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Clayton EL, Huggon L, Cousin MA, Mizielinska S. Synaptopathy: presynaptic convergence in frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Brain 2024; 147:2289-2307. [PMID: 38451707 PMCID: PMC11224618 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awae074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are common forms of neurodegenerative disease that share overlapping genetics and pathologies. Crucially, no significantly disease-modifying treatments are available for either disease. Identifying the earliest changes that initiate neuronal dysfunction is important for designing effective intervention therapeutics. The genes mutated in genetic forms of frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis have diverse cellular functions, and multiple disease mechanisms have been proposed for both. Identification of a convergent disease mechanism in frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis would focus research for a targetable pathway, which could potentially effectively treat all forms of frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (both familial and sporadic). Synaptopathies are diseases resulting from physiological dysfunction of synapses, and define the earliest stages in multiple neuronal diseases, with synapse loss a key feature in dementia. At the presynapse, the process of synaptic vesicle recruitment, fusion and recycling is necessary for activity-dependent neurotransmitter release. The unique distal location of the presynaptic terminal means the tight spatio-temporal control of presynaptic homeostasis is dependent on efficient local protein translation and degradation. Recently, numerous publications have shown that mutations associated with frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis present with synaptopathy characterized by presynaptic dysfunction. This review will describe the complex local signalling and membrane trafficking events that occur at the presynapse to facilitate neurotransmission and will summarize recent publications linking frontotemporal dementia/amyotrophic lateral sclerosis genetic mutations to presynaptic function. This evidence indicates that presynaptic synaptopathy is an early and convergent event in frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and illustrates the need for further research in this area, to identify potential therapeutic targets with the ability to impact this convergent pathomechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L Clayton
- UK Dementia Research Institute at King’s College London, London SE5 9RT, UK
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, London SE5 9RT, UK
| | - Laura Huggon
- UK Dementia Research Institute at King’s College London, London SE5 9RT, UK
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, London SE5 9RT, UK
| | - Michael A Cousin
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
- Muir Maxwell Epilepsy Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Sarah Mizielinska
- UK Dementia Research Institute at King’s College London, London SE5 9RT, UK
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, London SE5 9RT, UK
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Yao Y, Muench M, Alle T, Zhang B, Lucero B, Perez‐Tremble R, McGrosso D, Newman M, Gonzalez DJ, Lee VM, Ballatore C, Brunden KR. A small-molecule microtubule-stabilizing agent safely reduces Aβ plaque and tau pathology in transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimers Dement 2024; 20:4540-4558. [PMID: 38884283 PMCID: PMC11247666 DOI: 10.1002/alz.13875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Intraneuronal inclusions composed of tau protein are found in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies. Tau normally binds microtubules (MTs), and its disengagement from MTs and misfolding in AD is thought to result in MT abnormalities. We previously identified triazolopyrimidine-containing MT-stabilizing compounds that provided benefit in AD mouse models and herein describe the characterization and efficacy testing of an optimized candidate, CNDR-51997. METHODS CNDR-51997 underwent pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, safety pharmacology, and mouse tolerability testing. In addition, the compound was examined for efficacy in 5XFAD amyloid beta (Aβ) plaque mice and PS19 tauopathy mice. RESULTS CNDR-51997 significantly reduced Aβ plaques in 5XFAD mice and tau pathology in PS19 mice, with the latter also showing attenuated axonal dystrophy and gliosis. CNDR-51997 was well tolerated at doses that exceeded efficacy doses, with a good safety pharmacology profile. DISCUSSION CNDR-51997 may be a candidate for advancement as a potential therapeutic agent for AD and/or other tauopathies. Highlights There is evidence of microtubule alterations (MT) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain and in mouse models of AD pathology. Intermittent dosing with an optimized, brain-penetrant MT-stabilizing small-molecule, CNDR-51997, reduced both Aβ plaque and tau inclusion pathology in established mouse models of AD. CNDR-51997 attenuated axonal dystrophy and gliosis in a tauopathy mouse model, with a strong trend toward reduced hippocampal neuron loss. CNDR-51997 is well tolerated in mice at doses that are meaningfully greater than required for efficacy in AD mouse models, and the compound has a good safety pharmacology profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuemang Yao
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease ResearchPerelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Megan Muench
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease ResearchPerelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Thibault Alle
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of CaliforniaSan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Bin Zhang
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease ResearchPerelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Bobby Lucero
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of CaliforniaSan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Roxanne Perez‐Tremble
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease ResearchPerelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Dominic McGrosso
- Department of PharmacologyUniversity of CaliforniaSan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Mira Newman
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease ResearchPerelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - David J. Gonzalez
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of CaliforniaSan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
- Department of PharmacologyUniversity of CaliforniaSan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Virginia M.‐Y. Lee
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease ResearchPerelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Carlo Ballatore
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of CaliforniaSan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Kurt R. Brunden
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease ResearchPerelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
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Sun Y, Islam S, Gao Y, Nakamura T, Tomita T, Michikawa M, Zou K. Presenilin deficiency enhances tau phosphorylation and its secretion. J Neurochem 2024. [PMID: 38946496 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.16155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the accumulation of abnormally folded amyloid β-protein (Aβ) in the brain parenchyma and phosphorylated tau in neurons. Presenilin (PS, PSEN) 1 and PS2 are essential components of γ-secretase, which is responsible for the cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) to generate Aβ. PSEN mutations are associated with tau aggregation in frontotemporal dementia, regardless of the presence or absence of Aβ pathology. However, the mechanism by which PS regulates tau aggregation is still unknown. Here, we found that tau phosphorylation and secretion were significantly increased in PS double-knock-out (PS1/2-/-) fibroblasts compared with wild-type fibroblasts. Tau-positive vesicles in the cytoplasm were significantly increased in PS1/2-/- fibroblasts. Active GSK-3β was increased in PS1/2-/- fibroblasts, and inhibiting GSK3β activity in PS1/2-/- fibroblasts resulted in decreased tau phosphorylation and secretion. Transfection of WT human PS1 and PS2 reduced the secretion of phosphorylated tau and active GSK-3β in PS1/2-/- fibroblasts. However, PS1D257A without γ-secretase activity did not decrease the secretion of phosphorylated tau. Furthermore, nicastrin deficiency also increased tau phosphorylation and secretion. These results suggest that deficient PS complex maturation may increase tau phosphorylation and secretion. Thus, our studies discover a new pathway by which PS regulates tau phosphorylation/secretion and pathology independent of Aβ and suggest that PS serves as a potential therapeutic target for treating neurodegenerative diseases involving tau aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Sun
- Department of Biochemistry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Sadequl Islam
- Department of Biochemistry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Yuan Gao
- Department of Biochemistry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Tomohisa Nakamura
- Department of Biochemistry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Taisuke Tomita
- Laboratory of Neuropathology and Neuroscience, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Makoto Michikawa
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, School of Life Dentistry at Niigata, The Nippon Dental University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Kun Zou
- Department of Biochemistry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan
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Langerscheidt F, Wied T, Al Kabbani MA, van Eimeren T, Wunderlich G, Zempel H. Genetic forms of tauopathies: inherited causes and implications of Alzheimer's disease-like TAU pathology in primary and secondary tauopathies. J Neurol 2024; 271:2992-3018. [PMID: 38554150 PMCID: PMC11136742 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-024-12314-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024]
Abstract
Tauopathies are a heterogeneous group of neurologic diseases characterized by pathological axodendritic distribution, ectopic expression, and/or phosphorylation and aggregation of the microtubule-associated protein TAU, encoded by the gene MAPT. Neuronal dysfunction, dementia, and neurodegeneration are common features of these often detrimental diseases. A neurodegenerative disease is considered a primary tauopathy when MAPT mutations/haplotypes are its primary cause and/or TAU is the main pathological feature. In case TAU pathology is observed but superimposed by another pathological hallmark, the condition is classified as a secondary tauopathy. In some tauopathies (e.g. MAPT-associated frontotemporal dementia (FTD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), and Alzheimer's disease (AD)) TAU is recognized as a significant pathogenic driver of the disease. In many secondary tauopathies, including Parkinson's disease (PD) and Huntington's disease (HD), TAU is suggested to contribute to the development of dementia, but in others (e.g. Niemann-Pick disease (NPC)) TAU may only be a bystander. The genetic and pathological mechanisms underlying TAU pathology are often not fully understood. In this review, the genetic predispositions and variants associated with both primary and secondary tauopathies are examined in detail, assessing evidence for the role of TAU in these conditions. We highlight less common genetic forms of tauopathies to increase awareness for these disorders and the involvement of TAU in their pathology. This approach not only contributes to a deeper understanding of these conditions but may also lay the groundwork for potential TAU-based therapeutic interventions for various tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Langerscheidt
- Institute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Tamara Wied
- Institute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
- Department of Natural Sciences, Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, Von-Liebig-Str. 20, 53359, Rheinbach, Germany
| | - Mohamed Aghyad Al Kabbani
- Institute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Thilo van Eimeren
- Multimodal Neuroimaging Group, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50937, Cologne, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50937, Cologne, Germany
| | - Gilbert Wunderlich
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50937, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Rare Diseases, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Hans Zempel
- Institute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany.
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany.
