99, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Senthilvelrajan Kaniyappan
- DZNE, German Ctr. for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Venusberg-Campus 1/99, 53127, Bonn, Germany
- CAESAR Research Center, Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2, 53175, Bonn, Germany
- Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases and Gerontopsychiatry, University of Bonn Medical School, Bonn, Germany
| | - Susanne Wegmann
- DZNE, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Chariteplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Eva-Maria Mandelkow
- DZNE, German Ctr. for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Venusberg-Campus 1/99, 53127, Bonn, Germany.
- CAESAR Research Center, Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2, 53175, Bonn, Germany.
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Chakraborty P, Rivière G, Hebestreit A, de Opakua AI, Vorberg IM, Andreas LB, Zweckstetter M. Acetylation discriminates disease-specific tau deposition. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5919. [PMID: 37739953 PMCID: PMC10517010 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41672-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Pathogenic aggregation of the protein tau is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and several other tauopathies. Tauopathies are characterized by the deposition of specific tau isoforms as disease-related tau filament structures. The molecular processes that determine isoform-specific deposition of tau are however enigmatic. Here we show that acetylation of tau discriminates its isoform-specific aggregation. We reveal that acetylation strongly attenuates aggregation of four-repeat tau protein, but promotes amyloid formation of three-repeat tau. We further identify acetylation of lysine 298 as a hot spot for isoform-specific tau aggregation. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy demonstrates that amyloid fibrils formed by unmodified and acetylated three-repeat tau differ in structure indicating that site-specific acetylation modulates tau structure. The results implicate acetylation as a critical regulator that guides the selective aggregation of three-repeat tau and the development of tau isoform-specific neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pijush Chakraborty
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Str. 3a, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Gwladys Rivière
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Str. 3a, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Alina Hebestreit
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Alain Ibáñez de Opakua
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Str. 3a, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ina M Vorberg
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
- Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, Bonn, Germany
| | - Loren B Andreas
- Department for NMR-based Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Am Faßberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Markus Zweckstetter
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Str. 3a, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.
- Department for NMR-based Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Am Faßberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
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Sorrentino ZA, Paterno G, Giasson BI, Bailes JE, Lee JM, Lucke-Wold B. Differentiating pathologic tau in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) from other tauopathies: A potential antibody panel assessment. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2023; 82:876-879. [PMID: 37639632 PMCID: PMC10516455 DOI: 10.1093/jnen/nlad069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Zachary A Sorrentino
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Giavanna Paterno
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Benoit I Giasson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Julian E Bailes
- University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - John M Lee
- University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Department of Pathology, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Brandon Lucke-Wold
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA
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Wang C, Terrigno M, Li J, Distler T, Pandya NJ, Ebeling M, Tyanova S, Hoozemans JJM, Dijkstra AA, Fuchs L, Xiang S, Bonni A, Grüninger F, Jagasia R. Increased G3BP2-Tau interaction in tauopathies is a natural defense against Tau aggregation. Neuron 2023; 111:2660-2674.e9. [PMID: 37385246 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.05.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
Many RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), particularly those associated with RNA granules, promote pathological protein aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we demonstrate that G3BP2, a core component of stress granules, directly interacts with Tau and inhibits Tau aggregation. In the human brain, the interaction of G3BP2 and Tau is dramatically increased in multiple tauopathies, and it is independent of neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) formation in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Surprisingly, Tau pathology is significantly elevated upon loss of G3BP2 in human neurons and brain organoids. Moreover, we found that G3BP2 masks the microtubule-binding region (MTBR) of Tau, thereby inhibiting Tau aggregation. Our study defines a novel role for RBPs as a line of defense against Tau aggregation in tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Congwei Wang
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, 4070 Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Marco Terrigno
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Juan Li
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026 Anhui, China
| | - Tania Distler
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nikhil J Pandya
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Martin Ebeling
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stefka Tyanova
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jeroen J M Hoozemans
- Department of Pathology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Anke A Dijkstra
- Department of Pathology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Luisa Fuchs
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Shengqi Xiang
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026 Anhui, China
| | - Azad Bonni
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Fiona Grüninger
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ravi Jagasia
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, 4070 Basel, Switzerland.
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Paterno G, Torrellas J, Bell BM, Gorion KMM, Quintin SS, Hery GP, Prokop S, Giasson BI. Novel Conformation-Dependent Tau Antibodies Are Modulated by Adjacent Phosphorylation Sites. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13676. [PMID: 37761979 PMCID: PMC10530490 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241813676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau proteins within the adult central nervous system (CNS) are found to be abnormally aggregated into heterogeneous filaments in neurodegenerative diseases, termed tauopathies. These tau inclusions are pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD), Pick's disease (PiD), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). The neuropathological hallmarks of these diseases burden several cell types within the CNS, and have also been shown to be abundantly phosphorylated. The mechanism(s) by which tau aggregates in the CNS is not fully known, but it is hypothesized that hyperphosphorylated tau may precede and further promote filament formation, leading to the production of these pathological inclusions. In the studies herein, we generated and thoroughly characterized two novel conformation-dependent tau monoclonal antibodies that bind to residues Pro218-Glu222, but are sensitive to denaturing conditions and highly modulated by adjacent downstream phosphorylation sites. These epitopes are present in the neuropathological hallmarks of several tauopathies, including AD, PiD, CBD, and PSP. These novel antibodies will further enable investigation of tau-dependent pathological inclusion formation and enhance our understanding of the phosphorylation signatures within tauopathies with the possibility of new biomarker developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giavanna Paterno
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; (G.P.); (J.T.); (B.M.B.); (K.-M.M.G.); (S.S.Q.)
