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Tomé SO, Gawor K, Thal DR. LATE-NC in Alzheimer's disease: Molecular aspects and synergies. Brain Pathol 2024; 34:e13213. [PMID: 37793659 PMCID: PMC11189776 DOI: 10.1111/bpa.13213] [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: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is classically characterized by senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). However, multiple copathologies can be observed in the AD brain and contribute to the development of cognitive decline. Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy neuropathological changes (LATE-NC) accumulates in the majority of AD cases and leads to more severe cognitive decline compared with AD pathology alone. In this review, we focus on the synergistic relationship between LATE-NC and tau in AD, highlighting the aggravating role of TDP-43 aggregates on tau pathogenesis and its impact on the clinical picture and therapeutic strategies. Additionally, we discuss to what extent the molecular patterns of LATE-NC in AD differ from frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP-43 pathology (FTLD-TDP) neuropathological changes. Thus, we highlight the importance of tau and TDP-43 synergies for subtyping AD patients, which may respond differently to therapeutic interventions depending on the presence of comorbid LATE-NC.
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Grants
- 10810 Alzheimer Forschung Initiative (Germany)
- 13803 Alzheimer Forschung Initiative (Germany)
- 22-AAIIA-963171 Alzheimer's Association (USA)
- A2022019F BrightFocus Foundation (USA)
- TH-624-4-1 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, Germany)
- 4-2 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, Germany)
- 6-1 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, Germany)
- G065721N Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO, Belgium)
- G0F8516N Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO, Belgium)
- 2020/017 Stichting Alzheimer Onderzoek (SAO/FRA, Belgium)
- C3/20/057 Onderzoeksraad, KU Leuven (Belgium)
- PDMT2/21/069 Onderzoeksraad, KU Leuven (Belgium)
- IWT 135043 Vlaamse Impulsfinanciering voor Netwerken voor Dementie-onderzoek (Belgium)
- Alzheimer Forschung Initiative (Germany)
- Alzheimer's Association (USA)
- BrightFocus Foundation (USA)
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, Germany)
- Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO, Belgium)
- Onderzoeksraad, KU Leuven (Belgium)
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra O. Tomé
- Laboratory for Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology and Leuven Brain InstituteKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Klara Gawor
- Laboratory for Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology and Leuven Brain InstituteKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Dietmar Rudolf Thal
- Laboratory for Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology and Leuven Brain InstituteKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- Department of PathologyUniversity Hospitals of LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
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2
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Riordan R, Saxton A, McMillan PJ, Kow RL, Liachko NF, Kraemer BC. TMEM106B C-terminal fragments aggregate and drive neurodegenerative proteinopathy. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.11.598478. [PMID: 38915598 PMCID: PMC11195232 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.11.598478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
Genetic variation in the lysosomal and transmembrane protein 106B (TMEM106B) modifies risk for a diverse range of neurodegenerative disorders, especially frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) with progranulin (PGRN) haplo-insufficiency, although the molecular mechanisms involved are not yet understood. Through advances in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), homotypic aggregates of the C-Terminal domain of TMEM106B (TMEM CT) were discovered as a previously unidentified cytosolic proteinopathy in the brains of FTLD, Alzheimer's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) patients. While it remains unknown what role TMEM CT aggregation plays in neuronal loss, its presence across a range of aging related dementia disorders indicates involvement in multi-proteinopathy driven neurodegeneration. To determine the TMEM CT aggregation propensity and neurodegenerative potential, we characterized a novel transgenic C. elegans model expressing the human TMEM CT fragment constituting the fibrillar core seen in FTLD cases. We found that pan-neuronal expression of human TMEM CT in C. elegans causes neuronal dysfunction as evidenced by behavioral analysis. Cytosolic aggregation of TMEM CT proteins accompanied the behavioral dysfunction driving neurodegeneration, as illustrated by loss of GABAergic neurons. To investigate the molecular mechanisms driving TMEM106B proteinopathy, we explored the impact of PGRN loss on the neurodegenerative effect of TMEM CT expression. To this end, we generated TMEM CT expressing C. elegans with loss of pgrn-1, the C. elegans ortholog of human PGRN. Neither full nor partial loss of pgrn-1 altered the motor phenotype of our TMEM CT model suggesting TMEM CT aggregation occurs downstream of PGRN loss of function. We also tested the ability of genetic suppressors of tauopathy to rescue TMEM CT pathology. We found that genetic knockout of spop-1, sut-2, and sut-6 resulted in weak to no rescue of proteinopathy phenotypes, indicating that the mechanistic drivers of TMEM106B proteinopathy may be distinct from tauopathy. Taken together, our data demonstrate that TMEM CT aggregation can kill neurons. Further, expression of TMEM CT in C. elegans neurons provides a useful model for the functional characterization of TMEM106B proteinopathy in neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruben Riordan
