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Mielke JK, Klingeborn M, Schultz EP, Markham EL, Reese ED, Alam P, Mackenzie IR, Ly CV, Caughey B, Cashman NR, Leavens MJ. Seeding activity of human superoxide dismutase 1 aggregates in familial and sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis postmortem neural tissues by real-time quaking-induced conversion. Acta Neuropathol 2024; 147:100. [PMID: 38884646 PMCID: PMC11182821 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-024-02752-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 06/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease with average lifespan of 2-5 years after diagnosis. The identification of novel prognostic and pharmacodynamic biomarkers are needed to facilitate therapeutic development. Metalloprotein human superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) is known to accumulate and form aggregates in patient neural tissue with familial ALS linked to mutations in their SOD1 gene. Aggregates of SOD1 have also been detected in other forms of ALS, including the sporadic form and the most common familial form linked to abnormal hexanucleotide repeat expansions in the Chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9ORF72) gene. Here, we report the development of a real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) seed amplification assay using a recombinant human SOD1 substrate to measure SOD1 seeding activity in postmortem spinal cord and motor cortex tissue from persons with different ALS etiologies. Our SOD1 RT-QuIC assay detected SOD1 seeds in motor cortex and spinal cord dilutions down to 10-5. Importantly, we detected SOD1 seeding activity in specimens from both sporadic and familial ALS cases, with the latter having mutations in either their SOD1 or C9ORF72 genes. Analyses of RT-QuIC parameters indicated similar lag phases in spinal cords of sporadic and familial ALS patients, but higher ThT fluorescence maxima by SOD1 familial ALS specimens and sporadic ALS thoracic cord specimens. For a subset of sporadic ALS patients, motor cortex and spinal cords were examined, with seeding activity in both anatomical regions. Our results suggest SOD1 seeds are in ALS patient neural tissues not linked to SOD1 mutation, suggesting that SOD1 seeding activity may be a promising biomarker, particularly in sporadic ALS cases for whom genetic testing is uninformative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin K Mielke
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, McLaughlin Research Institute, 1520 23rd St. South, Great Falls, MT, 59405, USA
| | - Mikael Klingeborn
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, McLaughlin Research Institute, 1520 23rd St. South, Great Falls, MT, 59405, USA
| | - Eric P Schultz
- Center for Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive ISB #106, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Erin L Markham
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, McLaughlin Research Institute, 1520 23rd St. South, Great Falls, MT, 59405, USA
| | - Emily D Reese
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, McLaughlin Research Institute, 1520 23rd St. South, Great Falls, MT, 59405, USA
| | - Parvez Alam
- Laboratory of Neurological Infections and Immunity, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 S. 4th St., Hamilton, MT, 59840, USA
| | - Ian R Mackenzie
- Departments of Pathology and Medicine, University of British Columbia, 2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 2B5, Canada
| | - Cindy V Ly
- Department of Neurology, Washington University, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Byron Caughey
- Laboratory of Neurological Infections and Immunity, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 S. 4th St., Hamilton, MT, 59840, USA
| | - Neil R Cashman
- Departments of Pathology and Medicine, University of British Columbia, 2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 2B5, Canada
| | - Moses J Leavens
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, McLaughlin Research Institute, 1520 23rd St. South, Great Falls, MT, 59405, USA.
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Dellarole IL, Vacchi E, Ruiz-Barrio I, Pinton S, Raimondi A, Rossi S, Morandi S, Bianco G, Begum Bacinoglu M, Lombardo A, Celauro L, Staedler C, Galati S, Pagonabarraga J, Kulisevsky J, Legname G, Gobbi C, Kaelin-Lang A, Moda F, Melli G. Tau seeding activity in skin biopsy differentiates tauopathies from synucleinopathies. NPJ Parkinsons Dis 2024; 10:116. [PMID: 38879633 PMCID: PMC11180195 DOI: 10.1038/s41531-024-00728-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Most neurodegenerative diseases lack definitive diagnostic tests, and the identification of easily accessible and reliable biomarkers remains a critical unmet need. Since tau protein is highly expressed in skin of tauopathies patients, we aimed to exploit the ultrasensitive seeding activity assay (SAA) to assess tau seeding activity in skin of patients with tauopathies. In this multicentric, case-control study, patients with tauopathies and synucleinopathies were consecutively recruited and sex-matched to healthy controls (HC). Subjects underwent a double 3 mm skin biopsy in cervical area and ankle. Skin tau-SAA, using TauK18 and TauK19 as reaction substrates for 4R and 3R isoforms, seeding score, clinical scales, biochemical and morphological characterization of SAA end-products were evaluated. We analyzed 58 subjects: 24 tauopathies (18 progressive supranuclear palsy, PSP, and 6 corticobasal degeneration, CBD), 20 synucleinopathies (14 Parkinson's disease, PD, and 6 multiple system atrophy, MSA), and 14 HC. PSP and CBD showed higher tau seeding activity at both anatomical sites. A greater sensitivity of 4R-SAA than 3R-SAA was observed. 4R tau-SAA identified tauopathies with 71% sensitivity and 93% specificity. Accuracy was higher for PSP than CBD: PSP vs HC / PD (AUC 0.825), while CBD vs HC / PD (AUC 0.797), and PSP vs MSA (AU 0.778). SAA end-products showed differences in biochemical and morphological characterization according to the anatomical site. Skin tau-SAA identifies tauopathies with good accuracy and can be used to implement the in-vivo clinical diagnosis of patients with neurodegenerative diseases. Further characterization of peripheral tau seed in skin may elucidate the structure of tau deposits in brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Linda Dellarole
- Division of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Vacchi
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Group, Laboratories for Translational Research, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Bellinzona, Switzerland
- Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Inigo Ruiz-Barrio
- Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sandra Pinton
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Group, Laboratories for Translational Research, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Bellinzona, Switzerland
- Neurology Department, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Raimondi
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Università della Svizzera italiana, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Stefania Rossi
- Neurology Department, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Sara Morandi
- Neurology Department, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Giovanni Bianco
- Neurology Department, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Merve Begum Bacinoglu
- Division of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Annalisa Lombardo
- Division of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Luigi Celauro
- Laboratory of Prion Biology, Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore Di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Claudio Staedler
- Neurology Department, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Salvatore Galati
- Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
- Neurology Department, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Javier Pagonabarraga
- Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jaime Kulisevsky
- Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Giuseppe Legname
- Laboratory of Prion Biology, Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore Di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Claudio Gobbi
- Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
- Neurology Department, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Alain Kaelin-Lang
- Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
- Neurology Department, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland
- Department of Neurology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Fabio Moda
- Division of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Giorgia Melli
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Group, Laboratories for Translational Research, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Bellinzona, Switzerland.
- Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland.
- Neurology Department, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland.
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Batra S, Vaquer-Alicea JI, Valdez C, Taylor SP, Manon VA, Vega AR, Kashmer OM, Kolay S, Lemoff A, Cairns NJ, White CL, Diamond MI. VCP regulates early tau seed amplification via specific cofactors. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-4307848. [PMID: 38826306 PMCID: PMC11142303 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4307848/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Background Neurodegenerative tauopathies may progress based on seeding by pathological tau assemblies, whereby an aggregate is released from one cell, gains entry to an adjacent or connected cell, and serves as a specific template for its own replication in the cytoplasm. In vitro seeding reactions typically take days, yet seeding into the complex cytoplasmic milieu happens within hours, implicating a machinery with unknown players that controls this process in the acute phase. Methods We used proximity labeling to identify factors that control seed amplification within 5h of seed exposure. We fused split-APEX2 to the C-terminus of tau repeat domain (RD) to reconstitute peroxidase activity 5h after seeded intracellular tau aggregation. Valosin containing protein (VCP/p97) was the top hit. VCP harbors dominant mutations that underlie two neurodegenerative diseases, multisystem proteinopathy and vacuolar tauopathy, but its mechanistic role is unclear. We used immortalized cells and human neurons to study the effects of VCP on tau seeding. We exposed cells to fibrils or brain homogenates in cell culture media and measured effects on uptake and induction of intracellular tau aggregation following various genetic and chemical manipulations of VCP. Results VCP knockdown reduced tau seeding. Chemical inhibitors had opposing effects on aggregation in HEK293T tau biosensor cells and human neurons alike: ML-240 increased seeding efficiency, whereas NMS-873 decreased it. The inhibitors were effective only when administered within 8h of seed exposure, indicating a role for VCP early in seed processing. We screened 30 VCP co-factors in HEK293T biosensor cells by genetic knockout or knockdown. Reduction of ATXN3, NSFL1C, UBE4B, NGLY1, and OTUB1 decreased tau seeding, as did NPLOC4, which also uniquely increased soluble tau levels. By contrast, reduction of FAF2 increased tau seeding. Conclusions Divergent effects on tau seeding of chemical inhibitors and cofactor reduction indicate that VCP regulates this process. This is consistent with a dedicated cytoplasmic processing complex based on VCP that directs seeds acutely towards degradation vs. amplification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sushobhna Batra
- UT Southwestern: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
| | | | - Clarissa Valdez
- UT Southwestern: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
| | - Skyler P Taylor
- UT Southwestern: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
| | - Victor A Manon
- UT Southwestern: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
| | - Anthony R Vega
- UT Southwestern: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
| | - Omar M Kashmer
- UT Southwestern: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
| | - Sourav Kolay
- UT Southwestern: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
| | - Andrew Lemoff
- UT Southwestern: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
| | - Nigel J Cairns
- University of Exeter Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
| | - Charles L White
- UT Southwestern: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
| | - Marc I Diamond
- UT Southwestern: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
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Böken D, Cox D, Burke M, Lam JYL, Katsinelos T, Danial JSH, Fertan E, McEwan WA, Rowe JB, Klenerman D. Single-Molecule Characterization and Super-Resolution Imaging of Alzheimer's Disease-Relevant Tau Aggregates in Human Samples. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202317756. [PMID: 38523073 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202317756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Hyperphosphorylation and aggregation of the protein tau play key roles in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). While the molecular structure of the filamentous tau aggregates has been determined to atomic resolution, there is far less information available about the smaller, soluble aggregates, which are believed to be more toxic. Traditional techniques are limited to bulk measures and struggle to identify individual aggregates in complex biological samples. To address this, we developed a novel single-molecule pull-down-based assay (MAPTau) to detect and characterize individual tau aggregates in AD and control post-mortem brain and biofluids. Using MAPTau, we report the quantity, as well as the size and circularity of tau aggregates measured using super-resolution microscopy, revealing AD-specific differences in tau aggregate morphology. By adapting MAPTau to detect multiple phosphorylation markers in individual aggregates using two-color coincidence detection, we derived compositional profiles of the individual aggregates. We find an AD-specific phosphorylation profile of tau aggregates with more than 80 % containing multiple phosphorylations, compared to 5 % in age-matched non-AD controls. Our results show that MAPTau is able to identify disease-specific subpopulations of tau aggregates phosphorylated at different sites, that are invisible to other methods and enable the study of disease mechanisms and diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorothea Böken
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Dezerae Cox
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Melanie Burke
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Jeff Y L Lam
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Taxiarchis Katsinelos
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK
| | - John S H Danial
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Emre Fertan
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - William A McEwan
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - James B Rowe
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - David Klenerman
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
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5