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; (G.P.H.); (S.P.)
| | - Jose Torrellas
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; (G.P.); (J.T.); (B.M.B.); (K.-M.M.G.); (S.S.Q.)
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; (G.P.H.); (S.P.)
| | - Brach M. Bell
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; (G.P.); (J.T.); (B.M.B.); (K.-M.M.G.); (S.S.Q.)
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; (G.P.H.); (S.P.)
| | - Kimberly-Marie M. Gorion
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; (G.P.); (J.T.); (B.M.B.); (K.-M.M.G.); (S.S.Q.)
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; (G.P.H.); (S.P.)
| | - Stephan S. Quintin
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; (G.P.); (J.T.); (B.M.B.); (K.-M.M.G.); (S.S.Q.)
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; (G.P.H.); (S.P.)
| | - Gabriela P. Hery
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; (G.P.H.); (S.P.)
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Stefan Prokop
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; (G.P.H.); (S.P.)
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Benoit I. Giasson
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; (G.P.); (J.T.); (B.M.B.); (K.-M.M.G.); (S.S.Q.)
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; (G.P.H.); (S.P.)
- McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
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36
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Zupancic JM, Smith MD, Trzeciakiewicz H, Skinner ME, Ferris SP, Makowski EK, Lucas MJ, McArthur N, Kane RS, Paulson HL, Tessier PM. Quantitative flow cytometric selection of tau conformational nanobodies specific for pathological aggregates. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1164080. [PMID: 37622125 PMCID: PMC10445546 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1164080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Single-domain antibodies, also known as nanobodies, are broadly important for studying the structure and conformational states of several classes of proteins, including membrane proteins, enzymes, and amyloidogenic proteins. Conformational nanobodies specific for aggregated conformations of amyloidogenic proteins are particularly needed to better target and study aggregates associated with a growing class of associated diseases, especially neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. However, there are few reported nanobodies with both conformational and sequence specificity for amyloid aggregates, especially for large and complex proteins such as the tau protein associated with Alzheimer's disease, due to difficulties in selecting nanobodies that bind to complex aggregated proteins. Here, we report the selection of conformational nanobodies that selectively recognize aggregated (fibrillar) tau relative to soluble (monomeric) tau. Notably, we demonstrate that these nanobodies can be directly isolated from immune libraries using quantitative flow cytometric sorting of yeast-displayed libraries against tau aggregates conjugated to quantum dots, and this process eliminates the need for secondary nanobody screening. The isolated nanobodies demonstrate conformational specificity for tau aggregates in brain samples from both a transgenic mouse model and human tauopathies. We expect that our facile approach will be broadly useful for isolating conformational nanobodies against diverse amyloid aggregates and other complex antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M. Zupancic
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Matthew D. Smith
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Hanna Trzeciakiewicz
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
| | - Mary E. Skinner
- Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Sean P. Ferris
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Emily K. Makowski
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Michael J. Lucas
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Nikki McArthur
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Ravi S. Kane
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Henry L. Paulson
- Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Protein Folding Disease Initiative, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Peter M. Tessier
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Protein Folding Disease Initiative, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
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37
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Aina A, Hsueh SCC, Gibbs E, Peng X, Cashman NR, Plotkin SS. De Novo Design of a β-Helix Tau Protein Scaffold: An Oligomer-Selective Vaccine Immunogen Candidate for Alzheimer's Disease. ACS Chem Neurosci 2023; 14:2603-2617. [PMID: 37458595 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau pathology is associated with many neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), where the spatio-temporal pattern of tau neurofibrillary tangles strongly correlates with disease progression, which motivates therapeutics selective for misfolded tau. Here, we introduce a new avidity-enhanced, multi-epitope approach for protein-misfolding immunogen design, which is predicted to mimic the conformational state of an exposed epitope in toxic tau oligomers. A predicted oligomer-selective tau epitope 343KLDFK347 was scaffolded by designing a β-helix structure that incorporated multiple instances of the 16-residue tau fragment 339VKSEKLDFKDRVQSKI354. Large-scale conformational ensemble analyses involving Jensen-Shannon Divergence and the embedding depth D showed that the multi-epitope scaffolding approach, employed in designing the β-helix scaffold, was predicted to better discriminate toxic tau oligomers than other "monovalent" strategies utilizing a single instance of an epitope for vaccine immunogen design. Using Rosetta, 10,000 sequences were designed and screened for the linker portions of the β-helix scaffold, along with a C-terminal stabilizing α-helix that interacts with the linkers, to optimize the folded structure and stability of the scaffold. Structures were ranked by energy, and the lowest 1% (82 unique sequences) were verified using AlphaFold. Several selection criteria involving AlphaFold are implemented to obtain a lead-designed sequence. The structure was further predicted to have free energetic stability by using Hamiltonian replica exchange molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The synthesized β-helix scaffold showed direct binding in surface plasmon resonance (SPR) experiments to several antibodies that were raised to the structured epitope using a designed cyclic peptide. Moreover, the strength of binding of these antibodies to in vitro tau oligomers correlated with the strength of binding to the β-helix construct, suggesting that the construct presents an oligomer-like conformation and may thus constitute an effective oligomer-selective immunogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adekunle Aina