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
- Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
| | - Aleen Saxton
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - Pamela J. McMillan
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Rebecca L Kow
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
- Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
| | - Nicole F. Liachko
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
- Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
| | - Brian C. Kraemer
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
- Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
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Robinson CG, Goodrich AW, Weigand SD, Pham NTT, Carlos AF, Buciuc M, Murray ME, Nguyen AT, Reichard RR, Knopman DS, Petersen RC, Dickson DW, Utianski RL, Whitwell JL, Josephs KA, Machulda MM. Determinants of confrontation naming deficits on the Boston Naming Test associated with transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 pathology. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2024:1-9. [PMID: 38525671 DOI: 10.1017/s1355617724000146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine whether poorer performance on the Boston Naming Test (BNT) in individuals with transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 pathology (TDP-43+) is due to greater loss of word knowledge compared to retrieval-based deficits. METHODS Retrospective clinical-pathologic study of 282 participants with Alzheimer's disease neuropathologic changes (ADNC) and known TDP-43 status. We evaluated item-level performance on the 60-item BNT for first and last available assessment. We fit cross-sectional negative binomial count models that assessed total number of incorrect items, number correct of responses with phonemic cue (reflecting retrieval difficulties), and number of "I don't know" (IDK) responses (suggestive of loss of word knowledge) at both assessments. Models included TDP-43 status and adjusted for sex, age, education, years from test to death, and ADNC severity. Models that evaluated the last assessment adjusted for number of prior BNT exposures. RESULTS 43% were TDP-43+. The TDP-43+ group had worse performance on BNT total score at first (p = .01) and last assessments (p = .01). At first assessment, TDP-43+ individuals had an estimated 29% (CI: 7%-56%) higher mean number of incorrect items after adjusting for covariates, and a 51% (CI: 15%-98%) higher number of IDK responses compared to TDP-43-. At last assessment, compared to TDP-43-, the TDP-43+ group on average missed 31% (CI: 6%-62%; p = .01) more items and had 33% more IDK responses (CI: 1% fewer to 78% more; p = .06). CONCLUSIONS An important component of poorer performance on the BNT in participants who are TDP-43+ is having loss of word knowledge versus retrieval difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Austin W Goodrich
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Stephen D Weigand
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | | | - Arenn F Carlos
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Marina Buciuc
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | | | - Aivi T Nguyen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - R Ross Reichard
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Mary M Machulda
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
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Tosun D, Thropp P, Southekal S, Spottiswoode B, Fahmi R. Profiling and predicting distinct tau progression patterns: An unsupervised data-driven approach to flortaucipir positron emission tomography. Alzheimers Dement 2023; 19:5605-5619. [PMID: 37288753 PMCID: PMC10704003 DOI: 10.1002/alz.13164] [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: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION How to detect patterns of greater tau burden and accumulation is still an open question. METHODS An unsupervised data-driven whole-brain pattern analysis of longitudinal tau positron emission tomography (PET) was used first to identify distinct tau accumulation profiles and then to build baseline models predictive of tau-accumulation type. RESULTS The data-driven analysis of longitudinal flortaucipir PET from studies done by the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, Avid Pharmaceuticals, and Harvard Aging Brain Study (N = 348 cognitively unimpaired, N = 188 mild cognitive impairment, N = 77 dementia), yielded three distinct flortaucipir-progression profiles: stable, moderate accumulator, and fast accumulator. Baseline flortaucipir levels, amyloid beta (Aβ) positivity, and clinical variables, identified moderate and fast accumulators with 81% and 95% positive predictive values, respectively. Screening for fast tau accumulation and Aβ positivity in early Alzheimer's disease, compared to Aβ positivity with variable tau progression profiles, required 46% to 77% lower sample size to achieve 80% power for 30% slowing of clinical decline. DISCUSSION Predicting tau progression with baseline imaging and clinical markers could allow screening of high-risk individuals most likely to benefit from a specific treatment regimen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duygu Tosun
