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Jury-Garfe N, Redding-Ochoa J, You Y, Martínez P, Karahan H, Chimal-Juárez E, Johnson TS, Zhang J, Resnick S, Kim J, Troncoso JC, Lasagna-Reeves CA. Enhanced microglial dynamics and a paucity of tau seeding in the amyloid plaque microenvironment contribute to cognitive resilience in Alzheimer's disease. Acta Neuropathol 2024; 148:15. [PMID: 39102080 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-024-02775-1] [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: 05/21/2024] [Revised: 07/09/2024] [Accepted: 07/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
Asymptomatic Alzheimer's disease (AsymAD) describes the status of individuals with preserved cognition but identifiable Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain pathology (i.e., beta-amyloid (Aβ) deposits, neuritic plaques, and neurofibrillary tangles) at autopsy. In this study, we investigated the postmortem brains of a cohort of AsymAD subjects to gain insight into the mechanisms underlying resilience to AD pathology and cognitive decline. Our results showed that AsymAD cases exhibit enrichment in core plaques, decreased filamentous plaque accumulation, and increased plaque-surrounding microglia. Less pathological tau aggregation in dystrophic neurites was found in AsymAD brains than in AD brains, and tau seeding activity was comparable to that in healthy brains. We used spatial transcriptomics to characterize the plaque niche further and revealed autophagy, endocytosis, and phagocytosis as the pathways associated with the genes upregulated in the AsymAD plaque niche. Furthermore, the levels of ARP2 and CAP1, which are actin-based motility proteins that participate in the dynamics of actin filaments to allow cell motility, were increased in the microglia surrounding amyloid plaques in AsymAD cases. Our findings suggest that the amyloid-plaque microenvironment in AsymAD cases is characterized by the presence of microglia with highly efficient actin-based cell motility mechanisms and decreased tau seeding compared with that in AD brains. These two mechanisms can potentially protect against the toxic cascade initiated by Aβ, preserving brain health, and slowing AD pathology progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nur Jury-Garfe
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Neurosciences Research Building 214G, 320 West 15th Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Javier Redding-Ochoa
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
| | - Yanwen You
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Neurosciences Research Building 214G, 320 West 15th Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Pablo Martínez
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Neurosciences Research Building 214G, 320 West 15th Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Hande Karahan
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Neurosciences Research Building 214G, 320 West 15th Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA
| | - Enrique Chimal-Juárez
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Neurosciences Research Building 214G, 320 West 15th Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Travis S Johnson
- Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA
| | - Jie Zhang
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Susan Resnick
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging and National Institute of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jungsu Kim
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Neurosciences Research Building 214G, 320 West 15th Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA
| | - Juan C Troncoso
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
| | - Cristian A Lasagna-Reeves
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Neurosciences Research Building 214G, 320 West 15th Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
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Soeda Y, Hayashi E, Nakatani N, Ishigaki S, Takaichi Y, Tachibana T, Riku Y, Chambers JK, Koike R, Mohammad M, Takashima A. A novel monoclonal antibody generated by immunization with granular tau oligomers binds to tau aggregates at 423-430 amino acid sequence. Sci Rep 2024; 14:16391. [PMID: 39060263 PMCID: PMC11282240 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65949-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Prior to the formation of amyloid fibrils, the pathological hallmark in tau-related neurodegenerative disease, tau monomers aggregate into a diverse range of oligomers. Granular tau oligomers, consisting of approximately 40 tau protein molecules, are present in the prefrontal cortex of patients at Braak stages I-II, preclinical stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Antibodies to granular tau oligomers as antigens have not been reported. Therefore, we generated new rat monoclonal antibodies by immunization with granular tau oligomers. Three antibodies from different hybridoma clones showed stronger immunoreactivity to granular tau oligomers and tau fibrils compared with monomeric tau. Of the three antibodies, 2D6-2C6 showed 3000-fold greater immunoreactivity in P301L-tau transgenic (rTg4510) mice than in non-transgenic mice, while MC1 antibody, which detects pathological conformations of tau, showed a 5.5-fold increase. These results suggest that 2D6-2C6 recognizes aggregates more specifically than MC1. In AD subjects, 2D6-2C6 recognized neurofibrillary tangles and pretangles, and co-localized within AT8-positive cells containing phosphorylated tau aggregates. The epitope of 2D6-2C6 is the 423-430 amino acid (AA) sequence of C-terminal regions. Taken together, a novel monoclonal antibody, 2D6-2C6, generated by immunization with granular tau oligomers binds to tau aggregates at the 423-430 AA sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiyuki Soeda
- Laboratory for Alzheimer's Disease, Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science, Gakushuin University, 1-5-1 Mejiro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, 171-8588, Japan.
| | - Emi Hayashi
- Cell Engineering Corporation, 5-12-14 Nishinakajima, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka, 532-0011, Japan
| | - Naoko Nakatani
- Cell Engineering Corporation, 5-12-14 Nishinakajima, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka, 532-0011, Japan
| | - Shinsuke Ishigaki
- Department of Diagnostics and Therapeutics for Brain Disease, Molecular Neuroscience Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan
| | - Yuta Takaichi
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Taro Tachibana
- Cell Engineering Corporation, 5-12-14 Nishinakajima, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka, 532-0011, Japan
- Graduate School of Engineering Division of Science and Engineering for Materials, Chemistry and Biology, Osaka Metropolitan University, 3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka, 558-0022, Japan
| | - Yuichi Riku
- Institute for Medical Science of Aging, Aichi Medical University, 1-1 Yazakokarimata, Nagakute, Aichi, 480-1195, Japan
- Department of Neurology, Nagoya University, 65 Tsurumai, Showa, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan
| | - James K Chambers
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Riki Koike
- Laboratory for Alzheimer's Disease, Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science, Gakushuin University, 1-5-1 Mejiro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, 171-8588, Japan
| | - Moniruzzaman Mohammad
- Department of Diagnostics and Therapeutics for Brain Disease, Molecular Neuroscience Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan
| | - Akihiko Takashima
- Laboratory for Alzheimer's Disease, Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science, Gakushuin University, 1-5-1 Mejiro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, 171-8588, Japan
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Soeda Y, Yoshimura H, Bannai H, Koike R, Shiiba I, Takashima A. Intracellular tau fragment droplets serve as seeds for tau fibrils. Structure 2024:S0969-2126(24)00236-3. [PMID: 39032487 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2024.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Intracellular tau aggregation requires a local protein concentration increase, referred to as "droplets". However, the cellular mechanism for droplet formation is poorly understood. Here, we expressed OptoTau, a P301L mutant tau fused with CRY2olig, a light-sensitive protein that can form homo-oligomers. Under blue light exposure, OptoTau increased tau phosphorylation and was sequestered in aggresomes. Suppressing aggresome formation by nocodazole formed tau granular clusters in the cytoplasm. The granular clusters disappeared by discontinuing blue light exposure or 1,6-hexanediol treatment suggesting that intracellular tau droplet formation requires microtubule collapse. Expressing OptoTau-ΔN, a species of N-terminal cleaved tau observed in the Alzheimer's disease brain, formed 1,6-hexanediol and detergent-resistant tau clusters in the cytoplasm with blue light stimulation. These intracellular stable tau clusters acted as a seed for tau fibrils in vitro. These results suggest that tau droplet formation and N-terminal cleavage are necessary for neurofibrillary tangles formation in neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiyuki Soeda
- Laboratory for Alzheimer's Disease, Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science, Gakushuin University, 1-5-1 Mejiro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-8588, Japan.
| | - Hideaki Yoshimura
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Hiroko Bannai
- School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering and Biosciences, Waseda University, 2-2 Wakamatsucho, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo 162-0056, Japan
| | - Riki Koike
- Laboratory for Alzheimer's Disease, Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science, Gakushuin University, 1-5-1 Mejiro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-8588, Japan
| | - Isshin Shiiba
- Laboratory of Molecular Biochemistry, Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science, Gakushuin University, 1-5-1 Mejiro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-8588, Japan
| | - Akihiko Takashima
- Laboratory for Alzheimer's Disease, Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science, Gakushuin University, 1-5-1 Mejiro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-8588, Japan
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Tan W, Thiruppathi J, Hong SH, Puth S, Pheng S, Mun BR, Choi WS, Lee KH, Park HS, Nguyen DT, Lee MC, Jeong K, Zheng JH, Kim Y, Lee SE, Rhee JH. Development of an anti-tauopathy mucosal vaccine specifically targeting pathologic conformers. NPJ Vaccines 2024; 9:108. [PMID: 38879560 PMCID: PMC11180213 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-024-00904-1] [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: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related tauopathies are associated with pathological tau protein aggregation, which plays an important role in neurofibrillary degeneration and dementia. Targeted immunotherapy to eliminate pathological tau aggregates is known to improve cognitive deficits in AD animal models. The tau repeat domain (TauRD) plays a pivotal role in tau-microtubule interactions and is critically involved in the aggregation of hyperphosphorylated tau proteins. Because TauRD forms the structural core of tau aggregates, the development of immunotherapies that selectively target TauRD-induced pathological aggregates holds great promise for the modulation of tauopathies. In this study, we generated recombinant TauRD polypeptide that form neurofibrillary tangle-like structures and evaluated TauRD-specific immune responses following intranasal immunization in combination with the mucosal adjuvant FlaB. In BALB/C mice, repeated immunizations at one-week intervals induced robust TauRD-specific antibody responses in a TLR5-dependent manner. Notably, the resulting antiserum recognized only the aggregated form of TauRD, while ignoring monomeric TauRD. The antiserum effectively inhibited TauRD filament formation and promoted the phagocytic degradation of TauRD aggregate fragments by microglia. The antiserum also specifically recognized pathological tau conformers in the human AD brain. Based on these results, we engineered a built-in flagellin-adjuvanted TauRD (FlaB-TauRD) vaccine and tested its efficacy in a P301S transgenic mouse model. Mucosal immunization with FlaB-TauRD improved quality of life, as indicated by the amelioration of memory deficits, and alleviated tauopathy progression. Notably, the survival of the vaccinated mice was dramatically extended. In conclusion, we developed a mucosal vaccine that exclusively targets pathological tau conformers and prevents disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenzhi Tan
- Clinical Vaccine R&D Center, Chonnam National University, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
- Department of Microbiology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, China
| | - Jayalakshmi Thiruppathi
- Clinical Vaccine R&D Center, Chonnam National University, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
- Department of Microbiology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
- Combinatorial Tumor Immunotherapy MRC, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
| | - Seol Hee Hong
- Clinical Vaccine R&D Center, Chonnam National University, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
- National Immunotherapy Innovation Center, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
- Department of Pharmacology and Dental Therapeutics, School of Dentistry, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Sao Puth
- Clinical Vaccine R&D Center, Chonnam National University, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
- Department of Microbiology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
- Combinatorial Tumor Immunotherapy MRC, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
| | - Sophea Pheng
- Clinical Vaccine R&D Center, Chonnam National University, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
- Department of Microbiology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
- Combinatorial Tumor Immunotherapy MRC, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
| | - Bo-Ram Mun
- School of Biological Sciences and Technology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Won-Seok Choi
- School of Biological Sciences and Technology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung-Hwa Lee
- Combinatorial Tumor Immunotherapy MRC, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
- Department of Pathology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun-Sun Park
- Department of Pharmacology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
| | - Duc Tien Nguyen
- Clinical Vaccine R&D Center, Chonnam National University, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
- Department of Microbiology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
- Combinatorial Tumor Immunotherapy MRC, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Cheol Lee
- Department of Pathology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
- Seegene Inc, Seoul, 05548, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwangjoon Jeong
- Clinical Vaccine R&D Center, Chonnam National University, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
- Department of Microbiology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Hai Zheng
- Clinical Vaccine R&D Center, Chonnam National University, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, China
| | - Young Kim
- Department of Oral Pathology, School of Dentistry, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Shee Eun Lee
- Clinical Vaccine R&D Center, Chonnam National University, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea.
- National Immunotherapy Innovation Center, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Pharmacology and Dental Therapeutics, School of Dentistry, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea.
| | - Joon Haeng Rhee
- Clinical Vaccine R&D Center, Chonnam National University, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Microbiology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea.
- Combinatorial Tumor Immunotherapy MRC, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam, 58128, Republic of Korea.