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Shawn C C Hsueh
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Ebrima Gibbs
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Xubiao Peng
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Neil R Cashman
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Steven S Plotkin
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
- Genome Science and Technology Program, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
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38
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Sheehan PW, Nadarajah CJ, Kanan MF, Patterson JN, Novotny B, Lawrence JH, King MW, Brase L, Inman CE, Yuede CM, Lee J, Patel TK, Harari O, Benitez BA, Davis AA, Musiek ES. An astrocyte BMAL1-BAG3 axis protects against alpha-synuclein and tau pathology. Neuron 2023; 111:2383-2398.e7. [PMID: 37315555 PMCID: PMC10524543 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The circadian clock protein BMAL1 modulates glial activation and amyloid-beta deposition in mice. However, the effects of BMAL1 on other aspects of neurodegenerative pathology are unknown. Here, we show that global post-natal deletion of Bmal1 in mouse tauopathy or alpha-synucleinopathy models unexpectedly suppresses both tau and alpha-synuclein (αSyn) aggregation and related pathology. Astrocyte-specific Bmal1 deletion is sufficient to prevent both αSyn and tau pathology in vivo and induces astrocyte activation and the expression of Bag3, a chaperone critical for macroautophagy. Astrocyte Bmal1 deletion enhances phagocytosis of αSyn and tau in a Bag3-dependent manner, and astrocyte Bag3 overexpression is sufficient to mitigate αSyn spreading in vivo. In humans, BAG3 is increased in patients with AD and is highly expressed in disease-associated astrocytes (DAAs). Our results suggest that early activation of astrocytes via Bmal1 deletion induces Bag3 to protect against tau and αSyn pathologies, providing new insights into astrocyte-specific therapies for neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick W Sheehan
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Collin J Nadarajah
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Michael F Kanan
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jessica N Patterson
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Brenna Novotny
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jennifer H Lawrence
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Melvin W King
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Logan Brase
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Casey E Inman
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Carla M Yuede
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jiyeon Lee
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Tirth K Patel
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Oscar Harari
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Bruno A Benitez
- Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Albert A Davis
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Erik S Musiek
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Center on Biological Rhythms and Sleep (COBRAS), Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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39
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Emmerson JT, Do Carmo S, Liu Y, Shalhoub A, Liu A, Bonomo Q, Malcolm JC, Breuillaud L, Cuello AC. Progressive human-like tauopathy with downstream neurodegeneration and neurovascular compromise in a transgenic rat model. Neurobiol Dis 2023; 184:106227. [PMID: 37454780 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Tauopathies, including frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), clinically present with progressive cognitive decline and the deposition of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in the brain. Neurovascular compromise is also prevalent in AD and FTD however the relationship between tau and the neurovascular unit is less understood relative to other degenerative phenotypes. Current animal models confer the ability to recapitulate aspects of the CNS tauopathies, however, existing models either display overaggressive phenotypes, or do not develop neuronal loss or genuine neurofibrillary lesions. In this report, we communicate the longitudinal characterization of brain tauopathy in a novel transgenic rat model, coded McGill-R955-hTau. The model expresses the longest isoform of human P301S tau. Homozygous R955-hTau rats displayed a robust, progressive accumulation of mutated human tau leading to the detection of tau hyperphosphorylation and cognitive deficits accelerating from 14 months of age. This model features extensive tau hyperphosphorylation with endogenous tau recruitment, authentic neurofibrillary lesions, and tau-associated neuronal loss, ventricular dilation, decreased brain volume, and gliosis in aged rats. Further, we demonstrate how neurovascular integrity becomes compromised at aged life stages using a combination of electron microscopy, injection of the tracer horseradish peroxidase and immunohistochemical approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua T Emmerson
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal H3G1Y6, Canada
| | - Sonia Do Carmo
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal H3G1Y6, Canada
| | - Yingying Liu
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal H3G1Y6, Canada
| | - Ali Shalhoub
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal H3A 0C7, Canada
| | - Ai Liu
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Quentin Bonomo
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Janice C Malcolm
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montreal H3A 0C7, Canada
| | - Lionel Breuillaud
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal H3G1Y6, Canada
| | - A Claudio Cuello
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal H3G1Y6, Canada; Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal H3A 1A1, Canada; Department of Pharmacology, Oxford University, Oxford OX13QT, UK.