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Shippy DC, Oliai SF, Ulland TK. Zinc utilization by microglia in Alzheimer's disease. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107306. [PMID: 38648940 PMCID: PMC11103939 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia defined by two key pathological characteristics in the brain, amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) composed of hyperphosphorylated tau. Microglia, the primary innate immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS), provide neuroprotection through Aβ and tau clearance but may also be neurotoxic by promoting neuroinflammation to exacerbate Aβ and tau pathogenesis in AD. Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of microglial utilization of nutrients and trace metals in controlling their activation and effector functions. Trace metals, such as zinc, have essential roles in brain health and immunity, and zinc dyshomeostasis has been implicated in AD pathogenesis. As a result of these advances, the mechanisms by which zinc homeostasis influences microglial-mediated neuroinflammation in AD is a topic of continuing interest since new strategies to treat AD are needed. Here, we review the roles of zinc in AD, including zinc activation of microglia, the associated neuroinflammatory response, and the application of these findings in new therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel C Shippy
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Sophia F Oliai
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Tyler K Ulland
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
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Li S, Roy ER, Wang Y, Watkins T, Cao W. DLK-MAPK Signaling Coupled with DNA Damage Promotes Intrinsic Neurotoxicity Associated with Non-Mutated Tau. Mol Neurobiol 2024; 61:2978-2995. [PMID: 37955806 PMCID: PMC11043018 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03720-1] [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: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of neurodegeneration. Despite the well-established link between tau aggregation and clinical progression, the major pathways driven by this protein to intrinsically damage neurons are incompletely understood. To model AD-relevant neurodegeneration driven by tau, we overexpressed non-mutated human tau in primary mouse neurons and observed substantial axonal degeneration and cell death, a process accompanied by activated caspase 3. Mechanistically, we detected deformation of the nuclear envelope and increased DNA damage response in tau-expressing neurons. Gene profiling analysis further revealed significant alterations in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway; moreover, inhibitors of dual leucine zipper kinase (DLK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) were effective in alleviating wild-type human tau-induced neurodegeneration. In contrast, mutant P301L human tau was less toxic to neurons, despite causing comparable DNA damage. Axonal DLK activation induced by wild-type tau potentiated the impact of DNA damage response, resulting in overt neurotoxicity. In summary, we have established a cellular tauopathy model highly relevant to AD and identified a functional synergy between the DLK-MAPK axis and DNA damage response in the neuronal degenerative process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanming Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Ethan R Roy
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Yanyu Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Trent Watkins
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Wei Cao
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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7
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Ackmann J, Brüge A, Gotina L, Lim S, Jahreis K, Vollbrecht AL, Kim YK, Pae AN, Labus J, Ponimaskin E. Structural determinants for activation of the Tau kinase CDK5 by the serotonin receptor 5-HT7R. Cell Commun Signal 2024; 22:233. [PMID: 38641599 PMCID: PMC11031989 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-024-01612-y] [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: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Multiple neurodegenerative diseases are induced by the formation and deposition of protein aggregates. In particular, the microtubule-associated protein Tau leads to the development of so-called tauopathies characterized by the aggregation of hyperphosphorylated Tau within neurons. We recently showed that the constitutive activity of the serotonin receptor 7 (5-HT7R) is required for Tau hyperphosphorylation and aggregation through activation of the cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5). We also demonstrated physical interaction between 5-HT7R and CDK5 at the plasma membrane suggesting that the 5-HT7R/CDK5 complex is an integral part of the signaling network involved in Tau-mediated pathology. METHODS Using biochemical, microscopic, molecular biological, computational and AI-based approaches, we investigated structural requirements for the formation of 5-HT7R/CDK5 complex. RESULTS We demonstrated that 5-HT7R domains responsible for coupling to Gs proteins are not involved in receptor interaction with CDK5. We also created a structural model of the 5-HT7R/CDK5 complex and refined the interaction interface. The model predicted two conserved phenylalanine residues, F278 and F281, within the third intracellular loop of 5-HT7R to be potentially important for complex formation. While site-directed mutagenesis of these residues did not influence Gs protein-mediated receptor signaling, replacement of both phenylalanines by alanine residues significantly reduced 5-HT7R/CDK5 interaction and receptor-mediated CDK5 activation, leading to reduced Tau hyperphosphorylation and aggregation. Molecular dynamics simulations of 5-HT7R/CDK5 complex for wild-type and receptor mutants confirmed binding interface stability of the initial model. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide a structural basis for the development of novel drugs targeting the 5-HT7R/CDK5 interaction interface for the selective treatment of Tau-related disorders, including frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Ackmann
- Department of Cellular Neurophysiology, Institute for Neurophysiology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Alina Brüge
- Department of Cellular Neurophysiology, Institute for Neurophysiology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Lizaveta Gotina
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Sungsu Lim
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kathrin Jahreis
- Department of Cellular Neurophysiology, Institute for Neurophysiology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Anna-Lena Vollbrecht
- Department of Cellular Neurophysiology, Institute for Neurophysiology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Yun Kyung Kim
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Ae Nim Pae
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Josephine Labus
- Department of Cellular Neurophysiology, Institute for Neurophysiology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Evgeni Ponimaskin
- Department of Cellular Neurophysiology, Institute for Neurophysiology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
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Powell WC, Nahum M, Pankratz K, Herlory M, Greenwood J, Poliyenko D, Holland P, Jing R, Biggerstaff L, Stowell MHB, Walczak MA. Post-Translational Modifications Control Phase Transitions of Tau. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.08.583040. [PMID: 38559065 PMCID: PMC10979912 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.08.583040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The self-assembly of Tau(297-391) into filaments, which mirror the structures observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains, raises questions about the role of AD-specific post-translational modifications (PTMs) in the formation of paired helical filaments (PHFs). To investigate this, we developed a synthetic approach to produce Tau(291-391) featuring N-acetyllysine, phosphoserine, phosphotyrosine, and N-glycosylation at positions commonly modified in post-mortem AD brains, thus facilitating the study of their roles in Tau pathology. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), and a range of optical microscopy techniques, we discovered that these modifications generally hinder the in vitro assembly of Tau into PHFs. Interestingly, while acetylation's effect on Tau assembly displayed variability, either promoting or inhibiting phase transitions in the context of cofactor free aggregation, heparin-induced aggregation, and RNA-mediated liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), phosphorylation uniformly mitigated these processes. Our observations suggest that PTMs, particularly those situated outside the fibril's rigid core are pivotal in the nucleation of PHFs. Moreover, in scenarios involving heparin-induced aggregation leading to the formation of heterogeneous aggregates, most AD-specific PTMs, except for K311, appeared to decelerate the aggregation process. The impact of acetylation on RNA-induced LLPS was notably site-dependent, exhibiting both facilitative and inhibitory effects, whereas phosphorylation consistently reduced LLPS across all proteoforms examined. These insights underscore the complex interplay between site-specific PTMs and environmental factors in modulating Tau aggregation kinetics, enhancing our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of Tau pathology in AD and highlighting the critical role of PTMs located outside the ordered filament core in driving the self-assembly of Tau into PHF structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wyatt C. Powell
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - McKinley Nahum
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Karl Pankratz
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Morgane Herlory
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - James Greenwood
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Darya Poliyenko
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Patrick Holland
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Ruiheng Jing
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Luke Biggerstaff
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Michael H. B. Stowell
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Maciej A. Walczak
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
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Lane-Donovan C, Boxer AL. Disentangling tau: One protein, many therapeutic approaches. Neurotherapeutics 2024; 21:e00321. [PMID: 38278659 PMCID: PMC10963923 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurot.2024.e00321] [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: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The tauopathies encompass over 20 adult neurodegenerative diseases and are characterized by the dysfunction and accumulation of insoluble tau protein. Among them, Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and progressive supranuclear palsy collectively impact millions of patients and their families worldwide. Despite years of drug development using a variety of mechanisms of action, no therapeutic directed against tau has been approved for clinical use. This raises important questions about our current model of tau pathology and invites thoughtful consideration of our approach to nonclinical models and clinical trial design. In this article, we review what is known about the biology and genetics of tau, placing it in the context of current and failed clinical trials. We highlight potential reasons for the lack of success to date and offer suggestions for new pathways in therapeutic development. Overall, our viewpoint to the future is optimistic for this important group of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney Lane-Donovan
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Adam L Boxer
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
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Pathak C, Kabra UD. A comprehensive review of multi-target directed ligands in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Bioorg Chem 2024; 144:107152. [PMID: 38290187 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107152] [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: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia affecting specifically older population. AD is an irreversible neurodegenerative CNS disorder associated with complex pathophysiology. Presently, the USFDA has approved only four drugs viz. Donepezil, Rivastigmine, Memantine, and Galantamine for the treatment of AD. These drugs exhibit their neuroprotective effects either by inhibiting cholinesterase enzyme (ChE) or N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. However, the conventional therapy "one target, one molecule" has failed to provide promising therapeutic effects due to the multifactorial nature of AD. This triggered the development of a novel strategy called Multi-Target Directed Ligand (MTDL) which involved designing one molecule that acts on multiple targets simultaneously. The present review discusses the detailed pathology involved in AD and the various MTDL design strategies bearing different heterocycles, in vitro and in vivo activities of the compounds, and their corresponding structure-activity relationships. This knowledge will allow us to identify and design more effective MTDLs for the treatment of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandni Pathak
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Parul Institute of Pharmacy, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat, India
| | - Uma D Kabra
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Parul Institute of Pharmacy, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat, India.
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Bukhari H, Nithianandam V, Battaglia RA, Cicalo A, Sarkar S, Comjean A, Hu Y, Leventhal MJ, Dong X, Feany MB. Transcriptional programs mediating neuronal toxicity and altered glial-neuronal signaling in a Drosophila knock-in tauopathy model. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.02.578624. [PMID: 38352559 PMCID: PMC10862891 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.02.578624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Missense mutations in the gene encoding the microtubule-associated protein tau cause autosomal dominant forms of frontotemporal dementia. Multiple models of frontotemporal dementia based on transgenic expression of human tau in experimental model organisms, including Drosophila, have been described. These models replicate key features of the human disease, but do not faithfully recreate the genetic context of the human disorder. Here we use CRISPR-Cas mediated gene editing to model frontotemporal dementia caused by the tau P301L mutation by creating the orthologous mutation, P251L, in the endogenous Drosophila tau gene. Flies heterozygous or homozygous for tau P251L display age-dependent neurodegeneration, metabolic defects and accumulate DNA damage in affected neurons. To understand the molecular events promoting neuronal dysfunction and death in knock-in flies we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on approximately 130,000 cells from brains of tau P251L mutant and control flies. We found that expression of disease-associated mutant tau altered gene expression cell autonomously in all neuronal cell types identified and non-cell autonomously in glial cells. Cell signaling pathways, including glial-neuronal signaling, were broadly dysregulated as were brain region and cell-type specific protein interaction networks and gene regulatory programs. In summary, we present here a genetic model of tauopathy, which faithfully recapitulates the genetic context and phenotypic features of the human disease and use the results of comprehensive single cell sequencing analysis to outline pathways of neurotoxicity and highlight the role of non-cell autonomous changes in glia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Bukhari
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
| | - Vanitha Nithianandam
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
| | - Rachel A. Battaglia
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
| | - Anthony Cicalo
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Hub, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115
| | - Souvarish Sarkar
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Aram Comjean
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Yanhui Hu
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Matthew J. Leventhal
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- MIT Ph.D. Program in Computational and Systems Biology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Xianjun Dong
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Hub, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115
| | - Mel B. Feany
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
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12
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Pounot K, Piersson C, Goring AK, Rosu F, Gabelica V, Weik M, Han S, Fichou Y. Mutations in Tau Protein Promote Aggregation by Favoring Extended Conformations. JACS AU 2024; 4:92-100. [PMID: 38274251 PMCID: PMC10806773 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.3c00550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Amyloid aggregation of the intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) tau is involved in several diseases, called tauopathies. Some tauopathies can be inherited due to mutations in the gene encoding tau, which might favor the formation of tau amyloid fibrils. This work aims at deciphering the mechanisms through which the disease-associated single-point mutations promote amyloid formation. We combined biochemical and biophysical characterization, notably, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), to study six different FTDP-17 derived mutations. We found that the mutations promote aggregation to different degrees and can modulate tau conformational ensembles, intermolecular interactions, and liquid-liquid phase separation propensity. In particular, we found a good correlation between the aggregation lag time of the mutants and their radii of gyration. We show that mutations disfavor intramolecular protein interactions, which in turn favor extended conformations and promote amyloid aggregation. This work proposes a new connection between the structural features of tau monomers and their propensity to aggregate, providing a novel assay to evaluate the aggregation propensity of IDPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Pounot
- Univ.
Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, Institut de Biologie Structurale, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Clara Piersson
- Univ.
Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, CBMN, UMR 5248, IECB, 33600 Pessac, France
| | - Andrew K. Goring
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Frédéric Rosu
- Univ.
Bordeaux, CNRS, INSERM, IECB, UAR3033, US01, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - Valérie Gabelica
- Univ.
Bordeaux, CNRS, INSERM, IECB, UAR3033, US01, F-33600 Pessac, France
- Univ.
Bordeaux, CNRS, INSERM, ARNA, UMR5320, U1212, IECB, 33600 Pessac, France
| | - Martin Weik
- Univ.
Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, Institut de Biologie Structurale, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Songi Han
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, University of California
Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of California Santa Barbara, Santa
Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Yann Fichou
- Univ.
Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, CBMN, UMR 5248, IECB, 33600 Pessac, France
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13
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Smith ED, Vo Q, Giasson BI, Borchelt DR, Prokop S, Chakrabarty P. Human tauopathy strains defined by phosphorylation in R1-R2 repeat domains of tau. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2023; 11:172. [PMID: 37891635 PMCID: PMC10612232 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01664-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Distinctive post-translational modifications (PTM) characterize tau inclusions found in tauopathy patients. Using detergent-insoluble tau isolated from Alzheimer's disease (AD-tau) or Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP-tau) patients, we provide insights into whether phosphorylation of critical residues determine templated tau seeding. Our initial data with phosphorylation-ablating mutations (Ser/Thr → Ala) on select sites of P301L tau showed no changes in seeding efficacy by AD-tau or PSP-tau. Interestingly, when specific sites in the R1-R2 repeat domains (Ser262/Thr263/Ser289/Ser305) were mutated to phosphorylation-mimicking amino acid Glu, it substantially reduced the seeding efficiency of AD-tau, but not PSP-tau seeds. The resultant detergent-insoluble tau shows deficient phosphorylation on AT8, AT100, AT180 and PHF1 epitopes, indicating inter-domain cooperativity. We further identify Ser305 as a critical determinant of AD-tau-specific seeding, whereby the phospho-mimicking Ser305Glu tau abrogates seeding by AD-tau but not PSP-tau. This suggests that phosphorylation on Ser305 could be related to the formation of disease-specific tau strains. Our results highlight the existence of a phospho-PTM code in tau seeding and further demonstrate the distinctive nature of this code in 4R tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan D Smith
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida, 1275 Center Drive, BMS J484, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Quan Vo
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida, 1275 Center Drive, BMS J484, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Benoit I Giasson
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida, 1275 Center Drive, BMS J484, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
- McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - David R Borchelt
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida, 1275 Center Drive, BMS J484, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
- McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Stefan Prokop
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida, 1275 Center Drive, BMS J484, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
- Department of Pathology, Immunology & Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
- Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Paramita Chakrabarty
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida, 1275 Center Drive, BMS J484, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA.
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14
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Wang C, Terrigno M, Li J, Distler T, Pandya NJ, Ebeling M, Tyanova S, Hoozemans JJM, Dijkstra AA, Fuchs L, Xiang S, Bonni A, Grüninger F, Jagasia R. Increased G3BP2-Tau interaction in tauopathies is a natural defense against Tau aggregation. Neuron 2023; 111:2660-2674.e9. [PMID: 37385246 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.05.033] [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: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
Many RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), particularly those associated with RNA granules, promote pathological protein aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we demonstrate that G3BP2, a core component of stress granules, directly interacts with Tau and inhibits Tau aggregation. In the human brain, the interaction of G3BP2 and Tau is dramatically increased in multiple tauopathies, and it is independent of neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) formation in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Surprisingly, Tau pathology is significantly elevated upon loss of G3BP2 in human neurons and brain organoids. Moreover, we found that G3BP2 masks the microtubule-binding region (MTBR) of Tau, thereby inhibiting Tau aggregation. Our study defines a novel role for RBPs as a line of defense against Tau aggregation in tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Congwei Wang
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, 4070 Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Marco Terrigno
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Juan Li
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026 Anhui, China
| | - Tania Distler
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nikhil J Pandya
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Martin Ebeling
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stefka Tyanova
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jeroen J M Hoozemans
- Department of Pathology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Anke A Dijkstra
- Department of Pathology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Luisa Fuchs
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Shengqi Xiang
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026 Anhui, China
| | - Azad Bonni
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Fiona Grüninger
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ravi Jagasia
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, 4070 Basel, Switzerland.
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15
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Cario A, Berger CL. Tau, microtubule dynamics, and axonal transport: New paradigms for neurodegenerative disease. Bioessays 2023; 45:e2200138. [PMID: 37489532 PMCID: PMC10630968 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202200138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
The etiology of Tauopathies, a diverse class of neurodegenerative diseases associated with the Microtubule Associated Protein (MAP) Tau, is usually described by a common mechanism in which Tau dysfunction results in the loss of axonal microtubule stability. Here, we reexamine and build upon the canonical disease model to encompass other Tau functions. In addition to regulating microtubule dynamics, Tau acts as a modulator of motor proteins, a signaling hub, and a scaffolding protein. This diverse array of functions is related to the dynamic nature of Tau isoform expression, post-translational modification (PTM), and conformational flexibility. Thus, there is no single mechanism that can describe Tau dysfunction. The effects of specific pathogenic mutations or aberrant PTMs need to be examined on all of the various functions of Tau in order to understand the unique etiology of each disease state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alisa Cario
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
| | - Christopher L. Berger
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
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16
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Farfara D, Sooliman M, Avrahami L, Royal TG, Amram S, Rozenstein-Tsalkovich L, Trudler D, Blanga-Kanfi S, Eldar-Finkelman H, Pahnke J, Rosenmann H, Frenkel D. Physiological expression of mutated TAU impaired astrocyte activity and exacerbates β-amyloid pathology in 5xFAD mice. J Neuroinflammation 2023; 20:174. [PMID: 37496076 PMCID: PMC10369740 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-023-02823-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia in the world. The pathology of AD is affiliated with the elevation of both tau (τ) and β-amyloid (Aβ) pathologies. Yet, the direct link between natural τ expression on glia cell activity and Aβ remains unclear. While experiments in mouse models suggest that an increase in Aβ exacerbates τ pathology when expressed under a neuronal promoter, brain pathology from AD patients suggests an appearance of τ pathology in regions without Aβ. METHODS Here, we aimed to assess the link between τ and Aβ using a new mouse model that was generated by crossing a mouse model that expresses two human mutations of the human MAPT under a mouse Tau natural promoter with 5xFAD mice that express human mutated APP and PS1 in neurons. RESULTS The new mouse model, called 5xFAD TAU, shows accelerated cognitive impairment at 2 months of age, increased number of Aβ depositions at 4 months and neuritic plaques at 6 months of age. An expression of human mutated TAU in astrocytes leads to a dystrophic appearance and reduces their ability to engulf Aβ, which leads to an increased brain Aβ load. Astrocytes expressing mutated human TAU showed an impairment in the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) that has previously been suggested to play an important role in supporting neurons. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest the role of τ in exacerbating Aβ pathology in addition to pointing out the potential role of astrocytes in disease progression. Further research of the crosstalk between τ and Aβ in astrocytes may increase our understanding of the role glia cells have in the pathology of AD with the aim of identifying novel therapeutic interventions to an otherwise currently incurable disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorit Farfara
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Meital Sooliman
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Limor Avrahami
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler School of Medicine, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Tabitha Grace Royal
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shoshik Amram
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Lea Rozenstein-Tsalkovich
- Department of Neurology, The Agnes Ginges Center for Human Neurogenetics, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Dorit Trudler
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shani Blanga-Kanfi
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Hagit Eldar-Finkelman
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler School of Medicine, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Jens Pahnke
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- Section of Neuropathology, Translational Neurodegeneration Research and Neuropathology Lab, Department of Pathology, University of Oslo (UiO) and Oslo University Hospital (OUS), Oslo, Norway.
- Drug Development and Chemical Biology, Lübeck Institute of Dermatology (LIED), University Medical Center Schleswig Holstein (UKSH), LIED, Lübeck, Germany.
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia.
| | - Hanna Rosenmann
- Department of Neurology, The Agnes Ginges Center for Human Neurogenetics, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Dan Frenkel
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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17
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Needs HI, Wilkinson KA, Henley JM, Collinson I. Aggregation-prone Tau impairs mitochondrial import, which affects organelle morphology and neuronal complexity. J Cell Sci 2023; 136:jcs260993. [PMID: 37303235 PMCID: PMC10357015 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.260993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial protein import is essential for organellar biogenesis, and thereby for the sufficient supply of cytosolic ATP - which is particularly important for cells with high energy demands like neurons. This study explores the prospect of import machinery perturbation as a cause of neurodegeneration instigated by the accumulation of aggregating proteins linked to disease. We found that the aggregation-prone Tau variant (TauP301L) reduces the levels of components of the import machinery of the outer (TOM20, encoded by TOMM20) and inner membrane (TIM23, encoded by TIMM23) while associating with TOM40 (TOMM40). Intriguingly, this interaction affects mitochondrial morphology, but not protein import or respiratory function; raising the prospect of an intrinsic rescue mechanism. Indeed, TauP301L induced the formation of tunnelling nanotubes (TNTs), potentially for the recruitment of healthy mitochondria from neighbouring cells and/or the disposal of mitochondria incapacitated by aggregated Tau. Consistent with this, inhibition of TNT formation (and rescue) reveals Tau-induced import impairment. In primary neuronal cultures, TauP301L induced morphological changes characteristic of neurodegeneration. Interestingly, these effects were mirrored in cells where the import sites were blocked artificially. Our results reveal a link between aggregation-prone Tau and defective mitochondrial import relevant to disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hope I. Needs
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
| | | | - Jeremy M. Henley
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Ian Collinson
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
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18
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Young-Pearse TL, Lee H, Hsieh YC, Chou V, Selkoe DJ. Moving beyond amyloid and tau to capture the biological heterogeneity of Alzheimer's disease. Trends Neurosci 2023; 46:426-444. [PMID: 37019812 PMCID: PMC10192069 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2023.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) manifests along a spectrum of cognitive deficits and levels of neuropathology. Genetic studies support a heterogeneous disease mechanism, with around 70 associated loci to date, implicating several biological processes that mediate risk for AD. Despite this heterogeneity, most experimental systems for testing new therapeutics are not designed to capture the genetically complex drivers of AD risk. In this review, we first provide an overview of those aspects of AD that are largely stereotyped and those that are heterogeneous, and we review the evidence supporting the concept that different subtypes of AD are important to consider in the design of agents for the prevention and treatment of the disease. We then dive into the multifaceted biological domains implicated to date in AD risk, highlighting studies of the diverse genetic drivers of disease. Finally, we explore recent efforts to identify biological subtypes of AD, with an emphasis on the experimental systems and data sets available to support progress in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy L Young-Pearse