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Mulroy E, Erro R, Bhatia KP, Hallett M. Refining the clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2024; 122:106041. [PMID: 38360507 PMCID: PMC11069446 DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2024.106041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Our ability to define, understand, and classify Parkinson's disease (PD) has undergone significant changes since the disorder was first described in 1817. Clinical features and neuropathologic signatures can now be supplemented by in-vivo interrogation of genetic and biological substrates of disease, offering great opportunity for further refining the diagnosis of PD. In this mini-review, we discuss the historical perspectives which shaped our thinking surrounding the definition and diagnosis of PD. We highlight the clinical, genetic, pathologic and biologic diversity which underpins the condition, and proceed to discuss how recent developments in our ability to define biologic and pathologic substrates of disease might impact PD definition, diagnosis, individualised prognostication, and personalised clinical care. We argue that Parkinson's 'disease', as currently diagnosed in the clinic, is actually a syndrome. It is the outward manifestation of any array of potential dysfunctional biologic processes, neuropathological changes, and disease aetiologies, which culminate in common outward clinical features which we term PD; each person has their own unique disease, which we can now define with increasing precision. This is an exciting time in PD research and clinical care. Our ability to refine the clinical diagnosis of PD, incorporating in-vivo assessments of disease biology, neuropathology, and neurogenetics may well herald the era of biologically-based, precision medicine approaches PD management. With this however comes a number of challenges, including how to integrate these technologies into clinical practice in a way which is acceptable to patients, promotes meaningful changes to care, and minimises health economic impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eoin Mulroy
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Roberto Erro
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry "Scuola Medica Salernitana", University of Salerno, Baronissi, (SA), Italy
| | - Kailash P Bhatia
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Mark Hallett
- Human Motor Control Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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6
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Orrú CD, Groveman BR, Hughson AG, Barrio T, Isiofia K, Race B, Ferreira NC, Gambetti P, Schneider DA, Masujin K, Miyazawa K, Ghetti B, Zanusso G, Caughey B. Sensitive detection of pathological seeds of α-synuclein, tau and prion protein on solid surfaces. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1012175. [PMID: 38640117 PMCID: PMC11062561 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Prions or prion-like aggregates such as those composed of PrP, α-synuclein, and tau are key features of proteinopathies such as prion, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, respectively. Their presence on solid surfaces may be biohazardous under some circumstances. PrP prions bound to solids are detectable by ultrasensitive real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assays if the solids can be immersed in assay wells or the prions transferred to pads. Here we show that prion-like seeds can remain detectable on steel wires for at least a year, or even after enzymatic cleaning and sterilization. We also show that contamination of larger objects with pathological seeds of α-synuclein, tau, and PrP can be detected by simply assaying a sampling medium that has been transiently applied to the surface. Human α-synuclein seeds in dementia with Lewy bodies brain tissue were detected by α-synuclein RT-QuIC after drying of tissue dilutions with concentrations as low as 10-6 onto stainless steel. Tau RT-QuIC detected tau seeding activity on steel exposed to Alzheimer's disease brain tissue diluted as much as a billion fold. Prion RT-QuIC assays detected seeding activity on plates exposed to brain dilutions as extreme as 10-5-10-8 from prion-affected humans, sheep, cattle and cervids. Sampling medium collected from surgical instruments used in necropsies of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease-infected transgenic mice was positive down to 10-6 dilution. Sensitivity for prion detection was not sacrificed by omitting the recombinant PrP substrate from the sampling medium during its application to a surface and subsequent storage as long as the substrate was added prior to performing the assay reaction. Our findings demonstrate practical prototypic surface RT-QuIC protocols for the highly sensitive detection of pathologic seeds of α-synuclein, tau, and PrP on solid objects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina D. Orrú
- Laboratory of Neurological Infections and Immunity (LNII), Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - Bradley R. Groveman
- Laboratory of Neurological Infections and Immunity (LNII), Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - Andrew G. Hughson
- Laboratory of Neurological Infections and Immunity (LNII), Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - Tomás Barrio
- UMR INRAE ENVT 1225, Interactions Hôtes-Agents Pathogènes, École Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, France
| | - Kachi Isiofia
- Laboratory of Neurological Infections and Immunity (LNII), Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - Brent Race
- Laboratory of Neurological Infections and Immunity (LNII), Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - Natalia C. Ferreira
- Laboratory of Neurological Infections and Immunity (LNII), Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - Pierluigi Gambetti
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - David A. Schneider
- Animal Disease Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Pullman, Washington, United States of America
| | - Kentaro Masujin
- National Institute of Animal Health (NIAH), National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Kohtaro Miyazawa
- National Institute of Animal Health (NIAH), National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Gianluigi Zanusso
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Byron Caughey
- Laboratory of Neurological Infections and Immunity (LNII), Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
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7
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Lista S, Mapstone M, Caraci F, Emanuele E, López-Ortiz S, Martín-Hernández J, Triaca V, Imbimbo C, Gabelle A, Mielke MM, Nisticò R, Santos-Lozano A, Imbimbo BP. A critical appraisal of blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease. Ageing Res Rev 2024; 96:102290. [PMID: 38580173 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2024.102290] [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: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
Biomarkers that predict the clinical onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD) enable the identification of individuals in the early, preclinical stages of the disease. Detecting AD at this point may allow for more effective therapeutic interventions and optimized enrollment for clinical trials of novel drugs. The current biological diagnosis of AD is based on the AT(N) classification system with the measurement of brain deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) ("A"), tau pathology ("T"), and neurodegeneration ("N"). Diagnostic cut-offs for Aβ1-42, the Aβ1-42/Aβ1-40 ratio, tau and hyperphosphorylated-tau concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid have been defined and may support AD clinical diagnosis. Blood-based biomarkers of the AT(N) categories have been described in the AD continuum. Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have shown that the combination of blood biomarkers tracking neuroaxonal injury (neurofilament light chain) and neuroinflammatory pathways (glial fibrillary acidic protein) enhance sensitivity and specificity of AD clinical diagnosis and improve the prediction of AD onset. However, no international accepted cut-offs have been identified for these blood biomarkers. A kit for blood Aβ1-42/Aβ1-40 is commercially available in the U.S.; however, it does not provide a diagnosis, but simply estimates the risk of developing AD. Although blood-based AD biomarkers have a great potential in the diagnostic work-up of AD, they are not ready for the routine clinical use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Lista
- i+HeALTH Strategic Research Group, Department of Health Sciences, Miguel de Cervantes European University (UEMC), Valladolid 47012, Spain.
| | - Mark Mapstone
- Department of Neurology, Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
| | - Filippo Caraci
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Catania 95125, Italy; Neuropharmacology and Translational Neurosciences Research Unit, Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, Troina 94018, Italy.
| | | | - Susana López-Ortiz
- i+HeALTH Strategic Research Group, Department of Health Sciences, Miguel de Cervantes European University (UEMC), Valladolid 47012, Spain.
| | - Juan Martín-Hernández
- i+HeALTH Strategic Research Group, Department of Health Sciences, Miguel de Cervantes European University (UEMC), Valladolid 47012, Spain.
| | - Viviana Triaca
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC), National Research Council (CNR), Rome 00015, Italy.
| | - Camillo Imbimbo
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy.
| | - Audrey Gabelle
- Memory Resources and Research Center, Montpellier University of Excellence i-site, Montpellier 34295, France.
| | - Michelle M Mielke
- Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA.
| | - Robert Nisticò
- School of Pharmacy, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome 00133, Italy; Laboratory of Pharmacology of Synaptic Plasticity, EBRI Rita Levi-Montalcini Foundation, Rome 00143, Italy.
| | - Alejandro Santos-Lozano
- i+HeALTH Strategic Research Group, Department of Health Sciences, Miguel de Cervantes European University (UEMC), Valladolid 47012, Spain; Physical Activity and Health Research Group (PaHerg), Research Institute of the Hospital 12 de Octubre ('imas12'), Madrid 28041, Spain.
| | - Bruno P Imbimbo
- Department of Research and Development, Chiesi Farmaceutici, Parma 43122, Italy.
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8
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Wang Z, Wu L, Gerasimenko M, Gilliland T, Gunzler SA, Donadio V, Liguori R, Xu B, Zou WQ. Seeding Activity of Skin Misfolded Tau as a Biomarker for Tauopathies. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-3968879. [PMID: 38496453 PMCID: PMC10942562 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3968879/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Background Tauopathies are a group of age-related neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the accumulation of pathologically phosphorylated tau protein in the brain, leading to prion-like propagation and aggregation. They include Alzheimer's disease (AD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), and Pick's disease (PiD). Currently, reliable diagnostic biomarkers that directly reflect the capability of propagation and spreading of misfolded tau aggregates in peripheral tissues and body fluids are lacking. Methods We utilized the seed-amplification assay (SAA) employing ultrasensitive real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) to assess the prion-like seeding activity of pathological tau in the skin of cadavers with neuropathologically confirmed tauopathies, including AD, PSP, CBD, and PiD, compared to normal controls. Results We found that the skin prion-SAA demonstrated a significantly higher sensitivity (75-80%) and specificity (95-100%) for detecting tauopathy, depending on the tau substrates used. Moreover, increased tau-seeding activity was also observed in biopsy skin samples from living AD and PSP patients examined. Analysis of the end products of skin-tau SAA confirmed that the increased seeding activity was accompanied by the formation of tau aggregates with different physicochemical properties related to two different tau substrates used. Conclusions Overall, our study provides proof-of-concept that the skin tau-SAA can differentiate tauopathies from normal controls, suggesting that the seeding activity of misfolded tau in the skin could serve as a diagnostic biomarker for tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zerui Wang
- Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
| | - Ling Wu
- North Carolina Central University
| | | | | | - Steven A Gunzler
- University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center: UH Cleveland Medical Center
| | - Vincenzo Donadio
- IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bolgna: IRCCS Istituto Delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna
| | - Rocco Liguori
- IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna: IRCCS Istituto Delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna
| | - Bin Xu
- North Carolina Central University
| | - Wen-Quan Zou
- First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University
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9
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Granholm AC, Hamlett ED. The Role of Tau Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease and Down Syndrome. J Clin Med 2024; 13:1338. [PMID: 38592182 PMCID: PMC10932364 DOI: 10.3390/jcm13051338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 02/10/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) exhibit an almost complete penetrance of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology but are underrepresented in clinical trials for AD. The Tau protein is associated with microtubule function in the neuron and is crucial for normal axonal transport. In several different neurodegenerative disorders, Tau misfolding leads to hyper-phosphorylation of Tau (p-Tau), which may seed pathology to bystander cells and spread. This review is focused on current findings regarding p-Tau and its potential to seed pathology as a "prion-like" spreader. It also considers the consequences of p-Tau pathology leading to AD, particularly in individuals with Down syndrome. Methods: Scopus (SC) and PubMed (PM) were searched in English using keywords "tau AND seeding AND brain AND down syndrome". A total of 558 SC or 529 PM potentially relevant articles were identified, of which only six SC or three PM articles mentioned Down syndrome. This review was built upon the literature and the recent findings of our group and others. Results: Misfolded p-Tau isoforms are seeding competent and may be responsible for spreading AD pathology. Conclusions: This review demonstrates recent work focused on understanding the role of neurofibrillary tangles and monomeric/oligomeric Tau in the prion-like spreading of Tau pathology in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann-Charlotte Granholm
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Eric D. Hamlett
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA;
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10
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Rinauro DJ, Chiti F, Vendruscolo M, Limbocker R. Misfolded protein oligomers: mechanisms of formation, cytotoxic effects, and pharmacological approaches against protein misfolding diseases. Mol Neurodegener 2024; 19:20. [PMID: 38378578 PMCID: PMC10877934 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-023-00651-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The conversion of native peptides and proteins into amyloid aggregates is a hallmark of over 50 human disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Increasing evidence implicates misfolded protein oligomers produced during the amyloid formation process as the primary cytotoxic agents in many of these devastating conditions. In this review, we analyze the processes by which oligomers are formed, their structures, physicochemical properties, population dynamics, and the mechanisms of their cytotoxicity. We then focus on drug discovery strategies that target the formation of oligomers and their ability to disrupt cell physiology and trigger degenerative processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dillon J Rinauro
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Fabrizio Chiti
- Section of Biochemistry, Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, 50134, Florence, Italy
| | - Michele Vendruscolo
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK.
| | - Ryan Limbocker
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY, 10996, USA.