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40
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McMillan PJ, Benbow SJ, Uhrich R, Saxton A, Baum M, Strovas T, Wheeler JM, Baker J, Liachko NF, Keene CD, Latimer CS, Kraemer BC. Tau-RNA complexes inhibit microtubule polymerization and drive disease-relevant conformation change. Brain 2023; 146:3206-3220. [PMID: 36732296 PMCID: PMC10393409 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease and related disorders feature neurofibrillary tangles and other neuropathological lesions composed of detergent-insoluble tau protein. In recent structural biology studies of tau proteinopathy, aggregated tau forms a distinct set of conformational variants specific to the different types of tauopathy disorders. However, the constituents driving the formation of distinct pathological tau conformations on pathway to tau-mediated neurodegeneration remain unknown. Previous work demonstrated RNA can serve as a driver of tau aggregation, and RNA associates with tau containing lesions, but tools for evaluating tau/RNA interactions remain limited. Here, we employed molecular interaction studies to measure the impact of tau/RNA binding on tau microtubule binding and aggregation. To investigate the importance of tau/RNA complexes (TRCs) in neurodegenerative disease, we raised a monoclonal antibody (TRC35) against aggregated tau/RNA complexes. We showed that native tau binds RNA with high affinity but low specificity, and tau binding to RNA competes with tau-mediated microtubule assembly functions. Tau/RNA interaction in vitro promotes the formation of higher molecular weight tau/RNA complexes, which represent an oligomeric tau species. Coexpression of tau and poly(A)45 RNA transgenes in Caenorhabditis elegans exacerbates tau-related phenotypes including neuronal dysfunction and pathological tau accumulation. TRC35 exhibits specificity for Alzheimer's disease-derived detergent-insoluble tau relative to soluble recombinant tau. Immunostaining with TRC35 labels a wide variety of pathological tau lesions in animal models of tauopathy, which are reduced in mice lacking the RNA binding protein MSUT2. TRC-positive lesions are evident in many human tauopathies including Alzheimer's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration and Pick's disease. We also identified ocular pharyngeal muscular dystrophy as a novel tauopathy disorder, where loss of function in the poly(A) RNA binding protein (PABPN1) causes accumulation of pathological tau in tissue from post-mortem human brain. Tau/RNA binding drives tau conformational change and aggregation inhibiting tau-mediated microtubule assembly. Our findings implicate cellular tau/RNA interactions as modulators of both normal tau function and pathological tau toxicity in tauopathy disorders and suggest feasibility for novel therapeutic approaches targeting TRCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela J McMillan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - Sarah J Benbow
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
- Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
| | - Rikki Uhrich
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - Aleen Saxton
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - Misa Baum
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - Timothy Strovas
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - Jeanna M Wheeler
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - Jeremy Baker
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
- Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
| | - Nicole F Liachko
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
- Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
| | - C Dirk Keene
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Caitlin S Latimer
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Brian C Kraemer
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
- Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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41
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Dimou E, Katsinelos T, Meisl G, Tuck BJ, Keeling S, Smith AE, Hidari E, Lam JYL, Burke M, Lövestam S, Ranasinghe RT, McEwan WA, Klenerman D. Super-resolution imaging unveils the self-replication of tau aggregates upon seeding. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112725. [PMID: 37393617 PMCID: PMC7614924 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau is a soluble protein interacting with tubulin to stabilize microtubules. However, under pathological conditions, it becomes hyperphosphorylated and aggregates, a process that can be induced by treating cells with exogenously added tau fibrils. Here, we employ single-molecule localization microscopy to resolve the aggregate species formed in early stages of seeded tau aggregation. We report that entry of sufficient tau assemblies into the cytosol induces the self-replication of small tau aggregates, with a doubling time of 5 h inside HEK cells and 1 day in murine primary neurons, which then grow into fibrils. Seeding occurs in the vicinity of the microtubule cytoskeleton, is accelerated by the proteasome, and results in release of small assemblies into the media. In the absence of seeding, cells still spontaneously form small aggregates at lower levels. Overall, our work provides a quantitative picture of the early stages of templated seeded tau aggregation in cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni Dimou
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK; UK Dementia Research Institute at University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0AH, UK.
| | - Taxiarchis Katsinelos
- UK Dementia Research Institute at University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0AH, UK; MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Georg Meisl
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Benjamin J Tuck
- UK Dementia Research Institute at University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Sophie Keeling
- UK Dementia Research Institute at University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Annabel E Smith
- UK Dementia Research Institute at University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Eric Hidari
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK; UK Dementia Research Institute at University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Jeff Y L Lam
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK; UK Dementia Research Institute at University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Melanie Burke
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK; UK Dementia Research Institute at University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Sofia Lövestam
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Rohan T Ranasinghe
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK; UK Dementia Research Institute at University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0AH, UK
| | - William A McEwan
- UK Dementia Research Institute at University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0AH, UK
| | - David Klenerman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK; UK Dementia Research Institute at University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0AH, UK.
