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Beckman D, Diniz GB, Ott S, Hobson B, Chaudhari AJ, Muller S, Chu Y, Takano A, Schwarz AJ, Yeh CL, McQuade P, Chakrabarty P, Kanaan NM, Quinton MS, Simen AA, Kordower JH, Morrison JH. Temporal progression of tau pathology and neuroinflammation in a rhesus monkey model of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimers Dement 2024. [PMID: 39030748 DOI: 10.1002/alz.13868] [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: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/22/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The understanding of the pathological events in Alzheimer's disease (AD) has advanced dramatically, but the successful translation from rodent models into efficient human therapies is still problematic. METHODS To examine how tau pathology can develop in the primate brain, we injected 12 macaques with a dual tau mutation (P301L/S320F) into the entorhinal cortex (ERC). An investigation was performed using high-resolution microscopy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and fluid biomarkers to determine the temporal progression of the pathology 3 and 6 months after the injection. RESULTS Using quantitative microscopy targeting markers for neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation, as well as fluid and imaging biomarkers, we detailed the progression of misfolded tau spreading and the consequential inflammatory response induced by glial cells. DISCUSSION By combining the analysis of several in vivo biomarkers with extensive brain microscopy analysis, we described the initial steps of misfolded tau spreading and neuroinflammation in a monkey model highly translatable to AD patients. HIGHLIGHTS Dual tau mutation delivery in the entorhinal cortex induces progressive tau pathology in rhesus macaques. Exogenous human 4R-tau coaptates monkey 3R-tau during transneuronal spread, in a prion-like manner. Neuroinflammatory response is coordinated by microglia and astrocytes in response to tau pathology, with microglia targeting early tau pathology, while astrocytes engaged later in the progression, coincident with neuronal death. Monthly collection of CSF and plasma revealed a profile of changes in several AD core biomarkers, reflective of neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation as early as 1 month after injection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Beckman
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Giovanne B Diniz
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Sean Ott
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Brad Hobson
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Abhijit J Chaudhari
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Scott Muller
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Yaping Chu
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Akihiro Takano
- Takeda Development Center Americas, Inc., Lexington, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Adam J Schwarz
- Takeda Development Center Americas, Inc., Lexington, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Chien-Lin Yeh
- Takeda Development Center Americas, Inc., Lexington, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Paul McQuade
- Takeda Development Center Americas, Inc., Lexington, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Paramita Chakrabarty
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Nicholas M Kanaan
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
| | - Maria S Quinton
- Takeda Development Center Americas, Inc., Lexington, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Arthur A Simen
- Takeda Development Center Americas, Inc., Lexington, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jeffrey H Kordower
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - John H Morrison
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California, USA
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Del Giudice KP, Cosgaya M, Zaro I, Ravasi V, Santacruz P, Painous C, Fernández M, Cámara A, Compta Y. Anti-alpha synuclein and anti-tau immunotherapies: Can a cocktail approach work? Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2024; 122:106080. [PMID: 38508903 DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2024.106080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
The hypothesis that neurodegenerative diseases are proteinopathies due to toxic effect of different underlying proteins, such as amyloid-beta and 3+4R-tau in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and alpha-synuclein in Parkinson's disease (PD), while still controversial is supported by several studies in the literature. This has led to conduct clinical trials attempting to reduce the load of these allegedly toxic proteins by immunotherapy, mostly but not solely based on antibodies against these proteins. Already completed clinical trials have ranged from initially negative results to recently partial positive outcomes, specifically for anti-amyloid antibodies in AD but also albeit to lesser degree for anti-synuclein antibodies in PD. Currently, there are several ongoing clinical trials in degenerative parkinsonisms with anti-synuclein approaches in PD and multiple system atrophy (MSA), as well as with anti-tau antibodies in 4R-tauopathies such as progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). While it can be argued that expectations that part of these clinical trials will be positive can be hope or hype, it is reasonable to consider the future possibility of "cocktail" combination of different antibodies after the available experimental evidence of cross-talk between these proteins and neuropathological evidence of coexistence of these proteinopathies more frequently than expected by chance. Moreover, such "cocktail" approaches are widespread and accepted common practice in other fields such as oncology, and the complexity of neurodegenerative parkinsonisms makes reasonable the option for testing and eventually applying such combined approaches, should these prove useful separately, in the setting of patients with evidence of underlying concomitant proteinopathies, for example through biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsys Patricia Del Giudice
- Parkinson's Disease & Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic I Universitari de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; IDIBAPS, CIBERNED (CB06/05/0018-ISCIII), ERN- RND, UBNeuro, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Marina Cosgaya
- Parkinson's Disease & Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic I Universitari de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; IDIBAPS, CIBERNED (CB06/05/0018-ISCIII), ERN- RND, UBNeuro, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Idoia Zaro
- Parkinson's Disease & Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic I Universitari de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; IDIBAPS, CIBERNED (CB06/05/0018-ISCIII), ERN- RND, UBNeuro, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Valeria Ravasi
- Parkinson's Disease & Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic I Universitari de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; IDIBAPS, CIBERNED (CB06/05/0018-ISCIII), ERN- RND, UBNeuro, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Pilar Santacruz
- Parkinson's Disease & Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic I Universitari de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; IDIBAPS, CIBERNED (CB06/05/0018-ISCIII), ERN- RND, UBNeuro, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Celia Painous
- Parkinson's Disease & Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic I Universitari de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; IDIBAPS, CIBERNED (CB06/05/0018-ISCIII), ERN- RND, UBNeuro, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Manel Fernández
- Parkinson's Disease & Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic I Universitari de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; IDIBAPS, CIBERNED (CB06/05/0018-ISCIII), ERN- RND, UBNeuro, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Ana Cámara
- Parkinson's Disease & Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic I Universitari de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; IDIBAPS, CIBERNED (CB06/05/0018-ISCIII), ERN- RND, UBNeuro, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Yaroslau Compta
- Parkinson's Disease & Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic I Universitari de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; IDIBAPS, CIBERNED (CB06/05/0018-ISCIII), ERN- RND, UBNeuro, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
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Longhini AP, DuBose A, Lobo S, Vijayan V, Bai Y, Rivera EK, Sala-Jarque J, Nikitina A, Carrettiero DC, Unger MT, Sclafani OR, Fu V, Beckett ER, Vigers M, Buée L, Landrieu I, Shell S, Shea JE, Han S, Kosik KS. Precision proteoform design for 4R tau isoform selective templated aggregation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2320456121. [PMID: 38568974 PMCID: PMC11009657 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2320456121] [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: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Prion-like spread of disease-specific tau conformers is a hallmark of all tauopathies. A 19-residue probe peptide containing a P301L mutation and spanning the R2/R3 splice junction of tau folds and stacks into seeding-competent fibrils and induces aggregation of 4R, but not 3R tau. These tau peptide fibrils propagate aggregated intracellular tau over multiple generations, have a high β-sheet content, a colocalized lipid signal, and adopt a well-defined U-shaped fold found in 4R tauopathy brain-derived fibrils. Fully atomistic replica exchange molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to compute the free energy landscapes of the conformational ensemble of the peptide monomers. These identified an aggregation-prohibiting β-hairpin structure and an aggregation-competent U-fold unique to 4R tauopathy fibrils. Guided by MD simulations, we identified that the N-terminal-flanking residues to PHF6, which slightly vary between 4R and 3R isoforms, modulate seeding. Strikingly, when a single amino acid switch at position 305 replaced the serine of 4R tau with a lysine from the corresponding position in the first repeat of 3R tau, the seeding induced by the 19-residue peptide was markedly reduced. Conversely, a 4R tau mimic with three repeats, prepared by replacing those amino acids in the first repeat with those amino acids uniquely present in the second repeat, recovered aggregation when exposed to the 19-residue peptide. These peptide fibrils function as partial prions to recruit naive 4R tau-ten times the length of the peptide-and serve as a critical template for 4R tauopathy propagation. These results hint at opportunities for tau isoform-specific therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P. Longhini