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Zheng H, Sun H, Cai Q, Tai HC. The Enigma of Tau Protein Aggregation: Mechanistic Insights and Future Challenges. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4969. [PMID: 38732197 PMCID: PMC11084794 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25094969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2024] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Tau protein misfolding and aggregation are pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease and over twenty neurodegenerative disorders. However, the molecular mechanisms of tau aggregation in vivo remain incompletely understood. There are two types of tau aggregates in the brain: soluble aggregates (oligomers and protofibrils) and insoluble filaments (fibrils). Compared to filamentous aggregates, soluble aggregates are more toxic and exhibit prion-like transmission, providing seeds for templated misfolding. Curiously, in its native state, tau is a highly soluble, heat-stable protein that does not form fibrils by itself, not even when hyperphosphorylated. In vitro studies have found that negatively charged molecules such as heparin, RNA, or arachidonic acid are generally required to induce tau aggregation. Two recent breakthroughs have provided new insights into tau aggregation mechanisms. First, as an intrinsically disordered protein, tau is found to undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) both in vitro and inside cells. Second, cryo-electron microscopy has revealed diverse fibrillar tau conformations associated with different neurodegenerative disorders. Nonetheless, only the fibrillar core is structurally resolved, and the remainder of the protein appears as a "fuzzy coat". From this review, it appears that further studies are required (1) to clarify the role of LLPS in tau aggregation; (2) to unveil the structural features of soluble tau aggregates; (3) to understand the involvement of fuzzy coat regions in oligomer and fibril formation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Hwan-Ching Tai
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
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Huhe H, Shapley SM, Duong D, Wu F, Ha SK, Choi SH, Kofler J, Mou Y, Guimaraes TR, Thathiah A, Schaeffer LKH, Carter GW, Seyfried NT, Silva AC, Sukoff Rizzo SJ. Marmosets as model systems for the study of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias: substantiation of physiological Tau 3R and 4R isoform expression and phosphorylation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.26.590453. [PMID: 38746277 PMCID: PMC11092449 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.26.590453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Marmosets have been shown to spontaneously develop pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) during advanced age, including amyloid-beta plaques, positioning them as a model system to overcome the rodent-to-human translational gap for AD. However, Tau expression in the marmoset brain has been understudied. METHODS To comprehensively investigate Tau isoform expression in marmosets, brain tissue from eight unrelated marmosets across various ages was evaluated and compared to human postmortem AD tissue. Microtubule-associated protein tau ( MAPT ) mRNA expression and splicing were confirmed by RT-PCR. Tau isoforms in the marmoset brain were examined by western blot, mass spectrometry, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemical staining. Synaptic Tau expression was analyzed from crude synaptosome extractions. RESULTS 3R and 4R Tau isoforms are expressed in marmoset brains at both transcript and protein levels across ages. Results from western blot analysis were confirmed by mass spectrometry, which revealed that Tau peptides in marmoset corresponded to the 3R and 4R peptides in the human AD brain. 3R Tau was primarily enriched in neonate brains, and 4R enhanced in adult and aged brains. Tau was widely distributed in neurons with localization in the soma and synaptic regions. Phosphorylation residues were observed on Thr-181, Thr-217, and Thr-231, Ser202/Thr205, Ser396/Ser404. Paired helical filament (PHF)-like aggregates were also detected in aged marmosets. DISCUSSION Our results confirm the expression of both 3R and 4R Tau isoforms and important phosphorylation residues in the marmoset brain. These data emphasize the significance of marmosets with natural expression of AD-related hallmarks as important translational models for the study of AD.
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Golmohammadi M, Mahmoudian M, Hasan EK, Alshahrani SH, Romero-Parra RM, Malviya J, Hjazi A, Najm MAA, Almulla AF, Zamanian MY, Kadkhodaei M, Mousavi N. Neuroprotective effects of riluzole in Alzheimer's disease: A comprehensive review. Fundam Clin Pharmacol 2024; 38:225-237. [PMID: 37753585 DOI: 10.1111/fcp.12955] [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: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite several hundred clinical trials of drugs that initially showed promise, there has been limited clinical improvement in Alzheimer's disease (AD). This may be attributed to the existence of at least 25 abnormal cellular pathways that underlie the disease. It is improbable for a single drug to address all or most of these pathways, thus even drugs that show promise when administered alone are unlikely to produce significant results. According to previous studies, eight drugs, namely, dantrolene, erythropoietin, lithium, memantine, minocycline, piracetam, riluzole, and silymarin, have been found to target multiple pathways that are involved in the development of AD. Among these drugs, riluzole is currently indicated for the treatment of medical conditions in both adult patients and children and has gained increased attention from scientists due to its potential in the excitotoxic hypothesis of neurodegenerative diseases. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of drugs on AD based on cellular and molecular mechanisms. METHODS The literature search for this study utilized the Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases to identify relevant articles. RESULTS Riluzole exerts its effects in AD through diverse pathways including the inhibition of voltage-dependent sodium and calcium channels, blocking AMPA and NMDA receptors and inhibiting the release of glutamic acid release and stimulation of EAAT1-EAAT2. CONCLUSION In this review article, we aimed to review the neuroprotective properties of riluzole, a glutamate modulator, in AD, which could benefit patients with the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Golmohammadi
- School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | | | | | | | - Jitendra Malviya
- Department of Life Sciences and Biological Sciences, IES University, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Ahmed Hjazi
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mazin A A Najm
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, College of Pharmacy, Al-Ayen University, Thi-Qar, Iraq
| | - Abbas F Almulla
- Medical Laboratory Technology Department, College of Medical Technology, The Islamic University, Najaf, Iraq
| | - Mohammad Yasin Zamanian
- Neurophysiology Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| | - Mona Kadkhodaei
- Department of Surgery, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran
| | - Nazanin Mousavi
- Department of Psychology, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran
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Alhadidy MM, Kanaan NM. Biochemical approaches to assess the impact of post-translational modifications on pathogenic tau conformations using recombinant protein. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:301-318. [PMID: 38348781 PMCID: PMC10903483 DOI: 10.1042/bst20230596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Tau protein is associated with many neurodegenerative disorders known as tauopathies. Aggregates of tau are thought of as a main contributor to neurodegeneration in these diseases. Increasingly, evidence points to earlier, soluble conformations of abnormally modified monomers and multimeric tau as toxic forms of tau. The biological processes driving tau from physiological species to pathogenic conformations remain poorly understood, but certain avenues are currently under investigation including the functional consequences of various pathological tau changes (e.g. mutations, post-translational modifications (PTMs), and protein-protein interactions). PTMs can regulate several aspects of tau biology such as proteasomal and autophagic clearance, solubility, and aggregation. Moreover, PTMs can contribute to the transition of tau from normal to pathogenic conformations. However, our understating of how PTMs specifically regulate the transition of tau into pathogenic conformations is partly impeded by the relative lack of structured frameworks to assess and quantify these conformations. In this review, we describe a set of approaches that includes several in vitro assays to determine the contribution of PTMs to tau's transition into known pathogenic conformations. The approaches begin with different methods to create recombinant tau proteins carrying specific PTMs followed by validation of the PTMs status. Then, we describe a set of biochemical and biophysical assays that assess the contribution of a given PTM to different tau conformations, including aggregation, oligomerization, exposure of the phosphatase-activating domain, and seeding. Together, these approaches can facilitate the advancement of our understanding of the relationships between PTMs and tau conformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed M. Alhadidy
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, U.S.A
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, U.S.A
| | - Nicholas M. Kanaan
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, U.S.A
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, U.S.A
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Koike R, Soeda Y, Kasai A, Fujioka Y, Ishigaki S, Yamanaka A, Takaichi Y, Chambers JK, Uchida K, Watanabe H, Takashima A. Path integration deficits are associated with phosphorylated tau accumulation in the entorhinal cortex. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcad359. [PMID: 38347945 PMCID: PMC10859636 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcad359] [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: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is a devastating disease that is accompanied by dementia, and its incidence increases with age. However, no interventions have exhibited clear therapeutic effects. We aimed to develop and characterize behavioural tasks that allow the earlier identification of signs preceding dementia that would facilitate the development of preventative and therapeutic interventions for Alzheimer's disease. To this end, we developed a 3D virtual reality task sensitive to the activity of grid cells in the entorhinal cortex, which is the region that first exhibits neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease. We investigated path integration (assessed by error distance) in a spatial navigation task sensitive to grid cells in the entorhinal cortex in 177 volunteers, aged 20-89 years, who did not have self-reported dementia. While place memory was intact even in old age, path integration deteriorated with increasing age. To investigate the relationship between neurofibrillary tangles in the entorhinal cortex and path integration deficit, we examined a mouse model of tauopathy (P301S mutant tau-overexpressing mice; PS19 mice). At 6 months of age, PS19 mice showed a significant accumulation of phosphorylated tau only in the entorhinal cortex, associated with impaired path integration without impairments in spatial cognition. These data are consistent with the idea that path integration deficit is caused by the accumulation of phosphorylated tau in the entorhinal cortex. This method may allow the early identification of individuals likely to develop Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riki Koike
- Laboratory for Alzheimer’s Disease, Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science, Gakushuin University, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-8588, Japan
| | - Yoshiyuki Soeda
- Laboratory for Alzheimer’s Disease, Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science, Gakushuin University, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-8588, Japan
| | - Atsushi Kasai
- Deapartment of Research and Development, MIG (Medical Innovation Group) Inc, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0031, Japan
| | - Yusuke Fujioka
- Molecular Neuroscience Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Shiga 520-2192, Japan
| | - Shinsuke Ishigaki
- Molecular Neuroscience Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Shiga 520-2192, Japan
| | - Akihiro Yamanaka
- Department of Neuroscience II, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
| | - Yuta Takaichi
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - James K Chambers
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Kazuyuki Uchida
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Hirohisa Watanabe
- Department of Neurology, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192, Japan
| | - Akihiko Takashima
- Laboratory for Alzheimer’s Disease, Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science, Gakushuin University, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-8588, Japan
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10
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Kumar M, Quittot N, Dujardin S, Schlaffner CN, Viode A, Wiedmer A, Beerepoot P, Chun JE, Glynn C, Fernandes AR, Donahue C, Steen JA, Hyman BT. Alzheimer proteopathic tau seeds are biochemically a forme fruste of mature paired helical filaments. Brain 2024; 147:637-648. [PMID: 38236720 PMCID: PMC10834235 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad378] [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: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Aggregation prone molecules, such as tau, form both historically well characterized fibrillar deposits (neurofibrillary tangles) and recently identified phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) extract species called proteopathic seeds. Both can cause normal endogenous tau to undergo templated misfolding. The relationship of these seeds to the fibrils that define tau-related diseases is unknown. We characterized the aqueous extractable and sarkosyl insoluble fibrillar tau species derived from human Alzheimer brain using mass spectrometry and in vitro bioassays. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) including phosphorylation, acetylation and ubiquitination are identified in both preparations. PBS extract seed competent tau can be distinguished from sarkosyl insoluble tau by the presence of overlapping, but less abundant, PTMs and an absence of some PTMs unique to the latter. The presence of ubiquitin and other PTMs on the PBS-extracted tau species correlates with the amount of tau in the seed competent size exclusion fractions, with the bioactivity and with the aggressiveness of clinical disease. These results demonstrate that the PTMs present on bioactive, seed competent PBS extract tau species are closely related to, but distinct from, the PTMs of mature paired helical filaments, consistent with the idea that they are a forme fruste of tau species that ultimately form fibrils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mukesh Kumar
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Noé Quittot
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Simon Dujardin
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Christoph N Schlaffner
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Arthur Viode
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Anne Wiedmer
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Pieter Beerepoot
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Joshua E Chun
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Calina Glynn
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Analiese R Fernandes
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Cameron Donahue
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Judith A Steen
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Bradley T Hyman
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
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11
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Shi H, Zhao Y. Modulation of Tau Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease by Dietary Bioactive Compounds. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:831. [PMID: 38255905 PMCID: PMC10815728 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25020831] [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: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein essential for microtubule assembly and stability in neurons. The abnormal intracellular accumulation of tau aggregates is a major characteristic of brains from patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies. In AD, the presence of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), which is composed of hyperphosphorylated tau protein, is positively correlated with the severity of the cognitive decline. Evidence suggests that the accumulation and aggregation of tau cause synaptic dysfunction and neuronal degeneration. Thus, the prevention of abnormal tau phosphorylation and elimination of tau aggregates have been proposed as therapeutic strategies for AD. However, currently tau-targeting therapies for AD and other tauopathies are limited. A number of dietary bioactive compounds have been found to modulate the posttranslational modifications of tau, including phosphorylation, small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) mediated modification (SUMOylation) and acetylation, as well as inhibit tau aggregation and/or promote tau degradation. The advantages of using these dietary components over synthetic substances in AD prevention and intervention are their safety and accessibility. This review summarizes the mechanisms leading to tau pathology in AD and highlights the effects of bioactive compounds on the hyperphosphorylation, aggregation and clearance of tau protein. The potential of using these bioactive compounds for AD prevention and intervention is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huahua Shi
- Department of Bioengineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Weihai 264209, China;
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Yan Zhao
- Department of Bioengineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Weihai 264209, China;
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
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12
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Haut F, Argyrousi EK, Arancio O. Re-Arranging the Puzzle between the Amyloid-Beta and Tau Pathology: An APP-Centric Approach. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:259. [PMID: 38203429 PMCID: PMC10779219 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
After several years of research in the field of Alzheimer's disease (AD), it is still unclear how amyloid-beta (Aβ) and Tau, two key hallmarks of the disease, mediate the neuropathogenic events that lead to AD. Current data challenge the "Amyloid Cascade Hypothesis" that has prevailed in the field of AD, stating that Aβ precedes and triggers Tau pathology that will eventually become the toxic entity in the progression of the disease. This perspective also led the field of therapeutic approaches towards the development of strategies that target Aβ or Tau. In the present review, we discuss recent literature regarding the neurotoxic role of both Aβ and Tau in AD, as well as their physiological function in the healthy brain. Consequently, we present studies suggesting that Aβ and Tau act independently of each other in mediating neurotoxicity in AD, thereafter, re-evaluating the "Amyloid Cascade Hypothesis" that places Tau pathology downstream of Aβ. More recent studies have confirmed that both Aβ and Tau could propagate the disease and induce synaptic and memory impairments via the amyloid precursor protein (APP). This finding is not only interesting from a mechanistic point of view since it provides better insights into the AD pathogenesis but also from a therapeutic point of view since it renders APP a common downstream effector for both Aβ and Tau. Subsequently, therapeutic strategies that act on APP might provide a more viable and physiologically relevant approach for targeting AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florence Haut
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, 630 West 168th Street, P&S, New York, NY 10032, USA; (F.H.); (E.K.A.)
| | - Elentina K. Argyrousi
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, 630 West 168th Street, P&S, New York, NY 10032, USA; (F.H.); (E.K.A.)
| | - Ottavio Arancio
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, 630 West 168th Street, P&S, New York, NY 10032, USA; (F.H.); (E.K.A.)