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11
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Bartz JC, Benavente R, Caughey B, Christensen S, Herbst A, Hoover EA, Mathiason CK, McKenzie D, Morales R, Schwabenlander MD, Walsh DP. Chronic Wasting Disease: State of the Science. Pathogens 2024; 13:138. [PMID: 38392876 PMCID: PMC10892334 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13020138] [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: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease affecting cervid species, both free-ranging and captive populations. As the geographic range continues to expand and disease prevalence continues to increase, CWD will have an impact on cervid populations, local economies, and ecosystem health. Mitigation of this "wicked" disease will require input from many different stakeholders including hunters, landowners, research biologists, wildlife managers, and others, working together. The NC1209 (North American interdisciplinary chronic wasting disease research consortium) is composed of scientists from different disciplines involved with investigating and managing CWD. Leveraging this broad breadth of expertise, the Consortium has created a state-of-the-science review of five key aspects of CWD, including current diagnostic capabilities for detecting prions, requirements for validating these diagnostics, the role of environmental transmission in CWD dynamics, and potential zoonotic risks associated with CWD. The goal of this review is to increase stakeholders', managers', and decision-makers' understanding of this disease informed by current scientific knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason C. Bartz
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, Omaha, NE 68178, USA;
| | - Rebeca Benavente
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (R.B.); (R.M.)
| | - Byron Caughey
- Laboratory of Neurological Infections and Immunity, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA;
| | - Sonja Christensen
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA;
| | - Allen Herbst
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, WI 53711, USA;
| | - Edward A. Hoover
- Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA; (E.A.H.); (C.K.M.)
| | - Candace K. Mathiason
- Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA; (E.A.H.); (C.K.M.)
| | - Debbie McKenzie
- Department of Biological Sciences, Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M9, Canada;
| | - Rodrigo Morales
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (R.B.); (R.M.)
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago 8370993, Chile
| | - Marc D. Schwabenlander
- Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA;
| | - Daniel P. Walsh
- U.S. Geological Survey, Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
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12
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Sengupta U, Kayed R. Tau Oligomers as Pathogenic Seeds: Preparation, Characterization, and Propagation In Vitro and In Vivo. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2754:147-183. [PMID: 38512666 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3629-9_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Tau oligomers have been shown to be the main toxic tau species in several neurodegenerative disorders. To study tau oligomers, we have developed reagents and established methods for the reliable preparation, isolation, and detection of tau oligomers as well as their seeding and propagation both in vitro and in vivo. Detailed below are methods for isolation of tau oligomers from brain tissues and detection of tau oligomers using tau oligomer-specific antibodies by biochemical, immunohistochemical, and biophysical methods. Further, methods for evaluating the biological activity of the tau oligomers including their effects on synaptic function, seeding, and propagation in cell models and in vivo are also described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urmi Sengupta
- George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
- Departments of Neurology, and Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Rakez Kayed
- George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
- Departments of Neurology, and Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
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13
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LaCroix MS, Artikis E, Hitt BD, Beaver JD, Estill-Terpack SJ, Gleason K, Tamminga CA, Evers BM, White CL, Caughey B, Diamond MI. Tau seeding without tauopathy. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:105545. [PMID: 38072056 PMCID: PMC10797195 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative tauopathies such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) are caused by brain accumulation of tau assemblies. Evidence suggests tau functions as a prion, and cells and animals can efficiently propagate unique, transmissible tau pathologies. This suggests a dedicated cellular replication machinery, potentially reflecting a normal physiologic function for tau seeds. Consequently, we hypothesized that healthy control brains would contain seeding activity. We have recently developed a novel monoclonal antibody (MD3.1) specific for tau seeds. We used this antibody to immunopurify tau from the parietal and cerebellar cortices of 19 healthy subjects without any neuropathology, ranging 19 to 65 years. We detected seeding in lysates from the parietal cortex, but not in the cerebellum. We also detected no seeding in brain homogenates from wildtype or human tau knockin mice, suggesting that cellular/genetic context dictates development of seed-competent tau. Seeding did not correlate with subject age or brain tau levels. We confirmed our essential findings using an orthogonal assay, real-time quaking-induced conversion, which amplifies tau seeds in vitro. Dot blot analyses revealed no AT8 immunoreactivity above background levels in parietal and cerebellar extracts and ∼1/100 of that present in AD. Based on binding to a panel of antibodies, the conformational characteristics of control seeds differed from AD, suggesting a unique underlying assembly, or structural ensemble. Tau's ability to adopt self-replicating conformations under nonpathogenic conditions may reflect a normal function that goes awry in disease states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S LaCroix
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | | | - Brian D Hitt
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA; Department of Neurology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Joshua D Beaver
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Sandi-Jo Estill-Terpack
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Kelly Gleason
- Department of Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Carol A Tamminga
- Department of Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Bret M Evers
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Charles L White
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Byron Caughey
- NIH/NIAID, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Marc I Diamond
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA; Department of Neurology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
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14
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Frey B, Holzinger D, Taylor K, Ehrnhoefer DE, Striebinger A, Biesinger S, Gasparini L, O'Neill MJ, Wegner F, Barghorn S, Höglinger GU, Heym RG. Tau seed amplification assay reveals relationship between seeding and pathological forms of tau in Alzheimer's disease brain. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2023; 11:181. [PMID: 37964332 PMCID: PMC10644662 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01676-w] [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: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau seed amplification assays (SAAs) directly measure the seeding activity of tau and would therefore be ideal biomarkers for clinical trials targeting seeding-competent tau in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the precise relationship between tau seeding measured by SAA and the levels of pathological forms of tau in the AD brain remains unknown. We developed a new tau SAA based on full-length 0N3R tau with sensitivity in the low fg/ml range and used it to characterize 103 brain samples from three independent cohorts. Tau seeding clearly discriminated between AD and control brain samples. Interestingly, seeding was absent in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) putamen, suggesting that our tau SAA did not amplify 4R tau aggregates from PSP brain. The specificity of our tau SAA for AD brain was further supported by analysis of matched hippocampus and cerebellum samples. While seeding was detected in hippocampus from Braak stages I-II, no seeding was present in AD cerebellum that is devoid of tau inclusions. Analysis of 40 middle frontal gyrus samples encompassing all Braak stages showed that tau SAA seeding activity gradually increased with Braak stage. This relationship between seeding activity and the presence of tau inclusions in AD brain was further supported by robust correlations between tau SAA results and the levels of phosphorylated tau212/214, phosphorylated tau181, aggregated tau, and sarkosyl-insoluble tau. Strikingly, we detected tau seeding in the middle frontal gyrus already at Braak stage II-III, suggesting that tau SAA can detect tau pathology earlier than conventional immunohistochemical staining. In conclusion, our data suggest a quantitative relationship between tau seeding activity and pathological forms of tau in the human brain and provides an important basis for further development of tau SAA for accessible human samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan Frey
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Research, Knollstrasse, 67061, Ludwigshafen, Germany.
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany.
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Hannover, Germany.
| | - David Holzinger
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Research, Knollstrasse, 67061, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Keenan Taylor
- AbbVie Bioresearch Center, Biotherapeutics and Genetic Medicine Technologies, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Dagmar E Ehrnhoefer
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Research, Knollstrasse, 67061, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Andreas Striebinger
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Research, Knollstrasse, 67061, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Sandra Biesinger
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Research, Knollstrasse, 67061, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Laura Gasparini
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Research, Knollstrasse, 67061, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Michael J O'Neill
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Research, Knollstrasse, 67061, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Florian Wegner
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Hannover, Germany
| | - Stefan Barghorn
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Research, Knollstrasse, 67061, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Günter U Höglinger
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Hannover, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases E.V. (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | - Roland G Heym
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Research, Knollstrasse, 67061, Ludwigshafen, Germany.
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15
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Acri DJ, You Y, Tate MD, Karahan H, Martinez P, McCord B, Sharify AD, John S, Kim B, Dabin LC, Philtjens S, Wijeratne HS, McCray TJ, Smith DC, Bissel SJ, Lamb BT, Lasagna-Reeves CA, Kim J. Network analysis identifies strain-dependent response to tau and tau seeding-associated genes. J Exp Med 2023; 220:e20230180. [PMID: 37606887 PMCID: PMC10443211 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20230180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous research demonstrated that genetic heterogeneity is a critical factor in modeling amyloid accumulation and other Alzheimer's disease phenotypes. However, it is unknown what mechanisms underlie these effects of genetic background on modeling tau aggregate-driven pathogenicity. In this study, we induced tau aggregation in wild-derived mice by expressing MAPT. To investigate the effect of genetic background on the action of tau aggregates, we performed RNA sequencing with brains of C57BL/6J, CAST/EiJ, PWK/PhJ, and WSB/EiJ mice (n = 64) and determined core transcriptional signature conserved in all genetic backgrounds and signature unique to wild-derived backgrounds. By measuring tau seeding activity using the cortex, we identified 19 key genes associated with tau seeding and amyloid response. Interestingly, microglial pathways were strongly associated with tau seeding activity in CAST/EiJ and PWK/PhJ backgrounds. Collectively, our study demonstrates that mouse genetic context affects tau-mediated alteration of transcriptome and tau seeding. The gene modules associated with tau seeding provide an important resource to better model tauopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominic J. Acri
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Medical Neuroscience Graduate Program, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Yanwen You
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Mason D. Tate
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Medical Neuroscience Graduate Program, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Hande Karahan
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Pablo Martinez
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Brianne McCord
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - A. Daniel Sharify
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Sutha John
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Byungwook Kim
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Luke C. Dabin
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Stéphanie Philtjens
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - H.R. Sagara Wijeratne
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Tyler J. McCray
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Medical Neuroscience Graduate Program, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Daniel C. Smith
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Medical Neuroscience Graduate Program, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Stephanie J. Bissel
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Bruce T. Lamb
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Cristian A. Lasagna-Reeves
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Jungsu Kim
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
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16
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Audrain M, Egesipe AL, Tentillier N, Font L, Ratnam M, Mottier L, Clavel M, Le Roux-Bourdieu M, Fenyi A, Ollier R, Chevalier E, Guilhot F, Fuchs A, Piorkowska K, Carlyle B, Arnold SE, Berry JD, Luthi-Carter R, Adolfsson O, Pfeifer A, Kosco-Vilbois M, Seredenina T, Afroz T. Targeting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis by neutralizing seeding-competent TDP-43 in CSF. Brain Commun 2023; 5:fcad306. [PMID: 38025276 PMCID: PMC10644982 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcad306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease driven by abnormal transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa aggregation, CSF may contain pathological species of transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa contributing to the propagation of pathology and neuronal toxicity. These species, released in part by degenerating neurons, would act as a template for the aggregation of physiological protein contributing to the spread of pathology in the brain and spinal cord. In this study, a robust seed amplification assay was established to assess the presence of seeding-competent transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa species in CSF of apparently sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients. These samples resulted in a significant acceleration of substrate aggregation differentiating the kinetics from healthy controls. In parallel, a second assay was developed to determine the level of target engagement that would be necessary to neutralize such species in human CSF by a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa. For this, evaluation of the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic effect for the monoclonal antibody, ACI-5891.9, in vivo and in vitro confirmed that a CSF concentration of ≍1100 ng/mL would be sufficient for sustained target saturation. Using this concentration in the seed amplification assay, ACI-5891.9 was able to neutralize the transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa pathogenic seeds derived from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patient CSF. This translational work adds to the evidence of transmission of transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa pathology via CSF that could contribute to the non-contiguous pattern of clinical manifestations observed in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and demonstrates the ability of a therapeutic monoclonal antibody to neutralize the toxic, extracellular seeding-competent transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa species in the CSF of apparently sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Laure Font
- Research, AC Immune SA, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | | | - Alexis Fenyi
- Research, AC Immune SA, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | - Aline Fuchs
- Research, AC Immune SA, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Becky Carlyle
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK
| | - Steven E Arnold
- Department of Neurology and the Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - James D Berry
- Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS & the Neurological Clinical Research Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Tariq Afroz
- Research, AC Immune SA, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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17
