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Schwab K, Lauer D, Magbagbeolu M, Theuring F, Gasiorowska A, Zadrozny M, Harrington CR, Wischik CM, Niewiadomska G, Riedel G. Hydromethylthionine rescues synaptic SNARE proteins in a mouse model of tauopathies: Interference by cholinesterase inhibitors. Brain Res Bull 2024; 212:110955. [PMID: 38677558 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2024.110955] [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: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 04/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
In clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease (AD), hydromethylthionine mesylate (HMTM) showed reduced efficacy when administered as an add-on to symptomatic treatments, while it produced a significant improvement of cognitive function when taken as monotherapy. Interference of cholinesterase inhibition with HMTM was observed also in a tau transgenic mouse model, where rivastigmine reduced the pharmacological activity of HMTM at multiple brain levels including hippocampal acetylcholine release, synaptosomal glutamate release and mitochondrial activity. Here, we examined the effect of HMTM, given alone or in combination with the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, rivastigmine, at the level of expression of selected pre-synaptic proteins (syntaxin-1; SNAP-25, VAMP-2, synaptophysin-1, synapsin-1, α-synuclein) in brain tissue harvested from tau-transgenic Line 1 (L1) and wild-type mice using immunohistochemistry. L1 mice overexpress the tau-core unit that induces tau aggregation and results in an AD-like phenotype. Synaptic proteins were lower in hippocampus and cortex but greater in basal forebrain regions in L1 compared to wild-type mice. HMTM partially normalised the expression pattern of several of these proteins in basal forebrain. This effect was diminished when HMTM was administered in combination with rivastigmine, where mean protein expression seemed supressed. This was further confirmed by group-based correlation network analyses where important levels of co-expression correlations in basal forebrain regions were lost in L1 mice and partially re-established when HMTM was given alone but not in combination with rivastigmine. These data indicate a reduction in pharmacological activity of HMTM when given as an add-on therapy, a result that is consistent with the responses observed in the clinic. Attenuation of the therapeutic effects of HMTM by cholinergic treatments may have important implications for other potential AD therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karima Schwab
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK; Institute of Pharmacology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hessische Str. 3-4, Berlin 10115, Germany
| | - Dilyara Lauer
- Institute of Pharmacology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hessische Str. 3-4, Berlin 10115, Germany
| | - Mandy Magbagbeolu
- Institute of Pharmacology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hessische Str. 3-4, Berlin 10115, Germany
| | - Franz Theuring
- Institute of Pharmacology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hessische Str. 3-4, Berlin 10115, Germany
| | - Anna Gasiorowska
- Clinical and Research Department of Applied Physiology, Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw 02-106, Poland
| | - Maciej Zadrozny
- Clinical and Research Department of Applied Physiology, Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw 02-106, Poland
| | - Charles R Harrington
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK; TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., 395 King Street, Aberdeen AB24 5RP, UK
| | - Claude M Wischik
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK; TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., 395 King Street, Aberdeen AB24 5RP, UK
| | - Grażyna Niewiadomska
- Clinical and Research Department of Applied Physiology, Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw 02-106, Poland
| | - Gernot Riedel
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK.
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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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3
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Zadrozny M, Drapich P, Gasiorowska-Bien A, Niewiadomski W, Harrington CR, Wischik CM, Riedel G, Niewiadomska G. Neuroprotection of Cholinergic Neurons with a Tau Aggregation Inhibitor and Rivastigmine in an Alzheimer's-like Tauopathy Mouse Model. Cells 2024; 13:642. [PMID: 38607082 PMCID: PMC11011792 DOI: 10.3390/cells13070642] [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: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Basal forebrain cholinergic dysfunction, most likely linked with tau protein aggregation, is a characteristic feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recent evidence suggests that tau protein is a putative target for the treatment of dementia, and the tau aggregation inhibitor, hydromethylthionine mesylate (HMTM), has emerged as a potential disease-modifying treatment. However, its efficacy was diminished in patients already receiving approved acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. In this study, we ask whether this negative interaction can also be mimicked in experimental tau models of AD and whether the underlying mechanism can be understood. From a previous age profiling study, 6-month-old line 1 (L1) tau transgenic mice were characterized by a severe reduction in several cholinergic markers. We therefore assessed whether long-term pre-exposure with the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor rivastigmine alone and in conjunction with the tau aggregation inhibitor HMTM can reverse cholinergic deficits in L1. Rivastigmine and HMTM, and combinations of the two compounds were administered orally for 11 weeks to both L1 and wild-type mice. The brains were sectioned with a focus on the basal forebrain, motor cortex and hippocampus. Immunohistochemical staining and quantification of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), tyrosine kinase A (TrkA)-positive neurons and relative optical intensity (ROI) for vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT), and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) reactivity confirmed reversal of the diminished cholinergic phenotype of interneurons (nucleus accumbens, striatum) and projection neurons (medial septum, nucleus basalis magnocellularis) by HMTM, to a greater extent than by rivastigmine alone in L1 mice. Combined administration did not yield additivity but, in most proxies, led to antagonistic effects in which rivastigmine decreased the benefits shown with HMTM alone. Local markers (VAChT and AChE) in target structures of the basal forebrain, motor cortex and hippocampal CA3 seemed to be normalized by HMTM, but not by rivastigmine or the combination of both drugs. HMTM, which was developed as a tau aggregation inhibitor, strongly decreased the tau load in L1 mice, however, not in combination with rivastigmine. Taken together, these data confirm a cholinergic phenotype in L1 tau transgenic mice that resembles the deficits observed in AD patients. This phenotype is reversible by HMTM, but at the same time appears to be subject to a homeostatic regulation induced by chronic pre-treatment with an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, which interferes with the efficacy of HMTM. The strongest phenotypic reversal coincided with a normalization of the tau load in the cortex and hippocampus of L1, suggesting that tau accumulation underpins the loss of cholinergic markers in the basal forebrain and its projection targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maciej Zadrozny
- Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland; (M.Z.); (P.D.); (A.G.-B.); (W.N.)
| | - Patrycja Drapich
- Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland; (M.Z.); (P.D.); (A.G.-B.); (W.N.)
| | - Anna Gasiorowska-Bien
- Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland; (M.Z.); (P.D.); (A.G.-B.); (W.N.)
| | - Wiktor Niewiadomski
- Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland; (M.Z.); (P.D.); (A.G.-B.); (W.N.)
| | - Charles R. Harrington
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK; (C.R.H.); (C.M.W.); (G.R.)
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Aberdeen AB24 3FX, UK
| | - Claude M. Wischik
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK; (C.R.H.); (C.M.W.); (G.R.)
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Aberdeen AB24 3FX, UK
| | - Gernot Riedel
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK; (C.R.H.); (C.M.W.); (G.R.)
| | - Grazyna Niewiadomska
- Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland; (M.Z.); (P.D.); (A.G.-B.); (W.N.)
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
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Schwab K, Magbagbeolu M, Theuring F, Harrington CR, Wischik CM, Riedel G. Solubility of α-synuclein species in the L62 mouse model of synucleinopathy. Sci Rep 2024; 14:6239. [PMID: 38486089 PMCID: PMC10940722 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56735-6] [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: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The accumulation of α-synuclein (α-Syn) into Lewy bodies is a hallmark of synucleinopathies, a group of neurological disorders that include Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Small oligomers as well as larger fibrils of α-Syn have been suggested to induce cell toxicity leading to a degenerative loss of neurones. A richer understanding of α-Syn aggregation in disease, however, requires the identification of the different α-Syn species and the characterisation of their biochemical properties. We here aimed at a more in-depth characterisation of the α-Syn transgenic mice, Line 62 (L62), and examined the deposition pattern and solubility of human and murine α-Syn in these mice using immunohistochemical and biochemical methods. Application of multiple antibodies confirmed mAb syn204 as the most discriminatory antibody for human α-Syn in L62. Syn204 revealed an intense and widespread immunohistochemical α-Syn labelling in parietal cortex and hippocampus, and to a lower level in basal forebrain and hindbrain regions. The labelled α-Syn represented somatic inclusions as well as processes and synaptic endings. Biochemical analysis revealed a Triton-resistant human α-Syn pool of large oligomers, a second pool of small oligomers that was not resistant to solubilization with urea/Triton. A third SDS-soluble pool of intermediate sized aggregates containing a mixture of both, human and mouse α-Syn was also present. These data suggest that several pools of α-Syn can exist in neurones, most likely in different cellular compartments. Information about these different pools is important for the development of novel disease modifying therapies aimed at α-Syn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karima Schwab
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Forester Hill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, UK.