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
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13
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Davidson R, Krider RI, Borsellino P, Noorda K, Alhwayek G, Vida TA. Untangling Tau: Molecular Insights into Neuroinflammation, Pathophysiology, and Emerging Immunotherapies. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2023; 45:8816-8839. [PMID: 37998730 PMCID: PMC10670294 DOI: 10.3390/cimb45110553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroinflammation, a core pathological feature observed in several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), is rapidly gaining attention as a target in understanding the molecular underpinnings of these disorders. Glial cells, endothelial cells, peripheral immune cells, and astrocytes produce a variety of pro-inflammatory mediators that exacerbate the disease progression. Additionally, microglial cells play a complex role in AD, facilitating the clearance of pathological amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ) plaques and aggregates of the tau protein. Tau proteins, traditionally associated with microtubule stabilization, have come under intense scrutiny for their perturbed roles in neurodegenerative conditions. In this narrative review, we focus on recent advances from molecular insights that have revealed aberrant tau post-translational modifications, such as phosphorylation and acetylation, serving as pathological hallmarks. These modifications also trigger the activation of CNS-resident immune cells, such as microglia and astrocytes substantially contributing to neuroinflammation. This intricate relationship between tau pathologies and neuroinflammation fosters a cascading impact on neural pathophysiology. Furthermore, understanding the molecular mechanisms underpinning tau's influence on neuroinflammation presents a frontier for the development of innovative immunotherapies. Neurodegenerative diseases have been relatively intractable to conventional pharmacology using small molecules. We further comprehensively document the many alternative approaches using immunotherapy targeting tau pathological epitopes and structures with a wide array of antibodies. Clinical trials are discussed using these therapeutic approaches, which have both promising and disappointing outcomes. Future directions for tau immunotherapies may include combining treatments with Aβ immunotherapy, which may result in more significant clinical outcomes for neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Thomas A. Vida
- Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, 625 Shadow Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89106, USA; (R.D.); (R.I.K.); (P.B.); (K.N.); (G.A.)
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14
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Shah SJA, Zhang Q, Guo J, Liu H, Liu H, Villà-Freixa J. Identification of Aggregation Mechanism of Acetylated PHF6* and PHF6 Tau Peptides Based on Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Markov State Modeling. ACS Chem Neurosci 2023; 14:3959-3971. [PMID: 37830541 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) has a critical role in the development and preservation of the nervous system. However, tau's dysfunction and accumulation in the human brain can lead to several neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Down's syndrome, and frontotemporal dementia. The microtubule binding (MTB) domain plays a significant, important role in determining the tau's pathophysiology, as the core of paired helical filaments PHF6* (275VQIINK280) and PHF6 (306VQIVYK311) of R2 and R3 repeat units, respectively, are formed in this region, which promotes tau aggregation. Post-translational modifications, and in particular lysine acetylation at K280 of PHF6* and K311 of PHF6, have been previously established to promote tau misfolding and aggregation. However, the exact aggregation mechanism is not known. In this study, we established an atomic-level nucleation-extension mechanism of the separated aggregation of acetylated PHF6* and PHF6 hexapeptides, respectively, of tau. We show that the acetylation of the lysine residues promotes the formation of β-sheet enriched high-ordered oligomers. The Markov state model analysis of ac-PHF6* and ac-PHF6 aggregation revealed the formation of an antiparallel dimer nucleus which could be extended from both sides in a parallel manner to form mixed-oriented and high-ordered oligomers. Our study describes the detailed mechanism for acetylation-driven tau aggregation, which provides valuable insights into the effect of post-translation modification in altering the pathophysiology of tau hexapeptides.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Qianqian Zhang
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Macao Polytechnic University, 999078 Macao, SAR, China
| | - Jingjing Guo
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Macao Polytechnic University, 999078 Macao, SAR, China
| | - Hongli Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Drug Research and Clinical Pharmacy, Xuzhou Medical University, 221004 Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Huanxiang Liu
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Macao Polytechnic University, 999078 Macao, SAR, China
| | - Jordi Villà-Freixa
- Departament de Biociències, Universitat de Vic─Universitat Central de Catalunya, 08500 Vic, Spain
- Institut de Recerca i Innovació en Ciències de la Vida i de la Salut a la Catalunya Central (IRIS-CC), 08500 Vic, Spain
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15
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Hu J, Sha W, Yuan S, Wu J, Huang Y. Aggregation, Transmission, and Toxicity of the Microtubule-Associated Protein Tau: A Complex Comprehension. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15023. [PMID: 37834471 PMCID: PMC10573976 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241915023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The microtubule-associated protein tau is an intrinsically disordered protein containing a few short and transient secondary structures. Tau physiologically associates with microtubules (MTs) for its stabilization and detaches from MTs to regulate its dynamics. Under pathological conditions, tau is abnormally modified, detaches from MTs, and forms protein aggregates in neuronal and glial cells. Tau protein aggregates can be found in a number of devastating neurodegenerative diseases known as "tauopathies", such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), etc. However, it is still unclear how the tau protein is compacted into ordered protein aggregates, and the toxicity of the aggregates is still debated. Fortunately, there has been considerable progress in the study of tau in recent years, particularly in the understanding of the intercellular transmission of pathological tau species, the structure of tau aggregates, and the conformational change events in the tau polymerization process. In this review, we summarize the concepts of tau protein aggregation and discuss the views on tau protein transmission and toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaxin Hu
- Key Laboratory of Systems Health Science of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China; (J.H.); (W.S.); (S.Y.)
| | - Wenchi Sha
- Key Laboratory of Systems Health Science of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China; (J.H.); (W.S.); (S.Y.)
| | - Shuangshuang Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Systems Health Science of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China; (J.H.); (W.S.); (S.Y.)
| | - Jiarui Wu
- Key Laboratory of Systems Health Science of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China; (J.H.); (W.S.); (S.Y.)
- Key Laboratory of Systems Biology, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Yunpeng Huang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Health Science of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China; (J.H.); (W.S.); (S.Y.)
- Key Laboratory of Systems Biology, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China
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16
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Taha HB, Chawla E, Bitan G. IM-MS and ECD-MS/MS Provide Insight into Modulation of Amyloid Proteins Self-Assembly by Peptides and Small Molecules. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY 2023; 34:2066-2086. [PMID: 37607351 DOI: 10.1021/jasms.3c00065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative proteinopathies are characterized by formation and deposition of misfolded, aggregated proteins in the nervous system leading to neuronal dysfunction and death. It is widely believed that metastable oligomers of the offending proteins, preceding the fibrillar aggregates found in the tissue, are the proximal neurotoxins. There are currently almost no disease-modifying therapies for these diseases despite an active pipeline of preclinical development and clinical trials for over two decades, largely because studying the metastable oligomers and their interaction with potential therapeutics is notoriously difficult. Mass spectrometry (MS) is a powerful analytical tool for structural investigation of proteins, including protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions. Specific MS tools have been useful in determining the composition and conformation of abnormal protein oligomers involved in proteinopathies and the way they interact with drug candidates. Here, we analyze critically the utilization of ion-mobility spectroscopy-MS (IM-MS) and electron-capture dissociation (ECD) MS/MS for analyzing the oligomerization and conformation of multiple amyloidogenic proteins. We also discuss IM-MS investigation of their interaction with two classes of compounds developed by our group over the last two decades: C-terminal fragments derived from the 42-residue form of amyloid β-protein (Aβ42) and molecular tweezers. Finally, we review the utilization of ECD-MS/MS for elucidating the binding sites of the ligands on multiple proteins. These approaches are readily applicable to future studies addressing similar questions and hold promise for facilitating the development of successful disease-modifying drugs against neurodegenerative proteinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hash Brown Taha
- Department of Neurology, University of California Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
- Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Esha Chawla
- Department of Neurology, University of California Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Gal Bitan
- Department of Neurology, University of California Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
- Brain Research Institute, University of California Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
- Molecular Biology Institute, University of California Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
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17
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Jury-Garfe N, You Y, Martínez P, Redding-Ochoa J, Karahan H, Johnson TS, Zhang J, Kim J, Troncoso JC, Lasagna-Reeves CA. Enhanced microglial dynamics and paucity of tau seeding in the amyloid plaque microenvironment contributes to cognitive resilience in Alzheimer's disease. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.27.550884. [PMID: 37546928 PMCID: PMC10402121 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.27.550884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Asymptomatic Alzheimer's disease (AsymAD) describes the status of subjects with preserved cognition but with identifiable Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain pathology (i.e. Aβ-amyloid deposits, neuritic plaques, and neurofibrillary tangles) at autopsy. In this study, we investigated the postmortem brains of a cohort of AsymAD cases to gain insight into the underlying mechanisms of resilience to AD pathology and cognitive decline. Our results showed that AsymAD cases exhibit an enrichment of core plaques and decreased filamentous plaque accumulation, as well as an increase in microglia surrounding this last type. In AsymAD cases we found less pathological tau aggregation in dystrophic neurites compared to AD and tau seeding activity comparable to healthy control subjects. We used spatial transcriptomics to further characterize the plaque niche and found autophagy, endocytosis, and phagocytosis within the top upregulated pathways in the AsymAD plaque niche, but not in AD. Furthermore, we found ARP2, an actin-based motility protein crucial to initiate the formation of new actin filaments, increased within microglia in the proximity of amyloid plaques in AsymAD. Our findings support that the amyloid-plaque microenvironment in AsymAD cases is characterized by microglia with highly efficient actin-based cell motility mechanisms and decreased tau seeding compared to AD. These two mechanisms can potentially provide protection against the toxic cascade initiated by Aβ that preserves brain health and slows down the progression of AD pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nur Jury-Garfe
- Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University, Indianapolis, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Yanwen You
- Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University, Indianapolis, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Pablo Martínez
- Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University, Indianapolis, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Javier Redding-Ochoa
- Departments of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
| | - Hande Karahan
- Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University, Indianapolis, USA
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA
| | - Travis S. Johnson
- Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA
| | - Jie Zhang
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Jungsu Kim
- Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University, Indianapolis, USA
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA
| | - Juan C. Troncoso
- Departments of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
| | - Cristian A. Lasagna-Reeves
- Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University, Indianapolis, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
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18
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Hussong SA, Banh AQ, Van Skike CE, Dorigatti AO, Hernandez SF, Hart MJ, Ferran B, Makhlouf H, Gaczynska M, Osmulski PA, McAllen SA, Dineley KT, Ungvari Z, Perez VI, Kayed R, Galvan V. Soluble pathogenic tau enters brain vascular endothelial cells and drives cellular senescence and brain microvascular dysfunction in a mouse model of tauopathy. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2367. [PMID: 37185259 PMCID: PMC10126555 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37840-y] [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: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Vascular mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) may constitute a therapeutically addressable biological pathway underlying dementia. We previously demonstrated that soluble pathogenic forms of tau (tau oligomers) accumulate in brain microvasculature of AD and other tauopathies, including prominently in microvascular endothelial cells. Here we show that soluble pathogenic tau accumulates in brain microvascular endothelial cells of P301S(PS19) mice modeling tauopathy and drives AD-like brain microvascular deficits. Microvascular impairments in P301S(PS19) mice were partially negated by selective removal of pathogenic soluble tau aggregates from brain. We found that similar to trans-neuronal transmission of pathogenic forms of tau, soluble tau aggregates are internalized by brain microvascular endothelial cells in a heparin-sensitive manner and induce microtubule destabilization, block endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activation, and potently induce endothelial cell senescence that was recapitulated in vivo in microvasculature of P301S(PS19) mice. Our studies suggest that soluble pathogenic tau aggregates mediate AD-like brain microvascular deficits in a mouse model of tauopathy, which may arise from endothelial cell senescence and eNOS dysfunction triggered by internalization of soluble tau aggregates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacy A Hussong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 940 Stanton L Young Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA
- Center for Geroscience and Healthy Brain Aging, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 940 Stanton L Young Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA
- Oklahoma City Veterans Health Care System, 921 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA
| | - Andy Q Banh
- South Texas Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Texas Health San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
- Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health San Antonio, 4939 Charles Katz Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Candice E Van Skike
- Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health San Antonio, 4939 Charles Katz Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Angela O Dorigatti
- Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health San Antonio, 4939 Charles Katz Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Stephen F Hernandez
- Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health San Antonio, 4939 Charles Katz Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Matthew J Hart
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 940 Stanton L Young Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA
- Center for Geroscience and Healthy Brain Aging, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 940 Stanton L Young Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA
- Center for Therapeutic Science, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 940 Stanton L Young Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA
| | - Beatriz Ferran
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 940 Stanton L Young Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA
- Center for Geroscience and Healthy Brain Aging, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 940 Stanton L Young Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA
| | - Haneen Makhlouf
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 940 Stanton L Young Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA
- Center for Geroscience and Healthy Brain Aging, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 940 Stanton L Young Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA
| | - Maria Gaczynska
- Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health San Antonio, 4939 Charles Katz Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Pawel A Osmulski
- Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health San Antonio, 4939 Charles Katz Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Salome A McAllen
- Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Blvd, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Blvd, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
- Sealy Center for Vaccine Development, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Blvd, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Kelly T Dineley
- Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Blvd, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Blvd, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
- Sealy Center for Vaccine Development, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Blvd, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Zoltan Ungvari
- Center for Geroscience and Healthy Brain Aging, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 940 Stanton L Young Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 800 Stanton L Young Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA
- International Training Program in Geroscience, Doctoral School of Basic and Translational Medicine, Department of Public Health, Semmelweis University, H-1085 Budapest, Üllői út 26, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Rakez Kayed
- Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Blvd, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Blvd, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
- Sealy Center for Vaccine Development, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Blvd, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Veronica Galvan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 940 Stanton L Young Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA.