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Teunissen CE, Kimble L, Bayoumy S, Bolsewig K, Burtscher F, Coppens S, Das S, Gogishvili D, Fernandes Gomes B, Gómez de San José N, Mavrina E, Meda FJ, Mohaupt P, Mravinacová S, Waury K, Wojdała AL, Abeln S, Chiasserini D, Hirtz C, Gaetani L, Vermunt L, Bellomo G, Halbgebauer S, Lehmann S, Månberg A, Nilsson P, Otto M, Vanmechelen E, Verberk IMW, Willemse E, Zetterberg H. Methods to Discover and Validate Biofluid-Based Biomarkers in Neurodegenerative Dementias. Mol Cell Proteomics 2023; 22:100629. [PMID: 37557955 PMCID: PMC10594029 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcpro.2023.100629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative dementias are progressive diseases that cause neuronal network breakdown in different brain regions often because of accumulation of misfolded proteins in the brain extracellular matrix, such as amyloids or inside neurons or other cell types of the brain. Several diagnostic protein biomarkers in body fluids are being used and implemented, such as for Alzheimer's disease. However, there is still a lack of biomarkers for co-pathologies and other causes of dementia. Such biofluid-based biomarkers enable precision medicine approaches for diagnosis and treatment, allow to learn more about underlying disease processes, and facilitate the development of patient inclusion and evaluation tools in clinical trials. When designing studies to discover novel biofluid-based biomarkers, choice of technology is an important starting point. But there are so many technologies to choose among. To address this, we here review the technologies that are currently available in research settings and, in some cases, in clinical laboratory practice. This presents a form of lexicon on each technology addressing its use in research and clinics, its strengths and limitations, and a future perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte E Teunissen
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Neurochemistry Lab, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
| | - Leighann Kimble
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; KIN Center for Digital Innovation, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Sherif Bayoumy
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Neurochemistry Lab, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Katharina Bolsewig
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Neurochemistry Lab, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Felicia Burtscher
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Salomé Coppens
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; National Measurement Laboratory at LGC, Teddington, United Kingdom
| | - Shreyasee Das
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ADx NeuroSciences, Gent, Belgium
| | - Dea Gogishvili
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Computer Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Bárbara Fernandes Gomes
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Nerea Gómez de San José
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Ekaterina Mavrina
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; KIN Center for Digital Innovation, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Francisco J Meda
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Pablo Mohaupt
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; LBPC-PPC, IRMB CHU Montpellier, INM INSERM, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Sára Mravinacová
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Division of Affinity Proteomics, Department of Protein Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SciLifeLab, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Katharina Waury
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Computer Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Anna Lidia Wojdała
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Section of Neurology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Sanne Abeln
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Computer Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Davide Chiasserini
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Section of Physiology and Biochemistry, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Christophe Hirtz
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; LBPC-PPC, IRMB CHU Montpellier, INM INSERM, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Lorenzo Gaetani
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Section of Neurology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Lisa Vermunt
- Neurochemistry Lab, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Giovanni Bellomo
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Section of Neurology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Steffen Halbgebauer
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE e.V.), Ulm, Germany
| | - Sylvain Lehmann
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; LBPC-PPC, IRMB CHU Montpellier, INM INSERM, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Anna Månberg
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Division of Affinity Proteomics, Department of Protein Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SciLifeLab, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Peter Nilsson
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Division of Affinity Proteomics, Department of Protein Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SciLifeLab, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Markus Otto
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany; Department of Neurology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Eugeen Vanmechelen
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ADx NeuroSciences, Gent, Belgium
| | - Inge M W Verberk
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Neurochemistry Lab, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Eline Willemse
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Neurochemistry Lab, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- MIRIADE Consortium, Multiomics Interdisciplinary Research Integration to Address DEmentia diagnosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden; Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden; Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK; UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, UK; Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China; Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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Hromadkova L, Kim C, Haldiman T, Peng L, Zhu X, Cohen M, de Silva R, Safar JG. Evolving prion-like tau conformers differentially alter postsynaptic proteins in neurons inoculated with distinct isolates of Alzheimer's disease tau. Cell Biosci 2023; 13:174. [PMID: 37723591 PMCID: PMC10507869 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-023-01133-0] [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: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Although accumulation of misfolded tau species has been shown to predict cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies but with the remarkable diversity of clinical manifestations, neuropathology profiles, and time courses of disease progression remaining unexplained by current genetic data. We considered the diversity of misfolded tau conformers present in individual AD cases as an underlying driver of the phenotypic variations of AD and progressive loss of synapses. METHODS To model the mechanism of tau propagation and synaptic toxicity of distinct tau conformers, we inoculated wild-type primary mouse neurons with structurally characterized Sarkosyl-insoluble tau isolates from the frontal cortex of six AD cases and monitored the impact for fourteen days. We analyzed the accumulation rate, tau isoform ratio, and conformational characteristics of de novo-induced tau aggregates with conformationally sensitive immunoassays, and the dynamics of synapse formation, maintenance, and their loss using a panel of pre-and post-synaptic markers. RESULTS At the same concentrations of tau, the different AD tau isolates induced accumulation of misfolded predominantly 4-repeat tau aggregates at different rates in mature neurons, and demonstrated distinct conformational characteristics corresponding to the original AD brain tau. The time-course of the formation of misfolded tau aggregates and colocalization correlated with significant loss of synapses in tau-inoculated cell cultures and the reduction of synaptic connections implicated the disruption of postsynaptic compartment as an early event. CONCLUSIONS The data obtained with mature neurons expressing physiological levels and adult isoforms of tau protein demonstrate markedly different time courses of endogenous tau misfolding and differential patterns of post-synaptic alterations. These and previous biophysical data argue for an ensemble of various misfolded tau aggregates in individual AD brains and template propagation of their homologous conformations in neurons with different rates and primarily postsynaptic interactors. Modeling tau aggregation in mature differentiated neurons provides a platform for investigating divergent molecular mechanisms of tau strain propagation and for identifying common structural features of misfolded tau and critical interactors for new therapeutic targets and approaches in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lenka Hromadkova
- Departments of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Chae Kim
- Departments of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Tracy Haldiman
- Departments of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Lihua Peng
- Departments of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Xiongwei Zhu
- Departments of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Departments of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Mark Cohen
- Departments of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Rohan de Silva
- Reta Lila Weston Institute, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, WC1N 1PJ, UK
| | - Jiri G Safar
- Departments of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
- Departments of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
- Departments of Neuroscience, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
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Batra S, Vaquer-Alicea J, Manon VA, Kashmer OM, Lemoff A, Cairns NJ, White CL, Diamond MI. VCP increases or decreases tau seeding using specific cofactors. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.30.555637. [PMID: 37693404 PMCID: PMC10491269 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.30.555637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Background Neurodegenerative tauopathies may progress based on seeding by pathological tau assemblies, whereby an aggregate is released from one cell, gains entry to an adjacent or connected cell, and serves as a specific template for its own replication in the cytoplasm. In vitro seeding reactions typically take days, yet seeding into the complex cytoplasmic milieu can happen within hours. A cellular machinery might regulate this process, but potential players are unknown. Methods We used proximity labeling to identify factors that control seed amplification. We fused split-APEX2 to the C-terminus of tau repeat domain (RD) to reconstitute peroxidase activity upon seeded intracellular tau aggregation. We identified valosin containing protein (VCP/p97) 5h after seeding. Mutations in VCP underlie two neurodegenerative diseases, multisystem proteinopathy and vacuolar tauopathy, but its mechanistic role is unclear. We utilized tau biosensors, a cellular model for tau aggregation, to study the effects of VCP on tau seeding. Results VCP knockdown reduced tau seeding. However, distinct chemical inhibitors of VCP and the proteasome had opposing effects on aggregation, but only when given <8h of seed exposure. ML-240 increased seeding efficiency ~40x, whereas NMS-873 decreased seeding efficiency by 50%, and MG132 increased seeding ~10x. We screened VCP co-factors in HEK293 biosensor cells by genetic knockout or knockdown. Reduction of ATXN3, NSFL1C, UBE4B, NGLY1, and OTUB1 decreased tau seeding, as did NPLOC4, which also uniquely increased soluble tau levels. Reduction of FAF2 and UBXN6 increased tau seeding. Conclusions VCP uses distinct cofactors to determine seed replication efficiency, consistent with a dedicated cytoplasmic processing complex that directs seeds towards dissolution vs. amplification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sushobhna Batra
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - Jaime Vaquer-Alicea
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - Victor A Manon
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - Omar M Kashmer
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - Andrew Lemoff
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - Nigel J Cairns
- Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Charles L White
- Department of Pathology, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - Marc I Diamond
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
- Department of Neurology, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
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20
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Lathuiliere A, Jo Y, Perbet R, Donahue C, Commins C, Quittot N, Fan Z, Bennett RE, Hyman BT. Specific detection of tau seeding activity in Alzheimer's disease using rationally designed biosensor cells. Mol Neurodegener 2023; 18:53. [PMID: 37553663 PMCID: PMC10408046 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-023-00643-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The prion-like propagation of tau in neurodegenerative disorders implies that misfolded pathological tau can recruit the normal protein and template its aggregation. Here, we report the methods for the development of sensitive biosensor cell lines for the detection of tau seeding activity. RESULTS We performed the rational design of novel tau probes based on the current structural knowledge of pathological tau aggregates in Alzheimer's disease. We generated Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based biosensor stable cell lines and characterized their sensitivity, specificity, and overall ability to detect bioactive tau in human samples. As compared to the reference biosensor line, the optimized probe design resulted in an increased efficiency in the detection of tau seeding. The increased sensitivity allowed for the detection of lower amount of tau seeding competency in human brain samples, while preserving specificity for tau seeds found in Alzheimer's disease. CONCLUSIONS This next generation of FRET-based biosensor cells is a novel tool to study tau seeding activity in Alzheimer's disease human samples, especially in samples with low levels of seeding activity, which may help studying early tau-related pathological events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurelien Lathuiliere
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 114 16Th Street, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Memory Center, Department of Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva University Hospital and University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Youhwa Jo
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 114 16Th Street, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
| | - Romain Perbet
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 114 16Th Street, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cameron Donahue
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 114 16Th Street, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
| | - Caitlin Commins
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 114 16Th Street, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
| | - Noé Quittot
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 114 16Th Street, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zhanyun Fan
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 114 16Th Street, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
| | - Rachel E Bennett
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 114 16Th Street, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bradley T Hyman
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 114 16Th Street, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA.
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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21
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Zeng Z, Vijayan V, Tsay K, Frost MP, Quddus A, Albert A, Vigers M, Woerman AL, Han S. CBD and PSP cell-passaged Tau Seeds Generate Heterogeneous Fibrils with A sub-population Adopting Disease Folds. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.19.549721. [PMID: 37502998 PMCID: PMC10370138 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.19.549721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
The recent discovery by cryo-electron microscopy that the neuropatho-logical hallmarks of different tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease, corticobasal degeneration (CBD), and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), are caused by unique misfolded conformations of the protein tau is among the most profound developments in neurodegenerative disease research. To capitalize on these discoveries for therapeutic development, one must achieve in vitro replication of tau fibrils that adopt the rep-resentative tauopathy disease folds - a grand challenge. To understand whether the commonly used, but imperfect, fragment of the tau pro-tein, K18, is capable of inducing specific protein folds, fibril seeds derived from CBD- and PSP-infected biosensor cells expressing K18, were used to achieve cell-free assembly of naïve, recombinant 4R tau into fibrils without the addition of any cofactors. Using Double Electron Electron Resonance (DEER) spectroscopy, we discovered that cell-passaged patho-logical seeds generate heterogeneous fibrils that are distinct between the CBD and PSP lysate-seeded fibrils, and are also unique from heparin-induced tau fibril populations. Moreover, the lysate-seeded fibrils contain a characteristic sub-population that resembles either the CBD or PSP disease fold, corresponding with the respective starting patient sam-ple. These findings indicate that CBD and PSP patient-derived fibrils retain strain properties after passaging through K18 reporter cells.
