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Matarazzo M, Pérez-Soriano A, Vafai N, Shahinfard E, Cheng KJC, McKenzie J, Neilson N, Miao Q, Schaffer P, Shinotoh H, Kordower JH, Sossi V, Stoessl AJ. Misfolded protein deposits in Parkinson's disease and Parkinson's disease-related cognitive impairment, a [ 11C]PBB3 study. NPJ Parkinsons Dis 2024; 10:96. [PMID: 38702305 PMCID: PMC11068893 DOI: 10.1038/s41531-024-00708-z] [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: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with aggregation of misfolded α-synuclein and other proteins, including tau. We designed a cross-sectional study to quantify the brain binding of [11C]PBB3 (a ligand known to bind to misfolded tau and possibly α-synuclein) as a proxy of misfolded protein aggregation in Parkinson's disease (PD) subjects with and without cognitive impairment and healthy controls (HC). In this cross-sectional study, nineteen cognitively normal PD subjects (CN-PD), thirteen cognitively impaired PD subjects (CI-PD) and ten HC underwent [11C]PBB3 PET. A subset of the PD subjects also underwent PET imaging with [11C](+)DTBZ to assess dopaminergic denervation and [11C]PBR28 to assess neuroinflammation. Compared to HC, PD subjects showed higher [11C]PBB3 binding in the posterior putamen but not the substantia nigra. There was no relationship across subjects between [11C]PBB3 and [11C]PBR28 binding in nigrostriatal regions. [11C]PBB3 binding was increased in the anterior cingulate in CI-PD compared to CN-PD and HC, and there was an inverse correlation between cognitive scores and [11C]PBB3 binding in this region across all PD subjects. Our results support a primary role of abnormal protein deposition localized to the posterior putamen in PD. This suggests that striatal axonal terminals are preferentially involved in the pathophysiology of PD. Furthermore, our findings suggest that anterior cingulate pathology might represent a significant in vivo marker of cognitive impairment in PD, in agreement with previous neuropathological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Matarazzo
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, Pacific Parkinson's Research Centre, University of British Columbia & Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- HM CINAC, Hospital Universitario HM Puerta del Sur, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alexandra Pérez-Soriano
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, Pacific Parkinson's Research Centre, University of British Columbia & Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Nasim Vafai
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Elham Shahinfard
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Kevin Ju-Chieh Cheng
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Jessamyn McKenzie
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, Pacific Parkinson's Research Centre, University of British Columbia & Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Nicole Neilson
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, Pacific Parkinson's Research Centre, University of British Columbia & Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | | | - Hitoshi Shinotoh
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging Research, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba, Japan
| | - Jeffrey H Kordower
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Vesna Sossi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - A Jon Stoessl
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, Pacific Parkinson's Research Centre, University of British Columbia & Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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2
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Chu Y, Hirst WD, Federoff HJ, Harms AS, Stoessl AJ, Kordower JH. Nigrostriatal tau pathology in parkinsonism and Parkinson's disease. Brain 2024; 147:444-457. [PMID: 38006313 PMCID: PMC10834249 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad388] [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: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/27/2023] Open
Abstract
While Parkinson's disease remains clinically defined by cardinal motor symptoms resulting from nigrostriatal degeneration, it is now appreciated that the disease commonly consists of multiple pathologies, but it is unclear where these co-pathologies occur early in disease and whether they are responsible for the nigrostriatal degeneration. For the past number of years, we have been studying a well-characterized cohort of subjects with motor impairment that we have termed mild motor deficits. Motor deficits were determined on a modified and validated Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale III but were insufficient in degree to diagnose Parkinson's disease. However, in our past studies, cases in this cohort had a selection bias, as both a clinical syndrome in between no motor deficits and Parkinson's disease, plus nigral Lewy pathology as defined post-mortem, were required for inclusion. Therefore, in the current study, we only based inclusion on the presence of a clinical phenotype with mild motor