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Austin DuBose
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Samuel Lobo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Vishnu Vijayan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Yeran Bai
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Photothermal Spectroscopy Corp., Santa Barbara, CA93101
| | - Erica Keane Rivera
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Julia Sala-Jarque
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Arina Nikitina
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Daniel C. Carrettiero
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Center for Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of ABC, São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo09600-000, Brazil
| | - Matthew T. Unger
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Olivia R. Sclafani
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Valerie Fu
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Emily R. Beckett
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Michael Vigers
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Luc Buée
- University of Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & CognitionLilleF-59000, France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence Development of Innovative Strategies for a Transdisciplinary Approach to Alzheimer's Disease, Alzheimer & Tauopathies Team, LilleF-59000, France
| | - Isabelle Landrieu
- Center National de la Recherche Scientifique Équipe de Recherche 9002–Integrative Structural Biology, LilleF-59000, France
- University of Lille, Inserm, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167–Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related DiseasesLilleF-59000, France
| | - Scott Shell
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Joan E. Shea
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Physics, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Songi Han
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Kenneth S. Kosik
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
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4
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Longhini AP, DuBose A, Lobo S, Vijayan V, Bai Y, Rivera EK, Sala-Jarque J, Nikitina A, Carrettiero DC, Unger M, Sclafani O, Fu V, Vigers M, Buee L, Landrieu I, Shell S, Shea JE, Han S, Kosik KS. Precision Proteoform Design for 4R Tau Isoform Selective Templated Aggregation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.31.555649. [PMID: 37693456 PMCID: PMC10491155 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.31.555649] [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
Prion-like spread of disease-specific tau conformers is a hallmark of all tauopathies. A 19-residue probe peptide containing a P301L mutation and spanning the R2/R3 splice junction of tau, folds and stacks into seeding-competent fibrils and induces aggregation of 4R, but not 3R tau. These tau peptide fibrils propagate aggregated intracellular tau over multiple generations, have a high β-sheet content, a colocalized lipid signal, and adopt a well-defined U-shaped fold found in 4R tauopathy brain-derived fibrils. Fully atomistic replica exchange molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to compute the free energy landscapes of the conformational ensemble of the peptide monomers. These identified an aggregation-prohibiting β-hairpin structure and an aggregation-competent U-fold unique to 4R tauopathy fibrils. Guided by MD simulations, we identified that the N-terminal-flanking residues to PHF6, which slightly vary between 4R and 3R isoforms, modulate seeding. Strikingly, when a single amino acid switch at position 305 replaced the serine of 4R tau with a lysine from the corresponding position in the first repeat of 3R tau, the seeding induced by the 19-residue peptide was markedly reduced. Conversely, a 4R tau mimic with three repeats, prepared by replacing those amino acids in the first repeat with those amino acids uniquely present in the second repeat, recovered aggregation when exposed to the 19-residue peptide. These peptide fibrils function as partial prions to recruit naïve 4R tau-ten times the length of the peptide-and serve as a critical template for 4R tauopathy propagation. These results hint at opportunities for tau isoform-specific therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P. Longhini
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Austin DuBose
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Samuel Lobo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Vishnu Vijayan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Yeran Bai
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Photothermal Spectroscopy Corp., Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA
| | - Erica Keane Rivera
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Julia Sala-Jarque
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Arina Nikitina
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Daniel C. Carrettiero
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Center for Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of ABC, São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil
| | - Matthew Unger
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Olivia Sclafani
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Valerie Fu
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Michael Vigers
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Luc Buee
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, LilNCog – Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, F-59000 Lille, France
- LabEx DISTALZ, Alzheimer & Tauopathies Team, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Isabelle Landrieu
- CNRS EMR9002 – BSI - Integrative Structural Biology F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Scott Shell
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Joan E. Shea
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, F-59000 Lille, France. Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
| | - Songi Han
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Lead Contacts
| | - Kenneth S. Kosik
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Lead Contacts
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Christensen KR, Combs B, Richards C, Grabinski T, Alhadidy MM, Kanaan NM. Phosphomimetics at Ser199/Ser202/Thr205 in Tau Impairs Axonal Transport in Rat Hippocampal Neurons. Mol Neurobiol 2023; 60:3423-3438. [PMID: 36859689 PMCID: PMC10122714 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03281-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
Our understanding of the biological functions of the tau protein now includes its role as a scaffolding protein involved in signaling regulation, which also has implications for tau-mediated dysfunction and degeneration in Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. Recently, we found that pseudophosphorylation at sites linked to the pathology-associated AT8 phosphoepitope of tau disrupts normal fast axonal transport through a protein phosphatase 1 (PP1)-dependent pathway in squid axoplasm. Activation of the pathway and the resulting transport deficits required tau's N-terminal phosphatase-activating domain (PAD) and PP1 but the connection between tau and PP1 was not well defined. Here, we studied functional interactions between tau and PP1 isoforms and their effects on axonal transport in mammalian neurons. First, we found that wild-type tau interacted with PP1α and PP1γ primarily through its microtubule-binding repeat domain. Pseudophosphorylation of tau at S199/S202/T205 (psTau) increased PAD exposure, enhanced interactions with PP1γ, and increased active PP1γ levels in mammalian cells. Expression of psTau also significantly impaired axonal transport in primary rat hippocampal neurons. Deletion of PAD in psTau significantly reduced the interaction with PP1γ, eliminated increases of active PP1γ levels, and rescued axonal transport impairment in neurons. These data suggest that a functional consequence of phosphorylation within S199-T205 in tau, which occurs in AD and several other tauopathies, may be aberrant interaction with and activation of PP1γ and subsequent axonal transport disruption in a PAD-dependent fashion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle R Christensen
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Michigan State University, 400 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, USA
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Benjamin Combs
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Michigan State University, 400 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, USA
| | - Collin Richards
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Michigan State University, 400 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, USA
| | - Tessa Grabinski
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Michigan State University, 400 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, USA
| | - Mohammed M Alhadidy
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Michigan State University, 400 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, USA
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Nicholas M Kanaan
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Michigan State University, 400 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, USA.
