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Mohl GA, Dixon G, Marzette E, McKetney J, Samelson AJ, Serras CP, Jin J, Li A, Boggess SC, Swaney DL, Kampmann M. The disease-causing tau V337M mutation induces tau hypophosphorylation and perturbs axon morphology pathways. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.04.597496. [PMID: 38895329 PMCID: PMC11185762 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.04.597496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Tau aggregation is a hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia. There are disease-causing variants of the tau-encoding gene, MAPT, and the presence of tau aggregates is highly correlated with disease progression. However, the molecular mechanisms linking pathological tau to neuronal dysfunction are not well understood due to our incomplete understanding of the normal functions of tau in development and aging and how these processes change in the context of causal disease variants of tau. To address these questions in an unbiased manner, we conducted multi-omic characterization of iPSC-derived neurons harboring the MAPT V337M mutation. RNA-seq and phosphoproteomics revealed that both V337M tau and tau knockdown consistently perturbed levels of transcripts and phosphorylation of proteins related to axonogenesis or axon morphology. Surprisingly, we found that neurons with V337M tau had much lower tau phosphorylation than neurons with WT tau. We conducted functional genomics screens to uncover regulators of tau phosphorylation in neurons and found that factors involved in axonogenesis modified tau phosphorylation in both MAPT WT and MAPT V337M neurons. Intriguingly, the p38 MAPK pathway specifically modified tau phosphorylation in MAPT V337M neurons. We propose that V337M tau might perturb axon morphology pathways and tau hypophosphorylation via a "loss of function" mechanism, which could contribute to previously reported cognitive changes in preclinical MAPT gene carriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory A Mohl
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Gary Dixon
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Emily Marzette
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Justin McKetney
- Gladstone Data Science and Biotechnology Institute, The J. David Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Quantitative Bioscience Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Avi J Samelson
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Carlota Pereda Serras
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA USA
| | - Julianne Jin
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Andrew Li
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Steven C Boggess
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Danielle L Swaney
- Gladstone Data Science and Biotechnology Institute, The J. David Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Quantitative Bioscience Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Martin Kampmann
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
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Voskobiynyk Y, Li Z, Cochran JN, Davis MN, Carullo NVN, Creed RB, Buckingham SC, Hall AM, Wilson SM, Roberson ED. Excitoprotective effects of conditional tau reduction in excitatory neurons and in adulthood. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.14.594246. [PMID: 38798487 PMCID: PMC11118377 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.14.594246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Tau reduction is a promising therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer's disease. In numerous models, tau reduction via genetic knockout is beneficial, at least in part due to protection against hyperexcitability and seizures, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here we describe the generation and initial study of a new conditional Tau flox model to address these mechanisms. Given the protective effects of tau reduction against hyperexcitability, we compared the effects of selective tau reduction in excitatory or inhibitory neurons. Tau reduction in excitatory neurons mimicked the protective effects of global tau reduction, while tau reduction in inhibitory neurons had the opposite effect and increased seizure susceptibility. Since most prior studies used knockout mice lacking tau throughout development, we crossed Tau flox mice with inducible Cre mice and found beneficial effects of tau reduction in adulthood. Our findings support the effectiveness of tau reduction in adulthood and indicate that excitatory neurons may be a key site for its excitoprotective effects. SUMMARY A new conditional tau knockout model was generated to study the protective effects of tau reduction against hyperexcitability. Conditional tau reduction in excitatory, but not inhibitory, neurons was excitoprotective, and induced tau reduction in adulthood was excitoprotective without adverse effects.
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Roth JR, Rush T, Thompson SJ, Aldaher AR, Dunn TB, Mesina JS, Cochran JN, Boyle NR, Dean HB, Yang Z, Pathak V, Ruiz P, Wu M, Day JJ, Bostwick JR, Suto MJ, Augelli-Szafran CE, Roberson ED. Development of small-molecule Tau-SH3 interaction inhibitors that prevent amyloid-β toxicity and network hyperexcitability. Neurotherapeutics 2024; 21:e00291. [PMID: 38241154 PMCID: PMC10903085 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurot.2023.10.001] [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: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia and lacks highly effective treatments. Tau-based therapies hold promise. Tau reduction prevents amyloid-β-induced dysfunction in preclinical models of AD and also prevents amyloid-β-independent dysfunction in diverse disease models, especially those with network hyperexcitability, suggesting that strategies exploiting the mechanisms underlying Tau reduction may extend beyond AD. Tau binds several SH3 domain-containing proteins implicated in AD via its central proline-rich domain. We previously used a peptide inhibitor to demonstrate that blocking Tau interactions with SH3 domain-containing proteins ameliorates amyloid-β-induced dysfunction. Here, we identify a top hit from high-throughput screening for small molecules that inhibit Tau-FynSH3 interactions and describe its optimization with medicinal chemistry. The resulting lead compound is a potent cell-permeable Tau-SH3 interaction inhibitor that binds Tau and prevents amyloid-β-induced dysfunction, including network hyperexcitability. These data support the potential of using small molecule Tau-SH3 interaction inhibitors as a novel therapeutic approach to AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan R Roth
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Alzheimer's Disease Center, Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Travis Rush
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Alzheimer's Disease Center, Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Samantha J Thompson
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Alzheimer's Disease Center, Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Adam R Aldaher
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Alzheimer's Disease Center, Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Trae B Dunn
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Alzheimer's Disease Center, Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Jacob S Mesina
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Alzheimer's Disease Center, Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - J Nicholas Cochran
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Alzheimer's Disease Center, Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Nicholas R Boyle
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Alzheimer's Disease Center, Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Hunter B Dean
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Alzheimer's Disease Center, Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Zhengrong Yang
- Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Vibha Pathak
- Chemistry Department, Southern Research, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Pedro Ruiz
- Chemistry Department, Southern Research, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Mousheng Wu
- Chemistry Department, Southern Research, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Jeremy J Day
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | | | - Mark J Suto
- Chemistry Department, Southern Research, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | | | - Erik D Roberson
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Alzheimer's Disease Center, Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
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4
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Lu O, Kouser T, Skylar-Scott IA. Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy: shared neuropathology guides current and future treatment strategies. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1241339. [PMID: 37936917 PMCID: PMC10626492 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1241339] [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: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Epilepsy is a cause of profound disability in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The risk of being diagnosed with AD increases the risk for epilepsy, and in parallel, a history of epilepsy increases the likelihood of the development of AD. This bi-directional relationship may be due to underlying shared pathophysiologic hallmarks, including decreased cerebrospinal fluid amyloid beta 42 (Aβ42), increased hyperphosphorylated tau protein, and hippocampal hyperexcitability. Additionally, there are practical treatment considerations in patients with co-morbid AD and epilepsy-namely, there is a higher risk of seizures associated with medications commonly prescribed for Alzheimer's disease patients, including antidepressants and antipsychotics such as trazodone, serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and first-generation neuroleptics. Anti-amyloid antibodies like aducanumab and lecanemab present new and unique considerations in patients with co-morbid AD and epilepsy given the risk of seizures associated with amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) seen with this drug class. Finally, we identify and detail five active studies, including two clinical trials of levetiracetam in the respective treatment of cognition and neuropsychiatric features of AD, a study characterizing the prevalence of epilepsy in AD via prolonged EEG monitoring, a study characterizing AD biomarkers in late-onset epilepsy, and a study evaluating hyperexcitability in AD. These ongoing trials may guide future clinical decision-making and the development of novel therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Lu
- Stanford Neuroscience Clinical Research Group, Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - Taimur Kouser
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - Irina A. Skylar-Scott
- Memory Disorders Division, Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States
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5
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Mummery CJ, Börjesson-Hanson A, Blackburn DJ, Vijverberg EGB, De Deyn PP, Ducharme S, Jonsson M, Schneider A, Rinne JO, Ludolph AC, Bodenschatz R, Kordasiewicz H, Swayze EE, Fitzsimmons B, Mignon L, Moore KM, Yun C, Baumann T, Li D, Norris DA, Crean R, Graham DL, Huang E, Ratti E, Bennett CF, Junge C, Lane RM. Tau-targeting antisense oligonucleotide MAPT Rx in mild Alzheimer's disease: a phase 1b, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Nat Med 2023; 29:1437-1447. [PMID: 37095250 PMCID: PMC10287562 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02326-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 72.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Tau plays a key role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathophysiology, and accumulating evidence suggests that lowering tau may reduce this pathology. We sought to inhibit MAPT expression with a tau-targeting antisense oligonucleotide (MAPTRx) and reduce tau levels in patients with mild AD. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multiple-ascending dose phase 1b trial evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics and target engagement of MAPTRx. Four ascending dose cohorts were enrolled sequentially and randomized 3:1 to intrathecal bolus administrations of MAPTRx or placebo every 4 or 12 weeks during the 13-week treatment period, followed by a 23 week post-treatment period. The primary endpoint was safety. The secondary endpoint was MAPTRx pharmacokinetics in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The prespecified key exploratory outcome was CSF total-tau protein concentration. Forty-six patients enrolled in the trial, of whom 34 were randomized to MAPTRx and 12 to placebo. Adverse events were reported in 94% of MAPTRx-treated patients and 75% of placebo-treated patients; all were mild or moderate. No serious adverse events were reported in MAPTRx-treated patients. Dose-dependent reduction in the CSF total-tau concentration was observed with greater than 50% mean reduction from baseline at 24 weeks post-last dose in the 60 mg (four doses) and 115 mg (two doses) MAPTRx groups. Clinicaltrials.gov registration number: NCT03186989 .