- Institute of Pharmacology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hessische Str. 3-4, 10115, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Mandy Magbagbeolu
- Institute of Pharmacology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hessische Str. 3-4, 10115, Berlin, Germany
| | - Franz Theuring
- Institute of Pharmacology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hessische Str. 3-4, 10115, Berlin, Germany
| | - Charles R Harrington
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Forester Hill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, UK
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., 395 King Street, Aberdeen, AB24 5RP, UK
| | - Claude M Wischik
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Forester Hill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, UK
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., 395 King Street, Aberdeen, AB24 5RP, UK
| | - Gernot Riedel
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Forester Hill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, UK
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Robinson L, Dreesen E, Mondesir M, Harrington C, Wischik C, Riedel G. Apathy-like behaviour in tau mouse models of Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia. Behav Brain Res 2024; 456:114707. [PMID: 37820751 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114707] [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: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Apathy is the most common behavioural and psychological symptom in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases including frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). In patients, apathy can include symptoms of loss of motivation, initiative, and interest, listlessness, and indifference, flattening of emotions, absence of drive and passion. Researchers have later refined this to a reduction in goal direct behaviours. In animals, specific symptoms of apathy-like behaviour have been modelled including goal directed or nest-building behaviour which are seen as indicative of proxies for motivation and daily activities. In the present study a nest-building protocol was established using four different inbred mouse strains (CD1, BALB/c, C57Bl/6J, C3H) before assessing AD and FTD tau transgenic mice of Line 1 (L1) and Line 66 (L66) in this paradigm. Female mice aged 5 - 6 months were assessed in the home cage over a period of 7 days with nest-building behaviour scored by three independent experimenters at intervals of 1-, 2- and 7-days post nestlet introduction. Inbred mouse strains displayed different levels of nesting behaviour. BALB/c mice were more proficient than CD1 and C3H mice, while all strains displayed similar nest-building behaviour by day 7. In the tau mouse models, L66 presented with impaired nesting compared to wild-type on days 1 and 2 (not day 7), whereas L1 performed like wild-type on all days. Anhedonia measured in a sucrose preference test was only observed in L66. Anhedonia and low nesting scores in L66 mice are indicative of apathy-like phenotypes. Differences evident between the L1 and L66 tau transgenic mouse models are likely due to the different human tau species expressed in these mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lianne Robinson
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom.
| | - Eline Dreesen
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom
| | - Miguel Mondesir
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom
| | - Charles Harrington
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom; TauRx Therapeutics Ltd, 395 King Street, Aberdeen AB24 5RP, United Kingdom
| | - Claude Wischik
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom; TauRx Therapeutics Ltd, 395 King Street, Aberdeen AB24 5RP, United Kingdom
| | - Gernot Riedel
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom
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Xu Y, Hong H, Lin X, Tong T, Zhang J, He H, Yang L, Mao G, Hao R, Deng P, Yu Z, Pi H, Cheng Y, Zhou Z. Chronic cadmium exposure induces Parkinson-like syndrome by eliciting sphingolipid disturbance and neuroinflammation in the midbrain of C57BL/6J mice. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 337:122606. [PMID: 37742865 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) is known as a widespread environmental neurotoxic pollutant. Cd exposure is recently recognized as an etiological factor of Parkinson's disease (PD) in humans. However, the mechanism underlying Cd neurotoxicity in relation to Parkinsonism pathogenesis is unclear. In our present study, C57BL/6 J mice were exposed to 100 mg/L CdCl2 in drinking water for 8 weeks. It was found Cd exposure caused motor deficits, decreased DA neurons and induced neuropathological changes in the midbrain. Non-targeted lipidomic analysis uncovered that Cd exposure altered lipid profile, increased the content of proinflammatory sphingolipid ceramides (Cer), sphingomyelin (SM) and ganglioside (GM3) in the midbrain. In consistency with increased proinflammatory lipids, the mRNA levels of genes encoding sphingolipids biosynthesis in the midbrain were dysregulated by Cd exposure. Neuroinflammation in the midbrain was evinced by the up-regulation of proinflammatory cytokines at mRNA and protein levels. Blood Cd contents and lipid metabolites in Parkinsonism patients by ICP-MS and LC-MS/MS analyses demonstrated that elevated blood Cd concentration and proinflammatory lipid metabolites were positively associated with the score of Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). 3 ceramide metabolites in the blood showed good specificity as the candidate biomarkers to predict and monitor Parkinsonism and Cd neurotoxicity (AUC>0.7, p < 0.01). In summary, our present study uncovered that perturbed sphingomyelin lipid metabolism is related to the Parkinsonism pathogenesis and Cd neurotoxicity, partially compensated for the deficiency in particular metabolic biomarkers for Parkinsonism in relation to Cd exposure, and emphasized the necessity of reducing Cd exposure at population level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yudong Xu
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Huihui Hong
- Center for Neurointelligence, School of Medicine, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiqin Lin
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Tong Tong
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jingjing Zhang
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Haotian He
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lingling Yang
- Department of Occupational Health, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Gaofeng Mao
- Neurology Department, General Hospital of Center Theater Command, Wuhan, China
| | - Rongrong Hao
- Department of Occupational Health, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Ping Deng
- Department of Occupational Health, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Zhengping Yu
- Department of Occupational Health, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Huifeng Pi
- Department of Occupational Health, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yong Cheng
- Neurology Department, General Hospital of Center Theater Command, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhou Zhou
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Center for Neurointelligence, School of Medicine, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.
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7
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Kondak C, Leith M, Baddeley TC, Santos RX, Harrington CR, Wischik CM, Riedel G, Klein J. Mitochondrial Effects of Hydromethylthionine, Rivastigmine and Memantine in Tau-Transgenic Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10810. [PMID: 37445987 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241310810] [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: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau protein aggregations are important contributors to the etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Hydromethylthionine (HMT) is a potent inhibitor of tau aggregation in vitro and in vivo and is being developed as a possible anti-dementia medication. HMT was also shown to affect the cholinergic system and to interact with mitochondria. Here, we used tau-transgenic (L1 and L66) and wild-type NMRI mice that were treated with HMT, rivastigmine and memantine and with combinations thereof, for 2-4 weeks. We measured HMT concentrations in both brain homogenates and isolated mitochondria and concentrations of glucose, lactate and pyruvate in brain by microdialysis. In isolated brain mitochondria, we recorded oxygen consumption of mitochondrial complexes by respirometry. While rivastigmine and memantine lowered mitochondrial respiration, HMT did not affect respiration in wild-type animals and increased respiration in tau-transgenic L1 mice. Glucose and lactate levels were not affected by HMT administration. The presence of HMT in isolated mitochondria was established. In summary, traditional anti-dementia drugs impair mitochondrial function while HMT has no adverse effects on mitochondrial respiration in tau-transgenic mice. These results support the further development of HMT as an anti-dementia drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constantin Kondak
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
- Institute of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Michael Leith
- Department of Chemistry, School of Natural and Computing Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, UK
| | - Thomas C Baddeley
- Department of Chemistry, School of Natural and Computing Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, UK
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Aberdeen AB24 5RP, UK
| | - Renato X Santos
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Charles R Harrington
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Aberdeen AB24 5RP, UK
| | - Claude M Wischik
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Aberdeen AB24 5RP, UK
| | - Gernot Riedel
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Jochen Klein
- Institute of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
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Wada H, Hikiami R, Kusui M, Minamiyama S, Asada-Utsugi M, Shodai A, Muramatsu SI, Morimura T, Urushitani M. In vivo analysis of aggregation propensity of low levels of mislocalized TDP-43 on cytopathological and behavioral phenotype of ALS/FTLD. Neurosci Res 2023:S0168-0102(23)00040-8. [PMID: 36804599 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2023.02.006] [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: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
Mislocalization and aggregate formation of TAR DNA-biding protein of 43kD (TDP-43) in the cytoplasm are signatures of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). However, the role of two cytopathologies in ALS/FTLD pathogenesis is unclear. This study aims to elucidate the difference in their causality of TDP-43 in ALS/FTLD in vivo, using transgenic mice expressing human TDP-43 with defective nuclear localizing signals in neurons (Cyto-TDP) and those with aggregation propensity (Cyto-aggTDP). The expression levels of both proteins are less than half of endogenous TDP-43. Despite the low amount of Cyto-aggTDP, the TDP-43 phosphorylation is more evident than Cyto-TDP. Histopathological study showed accelerated astrogliosis in the anterior cerebral cortex of both mice. Cyto-aggTDP mice demonstrated significant but faint loss of neurons in the perirhinal(PERI) and ectorhinal(ECT) areas and higher Iba1-staining in the spinal cord than aged control. Despite the lack of locomotor dysfunctions in both mice, the open-field test showed enhanced exploratory behavior, indicating that the perpetual mislocalization of TDP-43 may suffice to trigger FTLD behavior. Besides, the aggregation propensity of TDP-43 promotes phosphorylation, but its role in the clinicopathological phenotype may not be primary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideki Wada
- Department of Neurology, Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan; Molecular Neuroscience Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan
| | - Ryota Hikiami
- Department of Therapeutics for Protein Misfolding Diseases, Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan.
| | - Makiko Kusui
- Department of Neurology, Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan
| | - Sumio Minamiyama
- Department of Neurology, Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan; Department of Neurology, Kyoto City Hospital, Japan
| | - Megumi Asada-Utsugi
- Molecular Neuroscience Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan
| | - Akemi Shodai
- Department of Neurology, Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan
| | - Shin-Ichi Muramatsu
- Division of Neurological Gene Therapy, Center for Open Innovation, Jichi Medical University, Japan
| | - Toshifumi Morimura
- Research Center for Animal Life Science, Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan
| | - Makoto Urushitani
- Department of Neurology, Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan; Molecular Neuroscience Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan; Department of Therapeutics for Protein Misfolding Diseases, Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan.