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
- Hauenstein Neuroscience Center, Mercy Health Saint Mary's, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, USA.
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Eckel BD, Cruz R, Craig EM, Baas PW. Microtubule polarity flaws as a treatable driver of neurodegeneration. Brain Res Bull 2023; 192:208-215. [PMID: 36442694 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2022.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Microtubule disruption is a common downstream mechanism leading to axonal degeneration in a number of neurological diseases. To date, most studies on this topic have focused on the loss of microtubule mass from the axon, as well as changes in the stability properties of the microtubules and/or their tubulin composition. Here we posit corruption of the normal pattern of microtubule polarity orientation as an underappreciated and yet treatable contributor to axonal degeneration. We include computational modeling to fortify the rigor of our considerations. Our simulations demonstrate that even a small deviation from the usual polarity pattern of axonal microtubules is detrimental to motor-based trafficking of organelles and other intracellular cargo. Additional modeling predicts that axons with such deviations will exhibit significantly reduced speed and reliability of organelle transport, and that localized clusters of wrongly oriented microtubules will result in traffic jams of accumulated organelles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridie D Eckel
- Dept Neurobiol/Anat, Drexel University, 2900 Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19129, USA
| | - Roy Cruz
- Dept Physics, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA 98926, USA
| | - Erin M Craig
- Dept Physics, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA 98926, USA
| | - Peter W Baas
- Dept Neurobiol/Anat, Drexel University, 2900 Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19129, USA.
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Murray HC, Osterman C, Bell P, Vinnell L, Curtis MA. Neuropathology in chronic traumatic encephalopathy: a systematic review of comparative post-mortem histology literature. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2022; 10:108. [PMID: 35933388 PMCID: PMC9356428 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-022-01413-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with repetitive head trauma and is characterised by the perivascular accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau) in the depths of cortical sulci. CTE can only be diagnosed postmortem and the cellular mechanisms of disease causation remain to be elucidated. Understanding the full scope of the pathological changes currently identified in CTE is necessary to identify areas requiring further research. This systematic review summarises the current literature on CTE pathology from postmortem human tissue histology studies published until 31 December 2021. Publications were included if they quantitively or qualitatively compared postmortem human tissue pathology in CTE to neuropathologically normal cases or other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Pathological entities investigated included p-tau, beta-amyloid, TDP-43, Lewy bodies, astrogliosis, microgliosis, axonopathy, vascular dysfunction, and cell stress. Of these pathologies, p-tau was the most frequently investigated, with limited reports on other pathological features such as vascular dysfunction, astrogliosis, and microgliosis. Consistent increases in p-tau, TDP-43, microgliosis, axonopathy, and cell stress were reported in CTE cases compared to neuropathologically normal cases. However, there was no clear consensus on how these pathologies compared to AD. The CTE cases used for these studies were predominantly from the VA-BU-CLF brain bank, with American football and boxing as the most frequent sources of repetitive head injury exposure. Overall, this systematic review highlights gaps in the literature and proposes three priorities for future research including: 1. The need for studies of CTE cases with more diverse head injury exposure profiles to understand the consistency of pathology changes between different populations. 2. The need for more studies that compare CTE with normal ageing and AD to further clarify the pathological signature of CTE for diagnostic purposes and to understand the disease process. 3. Further research on non-aggregate pathologies in CTE, such as vascular dysfunction and neuroinflammation. These are some of the least investigated features of CTE pathology despite being implicated in the acute phase response following traumatic head injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen C Murray
- Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging and Centre for Brain Research, Faculty of Medical and Health Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1023, New Zealand.
| | - Chelsie Osterman
- Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging and Centre for Brain Research, Faculty of Medical and Health Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1023, New Zealand
| | - Paige Bell
- Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging and Centre for Brain Research, Faculty of Medical and Health Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1023, New Zealand
| | - Luca Vinnell
- Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging and Centre for Brain Research, Faculty of Medical and Health Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1023, New Zealand
| | - Maurice A Curtis
- Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging and Centre for Brain Research, Faculty of Medical and Health Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1023, New Zealand
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Morris SL, Brady ST. Tau phosphorylation and PAD exposure in regulation of axonal growth. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:1023418. [PMID: 36742197 PMCID: PMC9893789 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1023418] [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: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Tau is a microtubule associated phosphoprotein found principally in neurons. Prevailing dogma continues to define microtubule stabilization as the major function of tau in vivo, despite several lines of evidence suggesting this is not the case. Most importantly, tau null mice have deficits in axonal outgrowth and neuronal migration while still possessing an extensive microtubule network. Instead, mounting evidence suggests that tau may have a major function in the regulation of fast axonal transport (FAT) through activation of neuronal signaling pathways. Previous studies identified a phosphatase activating domain (PAD) at the tau N-terminal that is normally sequestered, but is constitutively exposed in tauopathies. When exposed, the PAD activates a signaling cascade involving PP1 and GSK3β which affects cellular functions including release of cargo from kinesin. Furthermore, we discovered that PAD exposure can be regulated by a single phosphorylation at T205. Exposure of the PAD is an early event in multiple tauopathies and a major contributing factor to neurodegeneration associated with tau hyperphosphorylation. However, effects of tau PAD exposure on anterograde FAT raised the interesting possibility that this pathway may be a mechanism for physiological regulation of cargo delivery through site-specific phosphorylation of tau and transient activation of PP1 and GSK3β. Significantly, there is already evidence of local control of PP1 and GSK3β at sites which require cargo delivery. Methods: To investigate this hypothesis, first we evaluated cellular localization of tau PAD exposure, pT205 tau phosphorylation, and active GSK3β in primary hippocampal neurons during development. Second, we analyzed the axonal outgrowth of tau knockout neurons following transfection with full length hTau40-WT, hTau40-ΔPAD, or hTau40-T205A. Results and Discussion: The results presented here suggest that transient activation of a PP1-GSK3β signaling pathway through locally regulated PAD exposure is a mechanism for cargo delivery, and thereby important for neurite outgrowth of developing neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- S L Morris
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - S T Brady
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
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9