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine J Mummery
- Dementia Research Centre, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London, London, UK.
| | | | - Daniel J Blackburn
- Sheffield Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, NIHR Sheffield Clinical Research Facility and NIHR Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK
| | - Everard G B Vijverberg
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Peter Paul De Deyn
- University Medical Center Groningen / RUG, Alzheimer Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Simon Ducharme
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute and McConnell Brain Imaging Centre of the Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Michael Jonsson
- Memory Clinic, Psychiatry - Cognition and Geriatric Psychiatry, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg/Molndal, Sweden
| | - Anja Schneider
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, DZNE, and Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases and Geriatric Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Juha O Rinne
- CRST Oy; Turku PET Centre University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Albert C Ludolph
- Department of Neurology University of Ulm and DZNE, Ulm, Germany
| | - Ralf Bodenschatz
- Pharmakologisches Studienzentrum Chemnitz GmbH Mittweida, Mittweida, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Chris Yun
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Carlsbad, CA, USA
| | | | - Dan Li
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Carlsbad, CA, USA
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6
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Andrés-Benito P, Flores Á, Busquet-Areny S, Carmona M, Ausín K, Cartas-Cejudo P, Lachén-Montes M, Del Rio JA, Fernández-Irigoyen J, Santamaría E, Ferrer I. Deregulated Transcription and Proteostasis in Adult mapt Knockout Mouse. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24076559. [PMID: 37047532 PMCID: PMC10095510 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcriptomics and phosphoproteomics were carried out in the cerebral cortex of B6.Cg-Mapttm1(EGFP)Klt (tau knockout: tau-KO) and wild-type (WT) 12 month-old mice to learn about the effects of tau ablation. Compared with WT mice, tau-KO mice displayed reduced anxiety-like behavior and lower fear expression induced by aversive conditioning, whereas recognition memory remained unaltered. Cortical transcriptomic analysis revealed 69 downregulated and 105 upregulated genes in tau-KO mice, corresponding to synaptic structures, neuron cytoskeleton and transport, and extracellular matrix components. RT-qPCR validated increased mRNA levels of col6a4, gabrq, gad1, grm5, grip2, map2, rab8a, tubb3, wnt16, and an absence of map1a in tau-KO mice compared with WT mice. A few proteins were assessed with Western blotting to compare mRNA expression with corresponding protein levels. Map1a mRNA and protein levels decreased. However, β-tubulin III and GAD1 protein levels were reduced in tau-KO mice. Cortical phosphoproteomics revealed 121 hypophosphorylated and 98 hyperphosphorylated proteins in tau-KO mice. Deregulated phosphoproteins were categorized into cytoskeletal (n = 45) and membrane proteins, including proteins of the synapses and vesicles, myelin proteins, and proteins linked to membrane transport and ion channels (n = 84), proteins related to DNA and RNA metabolism (n = 36), proteins connected to the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) (n = 7), proteins with kinase or phosphatase activity (n = 21), and 22 other proteins related to variegated pathways such as metabolic pathways, growth factors, or mitochondrial function or structure. The present observations reveal a complex altered brain transcriptome and phosphoproteome in tau-KO mice with only mild behavioral alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pol Andrés-Benito
- Neurologic Diseases and Neurogenetics Group, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBERNED (Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases), Institute of Health Carlos III, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - África Flores
- Neuropharmacology & Pain Group, Pharmacology Unit, Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sara Busquet-Areny
- Neuropathology Group, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Margarita Carmona
- CIBERNED (Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases), Institute of Health Carlos III, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Neuropathology Group, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Karina Ausín
- Clinical Neuroproteomics Unit, Proteomics Platform, Proteored-ISCIII, Navarrabiomed, Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra (CHN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), diSNA, 31008 Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | - Paz Cartas-Cejudo
- Clinical Neuroproteomics Unit, Proteomics Platform, Proteored-ISCIII, Navarrabiomed, Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra (CHN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), diSNA, 31008 Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | - Mercedes Lachén-Montes
- Clinical Neuroproteomics Unit, Proteomics Platform, Proteored-ISCIII, Navarrabiomed, Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra (CHN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), diSNA, 31008 Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | - José Antonio Del Rio
- CIBERNED (Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases), Institute of Health Carlos III, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Molecular and Cellular Neurobiotechnology Group, Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Science Park Barcelona (PCB), 08028 Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joaquín Fernández-Irigoyen
- Clinical Neuroproteomics Unit, Proteomics Platform, Proteored-ISCIII, Navarrabiomed, Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra (CHN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), diSNA, 31008 Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | - Enrique Santamaría
- Clinical Neuroproteomics Unit, Proteomics Platform, Proteored-ISCIII, Navarrabiomed, Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra (CHN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), diSNA, 31008 Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | - Isidro Ferrer
- CIBERNED (Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases), Institute of Health Carlos III, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Neuropathology Group, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Emeritus Researcher, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Emeritus Professor, University of Barcelona, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
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7
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How Well Do Rodent Models of Parkinson's Disease Recapitulate Early Non-Motor Phenotypes? A Systematic Review. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10123026. [PMID: 36551782 PMCID: PMC9775565 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10123026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The prodromal phase of Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterised by many non-motor symptoms, and these have recently been posited to be predictive of later diagnosis. Genetic rodent models can develop non-motor phenotypes, providing tools to identify mechanisms underlying the early development of PD. However, it is not yet clear how reproducible non-motor phenotypes are amongst genetic PD rodent models, whether phenotypes are age-dependent, and the translatability of these phenotypes has yet to be explored. A systematic literature search was conducted on studies using genetic PD rodent models to investigate non-motor phenotypes; cognition, anxiety/depressive-like behaviour, gastrointestinal (GI) function, olfaction, circadian rhythm, cardiovascular and urinary function. In total, 51 genetic models of PD across 150 studies were identified. We found outcomes of most phenotypes were inconclusive due to inadequate studies, assessment at different ages, or variation in experimental and environmental factors. GI dysfunction was the most reproducible phenotype across all genetic rodent models. The mouse model harbouring mutant A53T, and the wild-type hα-syn overexpression (OE) model recapitulated the majority of phenotypes, albeit did not reliably produce concurrent motor deficits and nigral cell loss. Furthermore, animal models displayed different phenotypic profiles, reflecting the distinct genetic risk factors and heterogeneity of disease mechanisms. Currently, the inconsistent phenotypes within rodent models pose a challenge in the translatability and usefulness for further biomechanistic investigations. This review highlights opportunities to improve phenotype reproducibility with an emphasis on phenotypic assay choice and robust experimental design.