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Hyo Lee
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yi-Chen Hsieh
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Vicky Chou
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dennis J Selkoe
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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19
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Lin HC, Lin KJ, Huang KL, Chen SH, Ho TY, Huang CC, Hsu JL, Chang CC, Hsiao IT. Visual reading for [ 18F]Florzolotau ([ 18F]APN-1607) tau PET imaging in clinical assessment of Alzheimer's disease. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1148054. [PMID: 37250400 PMCID: PMC10213356 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1148054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Tau-targeted positron emission tomography (tau-PET) is a potential tool for the differential diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to clarify the distribution of tau deposition. In addition to the quantitative analysis of tau-PET scans, visual reading supports the assessment of tau loading for clinical diagnosis. This study aimed to propose a method for visually interpreting tau-PET using the [18F] Florzolotau tracer and investigate the performance and utility of the visual reading. Materials and methods A total number of 46 individuals with 12 cognitively unimpaired subjects (CU), 20 AD patients with mild cognitive impairment (AD-MCI), and 14 AD with dementia (AD-D) patients with both [18F]Florbetapir amyloid PET and [18F]Florzolotau tau PET scans were included. Clinical information, cognitive assessment, and amyloid PET scan results were recorded. For visual interpretation, a modified rainbow colormap was created and a regional tau uptake scoring system was proposed to evaluate the degree of tracer uptake and its spatial distribution within five cortical regions. Each region was scored on a scale of [0, 2] as compared to the background, and that resulted in a global scale range of [0, 10]. Four readers interpreted [18F]Florzolotau PET using the visual scale. The global and regional standardized uptake value ratios (SUVr) were also calculated for analysis. Results The result indicates the average global visual scores were 0 ± 0 in the CU group, 3.43 ± 3.35 in the AD-MCI group, and 6.31 ± 2.97 in the AD-D group (p < 0.001). The consensus among the four observers on image scores was high with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.880 (95% CI: 0.767-0.936). The average global visual score was significantly associated with global SUVr (r = 0.884, p < 0.0001) and with the CDR-sum of box (r = 0.677, p < 0.0001). Conclusion The visual reading method generated a visual score of [18F]Florzolotau tau-PET with good sensitivity and specificity to identify AD-D or CU individuals from the other patients. The preliminary result also showed that the global visual scores are significantly and reliably correlated with global cortical SUVr, and associated well with the clinical diagnosis and cognitive performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan-Chun Lin
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
| | - Kun-Ju Lin
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
- Healthy Aging Research Center, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
- Neuroscience Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
| | - Kuo-Lun Huang
- Department of Neurology, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Hsin Chen
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
| | - Tsung-Ying Ho
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
| | - Chin-Chang Huang
- Department of Neurology, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
| | - Jung-Lung Hsu
- Department of Neurology, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
- Department of Neurology, New Taipei Municipal TuCheng Hospital (Built and Operated by Chang Gung Medical Foundation), New Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Chiung-Chih Chang
- Department of Neurology, Cognition and Aging Center, Institute for Translational Research in Biomedicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Ing-Tsung Hsiao
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
- Healthy Aging Research Center, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
- Neuroscience Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
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20
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Hsiao WWW, Angela S, Le TN, Ku CC, Hu PS, Chiang WH. Evolution of Detecting Early Onset of Alzheimer's Disease: From Neuroimaging to Optical Immunoassays. J Alzheimers Dis 2023:JAD221202. [PMID: 37125550 DOI: 10.3233/jad-221202] [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: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a pathological disorder defined by the symptoms of memory loss and deterioration of cognitive abilities over time. Although the etiology is complex, it is mainly associated with the accumulation of toxic amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) aggregates and tau protein-induced neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Even now, creating non-invasive, sensitive, specific, and cost-effective diagnostic methods for AD remains challenging. Over the past few decades, polymers, and nanomaterials (e.g., nanodiamonds, nanogold, quantum dots) have become attractive and practical tools in nanomedicine for diagnosis and treatment. This review focuses on current developments in sensing methods such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) to boost the sensitivity in detecting related biomarkers for AD. In addition, optical analysis platforms such as ELISA and SERS have found increasing popularity among researchers due to their excellent sensitivity and specificity, which may go as low as the femtomolar range. While ELISA offers easy technological usage and high throughput, SERS has the advantages of improved mobility, simple electrical equipment integration, and lower cost. Both portable optical sensing techniques are highly superior in terms of sensitivity, specificity, human application, and practicality, enabling the early identification of AD biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley Wei-Wen Hsiao
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Stefanny Angela
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Trong-Nghia Le
- Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Chi Ku
- Graduate Institute of Immunology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Po-Sheng Hu
- College of Photonics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Tainan City, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Hung Chiang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C
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21
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Varte V, Munkelwitz JW, Rincon-Limas DE. Insights from Drosophila on Aβ- and tau-induced mitochondrial dysfunction: mechanisms and tools. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1184080. [PMID: 37139514 PMCID: PMC10150963 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1184080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative dementia in older adults worldwide. Sadly, there are no disease-modifying therapies available for treatment due to the multifactorial complexity of the disease. AD is pathologically characterized by extracellular deposition of amyloid beta (Aβ) and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles composed of hyperphosphorylated tau. Increasing evidence suggest that Aβ also accumulates intracellularly, which may contribute to the pathological mitochondrial dysfunction observed in AD. According with the mitochondrial cascade hypothesis, mitochondrial dysfunction precedes clinical decline and thus targeting mitochondria may result in new therapeutic strategies. Unfortunately, the precise mechanisms connecting mitochondrial dysfunction with AD are largely unknown. In this review, we will discuss how the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is contributing to answer mechanistic questions in the field, from mitochondrial oxidative stress and calcium dysregulation to mitophagy and mitochondrial fusion and fission. In particular, we will highlight specific mitochondrial insults caused by Aβ and tau in transgenic flies and will also discuss a variety of genetic tools and sensors available to study mitochondrial biology in this flexible organism. Areas of opportunity and future directions will be also considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanlalrinchhani Varte
- Department of Neurology, McKnight Brain Institute, Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Jeremy W. Munkelwitz
- Department of Neurology, McKnight Brain Institute, Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Diego E. Rincon-Limas
- Department of Neurology, McKnight Brain Institute, Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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22
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Bansode AH, Bhoopal B, Gollapelli KK, Damuka N, Krizan I, Miller M, Craft S, Mintz A, Solingapuram Sai KK. Binding Parameters of [ 11C]MPC-6827, a Microtubule-Imaging PET Radiopharmaceutical in Rodents. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:495. [PMID: 37111252 PMCID: PMC10140836 DOI: 10.3390/ph16040495] [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: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Impairment and/or destabilization of neuronal microtubules (MTs) resulting from hyper-phosphorylation of the tau proteins is implicated in many pathologies, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders. Increasing scientific evidence indicates that MT-stabilizing agents protect against the deleterious effects of neurodegeneration in treating AD. To quantify these protective benefits, we developed the first brain-penetrant PET radiopharmaceutical, [11C]MPC-6827, for in vivo quantification of MTs in rodent and nonhuman primate models of AD. Mechanistic insights revealed from recently reported studies confirm the radiopharmaceutical's high selectivity for destabilized MTs. To further translate it to clinical settings, its metabolic stability and pharmacokinetic parameters must be determined. Here, we report in vivo plasma and brain metabolism studies establishing the radiopharmaceutical-binding constants of [11C]MPC-6827. Binding constants were extrapolated from autoradiography experiments; pretreatment with a nonradioactive MPC-6827 decreased the brain uptake >70%. It exhibited ideal binding characteristics (typical of a CNS radiopharmaceutical) including LogP (2.9), Kd (15.59 nM), and Bmax (11.86 fmol/mg). Most important, [11C]MPC-6827 showed high serum and metabolic stability (>95%) in rat plasma and brain samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avinash H. Bansode
- Department of Radiology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | | | | | - Naresh Damuka
- Department of Radiology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Ivan Krizan
- Department of Radiology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Mack Miller
- Department of Radiology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Suzanne Craft
- Department of Gerontology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Akiva Mintz
- Department of Radiology, Columbia Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
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23
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Mueller BL, Liberman MJ, Kolpashchikov DM. OWL2: a molecular beacon-based nanostructure for highly selective detection of single-nucleotide variations in folded nucleic acids. NANOSCALE 2023; 15:5735-5742. [PMID: 36880268 DOI: 10.1039/d2nr05590b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Hybridization probes have been used in the detection of specific nucleic acids for the last 50 years. Despite the extensive efforts and the great significance, the challenges of the commonly used probes include (1) low selectivity in detecting single nucleotide variations (SNV) at low (e.g. room or 37 °C) temperatures; (2) low affinity in binding folded nucleic acids, and (3) the cost of fluorescent probes. Here we introduce a multicomponent hybridization probe, called OWL2 sensor, which addresses all three issues. The OWL2 sensor uses two analyte binding arms to tightly bind and unwind folded analytes, and two sequence-specific strands that bind both the analyte and a universal molecular beacon (UMB) probe to form fluorescent 'OWL' structure. The OWL2 sensor was able to differentiate single base mismatches in folded analytes in the temperature range of 5-38 °C. The design is cost-efficient since the same UMB probe can be used for detecting any analyte sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany L Mueller
- Chemistry Department, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, FL 32816, USA.
| | - Mark J Liberman
- Chemistry Department, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, FL 32816, USA.
| | - Dmitry M Kolpashchikov
- Chemistry Department, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, FL 32816, USA.