- Center for Geroscience and Healthy Brain Aging, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 940 Stanton L Young Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA.
- Oklahoma City Veterans Health Care System, 921 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA.
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19
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Brown J, Camporesi E, Lantero-Rodriguez J, Olsson M, Wang A, Medem B, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, Karikari TK, Wall M, Hill E. Tau in cerebrospinal fluid induces neuronal hyperexcitability and alters hippocampal theta oscillations. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2023; 11:67. [PMID: 37095572 PMCID: PMC10127378 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01562-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies are characterized by the aggregation of tau into soluble and insoluble forms (including tangles and neuropil threads). In humans, a fraction of both phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated N-terminal to mid-domain tau species, are secreted into cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Some of these CSF tau species can be measured as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, starting from early stages of disease. While in animal models of AD pathology, soluble tau aggregates have been shown to disrupt neuronal function, it is unclear whether the tau species present in CSF will modulate neural activity. Here, we have developed and applied a novel approach to examine the electrophysiological effects of CSF from patients with a tau-positive biomarker profile. The method involves incubation of acutely-isolated wild-type mouse hippocampal brain slices with small volumes of diluted human CSF, followed by a suite of electrophysiological recording methods to evaluate their effects on neuronal function, from single cells through to the network level. Comparison of the toxicity profiles of the same CSF samples, with and without immuno-depletion for tau, has enabled a pioneering demonstration that CSF-tau potently modulates neuronal function. We demonstrate that CSF-tau mediates an increase in neuronal excitability in single cells. We then observed, at the network level, increased input-output responses and enhanced paired-pulse facilitation as well as an increase in long-term potentiation. Finally, we show that CSF-tau modifies the generation and maintenance of hippocampal theta oscillations, which have important roles in learning and memory and are known to be altered in AD patients. Together, we describe a novel method for screening human CSF-tau to understand functional effects on neuron and network activity, which could have far-reaching benefits in understanding tau pathology, thus allowing for the development of better targeted treatments for tauopathies in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Brown
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Elena Camporesi
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, 43180, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Juan Lantero-Rodriguez
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, 43180, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Maria Olsson
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, 43180, Mölndal, Sweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 43180, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Alice Wang
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Blanca Medem
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, 43180, Mölndal, Sweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 43180, Mölndal, Sweden
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
- Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
- Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53792, USA
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53792, USA
| | - Kaj Blennow
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, 43180, Mölndal, Sweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 43180, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Thomas K Karikari
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, 43180, Mölndal, Sweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 43180, Mölndal, Sweden
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Mark Wall
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Emily Hill
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK.
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20
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Torok J, Anand C, Verma P, Raj A. Connectome-based biophysics models of Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and prognosis. Transl Res 2023; 254:13-23. [PMID: 36031051 PMCID: PMC11019890 DOI: 10.1016/j.trsl.2022.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
With the increasing prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) among aging populations and the limited therapeutic options available to slow or reverse its progression, the need has never been greater for improved diagnostic tools for identifying patients in the preclinical and prodomal phases of AD. Biophysics models of the connectome-based spread of amyloid-beta (Aβ) and microtubule-associated protein tau (τ) have enjoyed recent success as tools for predicting the time course of AD-related pathological changes. However, given the complex etiology of AD, which involves not only connectome-based spread of protein pathology but also the interactions of many molecular and cellular players over multiple spatiotemporal scales, more robust, complete biophysics models are needed to better understand AD pathophysiology and ultimately provide accurate patient-specific diagnoses and prognoses. Here we discuss several areas of active research in AD whose insights can be used to enhance the mathematical modeling of AD pathology as well as recent attempts at developing improved connectome-based biophysics models. These efforts toward a comprehensive yet parsimonious mathematical description of AD hold great promise for improving both the diagnosis of patients at risk for AD and our mechanistic understanding of how AD progresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Torok
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California.
| | - Chaitali Anand
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Parul Verma
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Ashish Raj
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley and University of California, San Francisco, Berkeley, California; Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York.
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21
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Lim S, Shin S, Sung Y, Lee HE, Kim KH, Song JY, Lee GH, Aziz H, Lukianenko N, Kang DM, Boesen N, Jeong H, Abdildinova A, Lee J, Yu BY, Lim SM, Lee JS, Ryu H, Pae AN, Kim YK. Levosimendan inhibits disulfide tau oligomerization and ameliorates tau pathology in Tau P301L-BiFC mice. Exp Mol Med 2023; 55:612-627. [PMID: 36914856 PMCID: PMC10073126 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-023-00959-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau oligomers play critical roles in tau pathology and are responsible for neuronal cell death and transmitting the disease in the brain. Accordingly, preventing tau oligomerization has become an important therapeutic strategy to treat tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease. However, progress has been slow because detecting tau oligomers in the cellular context is difficult. Working toward tau-targeted drug discovery, our group has developed a tau-BiFC platform to monitor and quantify tau oligomerization. By using the tau-BiFC platform, we screened libraries with FDA-approved and passed phase I drugs and identified levosimendan as a potent anti-tau agent that inhibits tau oligomerization. 14C-isotope labeling of levosimendan revealed that levosimendan covalently bound to tau cysteines, directly inhibiting disulfide-linked tau oligomerization. In addition, levosimendan disassembles tau oligomers into monomers, rescuing neurons from aggregation states. In comparison, the well-known anti-tau agents methylene blue and LMTM failed to protect neurons from tau-mediated toxicity, generating high-molecular-weight tau oligomers. Levosimendan displayed robust potency against tau oligomerization and rescued cognitive declines induced by tauopathy in the TauP301L-BiFC mouse model. Our data present the potential of levosimendan as a disease-modifying drug for tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sungsu Lim
- Center for Brain Disorders, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Seulgi Shin
- Center for Brain Disorders, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoonsik Sung
- Center for Brain Disorders, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea.,Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Ha Eun Lee
- Center for Brain Disorders, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyu Hyeon Kim
- Center for Brain Disorders, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea.,Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Yeon Song
- Center for Brain Disorders, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Gwan-Ho Lee
- Advanced Analysis Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Hira Aziz
- Center for Brain Disorders, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea.,Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Nataliia Lukianenko
- Center for Brain Disorders, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea.,Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong Min Kang
- Center for Brain Disorders, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea.,Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Korea
| | - Nicolette Boesen
- Center for Brain Disorders, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea.,Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyeanjeong Jeong
- Center for Brain Disorders, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Aizhan Abdildinova
- Center for Brain Disorders, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Junghee Lee
- Boston University Alzheimer's disease Research Center and VA Boston Health care System, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
| | - Byung-Yong Yu
- Advanced Analysis Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Min Lim
- Center for Brain Disorders, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Jun-Seok Lee
- Department of Pharmacology, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Hoon Ryu
- Center for Brain Disorders, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea.,Boston University Alzheimer's disease Research Center and Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
| | - Ae Nim Pae
- Center for Brain Disorders, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea.
| | - Yun Kyung Kim
- Center for Brain Disorders, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea. .,Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea.
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22
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Arjmandi-Rad S, Ebrahimnejad M, Zarrindast MR, Vaseghi S. Do Sleep Disturbances have a Dual Effect on Alzheimer's Disease? Cell Mol Neurobiol 2023; 43:711-727. [PMID: 35568778 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-022-01228-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Sleep disturbances and Alzheimer's disease have deleterious effects on various physiological and cognitive functions including synaptic plasticity, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and memory. In addition, clock genes expression is significantly altered following sleep disturbances, which may be involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. In this review article, we aimed to discuss the role of sleep disturbances and Alzheimer's disease in the regulation of synaptic plasticity, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and clock genes expression. Also, we aimed to find significant relationships between sleep disturbances and Alzheimer's disease in the modulation of these mechanisms. We referred to the controversial effects of sleep disturbances (particularly those related to the duration of sleep deprivation) on the modulation of synaptic function and neuroinflammation. We aimed to know that, do sleep disturbances have a dual effect on the progression of Alzheimer's disease? Although numerous studies have discussed the association between sleep disturbances and Alzheimer's disease, the new point of this study was to focus on the controversial effects of sleep disturbances on different biological functions, and to evaluate the potential dualistic role of sleep disturbances in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirin Arjmandi-Rad
- Institute for Cognitive & Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahshid Ebrahimnejad
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad-Reza Zarrindast
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Salar Vaseghi
- Medicinal Plants Research Center, Institute of Medicinal Plants, ACECR, PO Box: 1419815477, Karaj, Iran.