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Farrell K, Kim S, Han N, Iida MA, Gonzalez EM, Otero-Garcia M, Walker JM, Richardson TE, Renton AE, Andrews SJ, Fulton-Howard B, Humphrey J, Vialle RA, Bowles KR, de Paiva Lopes K, Whitney K, Dangoor DK, Walsh H, Marcora E, Hefti MM, Casella A, Sissoko CT, Kapoor M, Novikova G, Udine E, Wong G, Tang W, Bhangale T, Hunkapiller J, Ayalon G, Graham RR, Cherry JD, Cortes EP, Borukov VY, McKee AC, Stein TD, Vonsattel JP, Teich AF, Gearing M, Glass J, Troncoso JC, Frosch MP, Hyman BT, Dickson DW, Murray ME, Attems J, Flanagan ME, Mao Q, Mesulam MM, Weintraub S, Woltjer RL, Pham T, Kofler J, Schneider JA, Yu L, Purohit DP, Haroutunian V, Hof PR, Gandy S, Sano M, Beach TG, Poon W, Kawas CH, Corrada MM, Rissman RA, Metcalf J, Shuldberg S, Salehi B, Nelson PT, Trojanowski JQ, Lee EB, Wolk DA, McMillan CT, Keene CD, Latimer CS, Montine TJ, Kovacs GG, Lutz MI, Fischer P, Perrin RJ, Cairns NJ, Franklin EE, Cohen HT, Raj T, Cobos I, Frost B, Goate A, White Iii CL, Crary JF. Genome-wide association study and functional validation implicates JADE1 in tauopathy. Acta Neuropathol 2022; 143:33-53. [PMID: 34719765 PMCID: PMC8786260 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-021-02379-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Primary age-related tauopathy (PART) is a neurodegenerative pathology with features distinct from but also overlapping with Alzheimer disease (AD). While both exhibit Alzheimer-type temporal lobe neurofibrillary degeneration alongside amnestic cognitive impairment, PART develops independently of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques. The pathogenesis of PART is not known, but evidence suggests an association with genes that promote tau pathology and others that protect from Aβ toxicity. Here, we performed a genetic association study in an autopsy cohort of individuals with PART (n = 647) using Braak neurofibrillary tangle stage as a quantitative trait. We found some significant associations with candidate loci associated with AD (SLC24A4, MS4A6A, HS3ST1) and progressive supranuclear palsy (MAPT and EIF2AK3). Genome-wide association analysis revealed a novel significant association with a single nucleotide polymorphism on chromosome 4 (rs56405341) in a locus containing three genes, including JADE1 which was significantly upregulated in tangle-bearing neurons by single-soma RNA-seq. Immunohistochemical studies using antisera targeting JADE1 protein revealed localization within tau aggregates in autopsy brains with four microtubule-binding domain repeats (4R) isoforms and mixed 3R/4R, but not with 3R exclusively. Co-immunoprecipitation in post-mortem human PART brain tissue revealed a specific binding of JADE1 protein to four repeat tau lacking N-terminal inserts (0N4R). Finally, knockdown of the Drosophila JADE1 homolog rhinoceros (rno) enhanced tau-induced toxicity and apoptosis in vivo in a humanized 0N4R mutant tau knock-in model, as quantified by rough eye phenotype and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) in the fly brain. Together, these findings indicate that PART has a genetic architecture that partially overlaps with AD and other tauopathies and suggests a novel role for JADE1 as a modifier of neurofibrillary degeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt Farrell
- Department of Pathology, Neuropathology Brain Bank and Research CoRE, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place Box 1194, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - SoongHo Kim
- Department of Pathology, Neuropathology Brain Bank and Research CoRE, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place Box 1194, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Natalia Han
- Department of Pathology, Neuropathology Brain Bank and Research CoRE, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place Box 1194, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Megan A Iida
- Department of Pathology, Neuropathology Brain Bank and Research CoRE, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place Box 1194, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Elias M Gonzalez
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Marcos Otero-Garcia
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Division of Neuropathology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jamie M Walker
- Department of Pathology and Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Timothy E Richardson
- Department of Pathology and Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Alan E Renton
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shea J Andrews
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Brian Fulton-Howard
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jack Humphrey
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ricardo A Vialle
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kathryn R Bowles
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Katia de Paiva Lopes
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kristen Whitney
- Department of Pathology, Neuropathology Brain Bank and Research CoRE, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place Box 1194, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Diana K Dangoor
- Department of Pathology, Neuropathology Brain Bank and Research CoRE, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place Box 1194, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hadley Walsh
- Department of Pathology, Neuropathology Brain Bank and Research CoRE, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place Box 1194, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Edoardo Marcora
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Marco M Hefti
- Department of Pathology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Alicia Casella
- Department of Pathology, Neuropathology Brain Bank and Research CoRE, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place Box 1194, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Cheick T Sissoko
- Department of Pathology, Neuropathology Brain Bank and Research CoRE, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place Box 1194, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Manav Kapoor
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gloriia Novikova
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Evan Udine
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Garrett Wong
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Weijing Tang
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, USA
| | - Tushar Bhangale
- Department of Human Genetics, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Julie Hunkapiller
- Department of Human Genetics, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Gai Ayalon
- Neumora Therapeutics, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Jonathan D Cherry
- Department of Pathology (Neuropathology), VA Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Etty P Cortes
- Department of Pathology, Neuropathology Brain Bank and Research CoRE, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place Box 1194, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Valeriy Y Borukov
- Department of Pathology, Neuropathology Brain Bank and Research CoRE, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place Box 1194, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ann C McKee
- Department of Pathology (Neuropathology), VA Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Thor D Stein
- Department of Pathology (Neuropathology), VA Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jean-Paul Vonsattel
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Department of Neurology, and the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Andy F Teich
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Department of Neurology, and the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Marla Gearing
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (Neuropathology) and Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jonathan Glass
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (Neuropathology) and Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Juan C Troncoso
- Department of Pathology, Division of Neuropathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Matthew P Frosch
- Department of Neurology and Pathology, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Bradley T Hyman
- Department of Neurology and Pathology, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Johannes Attems
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Margaret E Flanagan
- Department of Pathology (Neuropathology), Northwestern Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer Disease Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Qinwen Mao
- Department of Pathology (Neuropathology), Northwestern Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer Disease Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - M-Marsel Mesulam
- Department of Pathology (Neuropathology), Northwestern Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer Disease Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Sandra Weintraub
- Department of Pathology (Neuropathology), Northwestern Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer Disease Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Randy L Woltjer
- Department of Pathology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Thao Pham
- Department of Pathology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Julia Kofler
- Department of Pathology (Neuropathology), University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Julie A Schneider
- Departments of Pathology (Neuropathology) and Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Lei Yu
- Departments of Pathology (Neuropathology) and Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Dushyant P Purohit
- Department of Pathology, Neuropathology Brain Bank and Research CoRE, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place Box 1194, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Vahram Haroutunian
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Patrick R Hof
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sam Gandy
- Department of Psychiatry, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, Center for Cognitive Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mary Sano
- Department of Psychiatry, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Thomas G Beach
- Department of Neuropathology, Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, AZ, USA
| | - Wayne Poon
- Department of Neurology, Department of Epidemiology, Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, UC Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Claudia H Kawas
- Department of Neurology, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, UC Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - María M Corrada
- Department of Neurology, Department of Epidemiology, Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, UC Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Robert A Rissman
- Department of Neurosciences University of California and the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Jeff Metcalf
- Department of Neurosciences University of California and the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Sara Shuldberg