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8
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Lacomme M, Hales SC, Brown TW, Stevanovic K, Jolicoeur C, Cai J, Bois T, Desrosiers M, Dalkara D, Cayouette M. Numb regulates Tau levels and prevents neurodegeneration in tauopathy mouse models. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabm4295. [PMID: 36260685 PMCID: PMC9581485 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm4295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Accumulation of the microtubule-associated protein Tau is linked to neuronal cell death in tauopathies, but how intraneuronal Tau levels are regulated in health and disease remains unclear. Here, we show that conditional inactivation of the trafficking adaptor protein Numb in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) increases Tau levels and leads to axonal blebbing, which is followed by neuronal cell loss in aged mice. In the TauP301S mouse model of tauopathy, conditional inactivation of Numb in RGCs and spinal motoneurons accelerates neurodegeneration, and loss of Numb in motoneurons also leads to precocious hindlimb paralysis. Conversely, overexpression of the long isoform of Numb (Numb-72) decreases intracellular Tau levels and reduces axonal blebbing in TauP301S RGCs, leading to improved electrical activity in cultured neurons and improves performance in a visually guided behavior test in vivo. These results uncover Numb as a key regulator of intracellular Tau levels and identify Numb-72 as a potential therapeutic factor for tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marine Lacomme
- Cellular Neurobiology Research Unit, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
| | - Sarah C. Hales
- Cellular Neurobiology Research Unit, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Thomas W. Brown
- Cellular Neurobiology Research Unit, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Katarina Stevanovic
- Cellular Neurobiology Research Unit, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
| | - Christine Jolicoeur
- Cellular Neurobiology Research Unit, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
| | - Jenny Cai
- Cellular Neurobiology Research Unit, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
| | - Therence Bois
- Cellular Neurobiology Research Unit, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
| | - Melissa Desrosiers
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, 17 rue Moreau, F-75012 Paris, France
| | - Deniz Dalkara
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, 17 rue Moreau, F-75012 Paris, France
| | - Michel Cayouette
- Cellular Neurobiology Research Unit, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada
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9
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del Pozo A, Lehmann L, Knox KM, Barker-Haliski M. Can Old Animals Reveal New Targets? The Aging and Degenerating Brain as a New Precision Medicine Opportunity for Epilepsy. Front Neurol 2022; 13:833624. [PMID: 35572927 PMCID: PMC9096090 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.833624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Older people represent the fastest growing group with epilepsy diagnosis. For example, cerebrovascular disease may underlie roughly 30-50% of epilepsy in older adults and seizures are also an underrecognized comorbidity of Alzheimer's disease (AD). As a result, up to 10% of nursing home residents may take antiseizure medicines (ASMs). Despite the greater incidence of epilepsy in older individuals and increased risk of comorbid seizures in people with AD, aged animals with seizures are strikingly underrepresented in epilepsy drug discovery practice. Increased integration of aged animals into preclinical epilepsy drug discovery could better inform the potential tolerability and pharmacokinetic interactions in aged individuals as the global population becomes increasingly older. Quite simply, the ASMs on the market today were brought forth based on efficacy in young adult, neurologically intact rodents; preclinical information concerning the efficacy and safety of promising ASMs is not routinely evaluated in aged animals. Integrating aged animals more often into basic epilepsy research may also uncover novel treatments for hyperexcitability. For example, cannabidiol and fenfluramine demonstrated clear efficacy in syndrome-specific pediatric models that led to a paradigm shift in the perceived value of pediatric models for ASM discovery practice; aged rodents with seizures or rodents with aging-related neuropathology represent an untapped resource that could similarly change epilepsy drug discovery. This review, therefore, summarizes how aged rodent models have thus far been used for epilepsy research, what studies have been conducted to assess ASM efficacy in aged rodent seizure and epilepsy models, and lastly to identify remaining gaps to engage aging-related neurological disease models for ASM discovery, which may simultaneously reveal novel mechanisms associated with epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Melissa Barker-Haliski
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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10
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Peña-Ortega F, Robles-Gómez ÁA, Xolalpa-Cueva L. Microtubules as Regulators of Neural Network Shape and Function: Focus on Excitability, Plasticity and Memory. Cells 2022; 11:cells11060923. [PMID: 35326374 PMCID: PMC8946818 DOI: 10.3390/cells11060923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuronal microtubules (MTs) are complex cytoskeletal protein arrays that undergo activity-dependent changes in their structure and function as a response to physiological demands throughout the lifespan of neurons. Many factors shape the allostatic dynamics of MTs and tubulin dimers in the cytosolic microenvironment, such as protein–protein interactions and activity-dependent shifts in these interactions that are responsible for their plastic capabilities. Recently, several findings have reinforced the role of MTs in behavioral and cognitive processes in normal and pathological conditions. In this review, we summarize the bidirectional relationships between MTs dynamics, neuronal processes, and brain and behavioral states. The outcomes of manipulating the dynamicity of MTs by genetic or pharmacological approaches on neuronal morphology, intrinsic and synaptic excitability, the state of the network, and behaviors are heterogeneous. We discuss the critical position of MTs as responders and adaptative elements of basic neuronal function whose impact on brain function is not fully understood, and we highlight the dilemma of artificially modulating MT dynamics for therapeutic purposes.
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11
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Genome-wide CRISPR screen identifies protein pathways modulating tau protein levels in neurons. Commun Biol 2021; 4:736. [PMID: 34127790 PMCID: PMC8203616 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02272-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggregates of hyperphosphorylated tau protein are a pathological hallmark of more than 20 distinct neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, and frontotemporal dementia. While the exact mechanism of tau aggregation is unknown, the accumulation of aggregates correlates with disease progression. Here we report a genome-wide CRISPR screen to identify modulators of endogenous tau protein for the first time. Primary screens performed in SH-SY5Y cells, identified positive and negative regulators of tau protein levels. Hit validation of the top 43 candidate genes was performed using Ngn2-induced human cortical excitatory neurons. Using this approach, genes and pathways involved in modulation of endogenous tau levels were identified, including chromatin modifying enzymes, neddylation and ubiquitin pathway members, and components of the mTOR pathway. TSC1, a critical component of the mTOR pathway, was further validated in vivo, demonstrating the relevance of this screening strategy. These findings may have implications for treating neurodegenerative diseases in the future. Using an unbiased genome-wide CRISPR screen approach, Sanchez et al. identified modulators of endogenous tau protein. This study suggests that chromatin modifiers, neddylation, ubiquitination, and the mTOR pathways regulate overall levels of tau protein in neurons, which could help in future identification of therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases.
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12
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Cloyd RA, Koren J, Abisambra JF, Smith BN. Effects of altered tau expression on dentate granule cell excitability in mice. Exp Neurol 2021; 343:113766. [PMID: 34029610 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2021.113766] [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] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease, are characterized by progressive accumulation of hyperphosphorylated and pathologic tau protein in association with onset of cognitive and behavioral impairment. Tau pathology is also associated with increased susceptibility to seizures and epilepsy, with tau-/- mice showing seizure resistance in some epilepsy models. To better understand how tau pathology is related to neuronal excitability, we performed whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology in dentate gyrus granule cells of tau-/- and human-tau expressing, htau mice. The htau mouse is unique from other transgenic tau models in that the endogenous murine tau gene has been and replaced with readily phosphorylated human tau. We assessed several measures of neuronal excitability, including evoked action potential frequency and excitatory synaptic responses in dentate granule cells from tau-/-, htau, and non-transgenic control mice at 1.5, 4, and 9 months of age. Compared to age matched controls, dentate granule cells from both tau-/- and htau mice had a lower peak frequency of evoked action potentials and greater paired pulse facilitation, suggesting reduced neuronal excitability. Our results suggest that neuronal excitability is more strongly influenced by the absence of functional tau than by the presence of pathologic tau. These results also suggest that tau's effect on neuronal excitability is more complex than previously understood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan A Cloyd
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
| | - John Koren
- Department of Neuroscience & Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Jose F Abisambra
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY 40536, USA; Department of Neuroscience & Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Bret N Smith
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY 40536, USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
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13
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Alves SS, Silva-Junior RMPD, Servilha-Menezes G, Homolak J, Šalković-Petrišić M, Garcia-Cairasco N. Insulin Resistance as a Common Link Between Current Alzheimer's Disease Hypotheses. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 82:71-105. [PMID: 34024838 DOI: 10.3233/jad-210234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Almost 115 years ago, Alois Alzheimer described Alzheimer's disease (AD) for the first time. Since then, many hypotheses have been proposed. However, AD remains a severe health public problem. The current medical approaches for AD are limited to symptomatic interventions and the complexity of this disease has led to a failure rate of approximately 99.6%in AD clinical trials. In fact, no new drug has been approved for AD treatment since 2003. These failures indicate that we are failing in mimicking this disease in experimental models. Although most studies have focused on the amyloid cascade hypothesis of AD, the literature has made clear that AD is rather a multifactorial disorder. Therefore, the persistence in a single theory has resulted in lost opportunities. In this review, we aim to present the striking points of the long scientific path followed since the description of the first AD case and the main AD hypotheses discussed over the last decades. We also propose insulin resistance as a common link between many other hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suélen Santos Alves
- Department of Neurosciences and Behavioral Sciences, Ribeirão Preto Medical School - University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rui Milton Patrício da Silva-Junior
- Department of Internal Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School -University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.,Department of Physiology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School - University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Gabriel Servilha-Menezes
- Department of Physiology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School - University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jan Homolak
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia.,Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Melita Šalković-Petrišić
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia.,Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Norberto Garcia-Cairasco
- Department of Neurosciences and Behavioral Sciences, Ribeirão Preto Medical School - University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.,Department of Physiology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School - University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
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14
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Neuronal Network Excitability in Alzheimer's Disease: The Puzzle of Similar versus Divergent Roles of Amyloid β and Tau. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0418-20.2020. [PMID: 33741601 PMCID: PMC8174042 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0418-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most frequent neurodegenerative disorder that commonly causes dementia in the elderly. Recent evidence indicates that network abnormalities, including hypersynchrony, altered oscillatory rhythmic activity, interneuron dysfunction, and synaptic depression, may be key mediators of cognitive decline in AD. In this review, we discuss characteristics of neuronal network excitability in AD, and the role of Aβ and tau in the induction of network hyperexcitability. Many patients harboring genetic mutations that lead to increased Aβ production suffer from seizures and epilepsy before the development of plaques. Similarly, pathologic accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau has been associated with hyperexcitability in the hippocampus. We present common and divergent roles of tau and Aβ on neuronal hyperexcitability in AD, and hypotheses that could serve as a template for future experiments.