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23
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Tsoi PS, Quan MD, Ferreon JC, Ferreon ACM. Aggregation of Disordered Proteins Associated with Neurodegeneration. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:3380. [PMID: 36834792 PMCID: PMC9966039 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Cellular deposition of protein aggregates, one of the hallmarks of neurodegeneration, disrupts cellular functions and leads to neuronal death. Mutations, posttranslational modifications, and truncations are common molecular underpinnings in the formation of aberrant protein conformations that seed aggregation. The major proteins involved in neurodegeneration include amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau in Alzheimer's disease, α-synuclein in Parkinson's disease, and TAR DNA-binding protein (TDP-43) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). These proteins are described as intrinsically disordered and possess enhanced ability to partition into biomolecular condensates. In this review, we discuss the role of protein misfolding and aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases, specifically highlighting implications of changes to the primary/secondary (mutations, posttranslational modifications, and truncations) and the quaternary/supramolecular (oligomerization and condensation) structural landscapes for the four aforementioned proteins. Understanding these aggregation mechanisms provides insights into neurodegenerative diseases and their common underlying molecular pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Josephine C. Ferreon
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Allan Chris M. Ferreon
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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24
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Akwa Y, Di Malta C, Zallo F, Gondard E, Lunati A, Diaz-de-Grenu LZ, Zampelli A, Boiret A, Santamaria S, Martinez-Preciado M, Cortese K, Kordower JH, Matute C, Lozano AM, Capetillo-Zarate E, Vaccari T, Settembre C, Baulieu EE, Tampellini D. Stimulation of synaptic activity promotes TFEB-mediated clearance of pathological MAPT/Tau in cellular and mouse models of tauopathies. Autophagy 2023; 19:660-677. [PMID: 35867714 PMCID: PMC9851246 DOI: 10.1080/15548627.2022.2095791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Synapses represent an important target of Alzheimer disease (AD), and alterations of their excitability are among the earliest changes associated with AD development. Synaptic activation has been shown to be protective in models of AD, and deep brain stimulation (DBS), a surgical strategy that modulates neuronal activity to treat neurological and psychiatric disorders, produced positive effects in AD patients. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the protective role(s) of brain stimulation are still elusive. We have previously demonstrated that induction of synaptic activity exerts protection in mouse models of AD and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) by enhancing the macroautophagy/autophagy flux and lysosomal degradation of pathological MAPT/Tau. We now provide evidence that TFEB (transcription factor EB), a master regulator of lysosomal biogenesis and autophagy, is a key mediator of this cellular response. In cultured primary neurons from FTD-transgenic mice, synaptic stimulation inhibits MTORC1 signaling, thus promoting nuclear translocation of TFEB, which, in turn, induces clearance of MAPT/Tau oligomers. Conversely, synaptic activation fails to promote clearance of toxic MAPT/Tau in neurons expressing constitutively active RRAG GTPases, which sequester TFEB in the cytosol, or upon TFEB depletion. Activation of TFEB is also confirmed in vivo in DBS-stimulated AD mice. We also demonstrate that DBS reduces pathological MAPT/Tau and promotes neuroprotection in Parkinson disease patients with tauopathy. Altogether our findings indicate that stimulation of synaptic activity promotes TFEB-mediated clearance of pathological MAPT/Tau. This mechanism, underlying the protective effect of DBS, provides encouraging support for the use of synaptic stimulation as a therapeutic treatment against tauopathies.Abbreviations: 3xTg-AD: triple transgenic AD mice; AD: Alzheimer disease; CSA: cyclosporine A; DBS: deep brain stimulation; DIV: days in vitro; EC: entorhinal cortex; FTD: frontotemporal dementia; gLTP: glycine-induced long-term potentiation; GPi: internal segment of the globus pallidus; PD: Parkinson disease; STN: subthalamic nucleus; TFEB: transcription factor EB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvette Akwa
- Department of Diseases and Hormones of the Nervous System, U1195 INSERM - Université Paris-Saclay, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Chiara Di Malta
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Pozzuoli, Italy,Department. of Translational Medicine, Medical Genetics, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Fátima Zallo
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Departamento de Neurociencias, Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU) and Centro de Investigación en Red de Enfermedades, Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Leioa, Spain
| | - Elise Gondard
- Krembil Research Institute, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Adele Lunati
- Institut Professeur Baulieu, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Lara Z. Diaz-de-Grenu
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Departamento de Neurociencias, Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU) and Centro de Investigación en Red de Enfermedades, Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Leioa, Spain,TECNALIA, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Derio, Spain
| | - Angela Zampelli
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Pozzuoli, Italy
| | - Anne Boiret
- Department of Diseases and Hormones of the Nervous System, U1195 INSERM - Université Paris-Saclay, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France,Institut Professeur Baulieu, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Sara Santamaria
- Cellular Electron Microscopy Lab, DIMES, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Genova, Italy
| | - Maialen Martinez-Preciado
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Departamento de Neurociencias, Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU) and Centro de Investigación en Red de Enfermedades, Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Leioa, Spain
| | - Katia Cortese
- Cellular Electron Microscopy Lab, DIMES, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Genova, Italy
| | - Jeffrey H. Kordower
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA,College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Carlos Matute
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Departamento de Neurociencias, Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU) and Centro de Investigación en Red de Enfermedades, Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Leioa, Spain
| | - Andres M. Lozano
- Krembil Research Institute, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada,Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Toronto Western Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Estibaliz Capetillo-Zarate
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Departamento de Neurociencias, Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU) and Centro de Investigación en Red de Enfermedades, Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Leioa, Spain,IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Thomas Vaccari
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Carmine Settembre
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Pozzuoli, Italy,Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Etienne E. Baulieu
- Department of Diseases and Hormones of the Nervous System, U1195 INSERM - Université Paris-Saclay, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France,Institut Professeur Baulieu, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Davide Tampellini
- Department of Diseases and Hormones of the Nervous System, U1195 INSERM - Université Paris-Saclay, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France,Institut Professeur Baulieu, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France,CONTACT Davide Tampellini CHU Bicêtre, U 1195 Inserm - Université Paris-Saclay. Secteur Marron, Bât. G. Pincus, door 47, 80, rue du General Leclerc 94276 Kremlin-Bicêtre CedexFrance
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25
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Mukherjee S, Dubois C, Perez K, Varghese S, Birchall IE, Leckey M, Davydova N, McLean C, Nisbet RM, Roberts BR, Li QX, Masters CL, Streltsov VA. Quantitative proteomics of tau and Aβ in detergent fractions from Alzheimer's disease brains. J Neurochem 2023; 164:529-552. [PMID: 36271678 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The two hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles marked by phosphorylated tau. Increasing evidence suggests that aggregating Aβ drives tau accumulation, a process that involves synaptic degeneration leading to cognitive impairment. Conversely, there is a realization that non-fibrillar (oligomeric) forms of Aβ mediate toxicity in AD. Fibrillar (filamentous) aggregates of proteins across the spectrum of the primary and secondary tauopathies were the focus of recent structural studies with a filament structure-based nosologic classification, but less emphasis was given to non-filamentous co-aggregates of insoluble proteins in the fractions derived from post-mortem human brains. Here, we revisited sarkosyl-soluble and -insoluble extracts to characterize tau and Aβ species by quantitative targeted mass spectrometric proteomics, biochemical assays, and electron microscopy. AD brain sarkosyl-insoluble pellets were greatly enriched with Aβ42 at almost equimolar levels to N-terminal truncated microtubule-binding region (MTBR) isoforms of tau with multiple site-specific post-translational modifications (PTMs). MTBR R3 and R4 tau peptides were most abundant in the sarkosyl-insoluble materials with a 10-fold higher concentration than N-terminal tau peptides. This indicates that the major proportion of the enriched tau was the aggregation-prone N-terminal and proline-rich region (PRR) of truncated mixed 4R and 3R tau with more 4R than 3R isoforms. High concentration and occupancies of site-specific phosphorylation pT181 (~22%) and pT217 (~16%) (key biomarkers of AD) along with other PTMs in the PRR and MTBR indicated a regional susceptibility of PTMs in aggregated tau. Immunogold labelling revealed that tau may exist in globular non-filamentous form (N-terminal intact tau) co-localized with Aβ in the sarkosyl-insoluble pellets along with tau filaments (N-truncated MTBR tau). Our results suggest a model that Aβ and tau interact forming globular aggregates, from which filamentous tau and Aβ emerge. These characterizations contribute towards unravelling the sequence of events which lead to end-stage AD changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soumya Mukherjee
- The Florey Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Celine Dubois
- The Florey Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Keyla Perez
- The Florey Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Shiji Varghese
- The Florey Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ian E Birchall
- The Florey Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Miranda Leckey
- The Florey Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Natalia Davydova
- National Deuteration Facility, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization, Lucas Heights, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Catriona McLean
- The Florey Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Anatomical Pathology, Alfred Hospital, Prahran, Victoria, Australia
| | - Rebecca M Nisbet
- The Florey Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Blaine R Roberts
- The Florey Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Qiao-Xin Li
- The Florey Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Colin L Masters
- The Florey Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Victor A Streltsov
- The Florey Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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26
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Forloni G, La Vitola P, Balducci C. Oligomeropathies, inflammation and prion protein binding. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:822420. [PMID: 36081661 PMCID: PMC9445368 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.822420] [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: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The central role of oligomers, small soluble aggregates of misfolded proteins, in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders is recognized in numerous experimental conditions and is compatible with clinical evidence. To underline this concept, some years ago we coined the term oligomeropathies to define the common mechanism of action of protein misfolding diseases like Alzheimer, Parkinson or prion diseases. Using simple experimental conditions, with direct application of synthetic β amyloid or α-synuclein oligomers intraventricularly at micromolar concentrations, we could detect differences and similarities in the biological consequences. The two oligomer species affected cognitive behavior, neuronal dysfunction and cerebral inflammatory reactions with distinct mechanisms. In these experimental conditions the proposed mediatory role of cellular prion protein in oligomer activities was not confirmed. Together with oligomers, inflammation at different levels can be important early in neurodegenerative disorders; both β amyloid and α-synuclein oligomers induce inflammation and its control strongly affects neuronal dysfunction. This review summarizes our studies with β-amyloid or α-synuclein oligomers, also considering the potential curative role of doxycycline, a well-known antibiotic with anti-amyloidogenic and anti-inflammatory activities. These actions are analyzed in terms of the therapeutic prospects.
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27
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Du F, Yu Q, Kanaan NM, Yan SS. Mitochondrial oxidative stress contributes to the pathological aggregation and accumulation of tau oligomers in Alzheimer's disease. Hum Mol Genet 2022; 31:2498-2507. [PMID: 35165721 PMCID: PMC9396941 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddab363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau oligomers (oTau) are thought to precede neurofibrillary tangle formation and likely represent one of the toxic species in disease. This study addresses whether mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) contribute to tau oligomer accumulation. First, we determined whether elevated oxidative stress correlates with aggregation of tau oligomers in the brain and platelets of human Alzheimer's disease (AD) patient, tauopathy mice, primary cortical neurons from tau mice and human trans-mitochondrial 'cybrid' (cytoplasmic hybrid) neuronal cells, whose mitochondria are derived from platelets of patients with sporadic AD- or mild cognitive impairment (MCI)-derived mitochondria. Increased formation of tau oligomers correlates with elevated ROS levels in the hippocampi of AD patients and tauopathy mice, AD- and MCI-derived mitochondria and AD and MCI cybrid cells. Furthermore, scavenging ROS by application of mito-TEMPO/2-(2,2,6,6-Tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl-4-ylamino)-2-oxoethyl)triphenylphosphonium chloride, a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant, not only inhibits the generation of mitochondrial ROS and rescues mitochondrial respiratory function but also robustly suppresses tau oligomer accumulation in MCI and AD cybrids as well as cortical neurons from tau mice. These studies provide substantial evidence that mitochondria-mediated oxidative stress contributes to tau oligomer formation and accumulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Du
- Department of Surgery, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Qing Yu
- Department of Surgery, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Nicholas M Kanaan
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, MI 49503
| | - Shirley ShiDu Yan
- Department of Surgery, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Molecular Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
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28
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Gutierrez BA, Limon A. Synaptic Disruption by Soluble Oligomers in Patients with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10071743. [PMID: 35885050 PMCID: PMC9313353 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10071743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are the result of progressive dysfunction of the neuronal activity and subsequent neuronal death. Currently, the most prevalent neurodegenerative diseases are by far Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's (PD) disease, affecting millions of people worldwide. Although amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are the neuropathological hallmarks for AD and Lewy bodies (LB) are the hallmark for PD, current evidence strongly suggests that oligomers seeding the neuropathological hallmarks are more toxic and disease-relevant in both pathologies. The presence of small soluble oligomers is the common bond between AD and PD: amyloid β oligomers (AβOs) and Tau oligomers (TauOs) in AD and α-synuclein oligomers (αSynOs) in PD. Such oligomers appear to be particularly increased during the early pathological stages, targeting synapses at vulnerable brain regions leading to synaptic plasticity disruption, synapse loss, inflammation, excitation to inhibition imbalance and cognitive impairment. Absence of TauOs at synapses in individuals with strong AD disease pathology but preserved cognition suggests that mechanisms of resilience may be dependent on the interactions between soluble oligomers and their synaptic targets. In this review, we will discuss the current knowledge about the interactions between soluble oligomers and synaptic dysfunction in patients diagnosed with AD and PD, how it affects excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission, and the potential mechanisms of synaptic resilience in humans.