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9
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Xia Y, Prokop S, Bell BM, Gorion KMM, Croft CL, Nasif L, Xu G, Riffe CJ, Manaois AN, Strang KH, Quintin SS, Paterno G, Tansey MG, Borchelt DR, Golde TE, Giasson BI. Pathogenic tau recruits wild-type tau into brain inclusions and induces gut degeneration in transgenic SPAM mice. Commun Biol 2022; 5:446. [PMID: 35550593 PMCID: PMC9098443 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03373-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Pathological tau inclusions are neuropathologic hallmarks of many neurodegenerative diseases. We generated and characterized a transgenic mouse model expressing pathogenic human tau with S320F and P301S aggregating mutations (SPAM) at transgene levels below endogenous mouse tau protein levels. This mouse model develops a predictable temporal progression of tau pathology in the brain with biochemical and ultrastructural properties akin to authentic tau inclusions. Surprisingly, pathogenic human tau extensively recruited endogenous mouse tau into insoluble aggregates. Despite the early onset and rapid progressive nature of tau pathology, major neuroinflammatory and transcriptional changes were only detectable at later time points. Moreover, tau SPAM mice are the first model to develop loss of enteric neurons due to tau accumulation resulting in a lethal phenotype. With moderate transgene expression, rapidly progressing tau pathology, and a highly predictable lethal phenotype, the tau SPAM model reveals new associations of tau neurotoxicity in the brain and intestinal tract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxing Xia
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Stefan Prokop
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Brach M. Bell
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Kimberly-Marie M. Gorion
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Cara L. Croft
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Lith Nasif
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Guilian Xu
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Cara J. Riffe
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Alyssa N. Manaois
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Kevin H. Strang
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Stephan S. Quintin
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Giavanna Paterno
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Malú Gámez Tansey
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - David R. Borchelt
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Todd E. Golde
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Benoit I. Giasson
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
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10
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HMTM-Mediated Enhancement of Brain Bioenergetics in a Mouse Tauopathy Model Is Blocked by Chronic Administration of Rivastigmine. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10040867. [PMID: 35453617 PMCID: PMC9029156 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10040867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The tau protein aggregation inhibitor hydromethylthionine mesylate (HMTM) was shown recently to have concentration-dependent pharmacological activity in delaying cognitive decline and brain atrophy in phase 3 Alzheimer’s disease (AD) clinical trials; the activity was reduced in patients receiving symptomatic therapies. The methylthionine (MT) moiety has been reported to increase the clearance of pathological tau and to enhance mitochondrial activity, which is impaired in AD patients. In line 1 (L1) mice (a model of AD), HMTM (5/15 mg/kg) was administered either as a monotherapy or as an add-on to a chronic administration with the cholinesterase inhibitor rivastigmine (0.1/0.5 mg/kg) to explore mitochondrial function and energy substrate utilization as potential targets of drug interference. Compared with wild-type NMRI mice, the L1 mice accumulated greater levels of l-lactate and of the LDH-A subunit responsible for the conversion of pyruvate into l-lactate. In contrast, the levels of LDH-B and mitochondrial ETC subunits and the activity of complexes I and IV was not altered in the L1 mice. The activity of complex I and complex IV tended to increase with the HMTM dosing, in turn decreasing l-lactate accumulation in the brains of the L1 mice, despite increasing the levels of LDH-A. The chronic pre-dosing of the L1 mice with rivastigmine partially prevented the enhancement of the activity of complexes I and IV by HMTM and the increase in the levels of LDH-A while further reducing the levels of l-lactate. Thus, HMTM in combination with rivastigmine leads to a depletion in the energy substrate l-lactate, despite bioenergetic production not being favoured. In this study, the changes in l-lactate appear to be regulated by LDH-A, since neither of the experimental conditions affected the levels of LDH-B. The data show that HMTM monotherapy facilitates the use of substrates for energy production, particularly l-lactate, which is provided by astrocytes, additionally demonstrating that a chronic pre-treatment with rivastigmine prevented most of the HMTM-associated effects.
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11
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Kondak C, Riedel G, Harrington CR, Wischik CM, Klein J. Hydromethylthionine enhancement of central cholinergic signalling is blocked by rivastigmine and memantine. J Neurochem 2021; 160:172-184. [PMID: 34855998 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The prevention of tau protein aggregations is a therapeutic goal for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and hydromethylthionine (HMT) (also known as leucomethylthioninium-mesylate [LMTM]), is a potent inhibitor of tau aggregation in vitro and in vivo. In two Phase 3 clinical trials in AD, HMT had greater pharmacological activity on clinical endpoints in patients not receiving approved symptomatic treatments for AD (acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors and/or memantine) despite different mechanisms of action. To investigate this drug interaction in an animal model, we used tau-transgenic L1 and wild-type NMRI mice treated with rivastigmine or memantine prior to adding HMT, and measured changes in hippocampal acetylcholine (ACh) by microdialysis. HMT given alone doubled hippocampal ACh levels in both mouse lines and increased stimulated ACh release induced by exploration of the open field or by infusion of scopolamine. Rivastigmine increased ACh release in both mouse lines, whereas memantine was more active in tau-transgenic L1 mice. Importantly, our study revealed a negative interaction between HMT and symptomatic AD drugs: the HMT effect was completely eliminated in mice that had been pre-treated with either rivastigmine or memantine. Rivastigmine was found to inhibit AChE, whereas HMT and memantine had no effects on AChE or on choline acetyltransferase (ChAT). The interactions observed in this study demonstrate that HMT enhances cholinergic activity in mouse brain by a mechanism of action unrelated to AChE inhibition. Our findings establish that the drug interaction that was first observed clinically has a neuropharmacological basis and is not restricted to animals with tau aggregation pathology. Given the importance of the cholinergic system for memory function, the potential for commonly used AD drugs to interfere with the treatment effects of disease-modifying drugs needs to be taken into account in the design of clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constantin Kondak
- Institute of Medical Sciences, Translational Neuroscience, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland.,Institute of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Gernot Riedel
- Institute of Medical Sciences, Translational Neuroscience, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland
| | - Charles R Harrington
- Institute of Medical Sciences, Translational Neuroscience, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland.,TauRx Therapeutics Ltd, Aberdeen, Scotland
| | - Claude M Wischik
- Institute of Medical Sciences, Translational Neuroscience, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland.,TauRx Therapeutics Ltd, Aberdeen, Scotland
| | - Jochen Klein
- Institute of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
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12
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Proteomic Analysis of Hydromethylthionine in the Line 66 Model of Frontotemporal Dementia Demonstrates Actions on Tau-Dependent and Tau-Independent Networks. Cells 2021; 10:cells10082162. [PMID: 34440931 PMCID: PMC8391171 DOI: 10.3390/cells10082162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Abnormal aggregation of tau is the pathological hallmark of tauopathies including frontotemporal dementia (FTD). We have generated tau-transgenic mice that express the aggregation-prone P301S human tau (line 66). These mice present with early-onset, high tau load in brain and FTD-like behavioural deficiencies. Several of these behavioural phenotypes and tau pathology are reversed by treatment with hydromethylthionine but key pathways underlying these corrections remain elusive. In two proteomic experiments, line 66 mice were compared with wild-type mice and then vehicle and hydromethylthionine treatments of line 66 mice were compared. The brain proteome was investigated using two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry to identify protein networks and pathways that were altered due to tau overexpression or modified by hydromethylthionine treatment. Overexpression of mutant tau induced metabolic/mitochondrial dysfunction, changes in synaptic transmission and in stress responses, and these functions were recovered by hydromethylthionine. Other pathways, such as NRF2, oxidative phosphorylation and protein ubiquitination were activated by hydromethylthionine, presumably independent of its function as a tau aggregation inhibitor. Our results suggest that hydromethylthionine recovers cellular activity in both a tau-dependent and a tau-independent fashion that could lead to a wide-spread improvement of homeostatic function in the FTD brain.