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
- National Center for Forensic Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
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24
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Li S, Roy ER, Wang Y, Watkins T, Cao W. Modeling Alzheimer's disease in primary neurons reveals DNA damage response coupled with MAPK-DLK signaling in wild-type tau-induced neurodegeneration. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2617457. [PMID: 36945524 PMCID: PMC10029119 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2617457/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
Background Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of neurodegeneration. Despite the well-established link between tau aggregation and clinical progression, the major pathways driven by this protein to intrinsically damage neurons are incompletely understood. Methods To model AD-relevant neurodegeneration driven by tau, we overexpressed wild-type human tau in primary mouse neurons and characterized the subsequent cellular and molecular changes. RNAseq profiling and functional investigation were performed as well. A direct comparison with a mutant human tau was conducted in detail. Results We observed substantial axonal degeneration and cell death associated with wild-type tau, a process accompanied by activated caspase 3. Mechanistically, we detected deformation of the nuclear envelope and increased DNA damage response in tau-expressing neurons. Gene profiling analysis further revealed significant alterations in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway; moreover, inhibitors of dual leucine zipper kinase (DLK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) were effective in alleviating wild-type human tau-induced neurodegeneration. In contrast, mutant P301L human tau was less toxic to neurons, despite causing comparable DNA damage. Axonal DLK activation induced by wild-type tau potentiated the impact of DNA damage response, resulting in overt neurotoxicity. Conclusions We have established a cellular tauopathy model highly relevant to AD and identified a functional synergy between DNA damage response and the MAPK-DLK axis in the neuronal degenerative process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanming Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Ethan R Roy
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Yanyu Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Trent Watkins
- Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA. Current address: Department of Neurology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158 USA
| | - Wei Cao
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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25
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Polanco JC, Akimov Y, Fernandes A, Briner A, Hand GR, van Roijen M, Balistreri G, Götz J. CRISPRi screening reveals regulators of tau pathology shared between exosomal and vesicle-free tau. Life Sci Alliance 2023; 6:6/1/e202201689. [PMID: 36316035 PMCID: PMC9622425 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202201689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The aggregation of the microtubule-associated protein tau is a defining feature of Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. Tau pathology is believed to be driven by free tau aggregates and tau carried within exosome-like extracellular vesicles, both of which propagate trans-synaptically and induce tau pathology in recipient neurons by a corrupting process of seeding. Here, we performed a genome-wide CRISPRi screen in tau biosensor cells and identified cellular regulators shared by both mechanisms of tau seeding. We identified ANKLE2, BANF1, NUSAP1, EIF1AD, and VPS18 as the top validated regulators that restrict tau aggregation initiated by both exosomal and vesicle-free tau seeds. None of our validated hits affected the uptake of either form of tau seeds, supporting the notion that they operate through a cell-autonomous mechanism downstream of the seed uptake. Lastly, validation studies with human brain tissue also revealed that several of the identified protein hits are down-regulated in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, suggesting that their decreased activity may be required for the emergence or progression of tau pathology in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Carlos Polanco
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Yevhen Akimov
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Avinash Fernandes
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Adam Briner
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Gabriel Rhys Hand
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | | | - Giuseppe Balistreri
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jürgen Götz
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
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26
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Kabir ER, Chowdhury NM, Yasmin H, Kabir MT, Akter R, Perveen A, Ashraf GM, Akter S, Rahman MH, Sweilam SH. Unveiling the Potential of Polyphenols as Anti-Amyloid Molecules in Alzheimer's Disease. Curr Neuropharmacol 2023; 21:787-807. [PMID: 36221865 PMCID: PMC10227919 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x20666221010113812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that mostly affects the elderly population. Mechanisms underlying AD pathogenesis are yet to be fully revealed, but there are several hypotheses regarding AD. Even though free radicals and inflammation are likely to be linked with AD pathogenesis, still amyloid-beta (Aβ) cascade is the dominant hypothesis. According to the Aβ hypothesis, a progressive buildup of extracellular and intracellular Aβ aggregates has a significant contribution to the AD-linked neurodegeneration process. Since Aβ plays an important role in the etiology of AD, therefore Aβ-linked pathways are mainly targeted in order to develop potential AD therapies. Accumulation of Aβ plaques in the brains of AD individuals is an important hallmark of AD. These plaques are mainly composed of Aβ (a peptide of 39-42 amino acids) aggregates produced via the proteolytic cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein. Numerous studies have demonstrated that various polyphenols (PPHs), including cyanidins, anthocyanins, curcumin, catechins and their gallate esters were found to markedly suppress Aβ aggregation and prevent the formation of Aβ oligomers and toxicity, which is further suggesting that these PPHs might be regarded as effective therapeutic agents for the AD treatment. This review summarizes the roles of Aβ in AD pathogenesis, the Aβ aggregation pathway, types of PPHs, and distribution of PPHs in dietary sources. Furthermore, we have predominantly focused on the potential of food-derived PPHs as putative anti-amyloid drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Rahman Kabir
- School of Pharmacy, BRAC University, 66 Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | | | - Hasina Yasmin
- School of Pharmacy, BRAC University, 66 Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Tanvir Kabir
- School of Pharmacy, BRAC University, 66 Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Rokeya Akter
- Department of Pharmacy, Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Asma Perveen
- Glocal School of Life Sciences, Glocal University, Mirzapur Pole, Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Ghulam Md. Ashraf
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
| | - Shamima Akter
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, USA
| | | | - Sherouk Hussein Sweilam
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Egyptian Russian University, Cairo-Suez Road, Badr City 11829, Egypt
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27
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Mahali S, Martinez R, King M, Verbeck A, Harari O, Benitez BA, Horie K, Sato C, Temple S, Karch CM. Defective proteostasis in induced pluripotent stem cell models of frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:508. [PMID: 36494352 PMCID: PMC9734180 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02274-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Impaired proteostasis is associated with normal aging and is accelerated in neurodegeneration. This impairment may lead to the accumulation of protein, which can be toxic to cells and tissue. In a subset of frontotemporal lobar degeneration with tau pathology (FTLD-tau) cases, pathogenic mutations in the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) gene are sufficient to cause tau accumulation and neurodegeneration. However, the pathogenic events triggered by the expression of the mutant tau protein remain poorly understood. Here, we show that molecular networks associated with lysosomal biogenesis and autophagic function are disrupted in brains from FTLD-tau patients carrying a MAPT p.R406W mutation. We then used human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons and 3D cerebral organoids from patients carrying the MAPT p.R406W mutation and CRISPR/Cas9, corrected controls to evaluate proteostasis. MAPT p.R406W was sufficient to induce morphological and functional deficits in the lysosomal pathway in iPSC-neurons. These phenotypes were reversed upon correction of the mutant allele with CRISPR/Cas9. Treatment with mTOR inhibitors led to tau degradation specifically in MAPT p.R406W neurons. Together, our findings suggest that MAPT p.R406W is sufficient to cause impaired lysosomal function, which may contribute to disease pathogenesis and serve as a cellular phenotype for drug screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sidhartha Mahali
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Rita Martinez
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Melvin King
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Anthony Verbeck
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Oscar Harari
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Bruno A Benitez
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Kanta Horie
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Chihiro Sato
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Celeste M Karch
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
- Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
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28
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Rawat P, Sehar U, Bisht J, Selman A, Culberson J, Reddy PH. Phosphorylated Tau in Alzheimer's Disease and Other Tauopathies. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:12841. [PMID: 36361631 PMCID: PMC9654278 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232112841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/22/2022] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia in elderly people. Amyloid beta (Aβ) deposits and neurofibrillary tangles are the major pathological features in an Alzheimer's brain. These proteins are highly expressed in nerve cells and found in most tissues. Tau primarily provides stabilization to microtubules in the part of axons and dendrites. However, tau in a pathological state becomes hyperphosphorylated, causing tau dysfunction and leading to synaptic impairment and degeneration of neurons. This article presents a summary of the role of tau, phosphorylated tau (p-tau) in AD, and other tauopathies. Tauopathies, including Pick's disease, frontotemporal dementia, corticobasal degeneration, Alzheimer's disease, argyrophilic grain disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, and Huntington's disease, are the result of misprocessing and accumulation of tau within the neuronal and glial cells. This article also focuses on current research on the post-translational modifications and genetics of tau, tau pathology, the role of tau in tauopathies and the development of new drugs targeting p-tau, and the therapeutics for treating and possibly preventing tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Rawat
- Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Ujala Sehar
- Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Jasbir Bisht
- Department of Pediatrics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Ashley Selman
- Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - John Culberson
- Department of Family Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - P. Hemachandra Reddy
- Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
- Nutritional Sciences Department, College Human Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
- Department of Neurology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
- Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
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29
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Towards a Mechanistic Model of Tau-Mediated Pathology in Tauopathies: What Can We Learn from Cell-Based In Vitro Assays? Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231911527. [PMID: 36232835 PMCID: PMC9570106 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Tauopathies are a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the hyperphosphorylation and deposition of tau proteins in the brain. In Alzheimer’s disease, and other related tauopathies, the pattern of tau deposition follows a stereotypical progression between anatomically connected brain regions. Increasing evidence suggests that tau behaves in a “prion-like” manner, and that seeding and spreading of pathological tau drive progressive neurodegeneration. Although several advances have been made in recent years, the exact cellular and molecular mechanisms involved remain largely unknown. Since there are no effective therapies for any tauopathy, there is a growing need for reliable experimental models that would provide us with better knowledge and understanding of their etiology and identify novel molecular targets. In this review, we will summarize the development of cellular models for modeling tau pathology. We will discuss their different applications and contributions to our current understanding of the “prion-like” nature of pathological tau.
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30
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Dang Y, He Q, Yang S, Sun H, Liu Y, Li W, Tang Y, Zheng Y, Wu T. FTH1- and SAT1-Induced Astrocytic Ferroptosis Is Involved in Alzheimer’s Disease: Evidence from Single-Cell Transcriptomic Analysis. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15101177. [PMID: 36297287 PMCID: PMC9610574 DOI: 10.3390/ph15101177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives: Despite significant advances in neuroscience, the mechanisms of AD are not fully understood. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) techniques provide potential solutions to analyze cellular composition of complex brain tissue and explore cellular and molecular biological mechanisms of AD. Methods: We investigated cellular heterogeneity in AD via utilization of bioinformatic analysis of scRNA-seq in AD patients and healthy controls from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The “GOplot” package was applied to explore possible biological processes in oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). Expression patterns and biological functions of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from scRNA-seq data were validated in RNA sequencing data. DEGs in astrocytes interacted with ferroptosis-related genes in FerrDb. CCK-8 and EdU assays were performed to measure cell proliferation ability. ROS, Fe2+ level, mitochondrial membrane potentials, iron concentrations, and total iron binding capacity (TIBC) in serum were evaluated. Y-maze and elevated maze were used to measure anxiety-like behavior. Autonomous and exploration behaviors or learning and memory ability in mice were analyzed using open field test and novel object recognition test. Results: Multiple clusters were identified, including oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, OPCs, neurons, microglia, doublets, and endothelial cells. Astrocytes were significantly decreased in AD, while oligodendrocytes and OPCs increased. Cell-to-cell ligand–receptor interaction analysis revealed that astrocytes, neurons, and OPCs mainly established contacts with other cells via the NRG3–ERBB4 ligand–receptor pair. GO and KEGG analyses found that astrocytes were enriched in the ferroptosis pathway. FTH1 and SAT1 in astrocytes were identified as hub mRNAs associated with ferroptosis. Serum iron concentration of 5xFAD mice was higher than that of WT, and emotional and cognitive function were significantly impaired as compared to WT. Serum iron concentration was negatively correlated with number of astrocytes and percentage of time spent entering the novelty arm in the Y-maze test, while it was positively correlated with percentage of time spent in the central area. Meanwhile, number of astrocytes was negatively correlated with percentage of time spent in the central area, while it was positively correlated with percentage of time spent entering the novelty arm. Conclusions: Through scRNA-seq analysis, we found that ferroptosis was activated in astrocytes and may contribute to the pathophysiological process in the entorhinal cortex. FTH1 and SAT1 were identified to impact astrocyte ferroptosis. Emotional and cognitive impairment in AD was associated with astrocyte ferroptosis. Our findings provide clues to reveal the pathophysiological processes following AD at the cellular level and highlight potential drug targets for the treatment of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yini Dang
- Department of Gastroenterology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
- Division of Gastroenterological Rehabilitation, Department of Gastroenterology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Qing He
- Department of Neurology, the Affiliated Hospital of China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
| | - Siyu Yang
- Division of Brain Rehabilitation, Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No.300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No.300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Huaiqing Sun
- Division of Brain Rehabilitation, Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No.300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No.300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Yin Liu
- Division of Brain Rehabilitation, Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No.300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No.300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Wanting Li
- Division of Brain Rehabilitation, Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No.300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No.300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Yi Tang
- Division of Brain Rehabilitation, Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No.300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No.300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Yu Zheng
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No.300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China
- Correspondence: (Y.Z.); (T.W.)
| | - Ting Wu
- Division of Brain Rehabilitation, Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No.300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No.300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China
- Correspondence: (Y.Z.); (T.W.)
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Korde DS, Humpel C. Spreading of P301S Aggregated Tau Investigated in Organotypic Mouse Brain Slice Cultures. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12091164. [PMID: 36139003 PMCID: PMC9496515 DOI: 10.3390/biom12091164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau pathology extends throughout the brain in a prion-like fashion through connected brain regions. However, the details of the underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. The present study aims to examine the spreading of P301S aggregated tau, a mutation that is implicated in tauopathies, using organotypic slice cultures. Coronal hippocampal organotypic brain slices (170 µm) were prepared from postnatal (day 8–10) C57BL6 wild-type mice. Collagen hydrogels loaded with P301S aggregated tau were applied to slices and the spread of tau was assessed by immunohistochemistry after 8 weeks in culture. Collagen hydrogels prove to be an effective protein delivery system subject to natural degradation in 14 days and they release tau proteins up to 8 weeks. Slices with un- and hyperphosphorylated P301S aggregated tau demonstrate significant spreading to the ventral parts of the hippocampal slices compared to empty collagen hydrogels after 8 weeks. Moreover, the spread of P301S aggregated tau occurs in a time-dependent manner, which was interrupted when the neuroanatomical pathways are lesioned. We illustrate that the spreading of tau can be investigated in organotypic slice cultures using collagen hydrogels to achieve a localized application and slow release of tau proteins. P301S aggregated tau significantly spreads to the ventral areas of the slices, suggesting that the disease-relevant aggregated tau form possesses spreading potential. Thus, the results offer a novel experimental approach to investigate tau pathology.