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22
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Manca M, Standke HG, Browne DF, Huntley ML, Thomas OR, Orrú CD, Hughson AG, Kim Y, Zhang J, Tatsuoka C, Zhu X, Hiniker A, Coughlin DG, Galasko D, Kraus A. Tau seeds occur before earliest Alzheimer's changes and are prevalent across neurodegenerative diseases. Acta Neuropathol 2023; 146:31-50. [PMID: 37154939 PMCID: PMC10261243 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-023-02574-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Tau neurofibrillary tangles are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease neuropathological change. However, it remains largely unclear how distinctive Alzheimer's disease tau seeds (i.e. 3R/4R) correlate with histological indicators of tau accumulation. Furthermore, AD tau co-pathology is thought to influence features and progression of other neurodegenerative diseases including Lewy body disease; yet measurements of different types of tau seeds in the setting of such diseases is an unmet need. Here, we use tau real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assays to selectively quantitate 3R/4R tau seeds in the frontal lobe which accumulates histologically identifiable tau pathology at late disease stages of AD neuropathologic change. Seed quantitation across a spectrum of neurodegenerative disease cases and controls indicated tau seeding activity can be detected well before accompanying histopathological indication of tau deposits, and even prior to the earliest evidence of Alzheimer's-related tau accumulation anywhere in the brain. In later stages of AD, 3R/4R tau RT-QuIC measures correlated with immunohistochemical tau burden. In addition, Alzheimer's tau seeds occur in the vast majority of cases evaluated here inclusive of primary synucleinopathies, frontotemporal lobar degeneration and even controls albeit at multi-log lower levels than Alzheimer's cases. α-synuclein seeding activity confirmed synucleinopathy cases and further indicated the co-occurrence of α-synuclein seeds in some Alzheimer's disease and primary tauopathy cases. Our analysis indicates that 3R/4R tau seeds in the mid-frontal lobe correlate with the overall Braak stage and Alzheimer's disease neuropathologic change, supporting the quantitative predictive value of tau RT-QuIC assays. Our data also indicate 3R/4R tau seeds are elevated in females compared to males at high (≥ IV) Braak stages. This study suggests 3R/4R tau seeds are widespread even prior to the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease changes, including in normal, and even young individuals, with prevalence across multiple neurodegenerative diseases to further define disease subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Manca
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2103 Cornell Road, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Heidi G Standke
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2103 Cornell Road, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Danielle F Browne
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2103 Cornell Road, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Mikayla L Huntley
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2103 Cornell Road, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Olivia R Thomas
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2103 Cornell Road, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Christina D Orrú
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, 59840, USA
| | - Andrew G Hughson
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, 59840, USA
| | - Yongya Kim
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, 92093-0612, USA
| | - Jing Zhang
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Curtis Tatsuoka
- Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA
| | - Xiongwei Zhu
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2103 Cornell Road, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Annie Hiniker
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, 92093-0612, USA
| | - David G Coughlin
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, 92093-0612, USA
| | - Douglas Galasko
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, 92093-0612, USA
| | - Allison Kraus
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2103 Cornell Road, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
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23
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Tamvaka N, Manne S, Kondru N, Ross OA. Pick's Disease, Seeding an Answer to the Clinical Diagnosis Conundrum. Biomedicines 2023; 11:1646. [PMID: 37371741 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11061646] [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: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Pick's disease (PiD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by dementia, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, and the aggregation of 3R tau in pathognomonic inclusions known as Pick bodies. The term PiD has adopted many meanings since its conception in 1926, but it is currently used as a strictly neuropathological term, since PiD patients cannot be diagnosed during life. Due to its rarity, PiD remains significantly understudied, and subsequently, the etiology and pathomechanisms of the disease remain to be elucidated. The study of PiD and the preferential 3R tau accumulation that is unique to PiD is imperative in order to expand the current understanding of the disease and inform future studies and therapeutic development, since the lack of intervention strategies for tauopathies remains an unmet need. Yet, the lack of an antemortem diagnostic test for the disease has further complicated the study of PiD. The development of a clinical diagnostic assay for PiD will be a vital step in the study of the disease that will greatly contribute to therapeutic research, clinical trial design and patient recruitment and ultimately improve patient outcomes. Seed aggregation assays have shown great promise for becoming ante mortem clinical diagnostic tools for many proteinopathies, including tauopathies. Future research on adapting and optimizing current seed aggregation assays to successfully detect 3R tau pathogenic forms from PiD samples will be critical in establishing a 3R tau specific seed aggregation assay that can be used for clinical diagnosis and treatment evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Tamvaka
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
- Mayo Graduate School, Neuroscience Track, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Sireesha Manne
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Naveen Kondru
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Owen A Ross
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
- Mayo Graduate School, Neuroscience Track, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
- Department of Clinical Genomics, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
- Department of Medicine, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland
- Department of Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
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24
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Duan S, Yang J, Cui Z, Li J, Zheng H, Zhao T, Yuan Y, Liu Y, Zhao L, Wang Y, Luo H, Xu Y. Seed amplification assay of nasal swab extracts for accurate and non-invasive molecular diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases. Transl Neurodegener 2023; 12:13. [PMID: 36922862 PMCID: PMC10017346 DOI: 10.1186/s40035-023-00345-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Nasal swabs are non-invasive testing methods for detecting diseases by collecting samples from the nasal cavity or nasopharynx. Dysosmia is regarded as an early sign of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and nasal swabs are the gold standard for the detection. By nasal swabs, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) nucleic acids can be cyclically amplified and detected using real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction after sampling. Similarly, olfactory dysfunction precedes the onset of typical clinical manifestations by several years in prion diseases and other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy. In neurodegenerative diseases, nasal swab tests are currently being explored using seed amplification assay (SAA) of pathogenic misfolded proteins, such as prion, α-synuclein, and tau. These misfolded proteins can serve as templates for the conformational change of other copies from the native form into the same misfolded form in a prion-like manner. SAA for misfolded prion-like proteins from nasal swab extracts has been developed, conceptually analogous to PCR, showing high sensitivity and specificity for molecular diagnosis of degenerative diseases even in the prodromal stage. Cyclic amplification assay of nasal swab extracts is an attractive and feasible method for accurate and non-invasive detection of trace amount of pathogenic substances for screening and diagnosis of neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suying Duan
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Jing Yang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.,Institute of Neuroscience, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Zheqing Cui
- Department of Rhinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Jiaqi Li
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Honglin Zheng
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.,The Academy of Medical Sciences of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Taiqi Zhao
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yanpeng Yuan
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.,Institute of Neuroscience, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yutao Liu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.,Institute of Neuroscience, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Lu Zhao
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.,Institute of Neuroscience, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yangyang Wang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.,Institute of Neuroscience, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Haiyang Luo
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China. .,Henan Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China. .,Institute of Neuroscience, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
| | - Yuming Xu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China. .,Henan Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China. .,Institute of Neuroscience, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
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25
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I F. The unique neuropathological vulnerability of the human brain to aging. Ageing Res Rev 2023; 87:101916. [PMID: 36990284 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2023.101916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), argyrophilic grain disease (AGD), aging-related tau astrogliopathy (ARTAG), limbic predominant TDP-43 proteinopathy (LATE), and amygdala-predominant Lewy body disease (LBD) are proteinopathies that, together with hippocampal sclerosis, progressively appear in the elderly affecting from 50% to 99% of individuals aged 80 years, depending on the disease. These disorders usually converge on the same subject and associate with additive cognitive impairment. Abnormal Tau, TDP-43, and α-synuclein pathologies progress following a pattern consistent with an active cell-to-cell transmission and abnormal protein processing in the host cell. However, cell vulnerability and transmission pathways are specific for each disorder, albeit abnormal proteins may co-localize in particular neurons. All these alterations are unique or highly prevalent in humans. They all affect, at first, the archicortex and paleocortex to extend at later stages to the neocortex and other regions of the telencephalon. These observations show that the phylogenetically oldest areas of the human cerebral cortex and amygdala are not designed to cope with the lifespan of actual humans. New strategies aimed at reducing the functional overload of the human telencephalon, including optimization of dream repair mechanisms and implementation of artificial circuit devices to surrogate specific brain functions, appear promising.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferrer I
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Emeritus Researcher of the Bellvitge Institute of Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain; Biomedical Research Network of Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
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26
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Acri DJ, You Y, Tate MD, McCord B, Sharify AD, John S, Karahan H, Kim B, Dabin LC, Philtjens S, Wijeratne HS, McCray TJ, Smith DC, Bissel SJ, Lamb BT, Lasagna-Reeves CA, Kim J. Network analysis reveals strain-dependent response to misfolded tau aggregates. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.28.526029. [PMID: 36778440 PMCID: PMC9915505 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.28.526029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Mouse genetic backgrounds have been shown to modulate amyloid accumulation and propagation of tau aggregates. Previous research into these effects has highlighted the importance of studying the impact of genetic heterogeneity on modeling Alzheimer's disease. However, it is unknown what mechanisms underly these effects of genetic background on modeling Alzheimer's disease, specifically tau aggregate-driven pathogenicity. In this study, we induced tau aggregation in wild-derived mice by expressing MAPT (P301L). To investigate the effect of genetic background on the action of tau aggregates, we performed RNA sequencing with brains of 6-month-old C57BL/6J, CAST/EiJ, PWK/PhJ, and WSB/EiJ mice (n=64). We also measured tau seeding activity in the cortex of these mice. We identified three gene signatures: core transcriptional signature, unique signature for each wild-derived genetic background, and tau seeding-associated signature. Our data suggest that microglial response to tau seeds is elevated in CAST/EiJ and PWK/PhJ mice. Together, our study provides the first evidence that mouse genetic context influences the seeding of tau. SUMMARY Seeding of tau predates the phosphorylation and spreading of tau aggregates. Acri and colleagues report transcriptomic responses to tau and elevated tau seeds in wild-derived mice. This paper creates a rich resource by combining genetics, tau biosensor assays, and transcriptomics.
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27
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Griffin TA, Schnier PD, Cleveland EM, Newberry RW, Becker J, Carlson GA. Fibril treatment changes protein interactions of tau and α-synuclein in human neurons. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:102888. [PMID: 36634849 PMCID: PMC9978635 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.102888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
In several neurodegenerative disorders, the neuronal proteins tau and α-synuclein adopt aggregation-prone conformations capable of replicating within and between cells. To better understand how these conformational changes drive neuropathology, we compared the interactomes of tau and α-synuclein in the presence or the absence of recombinant fibril seeds. Human embryonic stem cells with an inducible neurogenin-2 transgene were differentiated into glutamatergic neurons expressing (1) WT 0N4R tau, (2) mutant (P301L) 0N4R tau, (3) WT α-synuclein, or (4) mutant (A53T) α-synuclein, each genetically fused to a promiscuous biotin ligase (BioID2). Neurons expressing unfused BioID2 served as controls. After treatment with fibrils or PBS, interacting proteins were labeled with biotin in situ and quantified using mass spectrometry via tandem mass tag labeling. By comparing interactions in mutant versus WT neurons and in fibril- versus PBS-treated neurons, we observed changes in protein interactions that are likely relevant to disease progression. We identified 45 shared interactors, suggesting that tau and α-synuclein function within some of the same pathways. Potential loci of shared interactions include microtubules, Wnt signaling complexes, and RNA granules. Following fibril treatment, physiological interactions decreased, whereas other interactions, including those between tau and 14-3-3 η, increased. We confirmed that 14-3-3 proteins, which are known to colocalize with protein aggregates during neurodegeneration, can promote or inhibit tau aggregation in vitro depending on the specific combination of 14-3-3 isoform and tau sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tagan A Griffin
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Paul D Schnier
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Elisa M Cleveland
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Robert W Newberry
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Julia Becker
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - George A Carlson
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
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28
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Age-related changes in tau and autophagy in human brain in the absence of neurodegeneration. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0262792. [PMID: 36701399 PMCID: PMC9879510 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau becomes abnormally hyper-phosphorylated and aggregated in tauopathies like Alzheimers disease (AD). As age is the greatest risk factor for developing AD, it is important to understand how tau protein itself, and the pathways implicated in its turnover, change during aging. We investigated age-related changes in total and phosphorylated tau in brain samples from two cohorts of cognitively normal individuals spanning 19-74 years, without overt neurodegeneration. One cohort utilised resected tissue and the other used post-mortem tissue. Total soluble tau levels declined with age in both cohorts. Phosphorylated tau was undetectable in the post-mortem tissue but was clearly evident in the resected tissue and did not undergo significant age-related change. To ascertain if the decline in soluble tau was correlated with age-related changes in autophagy, three markers of autophagy were tested but only two appeared to increase with age and the third was unchanged. This implies that in individuals who do not develop neurodegeneration, there is an age-related reduction in soluble tau which could potentially be due to age-related changes in autophagy. Thus, to explore how an age-related increase in autophagy might influence tau-mediated dysfunctions in vivo, autophagy was enhanced in a Drosophila model and all age-related tau phenotypes were significantly ameliorated. These data shed light on age-related physiological changes in proteins implicated in AD and highlights the need to study pathways that may be responsible for these changes. It also demonstrates the therapeutic potential of interventions that upregulate turnover of aggregate-prone proteins during aging.