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29
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Meng JX, Zhang Y, Saman D, Haider AM, De S, Sang JC, Brown K, Jiang K, Humphrey J, Julian L, Hidari E, Lee SF, Balmus G, Floto RA, Bryant CE, Benesch JLP, Ye Y, Klenerman D. Hyperphosphorylated tau self-assembles into amorphous aggregates eliciting TLR4-dependent responses. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2692. [PMID: 35577786 PMCID: PMC9110413 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30461-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Soluble aggregates of the microtubule-associated protein tau have been challenging to assemble and characterize, despite their important role in the development of tauopathies. We found that sequential hyperphosphorylation by protein kinase A in conjugation with either glycogen synthase kinase 3β or stress activated protein kinase 4 enabled recombinant wild-type tau of isoform 0N4R to spontaneously polymerize into small amorphous aggregates in vitro. We employed tandem mass spectrometry to determine the phosphorylation sites, high-resolution native mass spectrometry to measure the degree of phosphorylation, and super-resolution microscopy and electron microscopy to characterize the morphology of aggregates formed. Functionally, compared with the unmodified aggregates, which require heparin induction to assemble, these self-assembled hyperphosphorylated tau aggregates more efficiently disrupt membrane bilayers and induce Toll-like receptor 4-dependent responses in human macrophages. Together, our results demonstrate that hyperphosphorylated tau aggregates are potentially damaging to cells, suggesting a mechanism for how hyperphosphorylation could drive neuroinflammation in tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan X Meng
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Molecular Immunity Unit, Department of Medicine, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Centre for AI in Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Dominik Saman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Arshad M Haider
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Suman De
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Neuroscience Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Jason C Sang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Karen Brown
- Molecular Immunity Unit, Department of Medicine, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Centre for AI in Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kun Jiang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jane Humphrey
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Linda Julian
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Eric Hidari
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Steven F Lee
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Gabriel Balmus
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - R Andres Floto
- Molecular Immunity Unit, Department of Medicine, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Centre for AI in Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Clare E Bryant
- Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Yu Ye
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - David Klenerman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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30
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Shahpasand‐Kroner H, Portillo J, Lantz C, Seidler PM, Sarafian N, Loo JA, Bitan G. Three-repeat and four-repeat tau isoforms form different oligomers. Protein Sci 2022; 31:613-627. [PMID: 34902187 PMCID: PMC8862439 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Different tauopathies are characterized by the isoform-specific composition of the aggregates found in the brain and by structurally distinct tau strains. Although tau oligomers have been implicated as important neurotoxic species, little is known about how the primary structures of the six human tau isoforms affect tau oligomerization because the oligomers are metastable and difficult to analyze. To address this knowledge gap, here, we analyzed the initial oligomers formed by the six tau isoforms in the absence of posttranslational modifications or other manipulations using dot blots probed by an oligomer-specific antibody, native-PAGE/western blots, photo-induced cross-linking of unmodified proteins, mass-spectrometry, and ion-mobility spectroscopy. We found that under these conditions, three-repeat (3R) isoforms are more prone than four-repeat (4R) isoforms to form oligomers. We also tested whether known inhibitors of tau aggregation affect its oligomerization using three small molecules representing different classes of tau aggregation inhibitors, Methylene Blue (MB), the molecular tweezer CLR01, and the all-D peptide TLKIVW, for their ability to inhibit or modulate the oligomerization of the six tau isoforms. Unlike their reported inhibitory effect on tau fibrillation, the inhibitors had little or no effect on the initial oligomerization. Our study provides novel insight into the primary-quaternary structure relationship of human tau and suggests that 3R-tau oligomers may be an important target for future development of compounds targeting pathological tau assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hedieh Shahpasand‐Kroner
- Department of NeurologyDavid Geffen School of Medicine, University of CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Jennifer Portillo
- Department of NeurologyDavid Geffen School of Medicine, University of CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Carter Lantz
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Paul M. Seidler
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of Southern California School of PharmacyLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Natalie Sarafian
- Department of NeurologyDavid Geffen School of Medicine, University of CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Joseph A. Loo
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA,Molecular Biology InstituteUniversity of CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA,Department of Biological ChemistryUniversity of CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Gal Bitan
- Department of NeurologyDavid Geffen School of Medicine, University of CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA,Molecular Biology InstituteUniversity of CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA,Brain Research InstituteUniversity of CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
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31
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Deciphering the Effect of Lysine Acetylation on the Misfolding and Aggregation of Human Tau Fragment 171IPAKTPPAPK 180 Using Molecular Dynamic Simulation and the Markov State Model. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23052399. [PMID: 35269542 PMCID: PMC8910285 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23052399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The formation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) with β-sheet-rich structure caused by abnormal aggregation of misfolded microtubule-associated protein Tau is a hallmark of tauopathies, including Alzheimer’s Disease. It has been reported that acetylation, especially K174 located in the proline-rich region, can largely promote Tau aggregation. So far, the mechanism of the abnormal acetylation of Tau that affects its misfolding and aggregation is still unclear. Therefore, revealing the effect of acetylation on Tau aggregation could help elucidate the pathogenic mechanism of tauopathies. In this study, molecular dynamics simulation combined with multiple computational analytical methods were performed to reveal the effect of K174 acetylation on the spontaneous aggregation of Tau peptide 171IPAKTPPAPK180, and the dimerization mechanism as an early stage of the spontaneous aggregation was further specifically analyzed by Markov state model (MSM) analysis. The results showed that both the actual acetylation and the mutation mimicking the acetylated state at K174 induced the aggregation of the studied Tau fragment; however, the effect of actual acetylation on the aggregation was more pronounced. In addition, acetylated K174 plays a major contributing role in forming and stabilizing the antiparallel β-sheet dimer by forming several hydrogen bonds and side chain van der Waals interactions with residues I171, P172, A173 and T175 of the corresponding chain. In brief, this study uncovered the underlying mechanism of Tau peptide aggregation in response to the lysine K174 acetylation, which can deepen our understanding on the pathogenesis of tauopathies.
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32
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Islam M, Shen F, Regmi D, Du D. Therapeutic Strategies for Tauopathies and Drug Repurposing as a Potential Approach. Biochem Pharmacol 2022; 198:114979. [PMID: 35219701 PMCID: PMC9159505 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2022.114979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Tauopathies are neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the deposition of abnormal tau in the brain. To date, there are no disease-modifying therapies approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) for the treatment of tauopathies. In the past decades, extensive efforts have been provided to develop disease-modifying therapies to treat tauopathies. Specifically, exploring existing drugs with the intent of repurposing for the treatment of tauopathies affords a reasonable alternative to discover potent drugs for treating these formidable diseases. Drug repurposing will not only reduce formulation and development stage effort and cost but will also take a key advantage of the established toxicological studies, which is one of the main causes of clinical trial failure of new molecules. In this review, we provide an overview of the current treatment strategies for tauopathies and the recent progress in drug repurposing as an alternative approach to treat tauopathies.
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33
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The formation of small aggregates contributes to the neurotoxic effects of tau 45-230. Neurochem Int 2022; 152:105252. [PMID: 34856321 PMCID: PMC8712401 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2021.105252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Intracellular deposits of hyperphosphorylated tau are commonly detected in tauopathies. Furthermore, these aggregates seem to play an important role in the pathobiology of these diseases. In the present study, we determined whether the recently identified neurotoxic tau45-230 fragment also formed aggregates in neurodegenerative disorders. The presence of such aggregates was examined in brain samples obtained from Alzheimer's disease (AD) subjects by means of Western blot analysis performed under non-denaturing conditions. Our results showed that a mixture of tau45-230 oligomers of different sizes was easily detectable in brain samples obtained from AD subjects. Our data also suggested that tau45-230 oligomers could be internalized by cultured hippocampal neurons, mainly through a clathrin-mediated mechanism, triggering their degeneration. In addition, in vitro aggregation studies showed that tau45-230 modulated full-length tau aggregation thereby inducing the formation of smaller, and potentially more toxic, aggregates of this microtubule-associated protein. Together, these data identified alternative mechanisms underlying the toxic effects of tau45-230.
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34
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Boyarko B, Hook V. Human Tau Isoforms and Proteolysis for Production of Toxic Tau Fragments in Neurodegeneration. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:702788. [PMID: 34744602 PMCID: PMC8566764 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.702788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The human tau protein is implicated in a wide range of neurodegenerative “tauopathy” diseases, consisting of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration which includes progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, Pick’s disease, and FTLD-tau (frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism caused by MAPT mutations). Tau gene transcripts in the human brain undergo alternative splicing to yield 6 different tau protein isoforms that are expressed in different ratios in neurodegeneration which result in tau pathology of paired-helical filaments, neurofibrillary tangles, and tau fibrillar aggregates with detrimental microtubule destabilization. Protease-mediated tau truncation is an important post-translational modification (PTM) which drives neurodegeneration in a tau fragment-dependent manner. While numerous tau fragments have been identified, knowledge of the proteolytic steps that convert each parent tau isoform into specific truncated tau fragments has not yet been fully defined. An improved understanding of the relationships between tau isoforms and their proteolytic processing to generate neurotoxic tau fragments is important to the field. This review evaluates tau isoform expression patterns including PTMs and mutations that influence proteolysis of tau to generate toxic fragments that drive cognitive deficits in AD and other tauopathy models. This assessment identifies the gap in the field on understanding the details of proteolytic steps used to convert each tau isoform into fragments. Knowledge of the processing mechanisms of tau isoforms can lead to new protease targeted drug strategies to prevent the formation of toxic tau fragments in tauopathy neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Boyarko
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Vivian Hook
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States.,Department of Neurosciences and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
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35
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Palikaras K, Achanta K, Choi S, Akbari M, Bohr VA. Alteration of mitochondrial homeostasis is an early event in a C. elegans model of human tauopathy. Aging (Albany NY) 2021; 13:23876-23894. [PMID: 34751671 PMCID: PMC8610126 DOI: 10.18632/aging.203683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Tauopathies are a group of progressive neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the presence of insoluble intracellular tau filaments in the brain. Evidence suggests that there is a tight connection between mitochondrial dysfunction and tauopathies, including Alzheimer’s disease. However, whether mitochondrial dysfunction occurs prior to the detection of tau aggregates in tauopathies remains elusive. Here, we utilized transgenic nematodes expressing the full length of wild type tau in neuronal cells and monitored mitochondrial morphology alterations over time. Although tau-expressing nematodes did not accumulate detectable levels of tau aggregates during larval stages, they displayed increased mitochondrial damage and locomotion defects compared to the control worms. Chelating calcium restored mitochondrial activity and improved motility in the tau-expressing larvae suggesting a link between mitochondrial damage, calcium homeostasis and neuronal impairment in these animals. Our findings suggest that defective mitochondrial function is an early pathogenic event of tauopathies, taking place before tau aggregation and undermining neuronal homeostasis and organismal fitness. Understanding the molecular mechanisms causing mitochondrial dysfunction early in tauopathy will be of significant clinical and therapeutic value and merits further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Palikaras
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Physiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Kavya Achanta
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Seoyun Choi
- DNA Repair Section, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Mansour Akbari
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Vilhelm A Bohr
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,DNA Repair Section, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
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36
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Truncating tau reveals different pathophysiological actions of oligomers in single neurons. Commun Biol 2021; 4:1265. [PMID: 34737403 PMCID: PMC8569149 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02791-x] [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: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau protein is involved in maintaining neuronal structure. In Alzheimer’s disease, small numbers of tau molecules can aggregate to form oligomers. However, how these oligomers produce changes in neuronal function remains unclear. Previously, oligomers made from full-length human tau were found to have multiple effects on neuronal properties. Here we have cut the tau molecule into two parts: the first 123 amino acids and the remaining 124-441 amino acids. These truncated tau molecules had specific effects on neuronal properties, allowing us to assign the actions of full-length tau to different regions of the molecule. We identified one key target for the effects of tau, the voltage gated sodium channel, which could account for the effects of tau on the action potential. By truncating the tau molecule, we have probed the mechanisms that underlie tau dysfunction, and this increased understanding of tau’s pathological actions will build towards developing future tau-targeting therapies. Hill et al. examine the effects of full-length or truncated human recombinant tau on the excitability of hippocampal pyramidal neurons in mice. Their results suggest that effects seen with full-length tau oligomers can be dissected apart using tau truncations and highlights a tau-mediated alteration in voltage-gated sodium channel currents.