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42
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Hurtle BT, Xie L, Donnelly CJ. Disrupting pathologic phase transitions in neurodegeneration. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e168549. [PMID: 37395272 DOI: 10.1172/jci168549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Solid-like protein deposits found in aged and diseased human brains have revealed a relationship between insoluble protein accumulations and the resulting deficits in neurologic function. Clinically diverse neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, exhibit unique and disease-specific biochemical protein signatures and abnormal protein depositions that often correlate with disease pathogenesis. Recent evidence indicates that many pathologic proteins assemble into liquid-like protein phases through the highly coordinated process of liquid-liquid phase separation. Over the last decade, biomolecular phase transitions have emerged as a fundamental mechanism of cellular organization. Liquid-like condensates organize functionally related biomolecules within the cell, and many neuropathology-associated proteins reside within these dynamic structures. Thus, examining biomolecular phase transitions enhances our understanding of the molecular mechanisms mediating toxicity across diverse neurodegenerative diseases. This Review explores the known mechanisms contributing to aberrant protein phase transitions in neurodegenerative diseases, focusing on tau and TDP-43 proteinopathies and outlining potential therapeutic strategies to regulate these pathologic events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan T Hurtle
- Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate Program
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Pittsburgh; and
- LiveLikeLou Center for ALS Research at the University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Longxin Xie
- LiveLikeLou Center for ALS Research at the University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Christopher J Donnelly
- Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate Program
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Pittsburgh; and
- LiveLikeLou Center for ALS Research at the University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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43
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Bravo CP, Giani AM, Perez JM, Zhao Z, Samelson A, Wong MY, Evangelisti A, Fan L, Pozner T, Mercedes M, Ye P, Patel T, Yarahmady A, Carling G, Lee VMY, Sharma M, Mok SA, Luo W, Zhao M, Kampmann M, Gong S, Gan L. Human iPSC 4R tauopathy model uncovers modifiers of tau propagation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.19.544278. [PMID: 37745431 PMCID: PMC10516028 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.19.544278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Tauopathies are age-associated neurodegenerative diseases whose mechanistic underpinnings remain elusive, partially due to lack of appropriate human models. Current human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived neurons express very low levels of 4-repeat (4R)-tau isoforms that are normally expressed in adult brain. Here, we engineered new iPSC lines to express 4R-tau and 4R-tau carrying the P301S MAPT mutation when differentiated into neurons. 4R-P301S neurons display progressive Tau inclusions upon seeding with Tau fibrils and recapitulate features of tauopathy phenotypes, including shared transcriptomic signatures, autophagic body accumulation, and impaired neuronal activity. A CRISPRi screen of genes associated with Tau pathobiology identified over 500 genetic modifiers of Tau-seeding-induced Tau propagation, including retromer VPS29 and the UFMylation cascade as top modifiers. In AD brains, the UFMylation cascade is altered in neurofibrillary-tangle-bearing neurons. Inhibiting the UFMylation cascade suppressed seeding-induced Tau propagation. This model provides a powerful platform to identify novel therapeutic strategies for 4R tauopathy.
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Ardanaz CG, Ezkurdia A, Bejarano A, Echarte B, Smerdou C, Martisova E, Martínez-Valbuena I, Luquin MR, Ramírez MJ, Solas M. JNK3 Overexpression in the Entorhinal Cortex Impacts on the Hippocampus and Induces Cognitive Deficiencies and Tau Misfolding. ACS Chem Neurosci 2023. [PMID: 37236204 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) are a family of protein kinases activated by a myriad of stimuli consequently modulating a vast range of biological processes. In human postmortem brain samples affected with Alzheimer's disease (AD), JNK overactivation has been described; however, its role in AD onset and progression is still under debate. One of the earliest affected areas in the pathology is the entorhinal cortex (EC). Noteworthy, the deterioration of the projection from EC to hippocampus (Hp) point toward the idea that the connection between EC and Hp is lost in AD. Thus, the main objective of the present work is to address if JNK3 overexpression in the EC could impact on the hippocampus, inducing cognitive deficits. Data obtained in the present work suggest that JNK3 overexpression in the EC influences the Hp leading to cognitive impairment. Moreover, proinflammatory cytokine expression and Tau immunoreactivity were increased both in the EC and in the Hp. Therefore, activation of inflammatory signaling and induction of Tau aberrant misfolding caused by JNK3 could be responsible for the observed cognitive impairment. Altogether, JNK3 overexpression in the EC may impact on the Hp inducing cognitive dysfunction and underlie the alterations observed in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos G Ardanaz
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- IdISNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Amaia Ezkurdia
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- IdISNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Arantza Bejarano
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Beatriz Echarte
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Cristian Smerdou
- IdISNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Division of Gene Therapy and Regulation of Gene Expression, Cima Universidad de Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Eva Martisova
- Division of Gene Therapy and Regulation of Gene Expression, Cima Universidad de Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Iván Martínez-Valbuena
- IdISNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Neurosciences Division, Cima Universidad de Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, M5S 1A8 Toronto, Canada
| | - María-Rosario Luquin
- IdISNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Neurosciences Division, Cima Universidad de Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Neurology Department, Clinica Universidad de Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - María J Ramírez
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- IdISNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Maite Solas