- Department of Neurosciences University of California and the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Bahar Salehi
- Department of Neurosciences University of California and the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Peter T Nelson
- Department of Pathology (Neuropathology) and Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - John Q Trojanowski
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Edward B Lee
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - David A Wolk
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Corey T McMillan
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - C Dirk Keene
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of f Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Caitlin S Latimer
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of f Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Thomas J Montine
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of f Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, USA
| | - Gabor G Kovacs
- Laboratory Medicine Program, Krembil Brain Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mirjam I Lutz
- Institute of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Fischer
- Department of Psychiatry, Danube Hospital, Vienna, Austria
| | - Richard J Perrin
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Department of Neurology, Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Nigel J Cairns
- College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Erin E Franklin
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Department of Neurology, Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Herbert T Cohen
- Departments of Medicine, Pathology, and Pharmacology, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Towfique Raj
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Inma Cobos
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, USA
| | - Bess Frost
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Alison Goate
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Charles L White Iii
- Department of Pathology (Neuropathology), University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - John F Crary
- Department of Pathology, Neuropathology Brain Bank and Research CoRE, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place Box 1194, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Nash Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
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Lastres-Becker I. Editorial: Tau Protein: Mechanisms From Health to Degeneration. Front Mol Neurosci 2021; 14:743986. [PMID: 34790096 PMCID: PMC8591092 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2021.743986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Lastres-Becker
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Paz (IdiPaz), Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas "Alberto Sols" UAM-CSIC, Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain.,School of Medicine, Instituto Teófilo Hernando, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
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Frontotemporal Lobar Dementia Mutant Tau Impairs Axonal Transport through a Protein Phosphatase 1γ-Dependent Mechanism. J Neurosci 2021; 41:9431-9451. [PMID: 34607969 PMCID: PMC8580143 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1914-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathologic tau modifications are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, but mechanisms of tau toxicity continue to be debated. Inherited mutations in tau cause early onset frontotemporal lobar dementias (FTLD-tau) and are commonly used to model mechanisms of tau toxicity in tauopathies. Previous work in the isolated squid axoplasm model demonstrated that several pathogenic forms of tau inhibit axonal transport through a mechanism involving activation of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1). Here, we determined that P301L and R5L FTLD mutant tau proteins elicit a toxic effect on axonal transport as monomeric proteins. We evaluated interactions of wild-type or mutant tau with specific PP1 isoforms (α, β, and γ) to examine how the interaction contributes to this toxic effect using primary rat hippocampal neurons from both sexes. Pull-down and bioluminescence resonance energy transfer experiments revealed selective interactions of wild-type tau with PP1α and PP1γ isoforms, but not PP1β, which were significantly increased by the P301L tau mutation. The results from proximity ligation assays confirmed the interaction in primary hippocampal neurons. Moreover, expression of FTLD-linked mutant tau in these neurons enhanced levels of active PP1, also increasing the pausing frequency of fluorescently labeled vesicles in both anterograde and retrograde directions. Knockdown of PP1γ, but not PP1α, rescued the cargo-pausing effects of P301L and R5L tau, a result replicated by deleting a phosphatase-activating domain in the amino terminus of P301L tau. These findings support a model of tau toxicity involving aberrant activation of a specific PP1γ-dependent pathway that disrupts axonal transport in neurons. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Tau pathology is closely associated with neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies, but the toxic mechanisms remain a debated topic. We previously proposed that pathologic tau forms induce dysfunction and degeneration through aberrant activation of a PP1-dependent pathway that disrupts axonal transport. Here, we show that tau directly interacts with specific PP1 isoforms, increasing levels of active PP1. Pathogenic tau mutations enhance this interaction, further increasing active PP1 levels and impairing axonal transport in isolated squid axoplasm and primary hippocampal neurons. Mutant-tau-mediated impairment of axonal transport was mediated by PP1γ and a phosphatase-activating domain located at the amino terminus of tau. This work has important implications for understanding and potentially mitigating tau-mediated neurotoxicity in tauopathies.
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12
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Jiang L, Lin W, Zhang C, Ash PEA, Verma M, Kwan J, van Vliet E, Yang Z, Cruz AL, Boudeau S, Maziuk BF, Lei S, Song J, Alvarez VE, Hovde S, Abisambra JF, Kuo MH, Kanaan N, Murray ME, Crary JF, Zhao J, Cheng JX, Petrucelli L, Li H, Emili A, Wolozin B. Interaction of tau with HNRNPA2B1 and N 6-methyladenosine RNA mediates the progression of tauopathy. Mol Cell 2021; 81:4209-4227.e12. [PMID: 34453888 PMCID: PMC8541906 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.07.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The microtubule-associated protein tau oligomerizes, but the actions of oligomeric tau (oTau) are unknown. We have used Cry2-based optogenetics to induce tau oligomers (oTau-c). Optical induction of oTau-c elicits tau phosphorylation, aggregation, and a translational stress response that includes stress granules and reduced protein synthesis. Proteomic analysis identifies HNRNPA2B1 as a principle target of oTau-c. The association of HNRNPA2B1 with endogenous oTau was verified in neurons, animal models, and human Alzheimer brain tissues. Mechanistic studies demonstrate that HNRNPA2B1 functions as a linker, connecting oTau with N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modified RNA transcripts. Knockdown of HNRNPA2B1 prevents oTau or oTau-c from associating with m6A or from reducing protein synthesis and reduces oTau-induced neurodegeneration. Levels of m6A and the m6A-oTau-HNRNPA2B1 complex are increased up to 5-fold in the brains of Alzheimer subjects and P301S tau mice. These results reveal a complex containing oTau, HNRNPA2B1, and m6A that contributes to the integrated stress response of oTau.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lulu Jiang
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Weiwei Lin
- Center for Network Systems Biology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Cheng Zhang
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Peter E A Ash
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Mamta Verma
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Julian Kwan
- Center for Network Systems Biology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Emily van Vliet
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Zhuo Yang
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Anna Lourdes Cruz
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Samantha Boudeau
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Brandon F Maziuk
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Shuwen Lei
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Jaehyup Song
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Victor E Alvarez
- Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Stacy Hovde
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Jose F Abisambra
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Min-Hao Kuo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Nicholas Kanaan
- Department of Translational Science and Molecular Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
| | - Melissa E Murray
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - John F Crary
- Department of Pathology, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Jian Zhao
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02459, USA
| | - Ji-Xin Cheng
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02459, USA
| | | | - Hu Li
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Andrew Emili
- Center for Network Systems Biology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Benjamin Wolozin
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA; Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA; Center for Neurophotonics, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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13