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15
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Chang CW, Shao E, Mucke L. Tau: Enabler of diverse brain disorders and target of rapidly evolving therapeutic strategies. Science 2021; 371:371/6532/eabb8255. [PMID: 33632820 DOI: 10.1126/science.abb8255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Several lines of evidence implicate the protein tau in the pathogenesis of multiple brain disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, other neurodegenerative conditions, autism, and epilepsy. Tau is abundant in neurons and interacts with microtubules, but its main functions in the brain remain to be defined. These functions may involve the regulation of signaling pathways relevant to diverse biological processes. Informative disease models have revealed a plethora of abnormal tau species and mechanisms that might contribute to neuronal dysfunction and loss, but the relative importance of their respective contributions is uncertain. This knowledge gap poses major obstacles to the development of truly impactful therapeutic strategies. The current expansion and intensification of efforts to translate mechanistic insights into tau-related therapeutics should address this issue and could deliver better treatments for a host of devastating conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Che-Wei Chang
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Eric Shao
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Lennart Mucke
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA. .,Department of Neurology and Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
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16
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Putra M, Puttachary S, Liu G, Lee G, Thippeswamy T. Fyn-tau Ablation Modifies PTZ-Induced Seizures and Post-seizure Hallmarks of Early Epileptogenesis. Front Cell Neurosci 2020; 14:592374. [PMID: 33363455 PMCID: PMC7752812 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.592374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Both Fyn and tau have been associated with neuronal hyperexcitability and neurotoxicity in many tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Individual genetic ablation of fyn or tau appears to be protective against aberrant excitatory neuronal activities in AD and epilepsy models. It is, however, still unknown whether ablation of both Fyn and tau can likely elicit more profound anti-seizure and neuroprotective effects. Here, we show the effects of genetic deletion of Fyn and/or tau on seizure severity in response to pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizure in mouse models and neurobiological changes 24 h post-seizures. We used Fyn KO (fyn -/-), tau KO (tau -/-), double knockout (DKO) (fyn -/- / tau -/-), and wild-type (WT) mice of the same genetic background. Both tau KO and DKO showed a significant increase in latency to convulsive seizures and significantly decreased the severity of seizures post-PTZ. Although Fyn KO did not differ significantly from WT, in response to PTZ, Fyn KO still had 36 ± 8% seizure reduction and a 30% increase in seizure latency compared to WT. Surprisingly, in contrast to WT, Fyn KO mice showed higher mortality in <20 min of seizure induction; these mice had severe hydrocephalous. None of the tau -/- and DKO died during the study. In response to PTZ, all KO groups showed a significant reduction in neurodegeneration and gliosis, in contrast to WT, which showed increased neurodegeneration [especially, parvalbumin (PV)-GABAergic interneurons] and gliosis. DKO mice had the most reduced gliosis. Immunohistochemically, phospho-tau (AT8, pS199/S202), Fyn expression, as well as Fyn-tau interaction as measured by PLA increased in WT post-PTZ. Moreover, hippocampal Western blots revealed increased levels of AT8, tyrosine phospho-tau (pY18), and phosphorylated Src tyrosine family kinases (pSFK) in PTZ-treated WT, but not in KO, compared to respective controls. Furthermore, PV interneurons were protected from PTZ-induced seizure effects in all KO mice. The levels of inwardly rectifying potassium (Kir 4.1) channels were also downregulated in astrocytes in the WT post-PTZ, while its levels did not change in KO groups. Overall, our results demonstrated the role of Fyn and tau in seizures and their impact on the mediators of early epileptogenesis in PTZ model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marson Putra
- Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Sreekanth Puttachary
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Guanghao Liu
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Gloria Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Thimmasettappa Thippeswamy
- Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
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17
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Toniolo S, Sen A, Husain M. Modulation of Brain Hyperexcitability: Potential New Therapeutic Approaches in Alzheimer's Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E9318. [PMID: 33297460 PMCID: PMC7730926 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21239318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
People with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have significantly higher rates of subclinical and overt epileptiform activity. In animal models, oligomeric Aβ amyloid is able to induce neuronal hyperexcitability even in the early phases of the disease. Such aberrant activity subsequently leads to downstream accumulation of toxic proteins, and ultimately to further neurodegeneration and neuronal silencing mediated by concomitant tau accumulation. Several neurotransmitters participate in the initial hyperexcitable state, with increased synaptic glutamatergic tone and decreased GABAergic inhibition. These changes appear to activate excitotoxic pathways and, ultimately, cause reduced long-term potentiation, increased long-term depression, and increased GABAergic inhibitory remodelling at the network level. Brain hyperexcitability has therefore been identified as a potential target for therapeutic interventions aimed at enhancing cognition, and, possibly, disease modification in the longer term. Clinical trials are ongoing to evaluate the potential efficacy in targeting hyperexcitability in AD, with levetiracetam showing some encouraging effects. Newer compounds and techniques, such as gene editing via viral vectors or brain stimulation, also show promise. Diagnostic challenges include identifying best biomarkers for measuring sub-clinical epileptiform discharges. Determining the timing of any intervention is critical and future trials will need to carefully stratify participants with respect to the phase of disease pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Toniolo
- Cognitive Neurology Group, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK;
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6AE, UK
| | - Arjune Sen
- Oxford Epilepsy Research Group, Nuffield Department Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK;
| | - Masud Husain
- Cognitive Neurology Group, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK;
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6AE, UK
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18
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Kent SA, Spires-Jones TL, Durrant CS. The physiological roles of tau and Aβ: implications for Alzheimer's disease pathology and therapeutics. Acta Neuropathol 2020; 140:417-447. [PMID: 32728795 PMCID: PMC7498448 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-020-02196-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 208] [Impact Index Per Article: 52.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Tau and amyloid beta (Aβ) are the prime suspects for driving pathology in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and, as such, have become the focus of therapeutic development. Recent research, however, shows that these proteins have been highly conserved throughout evolution and may have crucial, physiological roles. Such functions may be lost during AD progression or be unintentionally disrupted by tau- or Aβ-targeting therapies. Tau has been revealed to be more than a simple stabiliser of microtubules, reported to play a role in a range of biological processes including myelination, glucose metabolism, axonal transport, microtubule dynamics, iron homeostasis, neurogenesis, motor function, learning and memory, neuronal excitability, and DNA protection. Aβ is similarly multifunctional, and is proposed to regulate learning and memory, angiogenesis, neurogenesis, repair leaks in the blood-brain barrier, promote recovery from injury, and act as an antimicrobial peptide and tumour suppressor. This review will discuss potential physiological roles of tau and Aβ, highlighting how changes to these functions may contribute to pathology, as well as the implications for therapeutic development. We propose that a balanced consideration of both the physiological and pathological roles of tau and Aβ will be essential for the design of safe and effective therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A. Kent
- Translational Neuroscience PhD Programme, Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and the UK Dementia Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, 1 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ Scotland, UK
| | - Tara L. Spires-Jones
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and the UK Dementia Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, 1 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ Scotland, UK
| | - Claire S. Durrant
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and the UK Dementia Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, 1 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ Scotland, UK
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19
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Gourmaud S, Shou H, Irwin DJ, Sansalone K, Jacobs LM, Lucas TH, Marsh ED, Davis KA, Jensen FE, Talos DM. Alzheimer-like amyloid and tau alterations associated with cognitive deficit in temporal lobe epilepsy. Brain 2020; 143:191-209. [PMID: 31834353 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awz381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 10/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Temporal lobe epilepsy represents a major cause of drug-resistant epilepsy. Cognitive impairment is a frequent comorbidity, but the mechanisms are not fully elucidated. We hypothesized that the cognitive impairment in drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy could be due to perturbations of amyloid and tau signalling pathways related to activation of stress kinases, similar to those observed in Alzheimer's disease. We examined these pathways, as well as amyloid-β and tau pathologies in the hippocampus and temporal lobe cortex of drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy patients who underwent temporal lobe resection (n = 19), in comparison with age- and region-matched samples from neurologically normal autopsy cases (n = 22). Post-mortem temporal cortex samples from Alzheimer's disease patients (n = 9) were used as positive controls to validate many of the neurodegeneration-related antibodies. Western blot and immunohistochemical analysis of tissue from temporal lobe epilepsy cases revealed increased phosphorylation of full-length amyloid precursor protein and its associated neurotoxic cleavage product amyloid-β*56. Pathological phosphorylation of two distinct tau species was also increased in both regions, but increases in amyloid-β1-42 peptide, the main component of amyloid plaques, were restricted to the hippocampus. Furthermore, several major stress kinases involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease pathology were significantly activated in temporal lobe epilepsy brain samples, including the c-Jun N-terminal kinase and the protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase. In temporal lobe epilepsy cases, hippocampal levels of phosphorylated amyloid precursor protein, its pro-amyloidogenic processing enzyme beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1, and both total and hyperphosphorylated tau expression, correlated with impaired preoperative executive function. Our study suggests that neurodegenerative and stress-related processes common to those observed in Alzheimer's disease may contribute to cognitive impairment in drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy. In particular, we identified several stress pathways that may represent potential novel therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Gourmaud