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29
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Xu H, Lee VMY. In Vitro Amplification of Pathogenic Tau Seeds from Neurodegenerative Disease Patient Brains. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2561:279-292. [PMID: 36399276 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2655-9_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Aggregated microtubule-associated protein tau (tau) is the hallmark lesion of a group of neurodegenerative diseases, termed tauopathies. Normal endogenous tau is highly soluble and intrinsically disordered when it is not bound to microtubules. Pathological tau proteins are aggregates of bioactive filaments capable of inducing their normal counterparts into pathological conformations that are human tauopathy dependent. Taking advantage of this feature, we established an in vitro seeding reaction to amplify faithfully human-derived tau strains. This approach allows us to expand the quantity and improve the quality of pathogenic tau strains derived from human patient postmortem brains and to further understand tau pathogenesis in models of tauopathy. Here, we describe the approach to generate human pathogenic tau using human-derived tau seeds and recombinant human tau in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Xu
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute on Aging, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Virginia M-Y Lee
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute on Aging, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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30
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Wu L, Madhavan SS, Tan C, Xu B. Hexameric Aggregation Nucleation Core Sequences and Diversity of Pathogenic Tau Strains. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11121559. [PMID: 36558893 PMCID: PMC9784471 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11121559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau aggregation associates with multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease and rare tauopathies such as Pick's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, and corticobasal degeneration. The molecular and structural basis of tau aggregation and related diverse misfolded tau strains are not fully understood. To further understand tau-protein aggregation mechanisms, we performed systematic truncation mutagenesis and mapped key segments of tau proteins that contribute to tau aggregation, where it was determined that microtubule binding domains R2 and R3 play critical roles. We validated that R2- or R3-related hexameric PHF6 and PHF6* peptide sequences are necessary sequences that render tau amyloidogenicity. We also determined that the consensus VQI peptide sequence is not sufficient for amyloidogenicity. We further proposed single- and dual-nucleation core-based strain classifications based on recent cryo-EM structures. We analyzed the structural environment of the hexameric peptide sequences in diverse tau strains in tauopathies that, in part, explains why the VQI consensus core sequence is not sufficient to induce tau aggregation. Our experimental work and complementary structural analysis highlighted the indispensible roles of the hexameric core sequences, and shed light on how the interaction environment of these core sequences contributes to diverse pathogenic tau-strains formation in various tauopathy brains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Wu
- Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA
- Duke/UNC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Sidharth S. Madhavan
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Christopher Tan
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Bin Xu
- Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA
- Duke/UNC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- Correspondence:
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31
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Wu L, Gilyazova N, Ervin JF, Wang SHJ, Xu B. Site-Specific Phospho-Tau Aggregation-Based Biomarker Discovery for AD Diagnosis and Differentiation. ACS Chem Neurosci 2022; 13:3281-3290. [PMID: 36350059 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.2c00342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau aggregates are present in multiple neurodegenerative diseases known as "tauopathies," including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Pick's disease (PiD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and corticobasal degeneration (CBD). Such misfolded tau aggregates are therefore potential sources for tauopathy biomarker discovery. Using the tau antibody screening approach targeting high-molecular-weight misfolded tau aggregates, we tested several tau antibodies and a comprehensive set of site-specific phospho-tau (p-tau) antibodies targeting tau phosphorylation sites showing high frequencies in AD subjects. Our screens revealed that site-specific p-tau antibodies can not only differentiate AD from non-AD brains, but also discriminate AD from rare tauopathies PiD, PSP, and CBD brains. Differential detection of tau aggregates identified several novel p-tau sites as potential new biomarkers. As a proof-of-principle example, we showed that p-tau198 is a novel promising AD biomarker with sensitivity and specificity comparable with the existing biomarkers p-tau181 and p-tau217. Our results demonstrated that p-tau198 detection can not only differentiate AD from non-AD controls, but also diagnose AD from related 4R tauopathies PSP and CBD with AUCs of 0.96-0.99 (95% CI ranges from 0.90 to 1.00). Promisingly, p-tau198 was able to discriminate mild cognitive impairment from cognitively normal brains with an AUC of 0.75 (95% CI = 0.58-0.92). Our work provides a new avenue for developing diagnosis and differentiation tools for AD and related tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Wu
- Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise (BRITE), North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina 27707, United States.,Duke/UNC Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
| | - Nailya Gilyazova
- Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise (BRITE), North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina 27707, United States
| | - John F Ervin
- Department of Neurology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, Untied States.,Duke/UNC Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
| | - Shih-Hsiu J Wang
- Department of Neurology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, Untied States.,Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States.,Duke/UNC Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
| | - Bin Xu
- Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise (BRITE), North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina 27707, United States.,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina 27707, United States.,Duke/UNC Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
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32
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Hromadkova L, Siddiqi MK, Liu H, Safar JG. Populations of Tau Conformers Drive Prion-like Strain Effects in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias. Cells 2022; 11:2997. [PMID: 36230957 PMCID: PMC9562632 DOI: 10.3390/cells11192997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent findings of diverse populations of prion-like conformers of misfolded tau protein expand the prion concept to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and monogenic frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD)-MAPT P301L, and suggest that distinct strains of misfolded proteins drive the phenotypes and progression rates in many neurodegenerative diseases. Notable progress in the previous decades has generated many lines of proof arguing that yeast, fungal, and mammalian prions determine heritable as well as infectious traits. The extraordinary phenotypic diversity of human prion diseases arises from structurally distinct prion strains that target, at different progression speeds, variable brain structures and cells. Although human prion research presents beneficial lessons and methods to study the mechanism of strain diversity of protein-only pathogens, the fundamental molecular mechanism by which tau conformers are formed and replicate in diverse tauopathies is still poorly understood. In this review, we summarize up to date advances in identification of diverse tau conformers through biophysical and cellular experimental paradigms, and the impact of heterogeneity of pathological tau strains on personalized structure- and strain-specific therapeutic approaches in major tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lenka Hromadkova
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | | | - He Liu
- Department of Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Jiri G. Safar
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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33
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Zeng Z, Fichou Y, Vigers M, Tsay K, Han S. Illuminating the Structural Basis of Tau Aggregation by Intramolecular Distance Tracking: A Perspective on Methods. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:6384-6395. [PMID: 35994024 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c02022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The aggregation of the tau protein is central to several neurodegenerative diseases, collectively known as tauopathies. High-resolution views of tau tangles accumulated under pathological conditions in post-mortem brains have been revealed recently by cryogenic electron microscopy. One of the striking discoveries was that fibril folds are unique to and homogeneous within one disease family, but typically different between different tauopathies. It is widely believed that seeded aggregation can achieve structural propagation of tau fibrils and generate pathological fibril structures. However, direct molecular level measurement of structural evolution during aggregation is missing. Here, we discuss our perspective on the biophysical approaches that can contribute to the ongoing debate regarding the prion-like propagation of tau and the role of cofactors. We discuss the unique potential of double electron-electron resonance (DEER)-based intramolecular distance measurement, sensitive to two to several nanometers distances. DEER can track the structural evolution of tau along the course of aggregation from the completely disordered state, to partially ordered and highly ordered fibril states, and has the potential to be a key tool to elucidate the disease-specific tau aggregation pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhikai Zeng
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Yann Fichou
- CNRS, Chemistry and Biology of Membranes and Nanoobjects (CBMN) UMR 5348, Institut Europeen de Chimie et Biologie (IECB), University of Bordeaux, 33600 Pessac, France
| | - Michael Vigers
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Karen Tsay
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Songi Han
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States.,Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
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34
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α-Synuclein molecular behavior and nigral proteomic profiling distinguish subtypes of Lewy body disorders. Acta Neuropathol 2022; 144:167-185. [PMID: 35748929 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-022-02453-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Lewy body disorders (LBD), characterized by the deposition of misfolded α-synuclein (α-Syn), are clinically heterogeneous. Although the distribution of α-Syn correlates with the predominant clinical features, the burden of pathology does not fully explain the observed variability in clinical presentation and rate of disease progression. We hypothesized that this heterogeneity might reflect α-Syn molecular diversity, between both patients and different brain regions. Using an ultra-sensitive assay, we evaluated α-Syn seeding in 8 brain regions from 30 LBD patients with different clinical phenotypes and disease durations. Comparing seeding across the clinical phenotypes revealed that hippocampal α-Syn from patients with a cognitive-predominant phenotype had significantly higher seeding capacity than that derived from patients with a motor-predominant phenotype, whose nigral-derived α-Syn in turn had higher seeding capacity than that from cognitive-predominant patients. Interestingly, α-Syn from patients with rapid disease progression (< 3 years to development of advanced disease) had the highest nigral seeding capacity of all the patients included. To validate these findings and explore factors underlying seeding heterogeneity, we performed in vitro toxicity assays, and detailed neuropathological and biochemical examinations. Furthermore, and for the first time, we performed a proteomic-wide profiling of the substantia nigra from 5 high seeder and 5 low seeder patients. The proteomic data suggests a significant disruption in mitochondrial function and lipid metabolism in high seeder cases compared to the low seeders. These observations suggest that distinct molecular populations of α-Syn may contribute to heterogeneity in phenotypes and progression rates in LBD and imply that effective therapeutic strategies might need to be directed at an ensemble of differently misfolded α-Syn species, with the relative contribution of their differing impacts accounting for heterogeneity in the neurodegenerative process.