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- IdISNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
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45
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Sun Z, Kwon JS, Ren Y, Chen S, Cates K, Lu X, Walker CK, Karahan H, Sviben S, Fitzpatrick JAJ, Valdez C, Houlden H, Karch CM, Bateman RJ, Sato C, Mennerick SJ, Diamond MI, Kim J, Tanzi RE, Holtzman DM, Yoo AS. Endogenous recapitulation of Alzheimer's disease neuropathology through human 3D direct neuronal reprogramming. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.24.542155. [PMID: 37292658 PMCID: PMC10245934 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.24.542155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects elderly individuals, and is characterized by hallmark neuronal pathologies including extracellular amyloid-β (Aβ) plaque deposition, intracellular tau tangles, and neuronal death. However, recapitulating these age-associated neuronal pathologies in patient-derived neurons has remained a significant challenge, especially for late-onset AD (LOAD), the most common form of the disorder. Here, we applied the high efficiency microRNA-mediated direct neuronal reprogramming of fibroblasts from AD patients to generate cortical neurons in three-dimensional (3D) Matrigel and self-assembled neuronal spheroids. Our findings indicate that neurons and spheroids reprogrammed from both autosomal dominant AD (ADAD) and LOAD patients exhibited AD-like phenotypes linked to neurons, including extracellular Aβ deposition, dystrophic neurites with hyperphosphorylated, K63-ubiquitin-positive, seed-competent tau, and spontaneous neuronal death in culture. Moreover, treatment with β- or γ-secretase inhibitors in LOAD patient-derived neurons and spheroids before Aβ deposit formation significantly lowered Aβ deposition, as well as tauopathy and neurodegeneration. However, the same treatment after the cells already formed Aβ deposits only had a mild effect. Additionally, inhibiting the synthesis of age-associated retrotransposable elements (RTEs) by treating LOAD neurons and spheroids with the reverse transcriptase inhibitor, lamivudine, alleviated AD neuropathology. Overall, our results demonstrate that direct neuronal reprogramming of AD patient fibroblasts in a 3D environment can capture age-related neuropathology and reflect the interplay between Aβ accumulation, tau dysregulation, and neuronal death. Moreover, miRNA-based 3D neuronal conversion provides a human-relevant AD model that can be used to identify compounds that can potentially ameliorate AD-associated pathologies and neurodegeneration.
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Ponnusamy M, Wang S, Yuksel M, Hansen MT, Blazier DM, McMillan JD, Zhang X, Dammer EB, Collier L, Thinakaran G. Loss of forebrain BIN1 attenuates hippocampal pathology and neuroinflammation in a tauopathy model. Brain 2023; 146:1561-1579. [PMID: 36059072 PMCID: PMC10319775 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bridging integrator 1 (BIN1) is the second most prevalent genetic risk factor identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for late-onset Alzheimer's disease. BIN1 encodes an adaptor protein that regulates membrane dynamics in the context of endocytosis and neurotransmitter vesicle release. In vitro evidence suggests that BIN1 can directly bind to tau in the cytosol. In addition, BIN1's function limits extracellular tau seed uptake by endocytosis and subsequent propagation as well as influences tau release through exosomes. However, the in vivo roles of BIN1 in tau pathogenesis and tauopathy-mediated neurodegeneration remain uncharacterized. We generated conditional knockout mice with a selective loss of Bin1 expression in the forebrain excitatory neurons and oligodendrocytes in P301S human tau transgenic background (line PS19). PS19 mice develop age-dependent tau neuropathology and motor deficits and are commonly used to study Alzheimer's disease tau pathophysiology. The severity of motor deficits and neuropathology was compared between experimental and control mice that differ with respect to forebrain BIN1 expression. BIN1's involvement in tau pathology and neuroinflammation was quantified by biochemical methods and immunostaining. Transcriptome changes were profiled by RNA-sequencing analysis to gain molecular insights. The loss of forebrain BIN1 expression in PS19 mice exacerbated tau pathology in the somatosensory cortex, thalamus, spinal cord and sciatic nerve, accelerated disease progression and caused early death. Intriguingly, the loss of BIN1 also mitigated tau neuropathology in select regions, including the hippocampus, entorhinal/piriform cortex, and amygdala, thus attenuating hippocampal synapse loss, neuronal death, neuroinflammation and brain atrophy. At the molecular level, the loss of forebrain BIN1 elicited complex neuronal and non-neuronal transcriptomic changes, including altered neuroinflammatory gene expression, concomitant with an impaired microglial transition towards the disease-associated microglial phenotype. These results provide crucial new information on in vivo BIN1 function in the context of tau pathogenesis. We conclude that forebrain neuronal BIN1 expression promotes hippocampal tau pathogenesis and neuroinflammation. Our findings highlight an exciting region specificity in neuronal BIN1 regulation of tau pathogenesis and reveal cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous mechanisms involved in BIN1 modulation of tau neuropathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moorthi Ponnusamy
- Byrd Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33613, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Shuai Wang
- Byrd Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33613, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Melike Yuksel
- Byrd Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33613, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Mitchell T Hansen
- Byrd Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33613, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Danielle M Blazier
- Byrd Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33613, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Joseph D McMillan
- Byrd Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33613, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Xiaolin Zhang
- Byrd Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33613, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Eric B Dammer
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Lisa Collier
- Byrd Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33613, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Gopal Thinakaran
- Byrd Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33613, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
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47
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Solas M, Vela S, Smerdou C, Martisova E, Martínez-Valbuena I, Luquin MR, Ramírez MJ. JNK Activation in Alzheimer's Disease Is Driven by Amyloid β and Is Associated with Tau Pathology. ACS Chem Neurosci 2023. [PMID: 36976903 PMCID: PMC10119940 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