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA 94143
- Northern California Institute of Research and Education, San Francisco, CA, USA 94121
| | - Pamela Thropp
- Northern California Institute of Research and Education, San Francisco, CA, USA 94121
| | | | - Bruce Spottiswoode
- Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc., Molecular Imaging, Knoxville, TN, USA 37932
| | - Rachid Fahmi
- Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc., Molecular Imaging, Knoxville, TN, USA 37932
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5
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Tomé SO, Tsaka G, Ronisz A, Ospitalieri S, Gawor K, Gomes LA, Otto M, von Arnim CAF, Van Damme P, Van Den Bosch L, Ghebremedhin E, Laureyssen C, Sleegers K, Vandenberghe R, Rousseau F, Schymkowitz J, Thal DR. TDP-43 pathology is associated with increased tau burdens and seeding. Mol Neurodegener 2023; 18:71. [PMID: 37777806 PMCID: PMC10544192 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-023-00653-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Most Alzheimer's Disease (AD) cases also exhibit limbic predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy neuropathological changes (LATE-NC), besides amyloid-β plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) containing hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau). LATE-NC is characterized by cytoplasmic aggregates positive for pathological TDP-43 and is associated with more severe clinical outcomes in AD, compared to AD cases lacking TDP-43 pathology TDP-43: AD(LATE-NC-). Accumulating evidence suggests that TDP-43 and p-tau interact and exhibit pathological synergy during AD pathogenesis. However, it is not yet fully understood how the presence of TDP-43 affects p-tau aggregation in symptomatic AD. METHODS In this study, we investigated the impact of TDP-43 proteinopathy on p-tau pathology with different approaches: histologically, in a human post-mortem cohort (n = 98), as well as functionally using a tau biosensor cell line and TDP-43A315T transgenic mice. RESULTS We found that AD cases with comorbid LATE-NC, AD(LATE-NC+), have increased burdens of pretangles and/or NFTs as well as increased brain levels of p-tau199, compared to AD(LATE-NC-) cases and controls. The burden of TDP-43 pathology was also correlated with the Braak NFT stages. A tau biosensor cell line treated with sarkosyl-insoluble, brain-derived homogenates from AD(LATE-NC+) cases displayed exacerbated p-tau seeding, compared to control and AD(LATE-NC-)-treated cells. Consistently, TDP-43A315T mice injected with AD(LATE-NC+)-derived extracts also exhibited a more severe hippocampal seeding, compared to the remaining experimental groups, albeit no TDP-43 aggregation was observed. CONCLUSIONS Our findings extend the current knowledge by supporting a functional synergy between TDP-43 and p-tau. We further demonstrate that TDP-43 pathology worsens p-tau aggregation in an indirect manner and increases its seeding potential, probably by increasing p-tau levels. This may ultimately contribute to tau-driven neurotoxicity and cell death. Because most AD cases present with comorbid LATE-NC, this study has an impact on the understanding of TDP-43 and tau pathogenesis in AD and LATE, which account for the majority of dementia cases worldwide. Moreover, it highlights the need for the development of a biomarker that detects TDP-43 during life, in order to properly stratify AD and LATE patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra O Tomé
- Laboratory of Neuropathology - Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Grigoria Tsaka
- Laboratory of Neuropathology - Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Switch Laboratory, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Alicja Ronisz
- Laboratory of Neuropathology - Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Simona Ospitalieri
- Laboratory of Neuropathology - Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Klara Gawor
- Laboratory of Neuropathology - Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Luis Aragão Gomes
- Laboratory of Neuropathology - Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Markus Otto
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Department of Neurology, University of Halle, Halle, Germany
| | - Christine A F von Arnim
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Department of Geriatrics, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Philip Van Damme
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Laboratory for Neurobiology - VIB-KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurology, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ludo Van Den Bosch