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37
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Makwana KM, Sarnowski MP, Miao J, Lin YS, Del Valle JR. N-Amination Converts Amyloidogenic Tau Peptides into Soluble Antagonists of Cellular Seeding. ACS Chem Neurosci 2021; 12:3928-3938. [PMID: 34609825 PMCID: PMC9035343 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.1c00528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The spread of neurofibrillary tangles composed of tau protein aggregates is a hallmark of Alzheimer's and related neurodegenerative diseases. Early oligomerization of tau involves conformational reorganization into parallel β-sheet structures and supramolecular assembly into toxic fibrils. Despite the need for selective inhibitors of tau propagation, β-rich protein assemblies are inherently difficult to target with small molecules. Here, we describe a minimalist approach to mimic the aggregation-prone modules within tau. We carried out a backbone residue scan and show that amide N-amination completely abolishes the tendency of these peptides to self-aggregate, rendering them soluble mimics of ordered β-strands from the tau R2 and R3 domains. Several N-amino peptides (NAPs) inhibit tau fibril formation in vitro. We further demonstrate that NAPs 12 and 13 are effective at blocking the cellular seeding of endogenous tau by interacting with monomeric or fibrillar forms of extracellular tau. Peptidomimetic 12 is serum stable, non-toxic to neuronal cells, and selectivity inhibits the fibrilization of tau over Aβ42. Structural analysis of our lead NAPs shows considerable conformational constraint imposed by the N-amino groups. The described backbone N-amination approach provides a rational basis for the mimicry of other aggregation-prone peptides that drive pathogenic protein assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamlesh M Makwana
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Matthew P Sarnowski
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Jiayuan Miao
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, United States
| | - Yu-Shan Lin
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, United States
| | - Juan R Del Valle
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
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Singh A, Allen D, Fracassi A, Tumurbaatar B, Natarajan C, Scaduto P, Woltjer R, Kayed R, Limon A, Krishnan B, Taglialatela G. Functional Integrity of Synapses in the Central Nervous System of Cognitively Intact Individuals with High Alzheimer's Disease Neuropathology Is Associated with Absence of Synaptic Tau Oligomers. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 78:1661-1678. [PMID: 33185603 PMCID: PMC7836055 DOI: 10.3233/jad-200716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Certain individuals, here referred to as Non-Demented with Alzheimer Neuropathology (NDAN), do not show overt neurodegeneration (N-) and remain cognitively intact despite the presence of plaques (A+) and tangles (T+) that would normally be consistent with fully symptomatic Alzheimer's disease (AD). OBJECTIVE The existence of NDAN (A + T+N-) subjects suggests that the human brain utilizes intrinsic mechanisms that can naturally evade cognitive decline normally associated with the symptomatic stages of AD (A + T+N+). Deciphering the underlying mechanisms would prove relevant to develop complementing therapeutics to prevent progression of AD-related cognitive decline. METHODS Previously, we have reported that NDAN present with preserved neurogenesis and synaptic integrity paralleled by absence of amyloid oligomers at synapses. Using postmortem brain samples from age-matched control subjects, demented AD patients and NDAN individuals, we performed immunofluorescence, western blots, micro transplantation of synaptic membranes in Xenopus oocytes followed by twin electrode voltage clamp electrophysiology and fluorescence assisted single synaptosome-long term potentiation studies. RESULTS We report decreased tau oligomers at synapses in the brains of NDAN subjects. Furthermore, using novel approaches we report, for the first time, that such absence of tau oligomers at synapses is associated with synaptic functional integrity in NDAN subjects as compared to demented AD patients. CONCLUSION Overall, these results give further credence to tau oligomers as primary actors of synaptic destruction underscoring cognitive demise in AD and support their targeting as a viable therapeutic strategy for AD and related tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayush Singh
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurology, UTMB Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Dyron Allen
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurology, UTMB Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Anna Fracassi
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurology, UTMB Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Batbayar Tumurbaatar
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurology, UTMB Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Chandramouli Natarajan
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurology, UTMB Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Pietro Scaduto
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurology, UTMB Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Randy Woltjer
- Department of Pathology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Rakez Kayed
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurology, UTMB Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Agenor Limon
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurology, UTMB Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Balaji Krishnan
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurology, UTMB Galveston, TX, USA,Correspondence to: Giulio Taglialatela, PhD, Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurology, UTMB Galveston, TX, USA. Tel.: +1 409 772 1679; Fax: +1 409 772 0015; E-mail: . and Balaji Krishnan, PhD, Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurology, UTMB Galveston, TX, USA. Tel.: +1 409 772 8069; Fax: +1 409 772 0015; E-mail:
| | - Giulio Taglialatela
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurology, UTMB Galveston, TX, USA,Correspondence to: Giulio Taglialatela, PhD, Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurology, UTMB Galveston, TX, USA. Tel.: +1 409 772 1679; Fax: +1 409 772 0015; E-mail: . and Balaji Krishnan, PhD, Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurology, UTMB Galveston, TX, USA. Tel.: +1 409 772 8069; Fax: +1 409 772 0015; E-mail:
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Robbins M, Clayton E, Kaminski Schierle GS. Synaptic tau: A pathological or physiological phenomenon? Acta Neuropathol Commun 2021; 9:149. [PMID: 34503576 PMCID: PMC8428049 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-021-01246-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In this review, we discuss the synaptic aspects of Tau pathology occurring during Alzheimer's disease (AD) and how this may relate to memory impairment, a major hallmark of AD. Whilst the clinical diagnosis of AD patients is a loss of working memory and long-term declarative memory, the histological diagnosis is the presence of neurofibrillary tangles of hyperphosphorylated Tau and Amyloid-beta plaques. Tau pathology spreads through synaptically connected neurons to impair synaptic function preceding the formation of neurofibrillary tangles, synaptic loss, axonal retraction and cell death. Alongside synaptic pathology, recent data suggest that Tau has physiological roles in the pre- or post- synaptic compartments. Thus, we have seen a shift in the research focus from Tau as a microtubule-stabilising protein in axons, to Tau as a synaptic protein with roles in accelerating spine formation, dendritic elongation, and in synaptic plasticity coordinating memory pathways. We collate here the myriad of emerging interactions and physiological roles of synaptic Tau, and discuss the current evidence that synaptic Tau contributes to pathology in AD.
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Calfio C, Gonzalez A, Singh SK, Rojo LE, Maccioni RB. The Emerging Role of Nutraceuticals and Phytochemicals in the Prevention and Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 77:33-51. [PMID: 32651325 DOI: 10.3233/jad-200443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
One of the major challenges of medical sciences has been finding a reliable compound for the pharmacological treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). As most of the drugs directed to a variety of targets have failed in finding a medical solution, natural products from Ayurvedic medicine or nutraceutical compounds emerge as a viable preventive therapeutics' pathway. Considering that AD is a multifactorial disease, nutraceutical compounds offer the advantage of a multitarget approach, tagging different molecular sites in the human brain, as compared with the single-target activity of most of the drugs used for AD treatment. We review in-depth important medicinal plants that have been already investigated for therapeutic uses against AD, focusing on a diversity of pharmacological actions. These targets include inhibition of acetylcholinesterase, β-amyloid senile plaques, oxidation products, inflammatory pathways, specific brain receptors, etc., and pharmacological actions so diverse as anti-inflammatory, memory enhancement, nootropic effects, glutamate excitotoxicity, anti-depressants, and antioxidants. In addition, we also discuss the activity of nutraceutical compounds and phytopharmaceuticals formulae, mainly directed to tau protein aggregates mechanisms of action. These include compounds such as curcumin, resveratrol, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, morin, delphinidins, quercetin, luteolin, oleocanthal, and meganatural-az and other phytochemicals such as huperzine A, limonoids, azaphilones, and aged garlic extract. Finally, we revise the nutraceutical formulae BrainUp-10 composed of Andean shilajit and B-complex vitamins, with memory enhancement activity and the control of neuropsychiatric distress in AD patients. This integrated view on nutraceutical opens a new pathway for future investigations and clinical trials that are likely to render some results based on medical evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Calfio
- Laboratory of Neurosciences and Functional Medicine, International Center for Biomedicine (ICC) and Faculty of Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Andrea Gonzalez
- Laboratory of Neurosciences and Functional Medicine, International Center for Biomedicine (ICC) and Faculty of Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Sandeep Kumar Singh
- Indian Scientific Education and Technology Foundation, Lucknow, India.,Centre of Biomedical Research (CBMR), Lucknow, India
| | - Leonel E Rojo
- Department of Biology, University of Santiago, Santiago, Chile
| | - Ricardo B Maccioni
- Laboratory of Neurosciences and Functional Medicine, International Center for Biomedicine (ICC) and Faculty of Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
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Tsamou M, Pistollato F, Roggen EL. A Tau-Driven Adverse Outcome Pathway Blueprint Toward Memory Loss in Sporadic (Late-Onset) Alzheimer's Disease with Plausible Molecular Initiating Event Plug-Ins for Environmental Neurotoxicants. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 81:459-485. [PMID: 33843671 DOI: 10.3233/jad-201418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The worldwide prevalence of sporadic (late-onset) Alzheimer's disease (sAD) is dramatically increasing. Aging and genetics are important risk factors, but systemic and environmental factors contribute to this risk in a still poorly understood way. Within the frame of BioMed21, the Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) concept for toxicology was recommended as a tool for enhancing human disease research and accelerating translation of data into human applications. Its potential to capture biological knowledge and to increase mechanistic understanding about human diseases has been substantiated since. In pursuit of the tau-cascade hypothesis, a tau-driven AOP blueprint toward the adverse outcome of memory loss is proposed. Sequences of key events and plausible key event relationships, triggered by the bidirectional relationship between brain cholesterol and glucose dysmetabolism, and contributing to memory loss are captured. To portray how environmental factors may contribute to sAD progression, information on chemicals and drugs, that experimentally or epidemiologically associate with the risk of AD and mechanistically link to sAD progression, are mapped on this AOP. The evidence suggests that chemicals may accelerate disease progression by plugging into sAD relevant processes. The proposed AOP is a simplified framework of key events and plausible key event relationships representing one specific aspect of sAD pathology, and an attempt to portray chemical interference. Other sAD-related AOPs (e.g., Aβ-driven AOP) and a better understanding of the impact of aging and genetic polymorphism are needed to further expand our mechanistic understanding of early AD pathology and the potential impact of environmental and systemic risk factors.
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Gaikwad S, Puangmalai N, Bittar A, Montalbano M, Garcia S, McAllen S, Bhatt N, Sonawane M, Sengupta U, Kayed R. Tau oligomer induced HMGB1 release contributes to cellular senescence and neuropathology linked to Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia. Cell Rep 2021; 36:109419. [PMID: 34289368 PMCID: PMC8341760 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Aging, pathological tau oligomers (TauO), and chronic inflammation in the brain play a central role in tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). However, the underlying mechanism of TauO-induced aging-related neuroinflammation remains unclear. Here, we show that TauO-associated astrocytes display a senescence-like phenotype in the brains of patients with AD and FTD. TauO exposure triggers astrocyte senescence through high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) release and inflammatory senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), which mediates paracrine senescence in adjacent cells. HMGB1 release inhibition using ethyl pyruvate (EP) and glycyrrhizic acid (GA) prevents TauO-induced senescence through inhibition of p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB)-the essential signaling pathways for SASP development. Despite the developed tauopathy in 12-month-old hTau mice, EP+GA treatment significantly decreases TauO and senescent cell loads in the brain, reduces neuroinflammation, and thus ameliorates cognitive functions. Collectively, TauO-induced HMGB1 release promotes cellular senescence and neuropathology, which could represent an important common pathomechanism in tauopathies including AD and FTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sagar Gaikwad
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Nicha Puangmalai
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Alice Bittar
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Mauro Montalbano
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Stephanie Garcia
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Salome McAllen
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Nemil Bhatt
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Minal Sonawane
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Urmi Sengupta
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Rakez Kayed
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA.
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Neurotoxicity of oligomers of phosphorylated Tau protein carrying tauopathy-associated mutation is inhibited by prion protein. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2021; 1867:166209. [PMID: 34246750 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2021.166209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), are manifested by the deposition of well-characterized amyloid aggregates of Tau protein in the brain. However, it is rather unlikely that these aggregates constitute the major form of Tau responsible for neurodegenerative changes. Currently, it is postulated that the intermediates termed as soluble oligomers, assembled on the amyloidogenic pathway, are the most neurotoxic form of Tau. However, Tau oligomers reported so far represent a population of poorly characterized, heterogeneous and unstable assemblies. In this study, to obtain the oligomers, we employed the aggregation-prone K18 fragment of Tau protein with deletion of Lys280 (K18Δ280) linked to a hereditary tauopathy. We have described a new procedure of inducing aggregation of mutated K18 which leads either to the formation of nontoxic amyloid fibrils or neurotoxic globular oligomers, depending on its phosphorylation status. We demonstrate that PKA-phosphorylated K18Δ280 oligomers are toxic to hippocampal neurons, which is manifested by loss of dendritic spines and neurites, and impairment of cell-membrane integrity leading to cell death. We also show that N1, the soluble N-terminal fragment of prion protein (PrP), protects neurons from the oligomers-induced cytotoxicity. Our findings support the hypothesis on the neurotoxicity of Tau oligomers and neuroprotective role of PrP-derived fragments in AD and other tauopathies. These observations could be useful in the development of therapeutic strategies for these diseases.