c-Jun N-terminal kinase 3 (JNK3) is suggested to play a key role in neurodegenerative disorders, especially in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, it remains unclear whether JNK or amyloid β (Aβ) appears first in the disease onset. Postmortem brain tissues from four dementia subtypes of patients (frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, and AD) were used to measure activated JNK (pJNK) and Aβ levels. pJNK expression is significantly increased in AD; however, similar pJNK expression was found in other dementias. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation, co-localization, and direct interaction between pJNK expression and Aβ levels in AD. Significant increased levels of pJNK were also found in Tg2576 mice, a model of AD. In this line, Aβ42 intracerebroventricular injection in wild-type mice was able to induce a significant elevation of pJNK levels. JNK3 overexpression, achieved by intrahippocampal injection of an adeno-associated viral vector expressing this protein, was enough to induce cognitive deficiencies and precipitate Tau aberrant misfolding in Tg2576 mice without accelerating amyloid pathology. JNK3 overexpression may therefore be triggered by increased Aβ. The latter, together with subsequent involvement of Tau pathology, may be underlying cognitive alterations in early stages of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maite Solas
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- IdISNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Silvia Vela
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Cristian Smerdou
- IdISNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Division of Gene Therapy and Regulation of Gene Expression, Cima Universidad de Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Eva Martisova
- Division of Gene Therapy and Regulation of Gene Expression, Cima Universidad de Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Iván Martínez-Valbuena
- IdISNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Neurosciences Division, Cima Universidad de Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - María-Rosario Luquin
- IdISNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Neurosciences Division, Cima Universidad de Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Neurology Department, Clinica Universidad de Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - María J Ramírez
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- IdISNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
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48
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Langer Horvat L, Španić Popovački E, Babić Leko M, Zubčić K, Horvat L, Mustapić M, Hof PR, Šimić G. Anterograde and Retrograde Propagation of Inoculated Human Tau Fibrils and Tau Oligomers in a Non-Transgenic Rat Tauopathy Model. Biomedicines 2023; 11:1004. [PMID: 37189622 PMCID: PMC10135744 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11041004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The tauopathy of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is first observed in the brainstem and entorhinal cortex, spreading trans-synaptically along specific pathways to other brain regions with recognizable patterns. Tau propagation occurs retrogradely and anterogradely (trans-synaptically) along a given pathway and through exosomes and microglial cells. Some aspects of in vivo tau spreading have been replicated in transgenic mice models expressing a mutated human MAPT (tau) gene and in wild-type mice. In this study, we aimed to characterize the propagation of different forms of tau species in non-transgenic 3-4 months old wild-type rats after a single unilateral injection of human tau oligomers and tau fibrils into the medial entorhinal cortex (mEC). We determined whether different variants of the inoculated human tau protein, tau fibrils, and tau oligomers, would induce similar neurofibrillary changes and propagate in an AD-related pattern, and how tau-related pathological changes would correlate with presumed cognitive impairment. We injected human tau fibrils and tau oligomers stereotaxically into the mEC and examined the distribution of tau-related changes at 3 days and 4, 8, and 11 months post-injection using antibodies AT8 and MC1, which reveal early phosphorylation and aberrant conformation of tau, respectively, HT7, anti-synaptophysin, and the Gallyas silver staining method. Human tau oligomers and tau fibrils exhibited some similarities and some differences in their ability to seed and propagate tau-related changes. Both human tau fibrils and tau oligomers rapidly propagated from the mEC anterogradely into the hippocampus and various parts of the neocortex. However, using a human tau-specific HT7 antibody, 3 days post-injection we found inoculated human tau oligomers in the red nucleus, primary motor, and primary somatosensory cortex, a finding not seen in animals inoculated with human tau fibrils. In animals inoculated with human tau fibrils, 3 days post-injection the HT7 antibody showed fibrils in the pontine reticular nucleus, a finding explained only by uptake of human tau fibrils by incoming presynaptic fibers to the mEC and retrograde transport of inoculated human tau fibrils to the brainstem. Rats inoculated with human tau fibrils showed as early as 4 months after inoculation a spread of phosphorylated tau protein at the AT8 epitopes throughout the brain, dramatically faster propagation of neurofibrillary changes than with human tau oligomers. The overall severity of tau protein changes 4, 8, and 11 months after inoculation of human tau oligomers and tau fibrils correlated well with spatial working memory and cognition impairments, as measured by the T-maze spontaneous alternation, novel object recognition, and object location tests. We concluded that this non-trangenic rat model of tauopathy, especially when using human tau fibrils, demonstrates rapidly developing pathologic alterations in neurons, synapses, and identifiable pathways together with cognitive and behavioral changes, through the anterograde and retrograde spreading of neurofibrillary degeneration. Therefore, it represents a promising model for future experimental studies of primary and secondary tauopathies, especially AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Langer Horvat
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ena Španić Popovački
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Mirjana Babić Leko
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Klara Zubčić
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Luka Horvat
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Maja Mustapić
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Patrick R. Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, and Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Goran Šimić
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
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49