impairment insufficient to diagnose Parkinson's disease. Then, we divided this group further based upon whether or not subjects had a synucleinopathy in the nigrostriatal system. Here we demonstrate that loss of nigral dopaminergic neurons, loss of putamenal dopaminergic innervation and loss of the tyrosine hydroxylase-phenotype in the substantia nigra and putamen occur equally in mild motor deficit groups with and without nigral alpha-synuclein aggregates. Indeed, the common feature of these two groups is that both have similar degrees of AT8 positive phosphorylated tau, a pathology not seen in the nigrostriatal system of age-matched controls. These findings were confirmed with early (tau Ser208 phosphorylation) and late (tau Ser396/Ser404 phosphorylation) tau markers. This suggests that the initiation of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurodegeneration occurs independently of alpha-synuclein aggregation and can be tau mediated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaping Chu
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Warren D Hirst
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Unit, Biogen, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
| | - Howard J Federoff
- Neurology, School of Medicine, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA
| | - Ashley S Harms
- Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
| | - A Jon Stoessl
- Pacific Parkinson’s Research Centre and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Jeffrey H Kordower
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
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3
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Cardoso F, Goetz CG, Mestre TA, Sampaio C, Adler CH, Berg D, Bloem BR, Burn DJ, Fitts MS, Gasser T, Klein C, de Tijssen MAJ, Lang AE, Lim SY, Litvan I, Meissner WG, Mollenhauer B, Okubadejo N, Okun MS, Postuma RB, Svenningsson P, Tan LCS, Tsunemi T, Wahlstrom-Helgren S, Gershanik OS, Fung VSC, Trenkwalder C. A Statement of the MDS on Biological Definition, Staging, and Classification of Parkinson's Disease. Mov Disord 2024; 39:259-266. [PMID: 38093469 DOI: 10.1002/mds.29683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Cardoso
- Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Internal Medicine Department, The Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Christopher G Goetz
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Tiago A Mestre
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute; University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute; Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, The Ottawa Hospital Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Cristina Sampaio
- CHDI Management/CHDI Foundation, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
- Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Charles H Adler
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
| | - Daniela Berg
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel and Christian Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Bastiaan R Bloem
- Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behavior, Department of Neurology, Center of Expertise for Parkinson and Movement Disorders, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - David J Burn
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Michael S Fitts
- UAB Libraries, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Thomas Gasser
- Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Christine Klein
- Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Marina A J de Tijssen
- Department of Neurology, Expertise Centre Movement Disorders, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Anthony E Lang
- Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson's Disease, University Health Network and the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Shen-Yang Lim
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, and the Mah Pooi Soo and Tan Chin Nam Centre for Parkinson's and Related Disorders, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Irene Litvan
- Parkinson and Other Movement Disorders Center, Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Wassilios G Meissner
- CHU Bordeaux, Service de Neurologie des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Bordeaux, France
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, IMN, Bordeaux, France
- Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, and New Zealand Brain Research Institute, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Brit Mollenhauer
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center, Kassel, Germany
| | - Njideka Okubadejo
- Neurology Unit, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria
| | - Michael S Okun
- Adelaide Lackner Professor of Neurology, Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida Health, Gainsville, Florida, USA
| | - Ronald B Postuma
- Department of Neurology, McGill University, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | | | - Taiji Tsunemi
- Department of Neurology, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Oscar S Gershanik