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Mueller RL, Combs B, Alhadidy MM, Brady ST, Morfini GA, Kanaan NM. Tau: A Signaling Hub Protein. Front Mol Neurosci 2021; 14:647054. [PMID: 33815057 PMCID: PMC8017207 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2021.647054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Over four decades ago, in vitro experiments showed that tau protein interacts with and stabilizes microtubules in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. This observation fueled the widespread hypotheses that these properties extend to living neurons and that reduced stability of microtubules represents a major disease-driving event induced by pathological forms of tau in Alzheimer’s disease and other tauopathies. Accordingly, most research efforts to date have addressed this protein as a substrate, focusing on evaluating how specific mutations, phosphorylation, and other post-translational modifications impact its microtubule-binding and stabilizing properties. In contrast, fewer efforts were made to illuminate potential mechanisms linking physiological and disease-related forms of tau to the normal and pathological regulation of kinases and phosphatases. Here, we discuss published work indicating that, through interactions with various kinases and phosphatases, tau may normally act as a scaffolding protein to regulate phosphorylation-based signaling pathways. Expanding on this concept, we also review experimental evidence linking disease-related tau species to the misregulation of these pathways. Collectively, the available evidence supports the participation of tau in multiple cellular processes sustaining neuronal and glial function through various mechanisms involving the scaffolding and regulation of selected kinases and phosphatases at discrete subcellular compartments. The notion that the repertoire of tau functions includes a role as a signaling hub should widen our interpretation of experimental results and increase our understanding of tau biology in normal and disease conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L Mueller
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States.,Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Benjamin Combs
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
| | - Mohammed M Alhadidy
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States.,Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Scott T Brady
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.,Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, United States
| | - Gerardo A Morfini
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.,Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, United States
| | - Nicholas M Kanaan
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States.,Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States.,Hauenstein Neuroscience Center, Mercy Health Saint Mary's, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
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14
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Morris SL, Tsai MY, Aloe S, Bechberger K, König S, Morfini G, Brady ST. Defined Tau Phosphospecies Differentially Inhibit Fast Axonal Transport Through Activation of Two Independent Signaling Pathways. Front Mol Neurosci 2021; 13:610037. [PMID: 33568975 PMCID: PMC7868336 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2020.610037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau protein is subject to phosphorylation by multiple kinases at more than 80 different sites. Some of these sites are associated with tau pathology and neurodegeneration, but other sites are modified in normal tau as well as in pathological tau. Although phosphorylation of tau at residues in the microtubule-binding repeats is thought to reduce tau association with microtubules, the functional consequences of other sites are poorly understood. The AT8 antibody recognizes a complex phosphoepitope site on tau that is detectable in a healthy brain but significantly increased in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies. Previous studies showed that phosphorylation of tau at the AT8 site leads to exposure of an N-terminal sequence that promotes activation of a protein phosphatase 1 (PP1)/glycogen synthase 3 (GSK3) signaling pathway, which inhibits kinesin-1-based anterograde fast axonal transport (FAT). This finding suggests that phosphorylation may control tau conformation and function. However, the AT8 includes three distinct phosphorylated amino acids that may be differentially phosphorylated in normal and disease conditions. To evaluate the effects of specific phosphorylation sites in the AT8 epitope, recombinant, pseudophosphorylated tau proteins were perfused into the isolated squid axoplasm preparation to determine their effects on axonal signaling pathways and FAT. Results from these studies suggest a mechanism where specific phosphorylation events differentially impact tau conformation, promoting activation of independent signaling pathways that differentially affect FAT. Implications of findings here to our understanding of tau function in health and disease conditions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L. Morris
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, United States
| | - Ming-Ying Tsai
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Sarah Aloe
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, United States
| | | | - Svenja König
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, United States
| | - Gerardo Morfini
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, United States
| | - Scott T. Brady
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, United States
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15
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Strong MJ, Donison NS, Volkening K. Alterations in Tau Metabolism in ALS and ALS-FTSD. Front Neurol 2020; 11:598907. [PMID: 33329356 PMCID: PMC7719764 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.598907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
There is increasing acceptance that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), classically considered a neurodegenerative disease affecting almost exclusively motor neurons, is syndromic with both clinical and biological heterogeneity. This is most evident in its association with a broad range of neuropsychological, behavioral, speech and language deficits [collectively termed ALS frontotemporal spectrum disorder (ALS-FTSD)]. Although the most consistent pathology of ALS and ALS-FTSD is a disturbance in TAR DNA binding protein 43 kDa (TDP-43) metabolism, alterations in microtubule-associated tau protein (tau) metabolism can also be observed in ALS-FTSD, most prominently as pathological phosphorylation at Thr175 (pThr175tau). pThr175 has been shown to promote exposure of the phosphatase activating domain (PAD) in the tau N-terminus with the consequent activation of GSK3β mediated phosphorylation at Thr231 (pThr231tau) leading to pathological oligomer formation. This pathological cascade of tau phosphorylation has been observed in chronic traumatic encephalopathy with ALS (CTE-ALS) and in both in vivo and in vitro experimental paradigms, suggesting that it is of critical relevance to the pathobiology of ALS-FTSD. It is also evident that the co-existence of alterations in the metabolism of TDP-43 and tau acts synergistically in a rodent model to exacerbate the pathology of either.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Strong
- Molecular Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada.,Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Neil S Donison
- Molecular Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada.,Neuroscience Graduate Program, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Kathryn Volkening
- Molecular Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada.,Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
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16
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Tau and Alpha Synuclein Synergistic Effect in Neurodegenerative Diseases: When the Periphery Is the Core. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21145030. [PMID: 32708732 PMCID: PMC7404325 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21145030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
In neuronal cells, tau is a microtubule-associated protein placed in axons and alpha synuclein is enriched at presynaptic terminals. They display a propensity to form pathologic aggregates, which are considered the underlying cause of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Their functional impairment induces loss of axonal transport, synaptic and mitochondrial disarray, leading to a "dying back" pattern of degeneration, which starts at the periphery of cells. In addition, pathologic spreading of alpha-synuclein from the peripheral nervous system to the brain through anatomical connectivity has been demonstrated for Parkinson's disease. Thus, examination of the extent and types of tau and alpha-synuclein in peripheral tissues and their relation to brain neurodegenerative diseases is of relevance since it may provide insights into patterns of protein aggregation and neurodegeneration. Moreover, peripheral nervous tissues are easily accessible in-vivo and can play a relevant role in the early diagnosis of these conditions. Up-to-date investigations of tau species in peripheral tissues are scant and have mainly been restricted to rodents, whereas, more evidence is available on alpha synuclein in peripheral tissues. Here we aim to review the literature on the functional role of tau and alpha synuclein in physiological conditions and disease at the axonal level, their distribution in peripheral tissues, and discuss possible commonalities/diversities as well as their interaction in proteinopathies.