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Baltissen D, Bold CS, Rehra L, Banićević M, Fricke J, Just J, Ludewig S, Buchholz CJ, Korte M, Müller UC. APPsα rescues CDK5 and GSK3β dysregulation and restores normal spine density in Tau transgenic mice. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1106176. [PMID: 36779015 PMCID: PMC9909437 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1106176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The Tau protein can be phosphorylated by numerous kinases. In Alzheimer's disease (AD) hyperphosphorylated Tau species accumulate as neurofibrillary tangles that constitute a major hallmark of AD. AD is further characterized by extracellular Aβ plaques, derived from the β-amyloid precursor protein APP. Whereas Aβ is produced by amyloidogenic APP processing, APP processing along the competing non-amyloidogenic pathway results in the secretion of neurotrophic and synaptotrophic APPsα. Recently, we demonstrated that APPsα has therapeutic effects in transgenic AD model mice and rescues Aβ-dependent impairments. Here, we examined the potential of APPsα to regulate two major Tau kinases, GSK3β and CDK5 in THY-Tau22 mice, a widely used mouse model of tauopathy. Immunohistochemistry revealed a dramatic increase in pathologically phosphorylated (AT8 and AT180) or misfolded Tau species (MC1) in the hippocampus of THY-Tau22 mice between 3 and 12 months of age. Using a highly sensitive radioactive kinase assay with recombinant human Tau as a substrate and immunoblotting, we demonstrate an increase in GSK3β and CDK5 activity in the hippocampus of THY-Tau22 mice. Interestingly, AAV-mediated intracranial expression of APPsα in THY-Tau22 mice efficiently restored normal GSK3β and CDK5 activity. Western blot analysis revealed upregulation of the CDK5 regulatory proteins p35 and p25, indicating CDK5 hyperactivation in THY-Tau22 mice. Strikingly, AAV-APPsα rescued p25 upregulation to wild-type levels even at stages of advanced Tau pathology. Sarkosyl fractionation used to study the abundance of soluble and insoluble phospho-Tau species revealed increased soluble AT8-Tau and decreased insoluble AT100-Tau species upon AAV-APPsα injection. Moreover, AAV-APPsα reduced misfolded (MC1) Tau species, particularly in somatodendritic compartments of CA1 pyramidal neurons. Finally, we show that AAV-APPsα upregulated PSD95 expression and rescued deficits in spine density of THY-Tau22 mice. Together our findings suggest that APPsα holds therapeutic potential to mitigate Tau-induced pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danny Baltissen
- Department of Functional Genomics, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Charlotte S. Bold
- Department of Functional Genomics, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lena Rehra
- Department of Functional Genomics, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marija Banićević
- Department of Functional Genomics, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Justus Fricke
- Department of Functional Genomics, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jennifer Just
- Department of Cellular Neurobiology, Zoological Institute, Technical University of Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Susann Ludewig
- Department of Cellular Neurobiology, Zoological Institute, Technical University of Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Christian J. Buchholz
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Gene Therapy, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Langen, Germany
| | - Martin Korte
- Department of Cellular Neurobiology, Zoological Institute, Technical University of Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany,Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Group, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Ulrike C. Müller
- Department of Functional Genomics, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany,*Correspondence: Ulrike C. Müller,
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50
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Gratuze M, Schlachetzki JCM, D'Oliveira Albanus R, Jain N, Novotny B, Brase L, Rodriguez L, Mansel C, Kipnis M, O'Brien S, Pasillas MP, Lee C, Manis M, Colonna M, Harari O, Glass CK, Ulrich JD, Holtzman DM. TREM2-independent microgliosis promotes tau-mediated neurodegeneration in the presence of ApoE4. Neuron 2023; 111:202-219.e7. [PMID: 36368315 PMCID: PMC9852006 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.10.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
In addition to tau and Aβ pathologies, inflammation plays an important role in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Variants in APOE and TREM2 increase AD risk. ApoE4 exacerbates tau-linked neurodegeneration and inflammation in P301S tau mice and removal of microglia blocks tau-dependent neurodegeneration. Microglia adopt a heterogeneous population of transcriptomic states in response to pathology, at least some of which are dependent on TREM2. Previously, we reported that knockout (KO) of TREM2 attenuated neurodegeneration in P301S mice that express mouse Apoe. Because of the possible common pathway of ApoE and TREM2 in AD, we tested whether TREM2 KO (T2KO) would block neurodegeneration in P301S Tau mice expressing ApoE4 (TE4), similar to that observed with microglial depletion. Surprisingly, we observed exacerbated neurodegeneration and tau pathology in TE4-T2KO versus TE4 mice, despite decreased TREM2-dependent microgliosis. Our results suggest that tau pathology-dependent microgliosis, that is, TREM2-independent microgliosis, facilitates tau-mediated neurodegeneration in the presence of ApoE4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maud Gratuze
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Johannes C M Schlachetzki
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
| | - Ricardo D'Oliveira Albanus
- Department of Psychiatry, NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Nimansha Jain
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Brenna Novotny
- Department of Psychiatry, NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Logan Brase
- Department of Psychiatry, NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Lea Rodriguez
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Clayton Mansel
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Michal Kipnis
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Sydney O'Brien
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
| | - Martina P Pasillas
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
| | - Choonghee Lee
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Melissa Manis
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Marco Colonna
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Oscar Harari
- Department of Psychiatry, NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Christopher K Glass
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jason D Ulrich
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - David M Holtzman
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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