- Movement Disorders Unit, Institute of Neuroscience, Favaloro Foundation University Hospital, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Institute of Cognitive Neurology (INECO), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Victor S C Fung
- Movement Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Westmead Hospital and Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Claudia Trenkwalder
- Paracelsus-Elena Klinik, Kassel, Germany
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Center, Goettingen, Germany
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4
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Bétemps D, Arsac JN, Nicot S, Canal D, Tlili H, Belondrade M, Morignat E, Verchère J, Gaillard D, Bruyère-Ostells L, Mayran C, Lakhdar L, Bougard D, Baron T. Protease-Sensitive and -Resistant Forms of Human and Murine Alpha-Synucleins in Distinct Brain Regions of Transgenic Mice (M83) Expressing the Human Mutated A53T Protein. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1788. [PMID: 38136658 PMCID: PMC10741842 DOI: 10.3390/biom13121788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Human neurodegenerative diseases associated with the misfolding of the alpha-synuclein (aS) protein (synucleinopathies) are similar to prion diseases to the extent that lesions are spread by similar molecular mechanisms. In a transgenic mouse model (M83) overexpressing a mutated (A53T) form of human aS, we had previously found that Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification (PMCA) triggered the aggregation of aS, which is associated with a high resistance to the proteinase K (PK) digestion of both human and murine aS, a major hallmark of the disease-associated prion protein. In addition, PMCA was also able to trigger the aggregation of murine aS in C57Bl/6 mouse brains after seeding with sick M83 mouse brains. Here, we show that intracerebral inoculations of M83 mice with C57Bl/6-PMCA samples strikingly shortens the incubation period before the typical paralysis that develops in this transgenic model, demonstrating the pathogenicity of PMCA-aggregated murine aS. In the hind brain regions of these sick M83 mice containing lesions with an accumulation of aS phosphorylated at serine 129, aS also showed a high PK resistance in the N-terminal part of the protein. In contrast to M83 mice, old APPxM83 mice co-expressing human mutated amyloid precursor and presenilin 1 proteins were seen to have an aggregation of aS, especially in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and striatum, which also contained the highest load of aS phosphorylated at serine 129. This was proven by three techniques: a Western blot analysis of PK-resistant aS; an ELISA detection of aS aggregates; or the identification of aggregates of aS using immunohistochemical analyses of cytoplasmic/neuritic aS deposits. The results obtained with the D37A6 antibody suggest a higher involvement of murine aS in APPxM83 mice than in M83 mice. Our study used novel tools for the molecular study of synucleinopathies, which highlight similarities with the molecular mechanisms involved in prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominique Bétemps
- ANSES (French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety), University of Lyon, 69364 Lyon, France; (D.B.); (J.-N.A.); (D.C.); (H.T.); (E.M.); (J.V.); (D.G.); (L.L.)
| | - Jean-Noël Arsac
- ANSES (French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety), University of Lyon, 69364 Lyon, France; (D.B.); (J.-N.A.); (D.C.); (H.T.); (E.M.); (J.V.); (D.G.); (L.L.)
| | - Simon Nicot
- Pathogenesis and Control of Chronic and Emerging Infections, University of Montpellier, Inserm, Etablissement Français Du Sang, 34493 Montpellier, France; (S.N.); (M.B.); (L.B.-O.); (C.M.); (D.B.)
| | - Dominique Canal
- ANSES (French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety), University of Lyon, 69364 Lyon, France; (D.B.); (J.-N.A.); (D.C.); (H.T.); (E.M.); (J.V.); (D.G.); (L.L.)
| | - Habiba Tlili
- ANSES (French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety), University of Lyon, 69364 Lyon, France; (D.B.); (J.-N.A.); (D.C.); (H.T.); (E.M.); (J.V.); (D.G.); (L.L.)
| | - Maxime Belondrade
- Pathogenesis and Control of Chronic and Emerging Infections, University of Montpellier, Inserm, Etablissement Français Du Sang, 34493 Montpellier, France; (S.N.); (M.B.); (L.B.-O.); (C.M.); (D.B.)
| | - Eric Morignat
- ANSES (French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety), University of Lyon, 69364 Lyon, France; (D.B.); (J.-N.A.); (D.C.); (H.T.); (E.M.); (J.V.); (D.G.); (L.L.)
| | - Jérémy Verchère
- ANSES (French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety), University of Lyon, 69364 Lyon, France; (D.B.); (J.-N.A.); (D.C.); (H.T.); (E.M.); (J.V.); (D.G.); (L.L.)
| | - Damien Gaillard
- ANSES (French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety), University of Lyon, 69364 Lyon, France; (D.B.); (J.-N.A.); (D.C.); (H.T.); (E.M.); (J.V.); (D.G.); (L.L.)
| | - Lilian Bruyère-Ostells
- Pathogenesis and Control of Chronic and Emerging Infections, University of Montpellier, Inserm, Etablissement Français Du Sang, 34493 Montpellier, France; (S.N.); (M.B.); (L.B.-O.); (C.M.); (D.B.)