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Haochang Shou
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - David J Irwin
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kimberly Sansalone
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Leah M Jacobs
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Timothy H Lucas
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Eric D Marsh
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Division of Child Neurology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kathryn A Davis
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Frances E Jensen
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Delia M Talos
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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20
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Wander CM, Tseng JH, Song S, Al Housseiny HA, Tart DS, Ajit A, Ian Shih YY, Lobrovich R, Song J, Meeker RB, Irwin DJ, Cohen TJ. The Accumulation of Tau-Immunoreactive Hippocampal Granules and Corpora Amylacea Implicates Reactive Glia in Tau Pathogenesis during Aging. iScience 2020; 23:101255. [PMID: 32585593 PMCID: PMC7322077 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Revised: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The microtubule-associated tau protein forms pathological inclusions that accumulate in an age-dependent manner in tauopathies including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Since age is the major risk factor for AD, we examined endogenous tau species that evolve during aging in physiological and diseased conditions. In aged mouse brain, we found tau-immunoreactive clusters embedded within structures that are reminiscent of periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) granules. We showed that PAS granules harbor distinct tau species that are more prominent in 3xTg-AD mice. Epitope profiling revealed hypo-phosphorylated rather than hyper-phosphorylated tau commonly observed in tauopathies. High-resolution imaging and 3D reconstruction suggest a link between tau clusters, reactive astrocytes, and microglia, indicating that early tau accumulation may promote neuroinflammation during aging. Using postmortem human brain, we identified tau as a component of corpora amylacea (CA), age-related structures that are functionally analogous to PAS granules. Overall, our study supports neuroimmune dysfunction as a precipitating event in tau pathogenesis. Tau is present in mouse hippocampal granules and human corpora amylacea Tau accumulates with age in hippocampal granules and is accelerated in 3xTg-AD mice Tau immunoreactive corpora amylacea are present in Alzheimer's disease brain Age-related tau deposits are associated with reactive astrocytes
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Affiliation(s)
- Connor M Wander
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jui-Heng Tseng
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Sheng Song
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Heba A Al Housseiny
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Dalton S Tart
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Aditi Ajit
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Yen-Yu Ian Shih
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Rebecca Lobrovich
- Penn Digital Neuropathology Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4283, USA
| | - Juan Song
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Rick B Meeker
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - David J Irwin
- Penn Digital Neuropathology Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4283, USA
| | - Todd J Cohen
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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21
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Unravelling the Role of Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 in Alzheimer's Disease-Related Epileptic Seizures. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21103676. [PMID: 32456185 PMCID: PMC7279454 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21103676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. An increasing body of evidence describes an elevated incidence of epilepsy in patients with AD, and many transgenic animal models of AD also exhibit seizures and susceptibility to epilepsy. However, the biological mechanisms that underlie the occurrence of seizure or increased susceptibility to seizures in AD is unknown. Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates various cellular signaling pathways, and plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of AD. It has been suggested that GSK-3 might be a key factor that drives epileptogenesis in AD by interacting with the pathological hallmarks of AD, amyloid precursor protein (APP) and tau. Furthermore, seizures may also contribute to the progression of AD through GSK-3. In this way, GSK-3 might be involved in initiating a vicious cycle between AD and seizures. This review aims to summarise the possible role of GSK-3 in the link between AD and seizures. Understanding the role of GSK-3 in AD-associated seizures and epilepsy may help researchers develop new therapeutic approach that can manage seizure and epilepsy in AD patients as well as decelerate the progression of AD.
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22
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Hatcher A, Yu K, Meyer J, Aiba I, Deneen B, Noebels JL. Pathogenesis of peritumoral hyperexcitability in an immunocompetent CRISPR-based glioblastoma model. J Clin Invest 2020; 130:2286-2300. [PMID: 32250339 PMCID: PMC7190940 DOI: 10.1172/jci133316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Seizures often herald the clinical appearance of gliomas or appear at later stages. Dissecting their precise evolution and cellular pathogenesis in brain malignancies could inform the development of staged therapies for these highly pharmaco-resistant epilepsies. Studies in immunodeficient xenograft models have identified local interneuron loss and excess glial glutamate release as chief contributors to network disinhibition, but how hyperexcitability in the peritumoral microenvironment evolves in an immunocompetent brain is unclear. We generated gliomas in WT mice via in utero deletion of key tumor suppressor genes and serially monitored cortical epileptogenesis during tumor infiltration with in vivo electrophysiology and GCAMP7 calcium imaging, revealing a reproducible progression from hyperexcitability to convulsive seizures. Long before seizures, coincident with loss of inhibitory cells and their protective scaffolding, gain of glial glutamate antiporter xCT expression, and reactive astrocytosis, we detected local Iba1+ microglial inflammation that intensified and later extended far beyond tumor boundaries. Hitherto unrecognized episodes of cortical spreading depolarization that arose frequently from the peritumoral region may provide a mechanism for transient neurological deficits. Early blockade of glial xCT activity inhibited later seizures, and genomic reduction of host brain excitability by deleting MapT suppressed molecular markers of epileptogenesis and seizures. Our studies confirmed xenograft tumor-driven pathobiology and revealed early and late components of tumor-related epileptogenesis in a genetically tractable, immunocompetent mouse model of glioma, allowing the complex dissection of tumor versus host pathogenic seizure mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Jeffrey L. Noebels
- Department of Neuroscience
- Department of Neurology, and
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
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23
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Tai C, Chang CW, Yu GQ, Lopez I, Yu X, Wang X, Guo W, Mucke L. Tau Reduction Prevents Key Features of Autism in Mouse Models. Neuron 2020; 106:421-437.e11. [PMID: 32126198 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.01.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Revised: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Autism is characterized by repetitive behaviors, impaired social interactions, and communication deficits. It is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder, and available treatments offer little benefit. Here, we show that genetically reducing the protein tau prevents behavioral signs of autism in two mouse models simulating distinct causes of this condition. Similar to a proportion of people with autism, both models have epilepsy, abnormally enlarged brains, and overactivation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt (protein kinase B)/ mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. All of these abnormalities were prevented or markedly diminished by partial or complete genetic removal of tau. We identify disinhibition of phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN), a negative PI3K regulator that tau controls, as a plausible mechanism and demonstrate that tau interacts with PTEN via tau's proline-rich domain. Our findings suggest an enabling role of tau in the pathogenesis of autism and identify tau reduction as a potential therapeutic strategy for some of the disorders that cause this condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Tai
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Che-Wei Chang
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Gui-Qiu Yu
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Isabel Lopez
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Xinxing Yu
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Xin Wang
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Weikun Guo
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Lennart Mucke
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Neurology and Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
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24
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Rush T, Roth JR, Thompson SJ, Aldaher AR, Cochran JN, Roberson ED. A peptide inhibitor of Tau-SH3 interactions ameliorates amyloid-β toxicity. Neurobiol Dis 2019; 134:104668. [PMID: 31698056 PMCID: PMC7877553 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2019.104668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Revised: 10/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The microtubule-associated protein Tau is strongly implicated in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and aggregates into neurofibrillary tangles in AD. Genetic reduction of Tau is protective in several animal models of AD and cell culture models of amyloid-β (Aβ) toxicity, making it an exciting therapeutic target for treating AD. A variety of evidence indicates that Tau’s interactions with Fyn kinase and other SH3 domain–containing proteins, which bind to PxxP motifs in Tau’s proline-rich domain, may contribute to AD deficits and Aβ toxicity. Thus, we sought to determine if inhibiting Tau-SH3 interactions ameliorates Aβ toxicity. We developed a peptide inhibitor of Tau-SH3 interactions and a proximity ligation assay (PLA)-based target engagement assay. Then, we used membrane trafficking and neurite degeneration assays to determine if inhibiting Tau-SH3 interactions ameliorated Aβ oligomer (Aβo)-induced toxicity in primary hippocampal neurons from rats. We verified that Tau reduction ameliorated Aβo toxicity in neurons. Using PLA, we identified a peptide inhibitor that reduced Tau-SH3 interactions in HEK-293 cells and primary neurons. This peptide reduced Tau phosphorylation by Fyn without affecting Fyn’s kinase activity state. In primary neurons, endogenous Tau-Fyn interaction was present primarily in neurites and was reduced by the peptide inhibitor, from which we inferred target engagement. Reducing Tau-SH3 interactions in neurons ameliorated Aβo toxicity by multiple outcome measures, namely Aβo-induced membrane trafficking abnormalities and neurite degeneration. Our results indicate that Tau-SH3 interactions are critical for Aβo toxicity and that inhibiting them is a promising therapeutic target for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis Rush