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Laboratory for Neurobiology - VIB-KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Estifanos Ghebremedhin
- Institute for Clinical Neuroanatomy - Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
| | - Celeste Laureyssen
- Complex Genetics of Alzheimer's Disease Group, VIB-University of Antwerp Center for Molecular Neurology, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Kristel Sleegers
- Complex Genetics of Alzheimer's Disease Group, VIB-University of Antwerp Center for Molecular Neurology, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Rik Vandenberghe
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurology, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Laboratory of Experimental Neurology - Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Frederic Rousseau
- Switch Laboratory, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Joost Schymkowitz
- Switch Laboratory, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dietmar Rudolf Thal
- Laboratory of Neuropathology - Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Pathology, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Martinez-Gonzalez L, Cuevas EP, Tosat-Bitrián C, Nozal V, Gil C, Palomo V, Martín-Requero Á, Martinez A. TTBK1 and CK1 inhibitors restore TDP-43 pathology and avoid disease propagation in lymphoblast from Alzheimer's disease patients. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1243277. [PMID: 37621404 PMCID: PMC10445132 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1243277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction TDP-43 proteinopathy in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients is recently emerging as a relevant pathomolecular event that may have been overlooked. Recent results in immortalized lymphocytes from AD patients have shown not only an increase of post-translational modifications in TDP-43, such as hyperphosphorylation and fragmentation, but also its prionic behaviour and cell-to-cell disease transmission. With the main goal to advance therapeutic interventions, we present in this work different kinase inhibitors with potential to restore this pathological mechanism. Methodology We have used immortalized lymphocytes from healthy controls and AD severe patients to evaluate the correction of TDP-43 pathology after the treatment with previously synthetized TTBK1 and CK1 inhibitors. Moreover we used the conditioned mediums of these cells to perform different disease propagation experiments. Results TDP-43 pathology observed in lymphoblasts from severe AD patients is reduced after the treatment with TTBK1 and CK1 inhibitors (decreasing phosphorylation and increasing nuclear localisation), Furthermore, the significant increase in TDP-43 phosphorylation, cytoplasmic accumulation and aberrant F-actin protrusions (TNT-like structures) observed in control cells growing in CM from AD lymphoblasts were abolished when the CM from AD lymphoblasts treated with previously reported TTBK1 and CK1 inhibitors were used. In addition, the cytosolic transport mediated by molecular motors of the receptor cells was altered with the induced TDP-43 pathology, but it was not produced with the abovementioned pretreated CMs. Conclusion TTBK1 and CK1 inhibitors, specially VNG1.47 and IGS2.7 compounds, restore TDP-43 pathology and avoid cell-to-cell propagation in immortalized lymphocytes from AD patients, being excellent candidates for the future therapy of this prevalent and devastating disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loreto Martinez-Gonzalez
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas “Margarita Salas”-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Eva P. Cuevas
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas “Margarita Salas”-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlota Tosat-Bitrián
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas “Margarita Salas”-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Vanesa Nozal
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas “Margarita Salas”-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmen Gil
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas “Margarita Salas”-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Valle Palomo
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto Madrileño de Estudios Avanzados en Nanociencia (IMDEA-Nanociencia), Madrid, Spain
| | - Ángeles Martín-Requero
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas “Margarita Salas”-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Martinez
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas “Margarita Salas”-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
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7