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35
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Wu L, Wang Z, Lad S, Gilyazova N, Dougharty DT, Marcus M, Henderson F, Ray WK, Siedlak S, Li J, Helm RF, Zhu X, Bloom GS, Wang SHJ, Zou WQ, Xu B. Selective Detection of Misfolded Tau From Postmortem Alzheimer's Disease Brains. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:945875. [PMID: 35936779 PMCID: PMC9352240 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.945875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau aggregates are present in multiple neurodegenerative diseases known as "tauopathies," including Alzheimer's disease, Pick's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, and corticobasal degeneration. Such misfolded tau aggregates are therefore potential sources for selective detection and biomarker discovery. Six human tau isoforms present in brain tissues and both 3R and 4R isoforms have been observed in the neuronal inclusions. To develop selective markers for AD and related rare tauopathies, we first used an engineered tau protein fragment 4RCF as the substrate for ultrasensitive real-time quaking-induced conversion analyses (RT-QuIC). We showed that misfolded tau from diseased AD and other tauopathy brains were able to seed recombinant 4RCF substrate. We further expanded to use six individual recombinant tau isoforms as substrates to amplify misfolded tau seeds from AD brains. We demonstrated, for the first time to our knowledge, that misfolded tau from the postmortem AD brain tissues was able to specifically seed all six full-length human tau isoforms. Our results demonstrated that RT-QuIC analysis can discriminate AD and other tauopathies from non-AD normal controls. We further uncovered that 3R-tau isoforms displayed significantly faster aggregation kinetics than their 4R-tau counterparts under conditions of both no seeding and seeding with AD brain homogenates. In summary, our work offers potential new avenues of misfolded tau detection as potential biomarkers for diagnosis of AD and related tauopathies and provides new insights into isoform-specific human tau aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Wu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE), North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Zerui Wang
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Shradha Lad
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Nailya Gilyazova
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE), North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Darren T. Dougharty
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Madeleine Marcus
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Frances Henderson
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - W. Keith Ray
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Sandra Siedlak
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Jianyong Li
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Richard F. Helm
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Xiongwei Zhu
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - George S. Bloom
- Departments of Biology, Cell Biology, and Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Shih-Hsiu J. Wang
- Department of Pathology and Neurology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Wen-Quan Zou
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Bin Xu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE), North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
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A field-deployable diagnostic assay for the visual detection of misfolded prions. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12246. [PMID: 35851406 PMCID: PMC9293997 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16323-y] [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: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Diagnostic tools for the detection of protein-misfolding diseases (i.e., proteopathies) are limited. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) facilitate sensitive diagnostic techniques via visual color change for the identification of a variety of targets. In parallel, recently developed quaking-induced conversion (QuIC) assays leverage protein-amplification and fluorescent signaling for the accurate detection of misfolded proteins. Here, we combine AuNP and QuIC technologies for the visual detection of amplified misfolded prion proteins from tissues of wild white-tailed deer infected with chronic wasting disease (CWD), a prion disease of cervids. Our newly developed assay, MN-QuIC, enables both naked-eye and light-absorbance measurements for detection of misfolded prions. MN-QuIC leverages basic laboratory equipment that is cost-effective and portable, thus facilitating real-time prion diagnostics across a variety of settings. In addition to laboratory-based tests, we deployed to a rural field-station in southeastern Minnesota and tested for CWD on site. We successfully demonstrated that MN-QuIC is functional in a non-traditional laboratory setting by performing a blinded analysis in the field and correctly identifying all CWD positive and CWD not-detected deer at the field site in 24 h, thus documenting the portability of the assay. White-tailed deer tissues used to validate MN-QuIC included medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes, parotid lymph nodes, and palatine tonsils. Importantly, all of the white-tailed deer (n = 63) were independently tested using ELISA, IHC, and/or RT-QuIC technologies and results secured with MN-QuIC were 95.7% and 100% consistent with these tests for positive and non-detected animals, respectively. We hypothesize that electrostatic forces help govern the AuNP/prion interactions and conclude that MN-QuIC has great potential for sensitive, field-deployable diagnostics for CWD, with future potential diagnostic applications for a variety of proteopathies.
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Coysh T, Mead S. The Future of Seed Amplification Assays and Clinical Trials. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:872629. [PMID: 35813946 PMCID: PMC9257179 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.872629] [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: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion-like seeded misfolding of host proteins is the leading hypothesised cause of neurodegenerative diseases. The exploitation of the mechanism in the protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) and real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assays have transformed prion disease research and diagnosis and have steadily become more widely used for research into other neurodegenerative disorders. Clinical trials in adult neurodegenerative diseases have been expensive, slow, and disappointing in terms of clinical benefits. There are various possible factors contributing to the failure to identify disease-modifying treatments for adult neurodegenerative diseases, some of which include: limited accuracy of antemortem clinical diagnosis resulting in the inclusion of patients with the “incorrect” pathology for the therapeutic; the role of co-pathologies in neurodegeneration rendering treatments targeting one pathology alone ineffective; treatment of the primary neurodegenerative process too late, after irreversible secondary processes of neurodegeneration have become established or neuronal loss is already extensive; and preclinical models used to develop treatments not accurately representing human disease. The use of seed amplification assays in clinical trials offers an opportunity to tackle these problems by sensitively detecting in vivo the proteopathic seeds thought to be central to the biology of neurodegenerative diseases, enabling improved diagnostic accuracy of the main pathology and co-pathologies, and very early intervention, particularly in patients at risk of monogenic forms of neurodegeneration. The possibility of quantifying proteopathic seed load, and its reduction by treatments, is an attractive pharmacodynamic biomarker in the preclinical and early clinical stages of drug development. Here we review some potential applications of seed amplification assays in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Coysh
- MRC Prion Unit at UCL, UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
- National Prion Clinic, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Simon Mead
- MRC Prion Unit at UCL, UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
- National Prion Clinic, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
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38
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Coughlin DG, Litvan I. Investigational therapeutics for the treatment of progressive supranuclear palsy. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2022; 31:813-823. [DOI: 10.1080/13543784.2022.2087179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David G Coughlin
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, 92093, CA
| | - Irene Litvan
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, 92093, CA
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Tarutani A, Adachi T, Akatsu H, Hashizume Y, Hasegawa K, Saito Y, Robinson AC, Mann DMA, Yoshida M, Murayama S, Hasegawa M. Ultrastructural and biochemical classification of pathogenic tau, α-synuclein and TDP-43. Acta Neuropathol 2022; 143:613-640. [PMID: 35513543 PMCID: PMC9107452 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-022-02426-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Intracellular accumulation of abnormal proteins with conformational changes is the defining neuropathological feature of neurodegenerative diseases. The pathogenic proteins that accumulate in patients' brains adopt an amyloid-like fibrous structure and exhibit various ultrastructural features. The biochemical analysis of pathogenic proteins in sarkosyl-insoluble fractions extracted from patients' brains also shows disease-specific features. Intriguingly, these ultrastructural and biochemical features are common within the same disease group. These differences among the pathogenic proteins extracted from patients' brains have important implications for definitive diagnosis of the disease, and also suggest the existence of pathogenic protein strains that contribute to the heterogeneity of pathogenesis in neurodegenerative diseases. Recent experimental evidence has shown that prion-like propagation of these pathogenic proteins from host cells to recipient cells underlies the onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. The reproduction of the pathological features that characterize each disease in cellular and animal models of prion-like propagation also implies that the structural differences in the pathogenic proteins are inherited in a prion-like manner. In this review, we summarize the ultrastructural and biochemical features of pathogenic proteins extracted from the brains of patients with neurodegenerative diseases that accumulate abnormal forms of tau, α-synuclein, and TDP-43, and we discuss how these disease-specific properties are maintained in the brain, based on recent experimental insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Airi Tarutani
- Department of Brain and Neuroscience, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, 2-1-6 Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 156-8506, Japan
| | - Tadashi Adachi
- Division of Neuropathology, Department of Brain and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Tottori, 683-8503, Japan
| | - Hiroyasu Akatsu
- Department of Neuropathology, Choju Medical Institute, Fukushimura Hospital, Aichi, 441-8124, Japan
- Department of Community-Based Medical Education, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Yoshio Hashizume
- Department of Neuropathology, Choju Medical Institute, Fukushimura Hospital, Aichi, 441-8124, Japan
| | - Kazuko Hasegawa
- Division of Neurology, National Hospital Organization, Sagamihara National Hospital, Kanagawa, 252-0392, Japan
| | - Yuko Saito
- Department of Neuropathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, 173-0015, Japan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, 187-8551, Japan
| | - Andrew C Robinson
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Biological Sciences, Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Salford Royal Hospital, The University of Manchester, Salford, M6 8HD, UK
| | - David M A Mann
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Biological Sciences, Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Salford Royal Hospital, The University of Manchester, Salford, M6 8HD, UK
| | - Mari Yoshida
- Department of Neuropathology, Institute for Medical Science of Aging, Aichi Medical University, Aichi, 480-1195, Japan
| | - Shigeo Murayama
- Department of Neuropathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, 173-0015, Japan
- Brain Bank for Neurodevelopmental, Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Masato Hasegawa
- Department of Brain and Neuroscience, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, 2-1-6 Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 156-8506, Japan.
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40
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The promise of amplification assays for accurate early detection of α-synucleinopathies: A review. Exp Gerontol 2022; 165:111842. [PMID: 35623540 DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2022.111842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Lewy body dementia encompasses the common neurodegenerative disorders Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD). Lewy Body disease (LBD) is characterized by abnormal aggregates of α-synuclein (α-syn) in the brain which form Lewy bodies. LBD is commonly misdiagnosed/underdiagnosed, especially in early stages. There remains a great need for reliable biomarkers to assist with LBD diagnosis. Amplification techniques such as real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) and protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) represent an important advance for biomarker detection. Amplification assays detect the ability of pathogenic protein to induce conformational change in normal protein; α-syn has been shown to propagate in a prion-like manner, making it a candidate for such analysis. In this review, we describe the diagnostic potential of amplification techniques for differentiating α-synucleinopathies from other neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal syndrome (CBS), and atypical parkinsonism, as well as α-synucleinopathies from each other. Recent studies report accurate detection of α-syn seeding activity in human tissues such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), submandibular gland (SMG), and posterior cervical skin. Adaptation to clinical settings may present challenges. However, the high accuracy of recent results, combined with the success of amplification assay diagnostics in clinical practice for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, suggest high promise for eventual clinical application.