| | - Charly Mayran
- Pathogenesis and Control of Chronic and Emerging Infections, University of Montpellier, Inserm, Etablissement Français Du Sang, 34493 Montpellier, France; (S.N.); (M.B.); (L.B.-O.); (C.M.); (D.B.)
| | - Latifa Lakhdar
- ANSES (French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety), University of Lyon, 69364 Lyon, France; (D.B.); (J.-N.A.); (D.C.); (H.T.); (E.M.); (J.V.); (D.G.); (L.L.)
| | - Daisy Bougard
- Pathogenesis and Control of Chronic and Emerging Infections, University of Montpellier, Inserm, Etablissement Français Du Sang, 34493 Montpellier, France; (S.N.); (M.B.); (L.B.-O.); (C.M.); (D.B.)
| | - Thierry Baron
- ANSES (French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety), University of Lyon, 69364 Lyon, France; (D.B.); (J.-N.A.); (D.C.); (H.T.); (E.M.); (J.V.); (D.G.); (L.L.)
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5
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Venuto CS, Smith G, Herbst K, Zielinski R, Yung NC, Grosset DG, Dorsey ER, Kieburtz K. Predicting Ambulatory Capacity in Parkinson's Disease to Analyze Progression, Biomarkers, and Trial Design. Mov Disord 2023; 38:1774-1785. [PMID: 37363815 PMCID: PMC10615710 DOI: 10.1002/mds.29519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In Parkinson's disease (PD), gait and balance is impaired, relatively resistant to available treatment and associated with falls and disability. Predictive models of ambulatory progression could enhance understanding of gait/balance disturbances and aid in trial design. OBJECTIVES To predict trajectories of ambulatory abilities from baseline clinical data in early PD, relate trajectories to clinical milestones, compare biomarkers, and evaluate trajectories for enrichment of clinical trials. METHODS Data from two multicenter, longitudinal, observational studies were used for model training (Tracking Parkinson's, n = 1598) and external testing (Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative, n = 407). Models were trained and validated to predict individuals as having a "Progressive" or "Stable" trajectory based on changes of ambulatory capacity scores from the Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale parts II and III. Survival analyses compared time-to-clinical milestones and trial outcomes between predicted trajectories. RESULTS On external evaluation, a support vector machine model predicted Progressive trajectories using baseline clinical data with an accuracy, weighted-F1 (proportionally weighted harmonic mean of precision and sensitivity), and sensitivity/specificity of 0.735, 0.799, and 0.688/0.739, respectively. Over 4 years, the predicted Progressive trajectory was more likely to experience impaired balance, loss of independence, impaired function and cognition. Baseline dopamine transporter imaging and select biomarkers of neurodegeneration were significantly different between predicted trajectory groups. For an 18-month, randomized (1:1) clinical trial, sample size savings up to 30% were possible when enrollment was enriched for the Progressive trajectory versus no enrichment. CONCLUSIONS It is possible to predict ambulatory abilities from clinical data that are associated with meaningful outcomes in people with early PD. © 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles S. Venuto
- Center for Health + Technology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Greta Smith
- Center for Health + Technology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Konnor Herbst
- Center for Health + Technology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Robert Zielinski
- Center for Health + Technology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Norman C.W. Yung
- Center for Health + Technology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Donald G. Grosset
- School of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - E. Ray Dorsey
- Center for Health + Technology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Karl Kieburtz
- Center for Health + Technology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
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6
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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: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [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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7
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Cilia R, Piacentini SHMJ, Cummings J. The challenges of finding novel and effective drugs targeting dementia and neuropsychiatric disturbances in PD: Insights from the SYNAPSE trial. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2023; 114:105804. [PMID: 37633806 DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2023.105804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Cilia
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Parkinson and Movement Disorders Unit, Milano, Italy
| | | | - Jeffrey Cummings
- Chambers-Grundy Center for Transformative Neuroscience, Department of Brain Health, School of Integrated Health Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), Las Vegas, NV, USA.
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