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13
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Riedel G, Klein J, Niewiadomska G, Kondak C, Schwab K, Lauer D, Magbagbeolu M, Steczkowska M, Zadrozny M, Wydrych M, Cranston A, Melis V, Santos RX, Theuring F, Harrington CR, Wischik CM. Mechanisms of Anticholinesterase Interference with Tau Aggregation Inhibitor Activity in a Tau-Transgenic Mouse Model. Curr Alzheimer Res 2021; 17:285-296. [PMID: 32091331 PMCID: PMC7403648 DOI: 10.2174/1567205017666200224120926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Revised: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Background Symptomatic treatments of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) with cholinesterase inhibitors and/or memantine are relatively ineffective and there is a need for new treatments targeting the underlying pathology of AD. In most of the failed disease-modifying trials, patients have been allowed to continue taking symptomatic treatments at stable doses, under the assumption that they do not impair efficacy. In recently completed Phase 3 trials testing the tau aggregation inhibitor leuco-methylthioninium bis (hydromethane-sulfonate) (LMTM), we found significant differences in treatment response according to whether patients were taking LMTM either as monotherapy or as an add-on to symptomatic treatments. Methods We have examined the effect of either LMTM alone or chronic rivastigmine prior to LMTM treatment of tau transgenic mice expressing the short tau fragment that constitutes the tangle filaments of AD. We have measured acetylcholine levels, synaptosomal glutamate release, synaptic proteins, mitochondrial complex IV activity, tau pathology and Choline Acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunoreactivity. Results LMTM given alone increased hippocampal Acetylcholine (ACh) levels, glutamate release from synaptosomal preparations, synaptophysin levels in multiple brain regions and mitochondrial complex IV activity, reduced tau pathology, partially restored ChAT immunoreactivity in the basal forebrain and reversed deficits in spatial learning. Chronic pretreatment with rivastigmine was found to reduce or eliminate almost all these effects, apart from a reduction in tau aggregation pathology. LMTM effects on hippocampal ACh and synaptophysin levels were also reduced in wild-type mice. Conclusion The interference with the pharmacological activity of LMTM by a cholinesterase inhibitor can be reproduced in a tau transgenic mouse model and, to a lesser extent, in wild-type mice. Long-term pretreatment with a symptomatic drug alters a broad range of brain responses to LMTM across different transmitter systems and cellular compartments at multiple levels of brain function. There is, therefore, no single locus for the negative interaction. Rather, the chronic neuronal activation induced by reducing cholinesterase function produces compensatory homeostatic downregulation in multiple neuronal systems. This reduces a broad range of treatment responses to LMTM associated with a reduction in tau aggregation pathology. Since the interference is dictated by homeostatic responses to prior symptomatic treatment, it is likely that there would be similar interference with other drugs tested as add-on to the existing symptomatic treatment, regardless of the intended therapeutic target or mode of action. The present findings outline key results that now provide a working model to explain interference by symptomatic treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gernot Riedel
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom
| | - Jochen Klein
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue Str. 9, Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Grazyna Niewiadomska
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Constantin Kondak
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom.,Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue Str. 9, Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Karima Schwab
- Charite-Institute of Pharmacology, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hessische Str. 3-4, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Dilyara Lauer
- Charite-Institute of Pharmacology, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hessische Str. 3-4, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Mandy Magbagbeolu
- Charite-Institute of Pharmacology, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hessische Str. 3-4, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Marta Steczkowska
- Mossakowski Medical Research Centre, 5 Pawinski Street, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Maciej Zadrozny
- Mossakowski Medical Research Centre, 5 Pawinski Street, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Wydrych
- Mossakowski Medical Research Centre, 5 Pawinski Street, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Cranston
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom
| | - Valeria Melis
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom
| | - Renato X Santos
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom
| | - Franz Theuring
- Charite-Institute of Pharmacology, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hessische Str. 3-4, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Charles R Harrington
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom.,TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., 395 King Street, Aberdeen AB24 5RP, United Kingdom
| | - Claude M Wischik
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom.,TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., 395 King Street, Aberdeen AB24 5RP, United Kingdom
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14
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Solovyev N, El-Khatib AH, Costas-Rodríguez M, Schwab K, Griffin E, Raab A, Platt B, Theuring F, Vogl J, Vanhaecke F. Cu, Fe, and Zn isotope ratios in murine Alzheimer's disease models suggest specific signatures of amyloidogenesis and tauopathy. J Biol Chem 2021; 296:100292. [PMID: 33453282 PMCID: PMC7949056 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2020] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by accumulation of tau and amyloid-beta in the brain, and recent evidence suggests a correlation between associated protein aggregates and trace elements, such as copper, iron, and zinc. In AD, a distorted brain redox homeostasis and complexation by amyloid-beta and hyperphosphorylated tau may alter the isotopic composition of essential mineral elements. Therefore, high-precision isotopic analysis may reveal changes in the homeostasis of these elements. We used inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)-based techniques to determine the total Cu, Fe, and Zn contents in the brain, as well as their isotopic compositions in both mouse brain and serum. Results for male transgenic tau (Line 66, L66) and amyloid/presenilin (5xFAD) mice were compared with those for the corresponding age- and sex-matched wild-type control mice (WT). Our data show that L66 brains showed significantly higher Fe levels than did those from the corresponding WT. Significantly less Cu, but more Zn was found in 5xFAD brains. We observed significantly lighter isotopic compositions of Fe (enrichment in the lighter isotopes) in the brain and serum of L66 mice compared with WT. For 5xFAD mice, Zn exhibited a trend toward a lighter isotopic composition in the brain and a heavier isotopic composition in serum compared with WT. Neither mouse model yielded differences in the isotopic composition of Cu. Our findings indicate significant pathology-specific alterations of Fe and Zn brain homeostasis in mouse models of AD. The associated changes in isotopic composition may serve as a marker for proteinopathies underlying AD and other types of dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolay Solovyev
- Department of Chemistry, Atomic & Mass Spectrometry-A&MS Research Unit, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ahmed H El-Khatib
- BAM Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung, Division 1.1 Inorganic Trace Analysis, Berlin, Germany; Department of Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, African Union Authority St, Abbassia, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Marta Costas-Rodríguez
- Department of Chemistry, Atomic & Mass Spectrometry-A&MS Research Unit, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Karima Schwab
- Institute of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, Foresterhill, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth Griffin
- Trace Element Speciation Laboratory (TESLA), Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea Raab
- Trace Element Speciation Laboratory (TESLA), Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom; Institute of Chemistry, Environmental Analytical Chemistry, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Bettina Platt
- Institute of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, Foresterhill, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Franz Theuring
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Pharmacology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jochen Vogl
- BAM Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung, Division 1.1 Inorganic Trace Analysis, Berlin, Germany
| | - Frank Vanhaecke
- Department of Chemistry, Atomic & Mass Spectrometry-A&MS Research Unit, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
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15
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Lemke N, Melis V, Lauer D, Magbagbeolu M, Neumann B, Harrington CR, Riedel G, Wischik CM, Theuring F, Schwab K. Differential compartmental processing and phosphorylation of pathogenic human tau and native mouse tau in the line 66 model of frontotemporal dementia. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:18508-18523. [PMID: 33127647 PMCID: PMC7939472 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.014890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Synapse loss is associated with motor and cognitive decline in multiple neurodegenerative disorders, and the cellular redistribution of tau is related to synaptic impairment in tauopathies, such as Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia. Here, we examined the cellular distribution of tau protein species in human tau overexpressing line 66 mice, a transgenic mouse model akin to genetic variants of frontotemporal dementia. Line 66 mice express intracellular tau aggregates in multiple brain regions and exhibit sensorimotor and motor learning deficiencies. Using a series of anti-tau antibodies, we observed, histologically, that nonphosphorylated transgenic human tau is enriched in synapses, whereas phosphorylated tau accumulates predominantly in cell bodies and axons. Subcellular fractionation confirmed that human tau is highly enriched in insoluble cytosolic and synaptosomal fractions, whereas endogenous mouse tau is virtually absent from synapses. Cytosolic tau was resistant to solubilization with urea and Triton X-100, indicating the formation of larger tau aggregates. By contrast, synaptic tau was partially soluble after Triton X-100 treatment and most likely represents aggregates of smaller size. MS corroborated that synaptosomal tau is nonphosphorylated. Tau enriched in the synapse of line 66 mice, therefore, appears to be in an oligomeric and nonphosphorylated state, and one that could have a direct impact on cognitive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora Lemke
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und-prüfung, Berlin, Germany
| | - Valeria Melis
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Boris Neumann
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Proteome Factory AG, Berlin, Germany
| | - Charles R Harrington
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, United Kingdom; TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Gernot Riedel
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Claude M Wischik
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, United Kingdom; TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | | | - Karima Schwab
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
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16
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Marshall-Phelps KLH, Riedel G, Wulff P, Woloszynowska-Fraser M. Cerebellar molecular layer interneurons are dispensable for cued and contextual fear conditioning. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20000. [PMID: 33203929 PMCID: PMC7672060 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76729-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Purkinje cells are the only output cell of the cerebellar cortex. Their spatiotemporal activity is controlled by molecular layer interneurons (MLIs) through GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition. Recently, it has been reported that the cerebellar cortex is required for consolidation of conditioned fear responses during fear memory formation. Although the relevance of MLIs during fear memory formation is currently not known, it has been shown that synapses made between MLIs and Purkinje cells exhibit long term plasticity following fear conditioning. The present study examined the role of cerebellar MLIs in the formation of fear memory using a genetically-altered mouse line (PC-∆γ2) in which GABAA receptor-mediated signaling at MLI to Purkinje cell synapses was functionally removed. We found that neither acquisition nor recall of fear memories to tone and context were altered after removal of MLI-mediated inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katy L H Marshall-Phelps
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, UK.,Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh, EH16 4SB, UK
| | - Gernot Riedel
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, UK.
| | - Peer Wulff
- Institute of Physiology, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, 24098, Kiel, Germany.
| | - Marta Woloszynowska-Fraser
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, UK.,National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
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17
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Pollack SJ, Trigg J, Khanom T, Biasetti L, Marshall KE, Al-Hilaly YK, Rickard JE, Harrington CR, Wischik CM, Serpell LC. Paired Helical Filament-Forming Region of Tau (297-391) Influences Endogenous Tau Protein and Accumulates in Acidic Compartments in Human Neuronal Cells. J Mol Biol 2020; 432:4891-4907. [PMID: 32681841 PMCID: PMC7427330 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2020.05.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Assembly of tau protein into paired helical filaments and straight filaments is a key feature of Alzheimer's disease. Aggregation of tau has been implicated in neurodegeneration, cellular toxicity and the propagation, which accompanies disease progression. We have reported previously that a region of tau (297–391), referred to as dGAE, assembles spontaneously in physiological conditions to form paired helical filament-like fibres in vitro in the absence of additives such as heparin. This provides a valuable tool with which to explore the effects of tau in cell culture. Here we have studied the cellular uptake of soluble oligomeric and fibrillar forms of dGAE and examined the downstream consequences of tau internalisation into differentiated SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells using fluorescence and electron microscopy alongside structural and biochemical analyses. The assembled dGAE shows more acute cytotoxicity than the soluble, non-aggregated form. Conversely, the soluble form is much more readily internalised and, once within the cell, is able to associate with endogenous tau resulting in increased phosphorylation and aggregation of endogenous tau, which accumulates in lysosomal/endosomal compartments. It appears that soluble oligomeric forms are able to propagate tau pathology without being acutely toxic. The model system we have developed now permits the molecular mechanisms of propagation of tau pathology to be studied in vitro in a more physiological manner with a view to development of novel therapeutic approaches. Tau297–391 aggregates to form filaments toxic to cells in the absence of additives. Internalisation of soluble tau297–391 into cells leads to increased insoluble Ptau. Soluble tau297–391 accumulates with endogenous tau in endo-lysosomal compartments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saskia J Pollack
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, E. Sussex, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Jasmine Trigg
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, E. Sussex, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Tahmida Khanom
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, E. Sussex, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Luca Biasetti
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, E. Sussex, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Karen E Marshall
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, E. Sussex, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Youssra K Al-Hilaly
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, E. Sussex, BN1 9QG, UK; Chemistry Department, College of Science, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq
| | - Janet E Rickard
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZP, UK
| | - Charles R Harrington
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZP, UK; TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Aberdeen, AB24 5RP, UK
| | - Claude M Wischik
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZP, UK; TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Aberdeen, AB24 5RP, UK
| | - Louise C Serpell
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, E. Sussex, BN1 9QG, UK.