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17
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Corsetti V, Borreca A, Latina V, Giacovazzo G, Pignataro A, Krashia P, Natale F, Cocco S, Rinaudo M, Malerba F, Florio R, Ciarapica R, Coccurello R, D’Amelio M, Ammassari-Teule M, Grassi C, Calissano P, Amadoro G. Passive immunotherapy for N-truncated tau ameliorates the cognitive deficits in two mouse Alzheimer's disease models. Brain Commun 2020; 2:fcaa039. [PMID: 32954296 PMCID: PMC7425324 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcaa039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Revised: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Clinical and neuropathological studies have shown that tau pathology better correlates with the severity of dementia than amyloid plaque burden, making tau an attractive target for the cure of Alzheimer's disease. We have explored whether passive immunization with the 12A12 monoclonal antibody (26-36aa of tau protein) could improve the Alzheimer's disease phenotype of two well-established mouse models, Tg2576 and 3xTg mice. 12A12 is a cleavage-specific monoclonal antibody which selectively binds the pathologically relevant neurotoxic NH226-230 fragment (i.e. NH2htau) of tau protein without cross-reacting with its full-length physiological form(s). We found out that intravenous administration of 12A12 monoclonal antibody into symptomatic (6 months old) animals: (i) reaches the hippocampus in its biologically active (antigen-binding competent) form and successfully neutralizes its target; (ii) reduces both pathological tau and amyloid precursor protein/amyloidβ metabolisms involved in early disease-associated synaptic deterioration; (iii) improves episodic-like type of learning/memory skills in hippocampal-based novel object recognition and object place recognition behavioural tasks; (iv) restores the specific up-regulation of the activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein involved in consolidation of experience-dependent synaptic plasticity; (v) relieves the loss of dendritic spine connectivity in pyramidal hippocampal CA1 neurons; (vi) rescues the Alzheimer's disease-related electrophysiological deficits in hippocampal long-term potentiation at the CA3-CA1 synapses; and (vii) mitigates the neuroinflammatory response (reactive gliosis). These findings indicate that the 20-22 kDa NH2-terminal tau fragment is crucial target for Alzheimer's disease therapy and prospect immunotherapy with 12A12 monoclonal antibody as safe (normal tau-preserving), beneficial approach in contrasting the early Amyloidβ-dependent and independent neuropathological and cognitive alterations in affected subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Antonella Borreca
- Humanitas University Laboratory of Pharmacology and Brain Pathology, Neuro Center, 20089 Milan, Italy
- Institute of Neuroscience, 20129 Milan, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Paraskevi Krashia
- IRCSS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00143 Rome, Italy
- Department of Medicine, University Campus Bio-Medico, 00128 Rome, Italy
- Department of Science and Technology for Humans and Environment, University Campus Bio-medico, 00128 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Natale
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Cocco
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Rinaudo
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | | | - Rita Florio
- European Brain Research Institute (EBRI), 00161 Rome, Italy
| | | | - Roberto Coccurello
- IRCSS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00143 Rome, Italy
- Institute for Complex Systems (ISC), CNR, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Marcello D’Amelio
- IRCSS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00143 Rome, Italy
- Department of Medicine, University Campus Bio-Medico, 00128 Rome, Italy
- Department of Science and Technology for Humans and Environment, University Campus Bio-medico, 00128 Rome, Italy
| | | | - Claudio Grassi
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
- Institute of Human Physiology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | | | - Giuseppina Amadoro
- European Brain Research Institute (EBRI), 00161 Rome, Italy
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology (IFT)–National Research Council (CNR), 00133 Rome, Italy
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18
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Umstead A, Vega IE. Tau13 Antibody Preferentially Immunoprecipitates High Molecular Weight Tau Proteins. J Alzheimers Dis 2019; 68:511-516. [PMID: 30814358 DOI: 10.3233/jad-181187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The accumulation of tau protein aggregates is a pathological hallmark in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. However, the identity of the toxic tau conformation that propagates and induces neurodegeneration is still unknown. Anti-tau antibodies are a common tool used to differentiate between normal and pathological-associated tau forms or as passive immunotherapy in the quest to interfere with tau-mediated neurodegeneration. Here, we show that Tau13, a tau N-terminal antibody, preferentially enriches high molecular weight tau species produced in a tauopathy mouse model and AD. The data suggest that Tau13 has higher affinity to specific tau conformation presence in higher molecular weight tau species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Umstead
- Department of Translational Science and Molecular Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Irving E Vega
- Department of Translational Science and Molecular Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA.,Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Center Core, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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19
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Christensen KR, Beach TG, Serrano GE, Kanaan NM. Pathogenic tau modifications occur in axons before the somatodendritic compartment in mossy fiber and Schaffer collateral pathways. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2019; 7:29. [PMID: 30819250 PMCID: PMC6394076 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-019-0675-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The deposition of tau pathology in Alzheimer's disease (AD) may occur first in axons of neurons and then progress back into the cell bodies to form neurofibrillary tangles, however, studies have not directly analyzed this relationship in relatively discrete circuits within the human hippocampus. In the early phases of tau deposition, both AT8 phosphorylation and exposure of the amino terminus of tau occurs in tauopathies, and these modifications are linked to mechanisms of synaptic and axonal dysfunction. Here, we examined the localization of these tau pathologies in well-characterized post-mortem human tissue samples from the hippocampus of 44 cases ranging between non-demented and mild cognitively impaired to capture a time at which intrahippocampal pathways show a range in the extent of tau deposition. The tissue sections were analyzed for AT8 (AT8 antibody), amino terminus exposure (TNT2 antibody), and amyloid-β (MOAB2 antibody) pathology in hippocampal strata containing the axons and neuronal cell bodies of the CA3-Schaffer collateral and dentate granule-mossy fiber pathways. We show that tau pathology first appears in the axonal compartment of affected neurons in the absence of observable tau pathology in the corresponding cell bodies in several cases. Additionally, deposition of tau in these intrahippocampal pathways was independent of the presence of Aβ plaques. We confirmed that the majority of tau pathology positive neuropil threads were axonal in origin and not dendritic using an axonal marker (i.e. SMI312 antibody) and somatodendritic marker (i.e. MAP2 antibody). Taken together, these results support the hypothesis that AT8 phosphorylation and amino terminus exposure are early pathological events and that the deposition of tau pathology, at least in the studied pathways, occurs first in the axonal compartment prior to observable pathology in the somata. These findings highlight the importance on targeting tau deposition, ideally in the initial phases of its deposition in axons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle R Christensen
- Department of Translational Science and Molecular Medicine, Michigan State University, College of Human Medicine, 400 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI, 49053, USA
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | | | | | - Nicholas M Kanaan
- Department of Translational Science and Molecular Medicine, Michigan State University, College of Human Medicine, 400 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI, 49053, USA.
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
- Hauenstein Neuroscience Center, Mercy Health Saint Mary's, Grand Rapids, MI, USA.