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Jackson NA, Guerrero-Muñoz MJ, Castillo-Carranza DL. The prion-like transmission of tau oligomers via exosomes. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:974414. [PMID: 36062141 PMCID: PMC9434014 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.974414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The conversion and transmission of misfolded proteins established the basis for the prion concept. Neurodegenerative diseases are considered “prion-like” disorders that lack infectivity. Among them, tauopathies are characterized by the conversion of native tau protein into an abnormally folded aggregate. During the progression of the disease, misfolded tau polymerizes into oligomers and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). While the toxicity of NFTs is an ongoing debate, the contribution of tau oligomers to early onset neurodegenerative pathogenesis is accepted. Tau oligomers are readily transferred from neuron to neuron propagating through the brain inducing neurodegeneration. Recently, transmission of tau oligomers via exosomes is now proposed. There is still too much to uncover about tau misfolding and propagation. Here we summarize novel findings of tau oligomers transmission and propagation via exosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noel A. Jackson
- School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Diana L. Castillo-Carranza
- School of Medicine, University of Monterrey, San Pedro Garza García, Mexico
- *Correspondence: Diana L. Castillo-Carranza,
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Kimura T, Ono M, Seki C, Sampei K, Shimojo M, Kawamura K, Zhang MR, Sahara N, Takado Y, Higuchi M. A quantitative in vivo imaging platform for tracking pathological tau depositions and resultant neuronal death in a mouse model. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2022; 49:4298-4311. [PMID: 35798978 DOI: 10.1007/s00259-022-05898-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Depositions of tau fibrils are implicated in diverse neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, and precise assessments of tau pathologies and their impacts on neuronal survival are crucial for pursuing the neurodegenerative tau pathogenesis with and without potential therapies. We aimed to establish an in vivo imaging system to quantify tau accumulations with positron emission tomography (PET) and brain atrophy with volumetric MRI in rTg4510 transgenic mice modeling neurodegenerative tauopathies. METHODS A total of 91 rTg4510 and non-transgenic control mice underwent PET with a tau radiotracer, 18F-PM-PBB3, and MRI at various ages (1.8-12.3 months). Using the cerebellum as reference, the radiotracer binding in target regions was estimated as standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) and distribution volume ratio (DVR). Histopathological staining of brain sections derived from scanned animals was also conducted to investigate the imaging-neuropathology correlations. RESULTS 18F-PM-PBB3 SUVR at 40-60 min in the neocortex, hippocampus, and striatum of rTg4510 mice agreed with DVR, became significantly different from control values around 4-5 months of age, and progressively and negatively correlated with age and local volumes, respectively. Neocortical SUVR also correlated with the abundance of tau inclusions labeled with PM-PBB3 fluorescence, Gallyas-Braak silver impregnation, and anti-phospho-tau antibodies in postmortem assays. The in vivo and ex vivo 18F-PM-PBB3 binding was blocked by non-radioactive PM-PBB3. 18F-PM-PBB3 yielded a 1.6-fold greater dynamic range for tau imaging than its ancestor, 11C-PBB3. CONCLUSION Our imaging platform has enabled the quantification of tau depositions and consequent neuronal loss and is potentially applicable to the evaluation of candidate anti-tau and neuroprotective drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taeko Kimura
- National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Maiko Ono
- National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Chie Seki
- National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan.
| | - Kazuaki Sampei
- National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Masafumi Shimojo
- National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Kazunori Kawamura
- National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Ming-Rong Zhang
- National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Naruhiko Sahara
- National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Yuhei Takado
- National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan.
| | - Makoto Higuchi
- National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
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Aledo JC. A Census of Human Methionine-Rich Prion-like Domain-Containing Proteins. Antioxidants (Basel) 2022; 11:antiox11071289. [PMID: 35883780 PMCID: PMC9312190 DOI: 10.3390/antiox11071289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Methionine-rich prion-like proteins can regulate liquid–liquid phase separation processes in response to stresses. To date, however, very few proteins have been identified as methionine-rich prion-like. Herein, we have performed a computational survey of the human proteome to search for methionine-rich prion-like domains. We present a census of 51 manually curated methionine-rich prion-like proteins. Our results show that these proteins tend to be modular in nature, with molecular sizes significantly greater than those we would expect due to random sampling effects. These proteins also exhibit a remarkably high degree of spatial compaction when compared to average human proteins, even when protein size is accounted for. Computational evidence suggests that such a high degree of compactness might be due to the aggregation of methionine residues, pointing to a potential redox regulation of compactness. Gene ontology and network analyses, performed to shed light on the biological processes in which these proteins might participate, indicate that methionine-rich and non-methionine-rich prion-like proteins share gene ontology terms related to the regulation of transcription and translation but, more interestingly, these analyses also reveal that proteins from the methionine-rich group tend to share more gene ontology terms among them than they do with their non-methionine-rich prion-like counterparts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Carlos Aledo
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of Malaga, 29071 Malaga, Spain
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Blood phospho-tau in Alzheimer disease: analysis, interpretation, and clinical utility. Nat Rev Neurol 2022; 18:400-418. [PMID: 35585226 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-022-00665-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 50.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Well-authenticated biomarkers can provide critical insights into the biological basis of Alzheimer disease (AD) to enable timely and accurate diagnosis, estimate future burden and support therapeutic trials. Current cerebrospinal fluid and molecular neuroimaging biomarkers fulfil these criteria but lack the scalability and simplicity necessary for widespread application. Blood biomarkers of adequate effectiveness have the potential to act as first-line diagnostic and prognostic tools, and offer the possibility of extensive population screening and use that is not limited to specialized centres. Accelerated progress in our understanding of the biochemistry of brain-derived tau protein and advances in ultrasensitive technologies have enabled the development of AD-specific phosphorylated tau (p-tau) biomarkers in blood. In this Review we discuss how new information on the molecular processing of brain p-tau and secretion of specific fragments into biofluids is informing blood biomarker development, enabling the evaluation of preanalytical factors that affect quantification, and informing harmonized protocols for blood handling. We also review the performance of blood p-tau biomarkers in the context of AD and discuss their potential contexts of use for clinical and research purposes. Finally, we highlight outstanding ethical, clinical and analytical challenges, and outline the steps that need to be taken to standardize inter-laboratory and inter-assay measurements.
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36
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Gallo D, Ruiz A, Sánchez-Juan P. Genetic architecture of primary tauopathies. Neuroscience 2022; 518:27-37. [PMID: 35609758 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Primary Tauopathies are a group of diseases defined by the accumulation of Tau, in which the alteration of this protein is the primary driver of the neurodegenerative process. In addition to the classical syndromes (Pick's disease (PiD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), and argyrophilic grain disease (AGD)), new entities, like primary age-related Tauopathy (PART), have been recently described. Except for the classical Richardson's syndrome phenotype in PSP, the correlation between the clinical picture of the primary Tauopathies and underlying pathology is poor. This fact has challenged genetic studies. However, thanks to multicenter collaborations, several genome-wide association studies are helping us unravel the genetic structure of these diseases. The most relevant risk factor revealed by these studies is the Tau gene (MAPT), which, in addition to mutations causing rare familial forms, plays a fundamental role in sporadic cases of PSP and CBD in which there is a strong predominance of the H1 and H1c haplotypes. But outside of MAPT, several other genes have been robustly associated with PSP. These findings, pointing towards multifactorial causation, imply the participation of several pathways involving the myelin sheath integrity, the endoplasmic reticulum unfolded protein response, microglia, intracellular vesicle trafficking, or the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Additionally, GWAS show a high degree of genetic overlap across different Tauopathies. This is especially salient between PSP and CBD, but also GWAS studying the recently described PART phenotype shows genetic overlap with genes that promote Tau pathology and with others associated with Alzheimer's disease.
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Goswami R, Bello AI, Bean J, Costanzo KM, Omer B, Cornelio-Parra D, Odah R, Ahluwalia A, Allan SK, Nguyen N, Shores T, Aziz NA, Mohan RD. The Molecular Basis of Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 7. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:818757. [PMID: 35401096 PMCID: PMC8987156 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.818757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) type 7 (SCA7) is caused by a CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion in the ataxin 7 (ATXN7) gene, which results in polyglutamine expansion at the amino terminus of the ATXN7 protein. Although ATXN7 is expressed widely, the best characterized symptoms of SCA7 are remarkably tissue specific, including blindness and degeneration of the brain and spinal cord. While it is well established that ATXN7 functions as a subunit of the Spt Ada Gcn5 acetyltransferase (SAGA) chromatin modifying complex, the mechanisms underlying SCA7 remain elusive. Here, we review the symptoms of SCA7 and examine functions of ATXN7 that may provide further insights into its pathogenesis. We also examine phenotypes associated with polyglutamine expanded ATXN7 that are not considered symptoms of SCA7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rituparna Goswami
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, United States
| | - Abudu I. Bello
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, United States
| | - Joe Bean
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, United States
| | - Kara M. Costanzo
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, United States
| | - Bwaar Omer
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, United States
| | - Dayanne Cornelio-Parra
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, United States
| | - Revan Odah
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, United States
| | - Amit Ahluwalia
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, United States
| | - Shefaa K. Allan
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, United States
| | - Nghi Nguyen
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, United States
| | - Taylor Shores
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, United States
| | - N. Ahmad Aziz
- Population Health Sciences, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Ryan D. Mohan
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, United States
- *Correspondence: Ryan D. Mohan,
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Xolalpa-Cueva L, García-Carlos CA, Villaseñor-Zepeda R, Orta-Salazar E, Díaz-Cintra S, Peña-Ortega F, Perry G, Mondragón-Rodríguez S. Hyperphosphorylated Tau Relates to Improved Cognitive Performance and Reduced Hippocampal Excitability in the Young rTg4510 Mouse Model of Tauopathy. J Alzheimers Dis 2022; 87:529-543. [PMID: 35342085 DOI: 10.3233/jad-215186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tau hyperphosphorylation at several sites, including those close to its microtubule domain (MD), is considered a key pathogenic event in the development of tauopathies. Nevertheless, we recently demonstrated that at the very early disease stage, tau phosphorylation (pTau) at MD sites promotes neuroprotection by preventing seizure-like activity. OBJECTIVE To further support the notion that very early pTau is not detrimental, the present work evaluated the young rTg4510 mouse model of tauopathy as a case study. Thus, in mice at one month of age (PN30-35), we studied the increase of pTau within the hippocampal area as well as hippocampal and locomotor function. METHODS We used immunohistochemistry, T-maze, nesting test, novel object recognition test, open field arena, and electrophysiology. RESULTS Our results showed that the very young rTg4510 mouse model has no detectable changes in hippocampal dependent tasks, such as spontaneous alternation and nesting, or in locomotor activity. However, at this very early stage the hippocampal neurons from PN30-35 rTg4510 mice accumulate pTau protein and exhibit changes in hippocampal oscillatory activity. Moreover, we found a significant reduction in the somatic area of pTau positive pyramidal and granule neurons in the young rTg4510 mice. Despite this, improved memory and increased number of dendrites per cell in granule neurons was found. CONCLUSION Altogether, this study provides new insights into the early pathogenesis of tauopathies and provides further evidence that pTau remodels hippocampal function and morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Xolalpa-Cueva
- UNAM Developmental Neurobiology and Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurobiology, National Autonomous University of México, Querétaro, México
| | - Carlos Antonio García-Carlos
- UNAM Developmental Neurobiology and Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurobiology, National Autonomous University of México, Querétaro, México
| | - Rocío Villaseñor-Zepeda
- UNAM Developmental Neurobiology and Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurobiology, National Autonomous University of México, Querétaro, México
| | - Erika Orta-Salazar
- UNAM Developmental Neurobiology and Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurobiology, National Autonomous University of México, Querétaro, México
| | - Sofia Díaz-Cintra
- UNAM Developmental Neurobiology and Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurobiology, National Autonomous University of México, Querétaro, México
| | - Fernando Peña-Ortega
- UNAM Developmental Neurobiology and Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurobiology, National Autonomous University of México, Querétaro, México
| | - George Perry
- UTSA Neuroscience Institute and Department of Biology, College of Sciences, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Siddhartha Mondragón-Rodríguez
- UNAM Developmental Neurobiology and Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurobiology, National Autonomous University of México, Querétaro, México.,CONACYT National Council for Science and Technology, México, México
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Garrett LR, Niccoli T. Frontotemporal Dementia and Glucose Metabolism. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:812222. [PMID: 35281504 PMCID: PMC8906510 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.812222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), hallmarked by antero-temporal degeneration in the human brain, is the second most common early onset dementia. FTD is a diverse disease with three main clinical presentations, four different identified proteinopathies and many disease-associated genes. The exact pathophysiology of FTD remains to be elucidated. One common characteristic all forms of FTD share is the dysregulation of glucose metabolism in patients’ brains. The brain consumes around 20% of the body’s energy supply and predominantly utilizes glucose as a fuel. Glucose metabolism dysregulation could therefore be extremely detrimental for neuronal health. Research into the association between glucose metabolism and dementias has recently gained interest in Alzheimer’s disease. FTD also presents with glucose metabolism dysregulation, however, this remains largely an unexplored area. A better understanding of the link between FTD and glucose metabolism may yield further insight into FTD pathophysiology and aid the development of novel therapeutics. Here we review our current understanding of FTD and glucose metabolism in the brain and discuss the evidence of impaired glucose metabolism in FTD. Lastly, we review research potentially suggesting a causal relationship between FTD proteinopathies and impaired glucose metabolism in FTD.