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18
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Cranston AL, Wysocka A, Steczkowska M, Zadrożny M, Palasz E, Harrington CR, Theuring F, Wischik CM, Riedel G, Niewiadomska G. Cholinergic and inflammatory phenotypes in transgenic tau mouse models of Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Brain Commun 2020; 2:fcaa033. [PMID: 32954291 PMCID: PMC7425524 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcaa033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2019] [Revised: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
An early and sizeable loss of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons is a well-characterized feature associated with measurable deficits in spatial learning and cognitive impairment in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, pro-inflammatory glial cells such as astrocytes and microglia may play a key role in the neurodegenerative cascade of Alzheimer’s disease and tauopathies. We recently presented two mouse models: Line 1, expressing the truncated tau fragment identified as the core of the Alzheimer’s paired helical filament, and Line 66, expressing full-length human tau carrying a double mutation (P301S and G335D). Line 1 mice have a pathology that is akin to Alzheimer’s, whilst Line 66 resembles frontotemporal lobar degeneration. However, their cholinergic and inflammatory phenotypes remain elusive. We performed histological evaluation of choline acetyltransferase, acetylcholinesterase, p75 neurotrophin receptor, microglial ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 and astrocytic glial fibrillary acidic protein in the basal forebrain, hippocampus and cortex of these models. A significant lowering of choline acetyltransferase-positive neurons and p75-positive neurons in the basal forebrain of Line 1 at 3, 6 and 9 months was observed in two independent studies, alongside a significant decrease in acetylcholinesterase staining in the cortex and hippocampus. The reductions in choline acetyltransferase positivity varied between 30% and 50% at an age when Line 1 mice show spatial learning impairments. Furthermore, an increase in microglial ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 staining was observed in the basal forebrain, hippocampus and entorhinal cortex of Line 1 at 6 months. Line 66 mice displayed an intact cholinergic basal forebrain, and no difference in p75-positive neurons at 3 or 9 months. In addition, Line 66 exhibited significant microglial ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 increase in the basal forebrain and hippocampus, suggesting a prominent neuroinflammatory profile. Increased concentrations of microglial interleukin-1β and astrocytic complement 3 were also seen in the hippocampus of both Line 1 and Line 66. The cholinergic deficit in Line 1 mice confirms the Alzheimer’s disease-like phenotype in Line 1 mice, whilst Line 66 revealed no measurable change in total cholinergic expression, a phenotypic trait of frontotemporal lobar degeneration. These two transgenic lines are therefore suitable for discriminating mechanistic underpinnings between the Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal lobar degeneration-like phenotypes of these mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna L Cranston
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Adrianna Wysocka
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw 02-093, Poland
| | | | | | - Ewelina Palasz
- Mossakowski Medical Research Centre, Warsaw 02-106, Poland
| | - Charles R Harrington
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK.,TauRx Therapeutics Ltd, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZP, UK
| | - Franz Theuring
- Institute of Pharmacology, Charite-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Claude M Wischik
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK.,TauRx Therapeutics Ltd, Aberdeen AB24 5RP, UK
| | - Gernot Riedel
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Grazyna Niewiadomska
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw 02-093, Poland
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19
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Lauretti E, Praticò D. Alzheimer's disease: phenotypic approaches using disease models and the targeting of tau protein. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2020; 24:319-330. [PMID: 32116063 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2020.1737012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Hyperphosphorylated and aggregated tau protein is the main hallmark of a class of neurodegenerative disorders known as tauopathies. Tau is a microtubule-binding protein which is important for microtubule assembly and stabilization, for proper axonal transport and overall neuronal integrity. However, in tauopathies, tau undergoes aberrant post-translational modifications that fundamentally affect its normal function. The etiology of these devastating diseases is unclear and there is no treatment for these disorders.Areas covered: This review examines the neurobiology of tau, tau post-translational modifications, and tau pathophysiology. Progress regarding the effort to identify and assess novel tau-targeted therapeutic strategies in preclinical studies is also discussed. We performed a search on PubMed of the relevant literature published between 1995 and 2020.Expert opinion: Tau diversity and the lack of clinically available test to diagnose and identify tauopathies are major obstacles; they represent a possible reason for the lack of success of clinical trials. However, given the encouraging advances in PET tau imaging and tau neurobiology, we believe that a more personalized approach could be on the horizon and that this will be key to addressing the heterogeneity of tau pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Lauretti
- Alzheimer's Center at Temple, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Domenico Praticò
- Alzheimer's Center at Temple, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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20
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Bohush A, Bieganowski P, Filipek A. Hsp90 and Its Co-Chaperones in Neurodegenerative Diseases. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20204976. [PMID: 31600883 PMCID: PMC6834326 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20204976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Proper folding is crucial for proteins to achieve functional activity in the cell. However, it often occurs that proteins are improperly folded (misfolded) and form aggregates, which are the main hallmark of many diseases including cancers, neurodegenerative diseases and many others. Proteins that assist other proteins in proper folding into three-dimensional structures are chaperones and co-chaperones. The key role of chaperones/co-chaperones is to prevent protein aggregation, especially under stress. An imbalance between chaperone/co-chaperone levels has been documented in neurons, and suggested to contribute to protein misfolding. An essential protein and a major regulator of protein folding in all eukaryotic cells is the heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90). The function of Hsp90 is tightly regulated by many factors, including co-chaperones. In this review we summarize results regarding the role of Hsp90 and its co-chaperones in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), and prionopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasiia Bohush
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Paweł Bieganowski
- Mossakowski Medical Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences, 5 Pawińskiego Street, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Anna Filipek
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
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21
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Novak P, Cehlar O, Skrabana R, Novak M. Tau Conformation as a Target for Disease-Modifying Therapy: The Role of Truncation. J Alzheimers Dis 2018; 64:S535-S546. [DOI: 10.3233/jad-179942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Petr Novak
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Ondrej Cehlar
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Rostislav Skrabana
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Michal Novak
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
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22
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Skrabana R, Kovacech B, Filipcik P, Zilka N, Jadhav S, Smolek T, Kontsekova E, Novak M. Neuronal Expression of Truncated Tau Efficiently Promotes Neurodegeneration in Animal Models: Pitfalls of Toxic Oligomer Analysis. J Alzheimers Dis 2018; 58:1017-1025. [PMID: 28527208 DOI: 10.3233/jad-161124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Animal models of neurodegeneration induced by neuronal expression of truncated tau protein emerge as an important tool for understanding the pathogenesis of human tauopathies and for therapy development. Here we highlight common features of truncated tau models and make a critical assessment of possible pitfalls in their analysis. Particularly, the amount of soluble tau oligomers, which are suspected to be neurotoxic agents participating on the spreading of pathology inside the brain, may be overestimated due to a post-lysis oxidative tau oligomerization. Using a mouse brain lysate spiked with recombinant truncated and full length tau forms, we show that tau oligomers might inadvertently be produced during the isolation procedure. This finding is further corroborated by the analysis of brain lysates originated from a mouse model expressing truncated tau variant. Our results underline the necessity of thiol-protecting conditions during the analysis of tau oligomers involved in the etiopathogenesis of various tauopathies including Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rostislav Skrabana
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Branislav Kovacech
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Peter Filipcik
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Norbert Zilka
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Santosh Jadhav
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Tomas Smolek
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Eva Kontsekova
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Michal Novak
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.,AXON Neuroscience SE, Larnaca, Cyprus
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23
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Schwab K, Frahm S, Horsley D, Rickard JE, Melis V, Goatman EA, Magbagbeolu M, Douglas M, Leith MG, Baddeley TC, Storey JMD, Riedel G, Wischik CM, Harrington CR, Theuring F. A Protein Aggregation Inhibitor, Leuco-Methylthioninium Bis(Hydromethanesulfonate), Decreases α-Synuclein Inclusions in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Synucleinopathy. Front Mol Neurosci 2018; 10:447. [PMID: 29375308 PMCID: PMC5767730 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2017.00447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
α-Synuclein (α-Syn) aggregation is a pathological feature of synucleinopathies, neurodegenerative disorders that include Parkinson's disease (PD). We have tested whether N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-10H-phenothiazine-3,7-diaminium bis(hydromethanesulfonate) (leuco-methylthioninium bis(hydromethanesulfonate); LMTM), a tau aggregation inhibitor, affects α-Syn aggregation in vitro and in vivo. Both cellular and transgenic models in which the expression of full-length human α-Syn (h-α-Syn) fused with a signal sequence peptide to promote α-Syn aggregation were used. Aggregated α-Syn was observed following differentiation of N1E-115 neuroblastoma cells transfected with h-α-Syn. The appearance of aggregated α-Syn was inhibited by LMTM, with an EC50 of 1.1 μM, with minimal effect on h-α-Syn mRNA levels being observed. Two independent lines of mice (L58 and L62) transgenic for the same fusion protein accumulated neuronal h-α-Syn that, with aging, developed into fibrillary inclusions characterized by both resistance to proteinase K (PK)-cleavage and their ability to bind thiazin red. There was a significant decrease in α-Syn-positive neurons in multiple brain regions following oral treatment of male and female mice with LMTM administered daily for 6 weeks at 5 and 15 mg MT/kg. The early aggregates of α-Syn and the late-stage fibrillar inclusions were both susceptible to inhibition by LMTM, a treatment that also resulted in the rescue of movement and anxiety-related traits in these mice. The results suggest that LMTM may provide a potential disease modification therapy in PD and other synucleinopathies through the inhibition of α-Syn aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karima Schwab