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McMillan PJ, Benbow SJ, Uhrich R, Saxton A, Baum M, Strovas T, Wheeler JM, Baker J, Liachko NF, Keene CD, Latimer CS, Kraemer BC. Tau-RNA complexes inhibit microtubule polymerization and drive disease-relevant conformation change. Brain 2023; 146:3206-3220. [PMID: 36732296 PMCID: PMC10393409 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease and related disorders feature neurofibrillary tangles and other neuropathological lesions composed of detergent-insoluble tau protein. In recent structural biology studies of tau proteinopathy, aggregated tau forms a distinct set of conformational variants specific to the different types of tauopathy disorders. However, the constituents driving the formation of distinct pathological tau conformations on pathway to tau-mediated neurodegeneration remain unknown. Previous work demonstrated RNA can serve as a driver of tau aggregation, and RNA associates with tau containing lesions, but tools for evaluating tau/RNA interactions remain limited. Here, we employed molecular interaction studies to measure the impact of tau/RNA binding on tau microtubule binding and aggregation. To investigate the importance of tau/RNA complexes (TRCs) in neurodegenerative disease, we raised a monoclonal antibody (TRC35) against aggregated tau/RNA complexes. We showed that native tau binds RNA with high affinity but low specificity, and tau binding to RNA competes with tau-mediated microtubule assembly functions. Tau/RNA interaction in vitro promotes the formation of higher molecular weight tau/RNA complexes, which represent an oligomeric tau species. Coexpression of tau and poly(A)45 RNA transgenes in Caenorhabditis elegans exacerbates tau-related phenotypes including neuronal dysfunction and pathological tau accumulation. TRC35 exhibits specificity for Alzheimer's disease-derived detergent-insoluble tau relative to soluble recombinant tau. Immunostaining with TRC35 labels a wide variety of pathological tau lesions in animal models of tauopathy, which are reduced in mice lacking the RNA binding protein MSUT2. TRC-positive lesions are evident in many human tauopathies including Alzheimer's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration and Pick's disease. We also identified ocular pharyngeal muscular dystrophy as a novel tauopathy disorder, where loss of function in the poly(A) RNA binding protein (PABPN1) causes accumulation of pathological tau in tissue from post-mortem human brain. Tau/RNA binding drives tau conformational change and aggregation inhibiting tau-mediated microtubule assembly. Our findings implicate cellular tau/RNA interactions as modulators of both normal tau function and pathological tau toxicity in tauopathy disorders and suggest feasibility for novel therapeutic approaches targeting TRCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela J McMillan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - Sarah J Benbow
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
- Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
| | - Rikki Uhrich
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - Aleen Saxton
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - Misa Baum
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - Timothy Strovas
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - Jeanna M Wheeler
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - Jeremy Baker
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
- Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
| | - Nicole F Liachko
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
- Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
| | - C Dirk Keene
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Caitlin S Latimer
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Brian C Kraemer
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
- Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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8
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Samudra N, Lane-Donovan C, VandeVrede L, Boxer AL. Tau pathology in neurodegenerative disease: disease mechanisms and therapeutic avenues. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e168553. [PMID: 37317972 PMCID: PMC10266783 DOI: 10.1172/jci168553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Tauopathies are disorders associated with tau protein dysfunction and insoluble tau accumulation in the brain at autopsy. Multiple lines of evidence from human disease, as well as nonclinical translational models, suggest that tau has a central pathologic role in these disorders, historically thought to be primarily related to tau gain of toxic function. However, a number of tau-targeting therapies with various mechanisms of action have shown little promise in clinical trials in different tauopathies. We review what is known about tau biology, genetics, and therapeutic mechanisms that have been tested in clinical trials to date. We discuss possible reasons for failures of these therapies, such as use of imperfect nonclinical models that do not predict human effects for drug development; heterogeneity of human tau pathologies which may lead to variable responses to therapy; and ineffective therapeutic mechanisms, such as targeting of the wrong tau species or protein epitope. Innovative approaches to human clinical trials can help address some of the difficulties that have plagued our field's development of tau-targeting therapies thus far. Despite limited clinical success to date, as we continue to refine our understanding of tau's pathogenic mechanism(s) in different neurodegenerative diseases, we remain optimistic that tau-targeting therapies will eventually play a central role in the treatment of tauopathies.