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Alzheimer's Disease Center, Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Jonathan R Roth
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Alzheimer's Disease Center, Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Samantha J Thompson
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Alzheimer's Disease Center, Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Adam R Aldaher
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Alzheimer's Disease Center, Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - J Nicholas Cochran
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Alzheimer's Disease Center, Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Erik D Roberson
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Alzheimer's Disease Center, Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
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25
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Greathouse KM, Henderson BW, Gentry EG, Herskowitz JH. Fasudil or genetic depletion of ROCK1 or ROCK2 induces anxiety-like behaviors. Behav Brain Res 2019; 373:112083. [PMID: 31302146 PMCID: PMC6693674 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Twenty-nine protein kinase inhibitors have been used to treat human diseases. Out of these, two are Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) 1 and 2 inhibitors. The ROCKs heavily influence neuronal architecture and structural plasticity, and ROCKs are putative drug targets for various brain disorders. While the pan-ROCK inhibitor Fasudil has been clinically approved to treat hypertension, heart failure, glaucoma, spinal cord injury, and stroke, a barrier to progress on this therapeutic avenue is the lack of experimental comparisons between pharmacologic and genetic manipulation of ROCKs. Our study begins to address this question using parallel approaches to study behavior in mice that were treated with Fasudil or were heterozygous for ROCK1 or ROCK2. Adult mice treated with Fasudil for thirty days displayed reduced time spent in the open arms of the elevated plus maze, whereas activity in the open field was more analogous to mock-treated animals. Both male and female adult ROCK1+/- and ROCK2+/- mice exhibited reduced time spent in open arms of the elevated plus maze compared to littermate controls. However, ROCK1 or ROCK2 heterozygosity did not alter performance in the open field or Y-maze. These results indicate that chronic treatment with Fasudil induces anxiety-like behaviors that are likely the consequence of ROCK1 and/or ROCK2 inhibition. Our findings may have implications for several ongoing clinical trials using Fasudil or other ROCK-based therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey M Greathouse
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics and Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, United States
| | - Benjamin W Henderson
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics and Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, United States
| | - Erik G Gentry
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics and Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, United States
| | - Jeremy H Herskowitz
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics and Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, United States.
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26
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Liu G, Thangavel R, Rysted J, Kim Y, Francis MB, Adams E, Lin Z, Taugher RJ, Wemmie JA, Usachev YM, Lee G. Loss of tau and Fyn reduces compensatory effects of MAP2 for tau and reveals a Fyn-independent effect of tau on calcium. J Neurosci Res 2019; 97:1393-1413. [PMID: 31452242 PMCID: PMC6850396 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Revised: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Microtubule-associated protein tau associates with Src family tyrosine kinase Fyn and is tyrosine phosphorylated by Fyn. The presence of tyrosine phosphorylated tau in AD and the involvement of Fyn in AD has drawn attention to the tau-Fyn complex. In this study, a tau-Fyn double knockout (DKO) mouse was generated to investigate the role of the complex. DKO mice resembled Fyn KO in novel object recognition and contextual fear conditioning tasks and resembled tau KO mice in the pole test and protection from pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures. In glutamate-induced Ca2+ response, Fyn KO was decreased relative to WT and DKO had a greater reduction relative to Fyn KO, suggesting that tau may have a Fyn-independent role. Since tau KO resembled WT in its Ca2+ response, we investigated whether microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) served to compensate for tau, since the MAP2 level was increased in tau KO but decreased in DKO mice. We found that like tau, MAP2 increased Fyn activity. Moreover, tau KO neurons had increased density of dendritic MAP2-Fyn complexes relative to WT neurons. Therefore, we hypothesize that in the tau KO, the absence of tau would be compensated by MAP2, especially in the dendrites, where tau-Fyn complexes are of critical importance. In the DKO, decreased levels of MAP2 made compensation more difficult, thus revealing the effect of tau in the Ca2+ response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanghao Liu
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Ramasamy Thangavel
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Jacob Rysted
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Yohan Kim
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Meghan B Francis
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Eric Adams
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Zhihong Lin
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Rebecca J Taugher
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - John A Wemmie
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Yuriy M Usachev
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Gloria Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
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27
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Bugay V, Bozdemir E, Vigil FA, Chun SH, Holstein DM, Elliott WR, Sprague CJ, Cavazos JE, Zamora DO, Rule G, Shapiro MS, Lechleiter JD, Brenner R. A Mouse Model of Repetitive Blast Traumatic Brain Injury Reveals Post-Trauma Seizures and Increased Neuronal Excitability. J Neurotrauma 2019; 37:248-261. [PMID: 31025597 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2018.6333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Repetitive blast traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects numerous soldiers on the battlefield. Mild TBI has been shown to have long-lasting effects with repeated injury. We have investigated effects on neuronal excitability after repetitive, mild TBI in a mouse model of blast-induced brain injury. We exposed mice to mild blast trauma of an average peak overpressure of 14.6 psi, repeated across three consecutive days. While a single exposure did not reveal trauma as indicated by the glial fibrillary acidic protein indicator, three repetitive blasts did show significant increases. As well, mice had an increased indicator of inflammation (Iba-1) and increased tau, tau phosphorylation, and altered cytokine levels in the spleen. Video-electroencephalographic monitoring 48 h after the final blast exposure demonstrated seizures in 50% (12/24) of the mice, most of which were non-convulsive seizures. Long-term monitoring revealed that spontaneous seizures developed in at least 46% (6/13) of the mice. Patch clamp recording of dentate gyrus hippocampus neurons 48 h post-blast TBI demonstrated a shortened latency to the first spike and hyperpolarization of action potential threshold. We also found that evoked excitatory postsynaptic current amplitudes were significantly increased. These findings indicate that mild, repetitive blast exposures cause increases in neuronal excitability and seizures and eventual epilepsy development in some animals. The non-convulsive nature of the seizures suggests that subclinical seizures may occur in individuals experiencing even mild blast events, if repeated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladislav Bugay
- Cell and Integrative Physiology, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Eda Bozdemir
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Fabio A Vigil
- Cell and Integrative Physiology, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Sang H Chun
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Deborah M Holstein
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - William R Elliott
- Sensory Trauma, United States Army Institute of Surgical Research, Fort Sam Houston San Antonio, Texas
| | - Cassie J Sprague
- Sensory Trauma, United States Army Institute of Surgical Research, Fort Sam Houston San Antonio, Texas
| | - Jose E Cavazos
- Cell and Integrative Physiology, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas.,Department of Neurology, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - David O Zamora
- Sensory Trauma, United States Army Institute of Surgical Research, Fort Sam Houston San Antonio, Texas
| | | | - Mark S Shapiro
- Cell and Integrative Physiology, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - James D Lechleiter
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Robert Brenner
- Cell and Integrative Physiology, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
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28
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Paudel YN, Angelopoulou E, Jones NC, O’Brien TJ, Kwan P, Piperi C, Othman I, Shaikh MF. Tau Related Pathways as a Connecting Link between Epilepsy and Alzheimer's Disease. ACS Chem Neurosci 2019; 10:4199-4212. [PMID: 31532186 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.9b00460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging findings point toward an important interconnection between epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. Patients with epilepsy (PWE) commonly exhibit cognitive impairment similar to AD patients, who in turn are at a higher risk of developing epilepsy compared to age-matched controls. To date, no disease-modifying treatment strategy is available for either epilepsy or AD, reflecting an immediate need for exploring common molecular targets, which can delineate a possible mechanistic link between epilepsy and AD. This review attempts to disentangle the interconnectivity between epilepsy and AD pathogenesis via the crucial contribution of Tau protein. Tau protein is a microtubule-associated protein (MAP) that has been implicated in the pathophysiology of both epilepsy and AD. Hyperphosphorylation of Tau contributes to the different forms of human epilepsy and inhibition of the same exerted seizure inhibitions and altered disease progression in a range of animal models. Moreover, Tau-protein-mediated therapy has demonstrated promising outcomes in experimental models of AD. In this review, we discuss how Tau-related mechanisms might present a link between the cause of seizures in epilepsy and cognitive disruption in AD. Untangling this interconnection might be instrumental in designing novel therapies that can minimize epileptic seizures and cognitive deficits in patients with epilepsy and AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yam Nath Paudel