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20
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Jadhav S, Avila J, Schöll M, Kovacs GG, Kövari E, Skrabana R, Evans LD, Kontsekova E, Malawska B, de Silva R, Buee L, Zilka N. A walk through tau therapeutic strategies. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2019; 7:22. [PMID: 30767766 PMCID: PMC6376692 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-019-0664-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 178] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau neuronal and glial pathologies drive the clinical presentation of Alzheimer's disease and related human tauopathies. There is a growing body of evidence indicating that pathological tau species can travel from cell to cell and spread the pathology through the brain. Throughout the last decade, physiological and pathological tau have become attractive targets for AD therapies. Several therapeutic approaches have been proposed, including the inhibition of protein kinases or protein-3-O-(N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminyl)-L-serine/threonine Nacetylglucosaminyl hydrolase, the inhibition of tau aggregation, active and passive immunotherapies, and tau silencing by antisense oligonucleotides. New tau therapeutics, across the board, have demonstrated the ability to prevent or reduce tau lesions and improve either cognitive or motor impairment in a variety of animal models developing neurofibrillary pathology. The most advanced strategy for the treatment of human tauopathies remains immunotherapy, which has already reached the clinical stage of drug development. Tau vaccines or humanised antibodies target a variety of tau species either in the intracellular or extracellular spaces. Some of them recognise the amino-terminus or carboxy-terminus, while others display binding abilities to the proline-rich area or microtubule binding domains. The main therapeutic foci in existing clinical trials are on Alzheimer's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy and non-fluent primary progressive aphasia. Tau therapy offers a new hope for the treatment of many fatal brain disorders. First efficacy data from clinical trials will be available by the end of this decade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santosh Jadhav
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvorakovo nabrezie 10, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jesus Avila
- Centro de Biologia Molecular "Severo Ochoa", Consejo Superior de Investigaciones, Cientificas, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, C/ Nicolas Cabrera, 1. Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain
- Networking Research Center on Neurodegenerative, Diseases (CIBERNED), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Michael Schöll
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of, Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
- Dementia Research Centre, University College London, London, UK
| | - Gabor G Kovacs
- Institute of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, AKH 4J, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1097, Vienna, Austria
| | - Enikö Kövari
- Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Rostislav Skrabana
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvorakovo nabrezie 10, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Lewis D Evans
- Gurdon Institute and Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK
| | - Eva Kontsekova
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvorakovo nabrezie 10, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Barbara Malawska
- Department of Physicochemical Drug Analysis, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Medyczna 9, 30-688, Cracow, Poland
| | - Rohan de Silva
- Reta Lila Weston Institute and Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, 1 Wakefield Street, London, WC1N 1PJ, UK
| | - Luc Buee
- Universite of Lille, Inserm, CHU-Lille, UMRS1172, Alzheimer & Tauopathies, Place de Verdun, 59045, Lille cedex, France.
| | - Norbert Zilka
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvorakovo nabrezie 10, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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21
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Combs B, Mueller RL, Morfini G, Brady ST, Kanaan NM. Tau and Axonal Transport Misregulation in Tauopathies. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1184:81-95. [PMID: 32096030 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-32-9358-8_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein that is involved in both normal and pathological processes in neurons. Since the discovery and characterization of tau over 40 years ago, our understanding of tau's normal functions and toxic roles in neurodegenerative tauopathies has continued to expand. Fast axonal transport is a critical process for maintaining axons and functioning synapses, critical subcellular compartments underlying neuronal connectivity. Signs of fast axonal transport disruption are pervasive in Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies and various mechanisms have been proposed for regulation of fast axonal transport by tau. Post-translational modifications of tau including phosphorylation at specific sites, FTDP-17 point mutations, and oligomerization, confer upon tau a toxic effect on fast axonal transport. Consistent with the well-established dependence of axons on fast axonal transport, these disease-related modifications are closely associated temporally and spatially with axonal degeneration in the early disease stages. These factors position tau as a potentially critical factor mediating the disruption of fast axonal transport that precedes synaptic dysfunction and axonal degeneration at later disease stages. In this chapter, we review the evidence that tau affects fast axonal transport and examine several potential mechanisms proposed to underlie this toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Combs
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Rebecca L Mueller
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA.,Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Gerardo Morfini
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.,Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | - Scott T Brady
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.,Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | - Nicholas M Kanaan
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA. .,Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA. .,Hauenstein Neuroscience Center, Mercy Health Saint Mary's, Grand Rapids, MI, USA.
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22
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Maziuk BF, Apicco DJ, Cruz AL, Jiang L, Ash PEA, da Rocha EL, Zhang C, Yu WH, Leszyk J, Abisambra JF, Li H, Wolozin B. RNA binding proteins co-localize with small tau inclusions in tauopathy. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2018; 6:71. [PMID: 30068389 PMCID: PMC6069705 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-018-0574-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 07/19/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of insoluble, intracellular neurofibrillary tangles composed of the microtubule-associated protein tau is a defining feature of tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Accumulating evidence suggests that tau pathology co-localizes with RNA binding proteins (RBPs) that are known markers for stress granules (SGs). Here we used proteomics to determine how the network of tau binding proteins changes with disease in the rTg4510 mouse, and then followed up with immunohistochemistry to identify RNA binding proteins that co-localize with tau pathology. The tau interactome networks revealed striking disease-related changes in interactions between tau and a multiple RBPs, and biochemical fractionation studies demonstrated that many of these proteins including hnRNPA0, EWSR1, PABP and RPL7 form insoluble aggregates as tau pathology develops. Immunohistochemical analysis of mouse and human brain tissues suggest a model of evolving pathological interaction, in which RBPs co-localize with pathological phospho-tau but occur adjacent to larger pathological tau inclusions. We suggest a model in which tau initially interacts with RBPs in small complexes, but evolves into isolated aggregated inclusions as tau pathology matures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon F Maziuk
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Daniel J Apicco
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anna Lourdes Cruz
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lulu Jiang
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Peter E A Ash
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Wai Haung Yu
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Taub Institute for Alzheimer's Disease Research, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - John Leszyk
- University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Jose F Abisambra
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, Department of Physiology, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, and Epilepsy Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Hu Li
- Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Benjamin Wolozin
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology and Neurology Program in Neuroscience, Boston University School of Medicine, 72 East Concord St., R614, Boston, MA, 02118-2526, USA.
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23
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Combs B, Tiernan CT, Hamel C, Kanaan NM. Production of recombinant tau oligomers in vitro. Methods Cell Biol 2017; 141:45-64. [PMID: 28882311 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2017.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The pathological aggregation of the tau protein is a common characteristic of many neurodegenerative diseases. There is strong interest in characterizing the potentially toxic nature of tau oligomers. These nonfibrillar, soluble multimers appear to be more toxic than neurofibrillary tangles made up of filamentous tau. However, reliable production, purification, and verification of tau oligomers can provide certain challenges. Here, we provide a series of methods that address these issues. First, recombinant tau is produced using Escherichia coli, purified through affinity, size-exclusion, and anion-exchange chromatography steps and quantified using an SDS Lowry protein quantitation assay. Aggregation of tau is induced using arachidonic acid, and oligomers are purified by centrifugation over a sucrose step gradient. Finally, we describe a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that utilizes the tau oligomer-specific TOC1 antibody to confirm the presence of oligomeric tau. Together, these steps provide a very simple and reliable method for producing tau oligomers that can be used in downstream applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Combs
- College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
| | - Chelsea T Tiernan
- College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
| | - Chelsey Hamel
- College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
| | - Nicholas M Kanaan
- College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States; Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States; Hauenstein Neuroscience Center, Mercy Health Saint Mary's, Grand Rapids, MI, United States.
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