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Lyu X, Duong MT, Xie L, de Flores R, Richardson H, Hwang G, Wisse LEM, DiCalogero M, McMillan CT, Robinson JL, Xie SX, Grossman M, Lee EB, Irwin DJ, Dickerson BC, Davatzikos C, Nasrallah IM, Yushkevich PA, Wolk DA, Das SR. Tau-Neurodegeneration mismatch reveals vulnerability and resilience to comorbidities in Alzheimer's continuum. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.02.12.23285594. [PMID: 36824762 PMCID: PMC9949174 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.12.23285594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Variability in the relationship of tau-based neurofibrillary tangles (T) and degree of neurodegeneration (N) in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is likely attributable to the non-specific nature of N, which is also modulated by such factors as other co-pathologies, age-related changes, and developmental differences. We studied this variability by partitioning patients within the Alzheimer's continuum into data-driven groups based on their regional T-N dissociation, which reflects the residuals after the effect of tau pathology is "removed". We found six groups displaying distinct spatial T-N mismatch and thickness patterns despite similar tau burden. Their T-N patterns resembled the neurodegeneration patterns of non-AD groups partitioned on the basis of z-scores of cortical thickness alone and were similarly associated with surrogates of non-AD factors. In an additional sample of individuals with antemortem imaging and autopsy, T-N mismatch was associated with TDP-43 co-pathology. Finally, T-N mismatch training was then applied to a separate cohort to determine the ability to classify individual patients within these groups. These findings suggest that T-N mismatch may provide a personalized approach for determining non-AD factors associated with resilience/vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease.
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Ohene-Nyako M, Nass SR, Richard HT, Lukande R, Nicol MR, McRae M, Knapp PE, Hauser KF. Casein Kinase 2 Mediates HIV- and Opioid-Induced Pathologic Phosphorylation of TAR DNA Binding Protein 43 in the Basal Ganglia. ASN Neuro 2023; 15:17590914231158218. [PMID: 36890725 PMCID: PMC9998424 DOI: 10.1177/17590914231158218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/10/2023] Open
Abstract
SUMMARY STATEMENT HIV/HIV-1 Tat and morphine independently increase pathologic phosphorylation of TAR DNA binding protein 43 in the striatum. HIV- and opioid-induced pathologic phosphorylation of TAR DNA binding protein 43 may involve enhanced CK2 activity and protein levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Ohene-Nyako
- Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, 6886Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Sara R Nass
- Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, 6886Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Hope T Richard
- Pathology, School of Medicine, 6886Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Robert Lukande
- Pathology, College of Health Sciences, 58589Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Melanie R Nicol
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, 15515University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - MaryPeace McRae
- Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science, School of Pharmacy, 15535Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Pamela E Knapp
- Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, 6886Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.,Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, 6886Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.,Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, 6886Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Kurt F Hauser
- Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, 6886Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.,Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, 6886Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.,Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, 6886Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
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11
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Koper MJ, Tomé SO, Gawor K, Belet A, Van Schoor E, Schaeverbeke J, Vandenberghe R, Vandenbulcke M, Ghebremedhin E, Otto M, von Arnim CAF, Balusu S, Blaschko MB, De Strooper B, Thal DR. LATE-NC aggravates GVD-mediated necroptosis in Alzheimer's disease. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2022; 10:128. [PMID: 36057624 PMCID: PMC9441100 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-022-01432-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