- Institute of Pharmacology, Charite – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Silke Frahm
- Institute of Pharmacology, Charite – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - David Horsley
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Janet E. Rickard
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Valeria Melis
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth A. Goatman
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Mandy Magbagbeolu
- Institute of Pharmacology, Charite – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Morag Douglas
- Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Michael G. Leith
- Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas C. Baddeley
- Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Singapore, Singapore
| | - John M. D. Storey
- Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Singapore, Singapore
| | - Gernot Riedel
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Claude M. Wischik
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Singapore, Singapore
| | - Charles R. Harrington
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Singapore, Singapore
| | - Franz Theuring
- Institute of Pharmacology, Charite – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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24
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Nonclinical data supporting orphan medicinal product designations: lessons from rare neurological conditions. Drug Discov Today 2018; 23:26-48. [DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2017.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2017] [Revised: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 09/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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25
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Frahm S, Melis V, Horsley D, Rickard JE, Riedel G, Fadda P, Scherma M, Harrington CR, Wischik CM, Theuring F, Schwab K. Alpha-Synuclein transgenic mice, h-α-SynL62, display α-Syn aggregation and a dopaminergic phenotype reminiscent of Parkinson's disease. Behav Brain Res 2017; 339:153-168. [PMID: 29180135 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Revised: 11/19/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Alpha-Synuclein (α-Syn) accumulation is considered a major risk factor for the development of synucleinopathies such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies. We have generated mice overexpressing full-length human α-Syn fused to a membrane-targeting signal sequence under the control of the mouse Thy1-promotor. Three separate lines (L56, L58 and L62) with similar gene expression levels, but considerably heightened protein accumulation in L58 and L62, were established. In L62, there was widespread labelling of α-Syn immunoreactivity in brain including spinal cord, basal forebrain, cortex and striatum. Interestingly, there was no detectable α-Syn expression in dopaminergic neurones of the substantia nigra, but strong human α-Syn reactivity in glutamatergic synapses. The human α-Syn accumulated during aging and formed PK-resistant, thioflavin-binding aggregates. Mice displayed early onset bradykinesia and age progressive motor deficits. Functional alterations within the striatum were confirmed: L62 showed normal basal dopamine levels, but impaired dopamine release (upon amphetamine challenge) in the dorsal striatum measured by in vivo brain dialysis at 9 months of age. This impairment was coincident with a reduced response to amphetamine in the activity test. L62 further displayed greater sensitivity to low doses of the dopamine receptor 1 (D1) agonist SKF81297 but reacted normally to the D2 agonist quinpirole in the open field. Since accumulation of α-Syn aggregates in neurones and synapses and alterations in the dopaminergic tone are characteristics of PD, phenotypes reported for L62 present a good opportunity to further our understanding of motor dysfunction in PD and Lewy body dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silke Frahm
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Pharmacology, Hessische Str. 3-4, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Valeria Melis
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - David Horsley
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Janet E Rickard
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Gernot Riedel
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK.
| | - Paula Fadda
- University of Cagliari, Department of Neuroscience, Cittadella Universitaria, 09042 Monserrato, Italy
| | - Maria Scherma
- University of Cagliari, Department of Neuroscience, Cittadella Universitaria, 09042 Monserrato, Italy
| | - Charles R Harrington
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK; TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Singapore 068805, Singapore
| | - Claude M Wischik
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK; TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Singapore 068805, Singapore
| | - Franz Theuring
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Pharmacology, Hessische Str. 3-4, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Karima Schwab
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Pharmacology, Hessische Str. 3-4, 10115 Berlin, Germany
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26
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Yin Z, Valkenburg F, Hornix BE, Mantingh-Otter I, Zhou X, Mari M, Reggiori F, Van Dam D, Eggen BJ, De Deyn PP, Boddeke E. Progressive Motor Deficit is Mediated by the Denervation of Neuromuscular Junctions and Axonal Degeneration in Transgenic Mice Expressing Mutant (P301S) Tau Protein. J Alzheimers Dis 2017; 60:S41-S57. [DOI: 10.3233/jad-161206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhuoran Yin
- Department of Neuroscience, Section Medical Physiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Medical Ultrasound, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Femke Valkenburg
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry and Behavior, Institute Born-Bunge, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Betty E. Hornix
- Department of Neurobiology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Science, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ietje Mantingh-Otter
- Department of Neuroscience, Section Medical Physiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Xingdong Zhou
- Department of Cell Biology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Muriel Mari
- Department of Cell Biology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Fulvio Reggiori
- Department of Cell Biology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Debby Van Dam
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry and Behavior, Institute Born-Bunge, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Research Center, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Bart J.L. Eggen
- Department of Neuroscience, Section Medical Physiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Peter P. De Deyn
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry and Behavior, Institute Born-Bunge, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Research Center, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Biobank, Institute Born-Bunge, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Erik Boddeke
- Department of Neuroscience, Section Medical Physiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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27
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Seripa D, Solfrizzi V, Imbimbo BP, Daniele A, Santamato A, Lozupone M, Zuliani G, Greco A, Logroscino G, Panza F. Tau-directed approaches for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease: focus on leuco-methylthioninium. Expert Rev Neurother 2016; 16:259-77. [PMID: 26822031 DOI: 10.1586/14737175.2016.1140039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Small molecular weight compounds able to inhibit formation of tau oligomers and fibrils have already been tested for Alzheimer's disease (AD) treatment. The most advanced tau aggregation inhibitor (TAI) is methylthioninium (MT), a drug existing in equilibrium between a reduced (leuco-methylthioninium) and oxidized form (MT(+)). MT chloride (also known as methylene blue) was investigated in a 24-week Phase II study in 321 mild-to-moderate AD patients at the doses of 69, 138, and 228 mg/day. This trial failed to show significant positive effects of MT in the overall patient population. The dose of 138 mg/day showed potential benefits on cognitive performance of moderately affected patients and cerebral blood flow in mildly affected patients. A follow-up compound (TRx0237) claimed to be more bioavailable and less toxic than MT, is now being developed. Phase III clinical trials on this novel TAI in AD and in the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia are underway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Seripa
- a Geriatric Unit & Laboratory of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Department of Medical Sciences , IRCCS 'Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza' , San Giovanni Rotondo , Foggia , Italy
| | - Vincenzo Solfrizzi
- b Geriatric Medicine-Memory Unit and Rare Disease Centre , University of Bari Aldo Moro , Bari , Italy
| | - Bruno P Imbimbo
- c Research & Development Department , Chiesi Farmaceutici , Parma , Italy
| | - Antonio Daniele
- d Institute of Neurology , Catholic University of Sacred Heart , Rome , Italy
| | - Andrea Santamato
- e Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Section, 'OORR' Hospital , University of Foggia , Foggia , Italy
| | - Madia Lozupone
- f Neurodegenerative Disease Unit, Department of Basic Medicine, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs , University of Bari Aldo Moro , Bari , Italy
| | - Giovanni Zuliani
- g Department of Medical Science, Section of Internal and Cardiopulmonary Medicine , University of Ferrara
| | - Antonio Greco
- a Geriatric Unit & Laboratory of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Department of Medical Sciences , IRCCS 'Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza' , San Giovanni Rotondo , Foggia , Italy
| | - Giancarlo Logroscino
- f Neurodegenerative Disease Unit, Department of Basic Medicine, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs , University of Bari Aldo Moro , Bari , Italy.,h Department of Clinical Research in Neurology , University of Bari Aldo Moro, 'Pia Fondazione Cardinale G. Panico' , Tricase , Lecce , Italy
| | - Francesco Panza
- a Geriatric Unit & Laboratory of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Department of Medical Sciences , IRCCS 'Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza' , San Giovanni Rotondo , Foggia , Italy.,f Neurodegenerative Disease Unit, Department of Basic Medicine, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs , University of Bari Aldo Moro , Bari , Italy.,h Department of Clinical Research in Neurology , University of Bari Aldo Moro, 'Pia Fondazione Cardinale G. Panico' , Tricase , Lecce , Italy
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28
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Tau-Centric Targets and Drugs in Clinical Development for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2016; 2016:3245935. [PMID: 27429978 PMCID: PMC4939203 DOI: 10.1155/2016/3245935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2015] [Accepted: 05/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The failure of several Phase II/III clinical trials in Alzheimer's disease (AD) with drugs targeting β-amyloid accumulation in the brain fuelled an increasing interest in alternative treatments against tau pathology, including approaches targeting tau phosphatases/kinases, active and passive immunization, and anti-tau aggregation. The most advanced tau aggregation inhibitor (TAI) is methylthioninium (MT), a drug existing in equilibrium between a reduced (leuco-methylthioninium) and oxidized form (MT+). MT chloride (methylene blue) was investigated in a 24-week Phase II clinical trial in 321 patients with mild to moderate AD that failed to show significant positive effects in mild AD patients, although long-term observations (50 weeks) and biomarker studies suggested possible benefit. The dose of 138 mg/day showed potential benefits on cognitive performance of moderately affected AD patients and cerebral blood flow in mildly affected patients. Further clinical evidence will come from the large ongoing Phase III trials for the treatment of AD and the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia on a new form of this TAI, more bioavailable and less toxic at higher doses, called TRx0237. More recently, inhibitors of tau acetylation are being actively pursued based on impressive results in animal studies obtained by salsalate, a clinically used derivative of salicylic acid.