- Neuropharmacology Research Laboratory, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor 46150, Malaysia
| | - Efthalia Angelopoulou
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 10679, Greece
| | - Nigel C. Jones
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne 3800, Australia
- Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Terence J. O’Brien
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne 3800, Australia
- Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Patrick Kwan
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne 3800, Australia
- Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Christina Piperi
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 10679, Greece
| | - Iekhsan Othman
- Neuropharmacology Research Laboratory, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor 46150, Malaysia
| | - Mohd. Farooq Shaikh
- Neuropharmacology Research Laboratory, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor 46150, Malaysia
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne 3800, Australia
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29
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DeVos SL, Corjuc BT, Commins C, Dujardin S, Bannon RN, Corjuc D, Moore BD, Bennett RE, Jorfi M, Gonzales JA, Dooley PM, Roe AD, Pitstick R, Irimia D, Frosch MP, Carlson GA, Hyman BT. Tau reduction in the presence of amyloid-β prevents tau pathology and neuronal death in vivo. Brain 2019; 141:2194-2212. [PMID: 29733334 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awy117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 03/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies have now supported the use of a tau lowering agent as a possible therapy in the treatment of tauopathy disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. In human Alzheimer's disease, however, concurrent amyloid-β deposition appears to synergize and accelerate tau pathological changes. Thus far, tau reduction strategies that have been tested in vivo have been examined in the setting of tau pathology without confounding amyloid-β deposition. To determine whether reducing total human tau expression in a transgenic model where there is concurrent amyloid-β plaque formation can still reduce tau pathology and protect against neuronal loss, we have taken advantage of the regulatable tau transgene in APP/PS1 × rTg4510 mice. These mice develop both neurofibrillary tangles as well as amyloid-β plaques throughout the cortex and hippocampus. By suppressing human tau expression for 6 months in the APP/PS1 × rTg4510 mice using doxycycline, AT8 tau pathology, bioactivity, and astrogliosis were reduced, though importantly to a lesser extent than lowering tau in the rTg4510 alone mice. Based on non-denaturing gels and proteinase K digestions, the remaining tau aggregates in the presence of amyloid-β exhibit a longer-lived aggregate conformation. Nonetheless, lowering the expression of the human tau transgene was sufficient to equally ameliorate thioflavin-S positive tangles and prevent neuronal loss equally well in both the APP/PS1 × rTg4510 mice and the rTg4510 cohort. Together, these results suggest that, although amyloid-β stabilizes tau aggregates, lowering total tau levels is still an effective strategy for the treatment of tau pathology and neuronal loss even in the presence of amyloid-β deposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L DeVos
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bianca T Corjuc
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Caitlin Commins
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Simon Dujardin
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Riley N Bannon
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Diana Corjuc
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Benjamin D Moore
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rachel E Bennett
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mehdi Jorfi
- McLaughlin Research Institute, Great Falls, Montana, USA
| | - Jose A Gonzales
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Patrick M Dooley
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Allyson D Roe
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rose Pitstick
- McLaughlin Research Institute, Great Falls, Montana, USA
| | - Daniel Irimia
- Center for Engineering in Medicine, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Matthew P Frosch
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.,C.S. Kubik Laboratory for Neuropathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - George A Carlson
- Center for Engineering in Medicine, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bradley T Hyman
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
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30
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Saletti PG, Ali I, Casillas-Espinosa PM, Semple BD, Lisgaras CP, Moshé SL, Galanopoulou AS. In search of antiepileptogenic treatments for post-traumatic epilepsy. Neurobiol Dis 2019; 123:86-99. [PMID: 29936231 PMCID: PMC6309524 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2018.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) is diagnosed in 20% of individuals with acquired epilepsy, and can impact significantly the quality of life due to the seizures and other functional or cognitive and behavioral outcomes of the traumatic brain injury (TBI) and PTE. There is no available antiepileptogenic or disease modifying treatment for PTE. Animal models of TBI and PTE have been developed, offering useful insights on the value of inflammatory, neurodegenerative pathways, hemorrhages and iron accumulation, calcium channels and other target pathways that could be used for treatment development. Most of the existing preclinical studies test efficacy towards pathologies of functional recovery after TBI, while a few studies are emerging testing the effects towards induced or spontaneous seizures. Here we review the existing preclinical trials testing new candidate treatments for TBI sequelae and PTE, and discuss future directions for efforts aiming at developing antiepileptogenic and disease-modifying treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia G Saletti
- Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Laboratory of Developmental Epilepsy, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Idrish Ali
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Pablo M Casillas-Espinosa
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Bridgette D Semple
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Christos Panagiotis Lisgaras
- Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Laboratory of Developmental Epilepsy, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Solomon L Moshé
- Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Laboratory of Developmental Epilepsy, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Developmental Epilepsy, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Einstein/Montefiore Epilepsy Center, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Einstein/Montefiore Epilepsy Center, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Aristea S Galanopoulou
- Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Laboratory of Developmental Epilepsy, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Developmental Epilepsy, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Einstein/Montefiore Epilepsy Center, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA.
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31
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Jadhav S, Avila J, Schöll M, Kovacs GG, Kövari E, Skrabana R, Evans LD, Kontsekova E, Malawska B, de Silva R, Buee L, Zilka N. A walk through tau therapeutic strategies. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2019; 7:22. [PMID: 30767766 PMCID: PMC6376692 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-019-0664-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 182] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau neuronal and glial pathologies drive the clinical presentation of Alzheimer's disease and related human tauopathies. There is a growing body of evidence indicating that pathological tau species can travel from cell to cell and spread the pathology through the brain. Throughout the last decade, physiological and pathological tau have become attractive targets for AD therapies. Several therapeutic approaches have been proposed, including the inhibition of protein kinases or protein-3-O-(N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminyl)-L-serine/threonine Nacetylglucosaminyl hydrolase, the inhibition of tau aggregation, active and passive immunotherapies, and tau silencing by antisense oligonucleotides. New tau therapeutics, across the board, have demonstrated the ability to prevent or reduce tau lesions and improve either cognitive or motor impairment in a variety of animal models developing neurofibrillary pathology. The most advanced strategy for the treatment of human tauopathies remains immunotherapy, which has already reached the clinical stage of drug development. Tau vaccines or humanised antibodies target a variety of tau species either in the intracellular or extracellular spaces. Some of them recognise the amino-terminus or carboxy-terminus, while others display binding abilities to the proline-rich area or microtubule binding domains. The main therapeutic foci in existing clinical trials are on Alzheimer's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy and non-fluent primary progressive aphasia. Tau therapy offers a new hope for the treatment of many fatal brain disorders. First efficacy data from clinical trials will be available by the end of this decade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santosh Jadhav
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvorakovo nabrezie 10, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jesus Avila
- Centro de Biologia Molecular "Severo Ochoa", Consejo Superior de Investigaciones, Cientificas, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, C/ Nicolas Cabrera, 1. Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain
- Networking Research Center on Neurodegenerative, Diseases (CIBERNED), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Michael Schöll
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of, Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
- Dementia Research Centre, University College London, London, UK
| | - Gabor G Kovacs
- Institute of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, AKH 4J, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1097, Vienna, Austria
| | - Enikö Kövari
- Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Rostislav Skrabana
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvorakovo nabrezie 10, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Lewis D Evans
- Gurdon Institute and Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK
| | - Eva Kontsekova
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvorakovo nabrezie 10, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Barbara Malawska
- Department of Physicochemical Drug Analysis, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Medyczna 9, 30-688, Cracow, Poland
| | - Rohan de Silva
- Reta Lila Weston Institute and Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, 1 Wakefield Street, London, WC1N 1PJ, UK
| | - Luc Buee
- Universite of Lille, Inserm, CHU-Lille, UMRS1172, Alzheimer & Tauopathies, Place de Verdun, 59045, Lille cedex, France.