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40
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Giovannini J, Smeralda W, Jouanne M, Sopkova-de Oliveira Santos J, Catto M, Sophie Voisin-Chiret A. Tau protein aggregation: key features to improve drug discovery screening. Drug Discov Today 2022; 27:1284-1297. [DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2022.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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41
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King G, Veros KM, MacLaren DAA, Leigh MPK, Spernyak JA, Clark SD. Human wildtype tau expression in cholinergic pedunculopontine tegmental neurons is sufficient to produce PSP-like behavioural deficits and neuropathology. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 54:7688-7709. [PMID: 34668254 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) is the most common atypical parkinsonism and exhibits hallmark symptomology including motor function impairment and dysexecutive dementia. In contrast to Parkinson's disease, the underlying pathology displays aggregation of the protein tau, which is also seen in disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. Currently, there are no pharmacological treatments for PSP, and drug discovery efforts are hindered by the lack of an animal model specific to PSP. Based on previous results and clinical pathology, it was hypothesized that viral deposition of tau in cholinergic neurons within the hindbrain would produce a tauopathy along neural connections to produce PSP-like symptomology and pathology. By using a combination of ChAT-CRE rats and CRE-dependent AAV vectors, wildtype human tau (the PSP-relevant 1N4R isoform; hTau) was expressed in hindbrain cholinergic neurons. Compared to control subjects (GFP), rats with tau expression displayed deficits in a variety of behavioural paradigms: acoustic startle reflex, marble burying, horizontal ladder and hindlimb motor reflex. Postmortem, the hTau rats had significantly reduced number of cholinergic pedunculopontine tegmentum and dopaminergic substantia nigra neurons, as well as abnormal tau deposits. This preclinical model has multiple points of convergence with the clinical features of PSP, some of which distinguish between PSP and Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella King
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Kaliana M Veros
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Joseph A Spernyak
- Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Stewart D Clark
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
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Siano G, Falcicchia C, Origlia N, Cattaneo A, Di Primio C. Non-Canonical Roles of Tau and Their Contribution to Synaptic Dysfunction. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms221810145. [PMID: 34576308 PMCID: PMC8466023 DOI: 10.3390/ijms221810145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Revised: 09/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau plays a central role in a group of neurodegenerative disorders collectively named tauopathies. Despite the wide range of diverse symptoms at the onset and during the progression of the pathology, all tauopathies share two common hallmarks, namely the misfolding and aggregation of Tau protein and progressive synaptic dysfunctions. Tau aggregation correlates with cognitive decline and behavioural impairment. The mechanistic link between Tau misfolding and the synaptic dysfunction is still unknown, but this correlation is well established in the human brain and also in tauopathy mouse models. At the onset of the pathology, Tau undergoes post-translational modifications (PTMs) inducing the detachment from the cytoskeleton and its release in the cytoplasm as a soluble monomer. In this condition, the physiological enrichment in the axon is definitely disrupted, resulting in Tau relocalization in the cell soma and in dendrites. Subsequently, Tau aggregates into toxic oligomers and amyloidogenic forms that disrupt synaptic homeostasis and function, resulting in neuronal degeneration. The involvement of Tau in synaptic transmission alteration in tauopathies has been extensively reviewed. Here, we will focus on non-canonical Tau functions mediating synapse dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Siano
- Laboratory of Biology, BIO@SNS, Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza dei Cavalieri 7, 56126 Pisa, Italy;
| | - Chiara Falcicchia
- Institute of Neuroscience, Italian National Research Council, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (C.F.); (N.O.)
| | - Nicola Origlia
- Institute of Neuroscience, Italian National Research Council, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (C.F.); (N.O.)
| | - Antonino Cattaneo
- Laboratory of Biology, BIO@SNS, Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza dei Cavalieri 7, 56126 Pisa, Italy;
- European Brain Research Institute (EBRI), Fondazione Rita Levi-Montalcini, Viale Regina Elena 295, 00161 Roma, Italy
- Correspondence: (A.C.); (C.D.P.)
| | - Cristina Di Primio
- Institute of Neuroscience, Italian National Research Council, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (C.F.); (N.O.)
- Correspondence: (A.C.); (C.D.P.)
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Lobanova E, Whiten D, Ruggeri FS, Taylor C, Kouli A, Xia Z, Emin D, Zhang YP, Lam JYL, Williams-Gray CH, Klenerman D. Imaging protein aggregates in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid in Parkinson's disease. Brain 2021; 145:632-643. [PMID: 34410317 PMCID: PMC9014748 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awab306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggregation of α-synuclein plays a key role in the development of Parkinson’s disease. Soluble aggregates are present not only within human brain but also the CSF and blood. Characterizing the aggregates present in these biofluids may provide insights into disease mechanisms and also have potential for aiding diagnosis. We used two optical single-molecule imaging methods called aptamer DNA-PAINT and single-aggregate confocal fluorescence, together with high-resolution atomic force microscopy for specific detection and characterization of individual aggregates with intermolecular β-sheet structure, present in the CSF and serum of 15 early stage Parkinson’s disease patients compared to 10 healthy age-matched controls. We found aggregates ranging in size from 20 nm to 200 nm, in both CSF and serum. There was a difference in aggregate size distribution between Parkinson’s disease and control groups with a significantly increased number of larger aggregates (longer than 150 nm) in the serum of patients with Parkinson’s disease. To determine the chemical composition of the aggregates, we performed aptamer DNA-PAINT on serum following α-synuclein and amyloid-β immunodepletion in an independent cohort of 11 patients with early stage Parkinson’s disease and 10 control subjects. β-Sheet aggregates in the serum of Parkinson’s disease patients were found to consist of, on average, 50% α-synuclein and 50% amyloid-β in contrast to 30% α-synuclein and 70% amyloid-β in control serum [the differences in the proportion of these aggregates were statistically significant between diseased and control groups (P = 1.7 × 10−5 for each species)]. The ratio of the number of β-sheet α-synuclein aggregates to β-sheet amyloid-β aggregates in serum extracted using our super-resolution method discriminated Parkinson’s disease cases from controls with an accuracy of 98.2% (AUC = 98.2%, P = 4.3 × 10−5). Our data suggest that studying the protein aggregates present in serum can provide information about the disruption of protein homeostasis occurring in Parkinson’s disease and warrants further investigation as a potential biomarker of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evgeniia Lobanova
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Daniel Whiten
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Francesco S Ruggeri
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK.,Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Stippeneng 4, 6703 WE, Wageningen University, The Netherlands.,Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Stippeneng 4, 6703 WE, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
| | - Chris Taylor
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Antonina Kouli
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0PY, UK
| | - Zengjie Xia
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Derya Emin
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK.,UK Dementia Research Institute at Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK
| | - Yu P Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Jeff Y L Lam
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | | | - David Klenerman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK.,UK Dementia Research Institute at Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK
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44
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Agamennone M, Storchi L, Marrone A, Paciotti R. Hampering the early aggregation of PrP-E200K protein by charge-based inhibitors: a computational study. J Comput Aided Mol Des 2021; 35:751-770. [PMID: 34110550 PMCID: PMC8213589 DOI: 10.1007/s10822-021-00393-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
A multilayered computational workflow was designed to identify a druggable binding site on the surface of the E200K pathogenic mutant of the human prion protein, and to investigate the effect of the binding of small molecules in the inhibition of the early aggregation of this protein. At this purpose, we developed an efficient computational tool to scan the molecular interaction properties of a whole MD trajectory, thus leading to the characterization of plausible binding regions on the surface of PrP-E200K. These structural data were then employed to drive structure-based virtual screening and fragment-based approaches to the seeking of small molecular binders of the PrP-E200K. Six promising compounds were identified, and their binding stabilities were assessed by MD simulations. Therefore, analyses of the molecular electrostatic potential similarity between the bound complexes and unbound protein evidenced their potential activity as charged-based inhibitors of the PrP-E200K early aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Loriano Storchi
- Department of Pharmacy, University "G d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
- Molecular Discovery Limited, Middlesex, London, UK
| | - Alessandro Marrone
- Department of Pharmacy, University "G d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Roberto Paciotti
- Department of Pharmacy, University "G d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.