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29
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Bondulich MK, Guo T, Meehan C, Manion J, Rodriguez Martin T, Mitchell JC, Hortobagyi T, Yankova N, Stygelbout V, Brion JP, Noble W, Hanger DP. Tauopathy induced by low level expression of a human brain-derived tau fragment in mice is rescued by phenylbutyrate. Brain 2016; 139:2290-306. [PMID: 27297240 PMCID: PMC4958900 DOI: 10.1093/brain/aww137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2015] [Accepted: 05/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Human neurodegenerative tauopathies exhibit pathological tau aggregates in the brain along with diverse clinical features including cognitive and motor dysfunction. Post-translational modifications including phosphorylation, ubiquitination and truncation, are characteristic features of tau present in the brain in human tauopathy. We have previously reported an N-terminally truncated form of tau in human brain that is associated with the development of tauopathy and is highly phosphorylated. We have generated a new mouse model of tauopathy in which this human brain-derived, 35 kDa tau fragment (Tau35) is expressed in the absence of any mutation and under the control of the human tau promoter. Most existing mouse models of tauopathy overexpress mutant tau at levels that do not occur in human neurodegenerative disease, whereas Tau35 transgene expression is equivalent to less than 10% of that of endogenous mouse tau. Tau35 mice recapitulate key features of human tauopathies, including aggregated and abnormally phosphorylated tau, progressive cognitive and motor deficits, autophagic/lysosomal dysfunction, loss of synaptic protein, and reduced life-span. Importantly, we found that sodium 4-phenylbutyrate (Buphenyl®), a drug used to treat urea cycle disorders and currently in clinical trials for a range of neurodegenerative diseases, reverses the observed abnormalities in tau and autophagy, behavioural deficits, and loss of synapsin 1 in Tau35 mice. Our results show for the first time that, unlike other tau transgenic mouse models, minimal expression of a human disease-associated tau fragment in Tau35 mice causes a profound and progressive tauopathy and cognitive changes, which are rescued by pharmacological intervention using a clinically approved drug. These novel Tau35 mice therefore represent a highly disease-relevant animal model in which to investigate molecular mechanisms and to develop novel treatments for human tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie K Bondulich
- 1 King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, 125 Coldharbour Lane, London SE5 9NU, UK
| | - Tong Guo
- 1 King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, 125 Coldharbour Lane, London SE5 9NU, UK
| | - Christopher Meehan
- 1 King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, 125 Coldharbour Lane, London SE5 9NU, UK
| | - John Manion
- 1 King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, 125 Coldharbour Lane, London SE5 9NU, UK
| | - Teresa Rodriguez Martin
- 1 King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, 125 Coldharbour Lane, London SE5 9NU, UK
| | - Jacqueline C Mitchell
- 1 King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, 125 Coldharbour Lane, London SE5 9NU, UK
| | - Tibor Hortobagyi
- 1 King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, 125 Coldharbour Lane, London SE5 9NU, UK
| | - Natalia Yankova
- 1 King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, 125 Coldharbour Lane, London SE5 9NU, UK
| | - Virginie Stygelbout
- 2 Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology (CP 620), ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Faculty of Medicine 808, route de Lennik, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jean-Pierre Brion
- 2 Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology (CP 620), ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Faculty of Medicine 808, route de Lennik, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Wendy Noble
- 1 King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, 125 Coldharbour Lane, London SE5 9NU, UK
| | - Diane P Hanger
- 1 King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, 125 Coldharbour Lane, London SE5 9NU, UK
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Koss DJ, Robinson L, Drever BD, Plucińska K, Stoppelkamp S, Veselcic P, Riedel G, Platt B. Mutant Tau knock-in mice display frontotemporal dementia relevant behaviour and histopathology. Neurobiol Dis 2016; 91:105-23. [PMID: 26949217 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2016.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2016] [Revised: 02/26/2016] [Accepted: 03/02/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Models of Tau pathology related to frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are essential to determine underlying neurodegenerative pathologies and resulting tauopathy relevant behavioural changes. However, existing models are often limited in their translational value due to Tau overexpression, and the frequent occurrence of motor deficits which prevent comprehensive behavioural assessments. In order to address these limitations, a forebrain-specific (CaMKIIα promoter), human mutated Tau (hTauP301L+R406W) knock-in mouse was generated out of the previously characterised PLB1Triple mouse, and named PLB2Tau. After confirmation of an additional hTau species (~60kDa) in forebrain samples, we identified age-dependent progressive Tau phosphorylation which coincided with the emergence of FTD relevant behavioural traits. In line with the non-cognitive symptomatology of FTD, PLB2Tau mice demonstrated early emerging (~6months) phenotypes of heightened anxiety in the elevated plus maze, depressive/apathetic behaviour in a sucrose preference test and generally reduced exploratory activity in the absence of motor impairments. Investigations of cognitive performance indicated prominent dysfunctions in semantic memory, as assessed by social transmission of food preference, and in behavioural flexibility during spatial reversal learning in a home cage corner-learning task. Spatial learning was only mildly affected and task-specific, with impairments at 12months of age in the corner learning but not in the water maze task. Electroencephalographic (EEG) investigations indicated a vigilance-stage specific loss of alpha power during wakefulness at both parietal and prefrontal recording sites, and site-specific EEG changes during non-rapid eye movement sleep (prefrontal) and rapid eye movement sleep (parietal). Further investigation of hippocampal electrophysiology conducted in slice preparations indicated a modest reduction in efficacy of synaptic transmission in the absence of altered synaptic plasticity. Together, our data demonstrate that the transgenic PLB2Tau mouse model presents with a striking behavioural and physiological face validity relevant for FTD, driven by the low level expression of mutant FTD hTau.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Koss
- School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Lianne Robinson
- School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Benjamin D Drever
- School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Kaja Plucińska
- School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Sandra Stoppelkamp
- School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Peter Veselcic
- School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Gernot Riedel
- School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK.
| | - Bettina Platt
- School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK.
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31
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Panza F, Seripa D, Solfrizzi V, Imbimbo BP, Santamato A, Lozupone M, Capozzo R, Prete C, Pilotto A, Greco A, Logroscino G. Tau aggregation inhibitors: the future of Alzheimer’s pharmacotherapy? Expert Opin Pharmacother 2016; 17:457-61. [DOI: 10.1517/14656566.2016.1146686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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32
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Abstract
Given the repeated failure of amyloid-based approaches in Alzheimer’s disease, there is increasing interest in tau-based therapeutics. Although methylthioninium (MT) treatment was found to be beneficial in tau transgenic models, the brain concentrations required to inhibit tau aggregation in vivo are unknown. The comparative efficacy of methylthioninium chloride (MTC) and leucomethylthioninium salts (LMTX; 5–75 mg/kg; oral administration for 3–8 weeks) was assessed in two novel transgenic tau mouse lines. Behavioural (spatial water maze, RotaRod motor performance) and histopathological (tau load per brain region) proxies were applied. Both MTC and LMTX dose-dependently rescued the learning impairment and restored behavioural flexibility in a spatial problem-solving water maze task in Line 1 (minimum effective dose: 35 mg MT/kg for MTC, 9 mg MT/kg for LMTX) and corrected motor learning in Line 66 (effective doses: 4 mg MT/kg). Simultaneously, both drugs reduced the number of tau-reactive neurons, particularly in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex in Line 1 and in a more widespread manner in Line 66. MT levels in the brain followed a sigmoidal concentration–response relationship over a 10-fold range (0.13–1.38 μmol/l). These data establish that diaminophenothiazine compounds, like MT, can reverse both spatial and motor learning deficits and reduce the underlying tau pathology, and therefore offer the potential for treatment of tauopathies.