It has become evident that Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is not only linked to its hallmark lesions-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs)-but also to other co-occurring pathologies. This may lead to synergistic effects of the respective cellular and molecular players, resulting in neuronal death. One of these co-pathologies is the accumulation of phosphorylated transactive-response DNA binding protein 43 (pTDP-43) as neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions, currently considered to represent limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy neuropathological changes (LATE-NC), in up to 70% of symptomatic AD cases. Granulovacuolar degeneration (GVD) is another AD co-pathology, which also contains TDP-43 and other AD-related proteins. Recently, we found that all proteins required for necroptosis execution, a previously defined programmed form of neuronal cell death, are present in GVD, such as the phosphorylated necroptosis executioner mixed-lineage kinase domain-like protein (pMLKL). Accordingly, this protein is a reliable marker for GVD lesions, similar to other known GVD proteins. Importantly, it is not yet known whether the presence of LATE-NC in symptomatic AD cases is associated with necroptosis pathway activation, presumably contributing to neuron loss by cell death execution. In this study, we investigated the impact of LATE-NC on the severity of necroptosis-associated GVD lesions, phosphorylated tau (pTau) pathology and neuronal density. First, we used 230 human post-mortem cases, including 82 controls without AD neuropathological changes (non-ADNC), 81 non-demented cases with ADNC, i.e.: pathologically-defined preclinical AD (p-preAD) and 67 demented cases with ADNC. We found that Braak NFT stage and LATE-NC stage were good predictors for GVD expansion and neuronal loss in the hippocampal CA1 region. Further, we compared the impact of TDP-43 accumulation on hippocampal expression of pMLKL-positive GVD, pTau as well as on neuronal density in a subset of nine non-ADNC controls, ten symptomatic AD cases with (ADTDP+) and eight without LATE-NC (ADTDP-). Here, we observed increased levels of pMLKL-positive, GVD-exhibiting neurons in ADTDP+ cases, compared to ADTDP- and controls, which was accompanied by augmented pTau pathology. Neuronal loss in the CA1 region was increased in ADTDP+ compared to ADTDP- cases. These data suggest that co-morbid LATE-NC in AD impacts not only pTau pathology but also GVD-mediated necroptosis pathway activation, which results in an accelerated neuronal demise. This further highlights the cumulative and synergistic effects of comorbid pathologies leading to neuronal loss in AD. Accordingly, protection against necroptotic neuronal death appears to be a promising therapeutic option for AD and LATE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta J Koper
- Laboratory for Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
- Laboratory for the Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Center for Brain and Disease Research, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sandra O Tomé
- Laboratory for Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Klara Gawor
- Laboratory for Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Annelies Belet
- Laboratory for Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Evelien Van Schoor
- Laboratory for Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
- Center for Brain and Disease Research, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Laboratory for Neurobiology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jolien Schaeverbeke
- Laboratory for Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
- Laboratory for Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rik Vandenberghe
- Laboratory for Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Laboratory for Translational Neuropsychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Mathieu Vandenbulcke
- Laboratory for Translational Neuropsychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Estifanos Ghebremedhin
- Institute of Anatomy - Anatomy I, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Markus Otto
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
- Department of Neurology, University of Halle, Halle, Germany
| | - Christine A F von Arnim
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
- Department of Geriatrics, Göttingen University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Sriram Balusu
- Laboratory for the Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Center for Brain and Disease Research, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Matthew B Blaschko
- Department of Electronics, Center for Processing Speech and Images, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bart De Strooper
- Laboratory for the Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Center for Brain and Disease Research, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dietmar Rudolf Thal
- Laboratory for Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
- Department of Pathology, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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