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45
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Li K, Wang Z. Splicing factor SRSF2-centric gene regulation. Int J Biol Sci 2021; 17:1708-1715. [PMID: 33994855 PMCID: PMC8120470 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.58888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Serine/arginine-rich splicing factor 2 (SRSF2) is a splicing factor that is widely expressed in a variety of mammalian cell types. Increasing evidence has confirmed that SRSF2 plays vital roles in a number of biological and pathological processes. Therefore, it is important to understand how its expression is regulated, and how it regulates the expression of its target genes. Recently, we found that SRSF2 expression could be upregulated by herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) infection, and that altered SRSF2 expression, in turn, epigenetically regulates the transcription of HSV-1 genes. Further studies on T cell exhaustion demonstrated that upregulated SRSF2 in exhausted T cells elevated the levels of multiple immune checkpoint molecules by associating with the acyl-transferases, P300 and CBP, and by altering histone modification near the transcription start sites of these genes, thereby influencing signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 binding to these gene promoters. These findings suggest that SRSF2 acts as an important sensor and effector during disease progression. Here, we discuss the molecules that regulate SRSF2 gene expression and their associated mechanisms, and the mechanisms via which SRSF2 regulates the expression of target genes, thus providing novel insights into the central role of SRSF2 in gene regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Li
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Jinan 250014, China
| | - Ziqiang Wang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Jinan 250014, China.,Biomedical Sciences College & Shandong Medicinal Biotechnology Centre, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250062, China
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46
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Lu M, Pontecorvo MJ, Devous MD, Arora AK, Galante N, McGeehan A, Devadanam C, Salloway SP, Doraiswamy PM, Curtis C, Truocchio SP, Flitter M, Locascio T, Devine M, Zimmer JA, Fleisher AS, Mintun MA. Aggregated Tau Measured by Visual Interpretation of Flortaucipir Positron Emission Tomography and the Associated Risk of Clinical Progression of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer Disease: Results From 2 Phase III Clinical Trials. JAMA Neurol 2021; 78:445-453. [PMID: 33587110 PMCID: PMC7885097 DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2020.5505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Questions What is the association between flortaucipir positron emission tomography (PET) imaging
visual classification using a clinically applicable and US Food and Drug
Administration–approved method and 18-month cognitive and functional decline in
patients with clinically diagnosed mild cognitive impairment and dementia owing to
Alzheimer disease (AD)? Findings In this analysis of 2 open-label clinical trials, visual read of an advanced
flortaucipir PET AD pattern was associated with an increased risk of 18-month cognitive
and functional decline compared with other scan patterns. Meaning Clinically applicable visual reads of flortaucipir PET scans may provide valuable
information regarding the risk of near-term clinical deterioration among patients with
clinically diagnosed mild cognitive impairment or dementia owing to AD. Importance Flortaucipir positron emission tomography (PET) scans, rated with a novel, US Food and
Drug Administration–approved, clinically applicable visual interpretation method,
provide valuable information regarding near-term clinical progression of patients with
Alzheimer disease (AD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Objective To evaluate the association between flortaucipir PET visual interpretation and
patients’ near-term clinical progression. Design/Setting/Participants Two prospective, open-label, longitudinal studies were conducted from December 2014 to
September 2019. Study 1 screened 298 patients and enrolled 160 participants who had a
flortaucipir scan at baseline visit. Study 2 selected 205 participants from the AMARANTH
trial, which was terminated after futility analysis. Out of the 2218 AMARANTH
participants, 424 had a flortaucipir scan around randomization, but 219 did not complete
18-month clinical dementia rating (CDR) assessments and thus were excluded. In both
studies, all participants were diagnosed as clinically impaired, and they were
longitudinally followed up for approximately 18 months after baseline. Main Outcomes and Measures Flortaucipir scans were rated as either advanced or nonadvanced AD pattern using a
predetermined visual interpretation method. The CDR sum of box (CDR-SB) score was used
as primary clinical end point measurement in both studies. Results Of the 364 study participants who had readable scans, 48% were female
(n = 174 of 364), and the mean (SD) age was 71.8 (8.7) years. Two hundred
forty participants were rated as having an advanced AD pattern. At 18 months follow-up,
70% of those with an advanced AD pattern (n = 147 of 210) had 1 point or
more increase in CDR-SB, an event predefined as clinically meaningful deterioration. In
contrast, only 46% of those with a nonadvanced AD pattern scan (n = 48 of
105) experienced the same event (risk ratio [RR], 1.40; 95% CI, 1.11-1.76;
P = .005). The adjusted mean CDR-SB changes were 2.28 and
0.98 for advanced and nonadvanced AD pattern groups, respectively
(P < .001). Analyses with other clinical end point
assessments, as well as analyses with each individual study’s data, consistently
indicated a higher risk of clinical deterioration associated with an advanced AD scan
pattern. Conclusions and Relevance These results suggest that flortaucipir PET scans, when interpreted with an US Food and
Drug Administration–approved, clinically applicable visual interpretation method,
may provide valuable information regarding the risk of clinical deterioration over 18
months among patients with AD and MCI. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02016560
and NCT03901105
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Lu
- Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Co, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Michael J Pontecorvo
- Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Co, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Michael D Devous
- Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Co, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Anupa K Arora
- Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Co, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Nicholas Galante
- Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Co, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Anne McGeehan
- Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Co, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Catherine Devadanam
- Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Co, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Stephen P Salloway
- Butler Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island.,Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - P Murali Doraiswamy
- Duke University School of Medicine and the Duke Institute of Brian Science Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | | | - Stephen P Truocchio
- Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Co, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Matthew Flitter
- Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Co, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Tricia Locascio
- Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Co, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Marybeth Devine
- Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Co, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | | | | | - Mark A Mintun
- Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Co, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.,Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana
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47
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Wegmann S, DeVos SL, Zeitler B, Marlen K, Bennett RE, Perez-Rando M, MacKenzie D, Yu Q, Commins C, Bannon RN, Corjuc BT, Chase A, Diez L, Nguyen HOB, Hinkley S, Zhang L, Goodwin A, Ledeboer A, Lam S, Ankoudinova I, Tran H, Scarlott N, Amora R, Surosky R, Miller JC, Robbins AB, Rebar EJ, Urnov FD, Holmes MC, Pooler AM, Riley B, Zhang HS, Hyman BT. Persistent repression of tau in the brain using engineered zinc finger protein transcription factors. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/12/eabe1611. [PMID: 33741591 PMCID: PMC7978433 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abe1611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Neuronal tau reduction confers resilience against β-amyloid and tau-related neurotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. Here, we introduce a novel translational approach to lower expression of the tau gene MAPT at the transcriptional level using gene-silencing zinc finger protein transcription factors (ZFP-TFs). Following a single administration of adeno-associated virus (AAV), either locally into the hippocampus or intravenously to enable whole-brain transduction, we selectively reduced tau messenger RNA and protein by 50 to 80% out to 11 months, the longest time point studied. Sustained tau lowering was achieved without detectable off-target effects, overt histopathological changes, or molecular alterations. Tau reduction with AAV ZFP-TFs was able to rescue neuronal damage around amyloid plaques in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (APP/PS1 line). The highly specific, durable, and controlled knockdown of endogenous tau makes AAV-delivered ZFP-TFs a promising approach for the treatment of tau-related human brain diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Wegmann
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Neurodegenerative Disease, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Sarah L DeVos
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Neurodegenerative Disease, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | | | | | - Rachel E Bennett
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Neurodegenerative Disease, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Marta Perez-Rando
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Neurodegenerative Disease, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Danny MacKenzie
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Neurodegenerative Disease, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Qi Yu
- Sangamo Therapeutics Inc., Richmond, CA 94804, USA
| | - Caitlin Commins
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Neurodegenerative Disease, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Riley N Bannon
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Neurodegenerative Disease, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Bianca T Corjuc
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Neurodegenerative Disease, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Alison Chase
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Neurodegenerative Disease, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Lisa Diez
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | - Lei Zhang
- Sangamo Therapeutics Inc., Richmond, CA 94804, USA
| | | | | | - Stephen Lam
- Sangamo Therapeutics Inc., Richmond, CA 94804, USA
| | | | - Hung Tran
- Sangamo Therapeutics Inc., Richmond, CA 94804, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Ashley B Robbins
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Neurodegenerative Disease, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | | | | | | | - Amy M Pooler
- Sangamo Therapeutics Inc., Richmond, CA 94804, USA
| | - Brigit Riley
- Sangamo Therapeutics Inc., Richmond, CA 94804, USA
| | | | - Bradley T Hyman
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Neurodegenerative Disease, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.
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48
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Noor A, Zafar S, Zerr I. Neurodegenerative Proteinopathies in the Proteoform Spectrum-Tools and Challenges. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:1085. [PMID: 33499319 PMCID: PMC7865347 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22031085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteinopathy refers to a group of disorders defined by depositions of amyloids within living tissue. Neurodegenerative proteinopathies, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and others, constitute a large fraction of these disorders. Amyloids are highly insoluble, ordered, stable, beta-sheet rich proteins. The emerging theory about the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative proteinopathies suggests that the primary amyloid-forming proteins, also known as the prion-like proteins, may exist as multiple proteoforms that contribute differentially towards the disease prognosis. It is therefore necessary to resolve these disorders on the level of proteoforms rather than the proteome. The transient and hydrophobic nature of amyloid-forming proteins and the minor post-translational alterations that lead to the formation of proteoforms require the use of highly sensitive and specialized techniques. Several conventional techniques, like gel electrophoresis and conventional mass spectrometry, have been modified to accommodate the proteoform theory and prion-like proteins. Several new ones, like imaging mass spectrometry, have also emerged. This review aims to discuss the proteoform theory of neurodegenerative disorders along with the utility of these proteomic techniques for the study of highly insoluble proteins and their associated proteoforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aneeqa Noor
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (A.N.); (I.Z.)
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 37075 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Saima Zafar
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (A.N.); (I.Z.)
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Department, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (SMME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Bolan Road, H-12, 44000 Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Inga Zerr
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (A.N.); (I.Z.)
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 37075 Göttingen, Germany
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49
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Chatterjee S, Salimi A, Lee JY. Molecular mechanism of amyloidogenicity and neurotoxicity of a pro-aggregated tau mutant in the presence of histidine tautomerism via replica-exchange simulation. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:10475-10486. [DOI: 10.1039/d1cp00105a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Considering ΔK280 tau mutation, δε isomer with highest sheet content may accelerate aggregation; generating small compounds to inhibit this would help tp prevent tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Abbas Salimi
- Department of Chemistry
- Sungkyunkwan University
- Suwon 440-746
- Korea
| | - Jin Yong Lee
- Department of Chemistry
- Sungkyunkwan University
- Suwon 440-746
- Korea
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50
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Siano G, Micaelli M, Scarlatti A, Quercioli V, Di Primio C, Cattaneo A. The Q336H MAPT Mutation Linked to Pick's Disease Leads to Increased Binding of Tau to the Microtubule Network via Altered Conformational and Phosphorylation Effects. Front Mol Neurosci 2020; 13:569395. [PMID: 33343296 PMCID: PMC7738341 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2020.569395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Tauopathies are neurodegenerative disorders characterized by Tau aggregation. Genetic studies on familial cases allowed for the discovery of mutations in the MAPT gene that increase Tau propensity to detach from microtubules and to form insoluble cytoplasmic Tau aggregates. Recently, the rare mutation Q336H has been identified to be associated with Pick’s disease (PiD) and biochemical analyses demonstrated its ability to increase the microtubules (MTs) polymerization, thus revealing an opposite character compared to other Tau mutations studied so far. Here we investigated the biophysical and molecular properties of TauQ336H in living cells by the employment of the conformational Tau biosensor CST. We found that this mutation alters Tau conformation on microtubules, stabilizes its binding to tubulin, and is associated with a paradoxical lower level of Tau phosphorylation. Moreover, we found that this mutation impacts the cytoskeletal complexity by increasing the tubulin filament length and the number of branches. However, despite these apparently non-pathological traits, we observed the formation of intracellular inclusions confirming that Q336H leads to aggregation. Our results suggest that the Tau aggregation process might be triggered by molecular mechanisms other than Tau destabilization or post-translational modifications which are likely to be detrimental to neuronal function in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Siano
- Laboratorio di Biologia BIO@SNS, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Arianna Scarlatti
- Laboratorio di Biologia BIO@SNS, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Cristina Di Primio
- Laboratorio di Biologia BIO@SNS, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy.,Istituto di Neuroscienze, CNR, Pisa, Italy
| | - Antonino Cattaneo
- Laboratorio di Biologia BIO@SNS, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy
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