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44
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Martinisi A, Flach M, Sprenger F, Frank S, Tolnay M, Winkler DT. Severe oligomeric tau toxicity can be reversed without long-term sequelae. Brain 2021; 144:963-974. [PMID: 33484116 PMCID: PMC8041046 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awaa445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule stabilizing protein that forms abnormal aggregates in many neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. We have previously shown that co-expression of fragmented and full-length tau in P301SxTAU62on tau transgenic mice results in the formation of oligomeric tau species and causes severe paralysis. This paralysis is fully reversible once expression of the tau fragment is halted, even though P301S tau expression is maintained. Whereas various strategies to target tau aggregation have been developed, little is known about the long-term consequences of reverted tau toxicity. Therefore, we studied the long-term motor fitness of recovered, formerly paralysed P301SxTAU62on-off mice. To assess the seeding competence of oligomeric toxic tau species, we also inoculated ALZ17 mice with brainstem homogenates from paralysed P301SxTAU62on mice. Counter-intuitively, after recovery from paralysis due to oligomeric tau species expression, ageing P301SxTAU62on-off mice did not develop more motor impairment or tau pathology when compared to heterozygous P301S tau transgenic littermates. Thus, toxic tau species causing extensive neuronal dysfunction can be cleared without inducing seeding effects. Moreover, these toxic tau species also lack long-term tau seeding effects upon intrahippocampal inoculation into ALZ17 mice. In conclusion, tau species can be neurotoxic in the absence of seeding-competent tau aggregates, and mice can clear these tau forms permanently without tau seeding or spreading effects. These observations suggest that early targeting of non-fibrillar tau species may represent a therapeutically effective intervention in tauopathies. On the other hand, the absent seeding competence of early toxic tau species also warrants caution when using seeding-based tests for preclinical tauopathy diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfonso Martinisi
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Martin Flach
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Frederik Sprenger
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stephan Frank
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Markus Tolnay
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - David T Winkler
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland
- Neurology, Medical University Clinic, Kantonsspital Baselland, 4410 Liestal, Switzerland
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Ungerleider K, Beck J, Lissa D, Turnquist C, Horikawa I, Harris BT, Harris CC. Astrocyte senescence and SASP in neurodegeneration: tau joins the loop. Cell Cycle 2021; 20:752-764. [PMID: 33818291 DOI: 10.1080/15384101.2021.1909260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau accumulation is a core component of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative tauopathies. While tau's impact on neurons is a major area of research, the effect of extracellular tau on astrocytes is largely unknown. This article summarizes our recent studies showing that astrocyte senescence plays a critical role in neurodegenerative diseases and integrates extracellular tau into the regulatory loop of senescent astrocyte-mediated neurotoxicity. Human astrocytes in vitro undergoing senescence were shown to acquire the inflammatory senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) and toxicity to neurons, which may recapitulate aging- and disease-associated neurodegeneration. Here, we show that human astrocytes exposed to extracellular tau in vitro also undergo cellular senescence and acquire a neurotoxic SASP (e.g. IL-6 secretion), with oxidative stress response (indicated by upregulated NRF2 target genes) and a possible activation of inflammasome (indicated by upregulated ASC and IL-1β). These findings suggest that senescent astrocytes induced by various conditions and insults, including tau exposure, may represent a therapeutic target to inhibit or delay the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. We also discuss the pathological activity of extracellular tau in microglia and astrocytes, the disease relevance and diversity of tau forms, therapeutics targeting senescence in neurodegeneration, and the roles of p53 and its isoforms in astrocyte-mediated neurotoxicity and neuroprotection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyra Ungerleider
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jessica Beck
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.,Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University, West Layfette, Indiana, USA
| | - Delphine Lissa
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Casmir Turnquist
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.,University of Oxford Medical School, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Izumi Horikawa
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Brent T Harris
- Department of Neurology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Curtis C Harris
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Wells C, Brennan S, Keon M, Ooi L. The role of amyloid oligomers in neurodegenerative pathologies. Int J Biol Macromol 2021; 181:582-604. [PMID: 33766600 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.03.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Many neurodegenerative diseases are rooted in the activities of amyloid-like proteins which possess conformations that spread to healthy proteins. These include Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). While their clinical manifestations vary, their protein-level mechanisms are remarkably similar. Aberrant monomeric proteins undergo conformational shifts, facilitating aggregation and formation of solid fibrils. However, there is growing evidence that intermediate oligomeric stages are key drivers of neuronal toxicity. Analysis of protein dynamics is complicated by the fact that nucleation and growth of amyloid-like proteins is not a linear pathway. Feedback within this pathway results in exponential acceleration of aggregation, but activities exerted by oligomers and fibrils can alter cellular interactions and the cellular environment as a whole. The resulting cascade of effects likely contributes to the late onset and accelerating progression of amyloid-like protein disorders and the widespread effects they have on the body. In this review we explore the amyloid-like proteins associated with AD, PD, HD and ALS, as well as the common mechanisms of amyloid-like protein nucleation and aggregation. From this, we identify core elements of pathological progression which have been targeted for therapies, and which may become future therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron Wells
- GenieUs Genomics, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia; University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | | | - Matt Keon
- GenieUs Genomics, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Lezanne Ooi
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, and Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; GenieUs Genomics, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
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47
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Maina MB, Al-Hilaly YK, Burra G, Rickard JE, Harrington CR, Wischik CM, Serpell LC. Oxidative Stress Conditions Result in Trapping of PHF-Core Tau (297-391) Intermediates. Cells 2021; 10:cells10030703. [PMID: 33809978 PMCID: PMC8005035 DOI: 10.3390/cells10030703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The self-assembly of tau into paired helical filaments (PHFs) in neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) is a significant event in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. Numerous post-translational modifications enhance or inhibit tau assembly into NFTs. Oxidative stress, which accompanies AD, induces multiple post-translational modifications in proteins, including the formation of dityrosine (DiY) cross-links. Previous studies have revealed that metal-catalysed oxidation (MCO) using Cu2+ and H2O2 leads to the formation of DiY cross-links in two misfolding proteins, Aβ and α-synuclein, associated with AD and Parkinson's disease respectively. The effect of MCO on tau remains unknown. Here, we examined the effect of MCO and ultra-violet oxidation to study the influence of DiY cross-linking on the self-assembly of the PHF-core tau fragment. We report that DiY cross-linking facilitates tau assembly into tau oligomers that fail to bind thioflavin S, lack β-sheet structure and prevents their elongation into filaments. At a higher concentration, Cu2+ (without H2O2) also facilitates the formation of these tau oligomers. The DiY cross-linked tau oligomers do not cause cell death. Our findings suggest that DiY cross-linking of pre-assembled tau promotes the formation of soluble tau oligomers that show no acute impact on cell viability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud B. Maina
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK; (M.B.M.); (Y.K.A.-H.); (G.B.)
- College of Medical Sciences, Yobe State University, Damaturu P.M.B. 1144, Nigeria
| | - Youssra K. Al-Hilaly
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK; (M.B.M.); (Y.K.A.-H.); (G.B.)
- Chemistry Department, College of Sciences, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq
| | - Gunasekhar Burra
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK; (M.B.M.); (Y.K.A.-H.); (G.B.)
- Analytical Research and Development, Pharma Division, Biological E. Limited, Genome Valley, IKP-Shameerpet, Hyderabad 500 078, Telangana, India
| | - Janet E. Rickard
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZP, UK; (J.E.R.); (C.R.H.); (C.M.W.)
| | - Charles R. Harrington
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZP, UK; (J.E.R.); (C.R.H.); (C.M.W.)
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Aberdeen AB24 5RP, UK
| | - Claude M. Wischik
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZP, UK; (J.E.R.); (C.R.H.); (C.M.W.)
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Aberdeen AB24 5RP, UK
| | - Louise C. Serpell
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK; (M.B.M.); (Y.K.A.-H.); (G.B.)
- Correspondence:
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Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration in Various Forms of Parkinsonism-Similarities and Differences. Cells 2021; 10:cells10030656. [PMID: 33809527 PMCID: PMC7999195 DOI: 10.3390/cells10030656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD), dementia with Lewy body (DLB), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA) belong to a group of neurodegenerative diseases called parkinsonian syndromes. They share several clinical, neuropathological and genetic features. Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the progressive dysfunction of specific populations of neurons, determining clinical presentation. Neuronal loss is associated with extra- and intracellular accumulation of misfolded proteins. The parkinsonian diseases affect distinct areas of the brain. PD and MSA belong to a group of synucleinopathies that are characterized by the presence of fibrillary aggregates of α-synuclein protein in the cytoplasm of selected populations of neurons and glial cells. PSP is a tauopathy associated with the pathological aggregation of the microtubule associated tau protein. Although PD is common in the world’s aging population and has been extensively studied, the exact mechanisms of the neurodegeneration are still not fully understood. Growing evidence indicates that parkinsonian disorders to some extent share a genetic background, with two key components identified so far: the microtubule associated tau protein gene (MAPT) and the α-synuclein gene (SNCA). The main pathways of parkinsonian neurodegeneration described in the literature are the protein and mitochondrial pathways. The factors that lead to neurodegeneration are primarily environmental toxins, inflammatory factors, oxidative stress and traumatic brain injury.
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Ash PEA, Lei S, Shattuck J, Boudeau S, Carlomagno Y, Medalla M, Mashimo BL, Socorro G, Al-Mohanna LFA, Jiang L, Öztürk MM, Knobel M, Ivanov P, Petrucelli L, Wegmann S, Kanaan NM, Wolozin B. TIA1 potentiates tau phase separation and promotes generation of toxic oligomeric tau. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2014188118. [PMID: 33619090 PMCID: PMC7936275 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2014188118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau protein plays an important role in the biology of stress granules and in the stress response of neurons, but the nature of these biochemical interactions is not known. Here we show that the interaction of tau with RNA and the RNA binding protein TIA1 is sufficient to drive phase separation of tau at physiological concentrations, without the requirement for artificial crowding agents such as polyethylene glycol (PEG). We further show that phase separation of tau in the presence of RNA and TIA1 generates abundant tau oligomers. Prior studies indicate that recombinant tau readily forms oligomers and fibrils in vitro in the presence of polyanionic agents, including RNA, but the resulting tau aggregates are not particularly toxic. We discover that tau oligomers generated during copartitioning with TIA1 are significantly more toxic than tau aggregates generated by incubation with RNA alone or phase-separated tau complexes generated by incubation with artificial crowding agents. This pathway identifies a potentially important source for generation of toxic tau oligomers in tau-related neurodegenerative diseases. Our results also reveal a general principle that phase-separated RBP droplets provide a vehicle for coassortment of selected proteins. Tau selectively copartitions with TIA1 under physiological conditions, emphasizing the importance of TIA1 for tau biology. Other RBPs, such as G3BP1, are able to copartition with tau, but this happens only in the presence of crowding agents. This type of selective mixing might provide a basis through which membraneless organelles bring together functionally relevant proteins to promote particular biological activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter E A Ash
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Shuwen Lei
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Jenifer Shattuck
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Samantha Boudeau
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Yari Carlomagno
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224
| | - Maria Medalla
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
- Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Bryce L Mashimo
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Guillermo Socorro
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Louloua F A Al-Mohanna
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Lulu Jiang
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Muhammet M Öztürk
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Mark Knobel
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Pavel Ivanov
- Division of Rheumatology, Immunology, and Allergy, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | | | - Susanne Wegmann
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, DZNE, Berlin, 10117, Germany
| | - Nicholas M Kanaan
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Grand Rapids Research Center, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
| | - Benjamin Wolozin
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118;
- Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
- Neurophotonics Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
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Das R, Chinnathambi S. Microglial remodeling of actin network by Tau oligomers, via G protein-coupled purinergic receptor, P2Y12R-driven chemotaxis. Traffic 2021; 22:153-170. [PMID: 33527700 DOI: 10.1111/tra.12784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with age-related neurodegeneration, synaptic deformation and chronic inflammation mediated by microglia and infiltrated macrophages in the brain. Tau oligomers can be released from damaged neurons via various mechanisms such as exosomes, neurotransmitter, membrane leakage etc. Microglia sense the extracellular Tau through several cell-surface receptors and mediate chemotaxis and phagocytosis. The purinergic receptor P2Y12R recently gained interest in neurodegeneration for neuro-glial communication and microglial chemotaxis towards the site of plaque deposition. To understand the effect of extracellular Tau oligomers in microglial migration, the P2Y12R-mediated actin remodeling, reorientation of tubulin network and rate of migration were studied in the presence of ATP. The extracellular Tau species directly interacted with P2Y12R and also induced this purinoceptor expression in microglia. Microglial P2Y12R colocalized with remodeled membrane-associated actin network as a component of migration in response to Tau oligomers. As an inducer of P2Y12R, ATP facilitated the localization of P2Y12R in lamellipodia and filopodia during accelerated microglial migration. The direct interaction of extracellular Tau oligomers with microglial P2Y12R would facilitate the signal transduction in both way, directional chemotaxis and receptor-mediated phagocytosis. These unprecedented findings emphasize that microglia can modulate the membrane-associated actin structure and incorporate P2Y12R to perceive the axis and rate of chemotaxis in Tauopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rashmi Das
- Neurobiology Group, Division of Biochemical Sciences, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Subashchandrabose Chinnathambi
- Neurobiology Group, Division of Biochemical Sciences, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
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