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41
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Riley KJ, Graner BD, Veronesi MC. The tauopathies: Neuroimaging characteristics and emerging experimental therapies. J Neuroimaging 2022; 32:565-581. [PMID: 35470528 PMCID: PMC9545715 DOI: 10.1111/jon.13001] [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: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The tauopathies are a heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative disorders in which the prevailing underlying disease process is intracellular deposition of abnormal misfolded tau protein. Diseases often categorized as tauopathies include progressive supranuclear palsy, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, corticobasal degeneration, and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Tauopathies can be classified through clinical assessment, imaging findings, histologic validation, or molecular biomarkers tied to the underlying disease mechanism. Many tauopathies vary in their clinical presentation and overlap substantially in presentation, making clinical diagnosis of a specific primary tauopathy difficult. Anatomic imaging findings are also rarely specific to a single tauopathy, and when present may not manifest until well after the point at which therapy may be most impactful. Molecular biomarkers hold the most promise for patient care and form a platform upon which emerging diagnostic and therapeutic applications could be developed. One of the most exciting developments utilizing these molecular biomarkers for assessment of tau deposition within the brain is tau‐PET imaging utilizing novel ligands that specifically target tau protein. This review will discuss the background, significance, and clinical presentation of each tauopathy with additional attention to the pathologic mechanisms at the protein level. The imaging characteristics will be outlined with select examples of emerging imaging techniques. Finally, current treatment options and emerging therapies will be discussed. This is by no means a comprehensive review of the literature but is instead intended for the practicing radiologist as an overview of a rapidly evolving topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kalen J Riley
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Brian D Graner
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Michael C Veronesi
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
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42
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Lau D, Magnan C, Hill K, Cooper A, Gambin Y, Sierecki E. Single Molecule Fingerprinting Reveals Different Amplification Properties of α-Synuclein Oligomers and Preformed Fibrils in Seeding Assay. ACS Chem Neurosci 2022; 13:883-896. [PMID: 35286811 PMCID: PMC8990999 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.1c00553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The quantification of α-synuclein aggregates has emerged as a promising biomarker for synucleinopathies. Assays that amplify and detect such aggregates have revealed the presence of seeding-competent species in biosamples of patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. However, multiple species, such as oligomers and amyloid fibrils, are formed during the aggregation of α-synuclein; these species are likely to coexist in biological samples, and thus it remains unclear which species(s) are contributing to the signal detected in seeding assays. To identify individual contributions to the amplification process, recombinant oligomers and preformed fibrils were produced and purified to characterize their individual biochemical and seeding potential. Here, we used single molecule spectroscopy to track the formation and purification of oligomers and fibrils at the single particle level and compare their respective seeding potential in an amplification assay. Single molecule detection validates that size-exclusion chromatography efficiently separates oligomers from fibrils. Oligomers were found to be seeding-competent, but our results reveal that their seeding behavior is very different compared to that of preformed fibrils, in our amplification assay. Overall, our data suggest that even a low number of preformed fibrils present in biosamples is likely to dominate the response in seeding assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derrick Lau
- EMBL Australia Node for Single Molecule Sciences and School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, the University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Chloé Magnan
- EMBL Australia Node for Single Molecule Sciences and School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, the University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Kathryn Hill
- The Australian Parkinson’s Mission, The Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, New South Wales 2010, Australia
| | - Antony Cooper
- The Australian Parkinson’s Mission, The Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, New South Wales 2010, Australia
- St Vincent’s Clinical School, UNSW Sydney, Darlinghurst, New South Wales 2010, Australia
| | - Yann Gambin
- EMBL Australia Node for Single Molecule Sciences and School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, the University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Emma Sierecki
- EMBL Australia Node for Single Molecule Sciences and School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, the University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
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43
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Vascellari S, Orrù CD, Caughey B. Real-Time Quaking- Induced Conversion Assays for Prion Diseases, Synucleinopathies, and Tauopathies. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:853050. [PMID: 35360213 PMCID: PMC8960852 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.853050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases, synucleinopathies and tauopathies are neurodegenerative disorders characterized by deposition of abnormal protein aggregates in brain and other tissues. These aggregates consist of misfolded forms of prion, α-synuclein (αSyn), or tau proteins that cause neurodegeneration and represent hallmarks of these disorders. A main challenge in the management of these diseases is the accurate detection and differentiation of these abnormal proteins during the early stages of disease before the onset of severe clinical symptoms. Unfortunately, many clinical manifestations may occur only after neuronal damage is already advanced and definite diagnoses typically require post-mortem neuropathological analysis. Over the last decade, several methods have been developed to increase the sensitivity of prion detection with the aim of finding reliable assays for the accurate diagnosis of prion disorders. Among these, the real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT–QuIC) assay now provides a validated diagnostic tool for human patients, with positive results being accepted as an official criterion for a diagnosis of probable prion disease in multiple countries. In recent years, applications of this approach to the diagnosis of other prion-like disorders, such as synucleinopathies and tauopathies, have been developed. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the use of the RT-QuIC assays for human proteopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Vascellari
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
- *Correspondence: Sarah Vascellari,
| | - Christina D. Orrù
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases (LPVD), Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institute of Health (NIH), Hamilton, MT, United States
| | - Byron Caughey
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases (LPVD), Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institute of Health (NIH), Hamilton, MT, United States
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44
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Standke HG, Kraus A. Seed amplification and RT-QuIC assays to investigate protein seed structures and strains. Cell Tissue Res 2022; 392:323-335. [PMID: 35258712 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-022-03595-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The accumulation of misfolded proteins as amyloid fibrils in the brain is characteristic of most neurodegenerative disorders. These misfolded proteins are capable of self-amplifying through protein seeding mechanisms, leading to accumulation in the host. First shown for PrP prions and prion diseases, it is now recognized that self-propagating misfolded proteins occur broadly in neurodegenerative diseases and include amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau in Alzheimer's disease (AD), tau in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), Pick's disease (PiD), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and α-synuclein (α-syn) in Parkinson's disease (PD) and Lewy body dementias (LBD). Techniques able to directly measure these bioactive protein seeds include the real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assays. Initially developed for the detection of PrP prions and subsequently for the detection of other misfolded protein seeds, these assays take advantage of the mechanism of protein-based self-propagation to result in exponential amplification of the initial protein seeds from biospecimens. Disease-specific "protein seeds" recruit and template the misfolding of native recombinant protein substrates to elongate amyloid fibrils. The amplification power of these assays allows for detection of minute amounts of disease-specific protein seeds to better support early and accurate diagnosis. In addition to the diagnostic capabilities, assay readouts have been shown to reveal biochemical, structural, and kinetic information of protein seed self-propagation. This review examines the various protein seed amplification assays currently available for distinct neurodegenerative diseases, with a focus on RT-QuIC assays, along with the insights their readouts provide into protein seed structures and strain differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi G Standke
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Allison Kraus
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
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45
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Neuropathological substrates of cognition in Parkinson's disease. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2022; 269:177-193. [PMID: 35248194 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2022.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Autopsy validation is still required for a definitive diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (Postuma et al., 2015), where the presence of Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites, composed primarily of alpha-synuclein, are observed in stereotyped patterns throughout regions of the brainstem, limbic, and neocortical regions of the brain (Braak et al., 2003). In spite of these relatively reliable observed patterns of alpha-synuclein pathology, there is a large degree of heterogeneity in the timing and features of neuropsychiatric and cognitive dysfunction in Parkinson's disease (Fereshtehnejad et al., 2015; Selikhova et al., 2009; Williams-Gray et al., 2013). Detailed studies of their neuropathological substrates of cognitive dysfunction and their associations with a variety of in vivo biomarkers have begun to disentangle this complex relationship, but ongoing multicentered, longitudinal studies of well-characterized and autopsy validated cases are still required.
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46
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Kim C, Haldiman T, Kang SG, Hromadkova L, Han ZZ, Chen W, Lissemore F, Lerner A, de Silva R, Cohen ML, Westaway D, Safar JG. Distinct populations of highly potent TAU seed conformers in rapidly progressing Alzheimer's disease. Sci Transl Med 2022; 14:eabg0253. [PMID: 34985969 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abg0253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Chae Kim
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Tracy Haldiman
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Sang-Gyun Kang
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2M8, Canada
| | - Lenka Hromadkova
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Zhuang Zhuang Han
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2M8, Canada
| | - Wei Chen
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.,National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Frances Lissemore
- Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Alan Lerner
- Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Rohan de Silva
- Reta Lila Weston Institute of Neurological Studies and Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 1PJ, UK
| | - Mark L Cohen
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.,National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - David Westaway
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2M8, Canada
| | - Jiri G Safar
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.,Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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47
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Xu Y, Hu B, Cui Y, Li L, Nian F, Zhang Z. A self-ratiometric and selective electrochemical sensor for the detection of tyrosinase in mouse brain homogenate. Analyst 2022; 147:4092-4097. [DOI: 10.1039/d2an00196a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
An electrochemical method for selectively sensing and accurately quantifying tyrosinase in mouse brain homogenate is reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yumei Xu
- Institute of Agricultural Resources Chemistry and Application, College of Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, China
| | - Bing Hu
- Institute of Agricultural Resources Chemistry and Application, College of Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, China
| | - Yanjun Cui
- Institute of Agricultural Resources Chemistry and Application, College of Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, China
| | - Li Li
- Institute of Agricultural Resources Chemistry and Application, College of Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, China
| | - Fang Nian
- Institute of Agricultural Resources Chemistry and Application, College of Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, China
| | - Zhixia Zhang
- Institute of Agricultural Resources Chemistry and Application, College of Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, China
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48
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Schönfelder J, Pfeiffer PB, Pradhan T, Bijzet J, Hazenberg BPC, Schönland SO, Hegenbart U, Reif B, Haupt C, Fändrich M. Protease resistance of ex vivo amyloid fibrils implies the proteolytic selection of disease-associated fibril morphologies. Amyloid 2021; 28:243-251. [PMID: 34338090 DOI: 10.1080/13506129.2021.1960501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Several studies recently showed that ex vivo fibrils from patient or animal tissue were structurally different from in vitro formed fibrils from the same polypeptide chain. Analysis of serum amyloid A (SAA) and Aβ-derived amyloid fibrils additionally revealed that ex vivo fibrils were more protease stable than in vitro fibrils. These observations gave rise to the proteolytic selection hypothesis that suggested that disease-associated amyloid fibrils were selected inside the body by their ability to resist endogenous clearance mechanisms. We here show, for more than twenty different fibril samples, that ex vivo fibrils are more protease stable than in vitro fibrils. These data support the idea of a proteolytic selection of pathogenic amyloid fibril morphologies and help to explain why only few amino acid sequences lead to amyloid diseases, although many, if not all, polypeptide chains can form amyloid fibrils in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Tejaswini Pradhan
- Bayerisches NMR Zentrum at the Department Chemie, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany
| | - Johan Bijzet
- Department of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, AA21, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Bouke P C Hazenberg
- Department of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, AA21, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Stefan O Schönland
- Department of Internal Medicine V (Hematology, Oncology and Rheumatology), Amyloidosis Center, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ute Hegenbart
- Department of Internal Medicine V (Hematology, Oncology and Rheumatology), Amyloidosis Center, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Bernd Reif
- Bayerisches NMR Zentrum at the Department Chemie, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany
| | - Christian Haupt
- Institute of Protein Biochemistry, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Marcus Fändrich
- Institute of Protein Biochemistry, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
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49
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Abstract
Prion diseases are neurodegenerative disorders caused by conformational conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) into scrapie prion protein (PrPSc). As the main component of prion, PrPSc acts as an infectious template that recruits and converts normal cellular PrPC into its pathogenic, misfolded isoform. Intriguingly, the phenomenon of prionoid, or prion-like, spread has also been observed in many other disease-associated proteins, such as amyloid β (Aβ), tau and α-synuclein. This Cell Science at a Glance and the accompanying poster highlight recently described physiological roles of prion protein and the advanced understanding of pathogenesis of prion disease they have afforded. Importantly, prion protein may also be involved in the pathogenesis of other neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Therapeutic studies of prion disease have also exploited novel strategies to combat these devastating diseases. Future studies on prion protein and prion disease will deepen our understanding of the pathogenesis of a broad spectrum of neurodegenerative conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caihong Zhu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Adriano Aguzzi
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, CH-8091, Switzerland
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50
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Martinisi A, Flach M, Sprenger F, Frank S, Tolnay M, Winkler DT. Severe oligomeric tau toxicity can be reversed without long-term sequelae. Brain 2021; 144:963-974. [PMID: 33484116 PMCID: PMC8041046 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awaa445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule stabilizing protein that forms abnormal aggregates in many neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. We have previously shown that co-expression of fragmented and full-length tau in P301SxTAU62on tau transgenic mice results in the formation of oligomeric tau species and causes severe paralysis. This paralysis is fully reversible once expression of the tau fragment is halted, even though P301S tau expression is maintained. Whereas various strategies to target tau aggregation have been developed, little is known about the long-term consequences of reverted tau toxicity. Therefore, we studied the long-term motor fitness of recovered, formerly paralysed P301SxTAU62on-off mice. To assess the seeding competence of oligomeric toxic tau species, we also inoculated ALZ17 mice with brainstem homogenates from paralysed P301SxTAU62on mice. Counter-intuitively, after recovery from paralysis due to oligomeric tau species expression, ageing P301SxTAU62on-off mice did not develop more motor impairment or tau pathology when compared to heterozygous P301S tau transgenic littermates. Thus, toxic tau species causing extensive neuronal dysfunction can be cleared without inducing seeding effects. Moreover, these toxic tau species also lack long-term tau seeding effects upon intrahippocampal inoculation into ALZ17 mice. In conclusion, tau species can be neurotoxic in the absence of seeding-competent tau aggregates, and mice can clear these tau forms permanently without tau seeding or spreading effects. These observations suggest that early targeting of non-fibrillar tau species may represent a therapeutically effective intervention in tauopathies. On the other hand, the absent seeding competence of early toxic tau species also warrants caution when using seeding-based tests for preclinical tauopathy diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfonso Martinisi
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland.,Department of Neurology, University Hospital Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Martin Flach
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland.,Department of Neurology, University Hospital Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Frederik Sprenger
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland.,Department of Neurology, University Hospital Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stephan Frank
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Markus Tolnay
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - David T Winkler
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland.,Department of Neurology, University Hospital Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland.,Neurology, Medical University Clinic, Kantonsspital Baselland, 4410 Liestal, Switzerland
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