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33
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García-Gómez BE, Fernández-Gómez FJ, Muñoz-Delgado E, Buée L, Blum D, Vidal CJ. MRNA Levels of ACh-Related Enzymes in the Hippocampus of THY-Tau22 Mouse: A Model of Human Tauopathy with No Signs of Motor Disturbance. J Mol Neurosci 2015; 58:411-5. [PMID: 26697857 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-015-0699-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2015] [Accepted: 12/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The microtubule-associated protein Tau tends to form aggregates in neurodegenerative disorders referred to as tauopathies. The tauopathy model transgenic (Tg) THY-Tau22 (Tau22) mouse shows disturbed septo-hippocampal transmission, memory deficits and no signs of motor dysfunction. The reports showing a hippocampal downregulation of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) in SAMP8 mice, a model of aging, and an upregulation of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in Tg-VLW mice, a model of FTDP17 tauopathy, may lead to think that the supply of ACh to the hippocampus can be threatened as aging or Tau pathology progress. The above was tested by comparing the mRNA levels for ACh-related enzymes in hippocampi of wild-type (wt) and Tau22 mice at ages when the neuropathological signs are debuting (3-4 months), moderate (6-7 months) and extensive (>9 months). Age-matched Tau22 and wt mice hippocampi displayed similar ChAT, AChE-T, butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and a proline-rich membrane anchor (PRiMA) mRNA levels, any change most likely arising from ACh homeostasis. The unchanged hippocampal levels of AChE-T mRNA and enzyme activity observed in Tau22 mice, expressing G272V-P301S hTau, differed from the increase in AChE-T mRNA and activity observed in Tg-VLW mice, expressing G272V-P301L-R406W hTau. The difference supports the idea that AChE upregulation may proceed or not depending on the particular Tau mutation, which would dictate Tau folding, the accessibility/affinity to kinases and phosphatases, and P-Tau aggregation with itself and protein partners, transcription factors included.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz E García-Gómez
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular-A, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", Universidad de Murcia, IMIB-Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain
| | - Francisco J Fernández-Gómez
- INSERM U837 Alzheimer and Tauopathies, Institute of Predictive Medicine and Therapeutic Research, Université Lille Nord de France, Lille, France
| | - Encarnación Muñoz-Delgado
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular-A, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", Universidad de Murcia, IMIB-Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain
| | - Luc Buée
- INSERM U837 Alzheimer and Tauopathies, Institute of Predictive Medicine and Therapeutic Research, Université Lille Nord de France, Lille, France
| | - David Blum
- INSERM U837 Alzheimer and Tauopathies, Institute of Predictive Medicine and Therapeutic Research, Université Lille Nord de France, Lille, France
| | - Cecilio J Vidal
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular-A, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", Universidad de Murcia, IMIB-Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain. .,Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular-A, Edificio de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, Apdo. 4021, E-30071, Espinardo, Murcia, Spain.
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34
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Koss DJ, Robinson L, Mietelska-Porowska A, Gasiorowska A, Sepčić K, Turk T, Jaspars M, Niewiadomska G, Scott RH, Platt B, Riedel G. Polymeric alkylpyridinium salts permit intracellular delivery of human Tau in rat hippocampal neurons: requirement of Tau phosphorylation for functional deficits. Cell Mol Life Sci 2015; 72:4613-32. [PMID: 26070304 PMCID: PMC11113860 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-015-1949-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2015] [Revised: 05/13/2015] [Accepted: 06/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Patients suffering from tauopathies including frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) present with intra-neuronal aggregation of microtubule-associated protein Tau. During the disease process, Tau undergoes excessive phosphorylation, dissociates from microtubules and aggregates into insoluble neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), accumulating in the soma. While many aspects of the disease pathology have been replicated in transgenic mouse models, a region-specific non-transgenic expression model is missing. Complementing existing models, we here report a novel region-specific approach to modelling Tau pathology. Local co-administration of the pore-former polymeric 1,3-alkylpyridinium salts (Poly-APS) extracted from marine sponges, and synthetic full-length 4R recombinant human Tau (hTau) was performed in vitro and in vivo. At low doses, Poly-APS was non-toxic and cultured cells exposed to Poly-APS (0.5 µg/ml) and hTau (1 µg/ml; ~22 µM) had normal input resistance, resting-state membrane potentials and Ca(2+) transients induced either by glutamate or KCl, as did cells exposed to a low concentration of the phosphatase inhibitor Okadaic acid (OA; 1 nM, 24 h). Combined hTau loading and phosphatase inhibition resulted in a collapse of the membrane potential, suppressed excitation and diminished glutamate and KCl-stimulated Ca(2+) transients. Stereotaxic infusions of Poly-APS (0.005 µg/ml) and hTau (1 µg/ml) bilaterally into the dorsal hippocampus at multiple sites resulted in hTau loading of neurons in rats. A separate cohort received an additional 7-day minipump infusion of OA (1.2 nM) intrahippocampally. When tested 2 weeks after surgery, rats treated with Poly-APS+hTau+OA presented with subtle learning deficits, but were also impaired in cognitive flexibility and recall. Hippocampal plasticity recorded from slices ex vivo was diminished in Poly-APS+hTau+OA subjects, but not in other treatment groups. Histological sections confirmed the intracellular accumulation of hTau in CA1 pyramidal cells and along their processes; phosphorylated Tau was present only within somata. This study demonstrates that cognitive, physiological and pathological symptoms reminiscent of tauopathies can be induced following non-mutant hTau delivery into CA1 in rats, but functional consequences hinge on increased Tau phosphorylation. Collectively, these data validate a novel model of locally infused recombinant hTau protein as an inducer of Tau pathology in the hippocampus of normal rats; future studies will provide insights into the pathological spread and maturation of Tau pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dave J Koss
- School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, AB25 2ZD, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Lianne Robinson
- School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, AB25 2ZD, Aberdeen, UK
- Behavioural Neuroscience Core Facility, Division of Neuroscience, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | | | - Anna Gasiorowska
- Department of Neurophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
- Mossakowski Medical Research Centre, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Kristina Sepčić
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tom Turk
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Marcel Jaspars
- Department of Chemistry, Marine Biodiscovery Centre, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Grazyna Niewiadomska
- Department of Neurophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Roderick H Scott
- School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, AB25 2ZD, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Bettina Platt
- School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, AB25 2ZD, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Gernot Riedel
- School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, AB25 2ZD, Aberdeen, UK.
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35
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Li YQ, Tan MS, Yu JT, Tan L. Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies. Mol Neurobiol 2015; 53:6091-6105. [PMID: 26537902 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-015-9507-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2015] [Accepted: 10/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is characterized by progressive deterioration of frontal and anterior temporal lobes of the brain and often exhibits frontotemporal dementia (FTD) on clinic, in <65-year-old patients at the time of diagnosis. Interdisciplinary approaches combining genetics, molecular and cell biology, and laboratory animal science have revealed some of its potential molecular mechanisms. Although there is still no effective treatment to delay, prevent, and reverse the progression of FTD, emergence of agents targeting molecular mechanisms has been beginning to promote potential pharmaceutical development. Our review summarizes the latest new findings of FTLD and challenges in FTLD therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Qing Li
- Department of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, School of Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Meng-Shan Tan
- Department of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, School of Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Jin-Tai Yu
- Department of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, School of Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China. .,Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Lan Tan
- Department of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, School of Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
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Harrington CR, Storey JMD, Clunas S, Harrington KA, Horsley D, Ishaq A, Kemp SJ, Larch CP, Marshall C, Nicoll SL, Rickard JE, Simpson M, Sinclair JP, Storey LJ, Wischik CM. Cellular Models of Aggregation-dependent Template-directed Proteolysis to Characterize Tau Aggregation Inhibitors for Treatment of Alzheimer Disease. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:10862-75. [PMID: 25759392 PMCID: PMC4409250 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m114.616029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2014] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer disease (AD) is a degenerative tauopathy characterized by aggregation of Tau protein through the repeat domain to form intraneuronal paired helical filaments (PHFs). We report two cell models in which we control the inherent toxicity of the core Tau fragment. These models demonstrate the properties of prion-like recruitment of full-length Tau into an aggregation pathway in which template-directed, endogenous truncation propagates aggregation through the core Tau binding domain. We use these in combination with dissolution of native PHFs to quantify the activity of Tau aggregation inhibitors (TAIs). We report the synthesis of novel stable crystalline leucomethylthioninium salts (LMTX®), which overcome the pharmacokinetic limitations of methylthioninium chloride. LMTX®, as either a dihydromesylate or a dihydrobromide salt, retains TAI activity in vitro and disrupts PHFs isolated from AD brain tissues at 0.16 μM. The Ki value for intracellular TAI activity, which we have been able to determine for the first time, is 0.12 μM. These values are close to the steady state trough brain concentration of methylthioninium ion (0.18 μM) that is required to arrest progression of AD on clinical and imaging end points and the minimum brain concentration (0.13 μM) required to reverse behavioral deficits and pathology in Tau transgenic mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles R Harrington
- From the School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZP, United Kingdom, TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Singapore 068805, and the Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, United Kingdom
| | - John M D Storey
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Singapore 068805, and the Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, United Kingdom
| | - Scott Clunas
- the Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, United Kingdom
| | - Kathleen A Harrington
- From the School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZP, United Kingdom
| | - David Horsley
- From the School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZP, United Kingdom
| | - Ahtsham Ishaq
- the Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, United Kingdom
| | - Steven J Kemp
- the Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher P Larch
- the Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, United Kingdom
| | - Colin Marshall
- the Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah L Nicoll
- the Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, United Kingdom
| | - Janet E Rickard
- From the School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZP, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Simpson
- the Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, United Kingdom
| | - James P Sinclair
- the Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, United Kingdom
| | - Lynda J Storey
- the Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, United Kingdom
| | - Claude M Wischik
- From the School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZP, United Kingdom, TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Singapore 068805, and
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