| | - Norbert Zilka
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvorakovo nabrezie 10, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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Ali I, Silva JC, Liu S, Shultz SR, Kwan P, Jones NC, O'Brien TJ. Targeting neurodegeneration to prevent post-traumatic epilepsy. Neurobiol Dis 2018; 123:100-109. [PMID: 30099094 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2018.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Revised: 07/31/2018] [Accepted: 08/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In the quest for developing new therapeutic targets for post-traumatic epilepsies (PTE), identifying mechanisms relevant to development and progression of disease is critical. A growing body of literature suggests involvement of neurodegenerative mechanisms in the pathophysiology of acquired epilepsies, including following traumatic brain injury (TBI). In this review, we discuss the potential of some of these mechanisms to be targets for the development of a therapy against PTE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Idrish Ali
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Juliana C Silva
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Shijie Liu
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Sandy R Shultz
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Patrick Kwan
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Nigel C Jones
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Terence J O'Brien
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
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Neuronal levels and sequence of tau modulate the power of brain rhythms. Neurobiol Dis 2018; 117:181-188. [PMID: 29859869 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2018.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Revised: 05/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Neural network dysfunction may contribute to functional decline and disease progression in neurodegenerative disorders. Diverse lines of evidence suggest that neuronal accumulation of tau promotes network dysfunction and cognitive decline. The A152T-variant of human tau (hTau-A152T) increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and several other tauopathies. When overexpressed in neurons of transgenic mice, it causes age-dependent neuronal loss and cognitive decline, as well as non-convulsive epileptic activity, which is also seen in patients with AD. Using intracranial EEG recordings with electrodes implanted over the parietal cortex, we demonstrate that hTau-A152T increases the power of brain oscillations in the 0.5-6 Hz range more than wildtype human tau in transgenic lines with comparable levels of human tau protein in brain, and that genetic ablation of endogenous tau in Mapt-/- mice decreases the power of these oscillations as compared to wildtype controls. Suppression of hTau-A152T production in doxycycline-regulatable transgenic mice reversed their abnormal network activity. Treatment of hTau-A152T mice with the antiepileptic drug levetiracetam also rapidly and persistently reversed their brain dysrhythmia and network hypersynchrony. These findings suggest that both the level and the sequence of tau modulate the power of specific brain oscillations. The potential of EEG spectral changes as a biomarker deserves to be explored in clinical trials of tau-lowering therapeutics. Our results also suggest that levetiracetam treatment is able to counteract tau-dependent neural network dysfunction. Tau reduction and levetiracetam treatment may be of benefit in AD and other conditions associated with brain dysrhythmias and network hypersynchrony.
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Sánchez MP, García-Cabrero AM, Sánchez-Elexpuru G, Burgos DF, Serratosa JM. Tau-Induced Pathology in Epilepsy and Dementia: Notions from Patients and Animal Models. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19041092. [PMID: 29621183 PMCID: PMC5979593 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19041092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2018] [Revised: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Patients with dementia present epilepsy more frequently than the general population. Seizures are more common in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), dementia with Lewy bodies (LBD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) than in other dementias. Missense mutations in the microtubule associated protein tau (MAPT) gene have been found to cause familial FTD and PSP, while the P301S mutation in MAPT has been associated with early-onset fast progressive dementia and the presence of seizures. Brains of patients with AD, LBD, FTD and PSP show hyperphosphorylated tau aggregates, amyloid-β plaques and neuropil threads. Increasing evidence suggests the existence of overlapping mechanisms related to the generation of network hyperexcitability and cognitive decline. Neuronal overexpression of tau with various mutations found in FTD with parkinsonism-linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17) in mice produces epileptic activity. On the other hand, the use of certain antiepileptic drugs in animal models with AD prevents cognitive impairment. Further efforts should be made to search for plausible common targets for both conditions. Moreover, attempts should also be made to evaluate the use of drugs targeting tau and amyloid-β as suitable pharmacological interventions in epileptic disorders. The diagnosis of dementia and epilepsy in early stages of those diseases may be helpful for the initiation of treatments that could prevent the generation of epileptic activity and cognitive deterioration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina P Sánchez
- Laboratory of Neurology, IIS (Instituto Investigación Sanitaria/Health Research Institute)-Jiménez Díaz Foundation, UAM (Universidad Autonoma de Madrid/Autonomous University of Madrid) and Biomedical Research Network Center on Rare Diseases (CIBERER), 28045 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Ana M García-Cabrero
- Laboratory of Neurology, IIS (Instituto Investigación Sanitaria/Health Research Institute)-Jiménez Díaz Foundation, UAM (Universidad Autonoma de Madrid/Autonomous University of Madrid) and Biomedical Research Network Center on Rare Diseases (CIBERER), 28045 Madrid, Spain.
- Department of Immunology and Oncology and Protein Tools Unit, Biotechnology National Center (CNB/CSIC), 28049 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Gentzane Sánchez-Elexpuru
- Laboratory of Neurology, IIS (Instituto Investigación Sanitaria/Health Research Institute)-Jiménez Díaz Foundation, UAM (Universidad Autonoma de Madrid/Autonomous University of Madrid) and Biomedical Research Network Center on Rare Diseases (CIBERER), 28045 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Daniel F Burgos
- Laboratory of Neurology, IIS (Instituto Investigación Sanitaria/Health Research Institute)-Jiménez Díaz Foundation, UAM (Universidad Autonoma de Madrid/Autonomous University of Madrid) and Biomedical Research Network Center on Rare Diseases (CIBERER), 28045 Madrid, Spain.
| | - José M Serratosa
- Laboratory of Neurology, IIS (Instituto Investigación Sanitaria/Health Research Institute)-Jiménez Díaz Foundation, UAM (Universidad Autonoma de Madrid/Autonomous University of Madrid) and Biomedical Research Network Center on Rare Diseases (CIBERER), 28045 Madrid, Spain.
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DeVos SL, Miller RL, Schoch KM, Holmes BB, Kebodeaux CS, Wegener AJ, Chen G, Shen T, Tran H, Nichols B, Zanardi TA, Kordasiewicz HB, Swayze EE, Bennett CF, Diamond MI, Miller TM. Tau reduction prevents neuronal loss and reverses pathological tau deposition and seeding in mice with tauopathy. Sci Transl Med 2018; 9:9/374/eaag0481. [PMID: 28123067 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aag0481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 314] [Impact Index Per Article: 52.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2015] [Revised: 05/13/2016] [Accepted: 11/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau directly correlates with cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease and other primary tauopathies. One therapeutic strategy may be to reduce total tau expression. We identified antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) that selectively decreased human tau mRNA and protein in mice expressing mutant P301S human tau. After reduction of human tau in this mouse model of tauopathy, fewer tau inclusions developed, and preexisting phosphorylated tau and Thioflavin S pathology were reversed. The resolution of tau pathology was accompanied by the prevention of hippocampal volume loss, neuronal death, and nesting deficits. In addition, mouse survival was extended, and pathological tau seeding was reversed. In nonhuman primates, tau ASOs distributed throughout the brain and spinal cord and reduced tau mRNA and protein in the brain, spinal cord, and cerebrospinal fluid. These data support investigation of a tau-lowering therapy in human patients who have tau-positive inclusions even after pathological tau deposition has begun.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L DeVos
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Rebecca L Miller
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Kathleen M Schoch
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Brandon B Holmes
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Carey S Kebodeaux
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Amy J Wegener
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Guo Chen
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Tao Shen
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Hien Tran
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Carlsbad, CA 90201, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Marc I Diamond
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Timothy M Miller
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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Progranulin Gene Therapy Improves Lysosomal Dysfunction and Microglial Pathology Associated with Frontotemporal Dementia and Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis. J Neurosci 2018; 38:2341-2358. [PMID: 29378861 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3081-17.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2017] [Revised: 12/27/2017] [Accepted: 01/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Loss-of-function mutations in progranulin, a lysosomal glycoprotein, cause neurodegenerative disease. Progranulin haploinsufficiency causes frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and complete progranulin deficiency causes CLN11 neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL). Progranulin replacement is a rational therapeutic strategy for these disorders, but there are critical unresolved mechanistic questions about a progranulin gene therapy approach, including its potential to reverse existing pathology. Here, we address these issues using an AAV vector (AAV-Grn) to deliver progranulin in Grn-/- mice (both male and female), which model aspects of NCL and FTD pathology, developing lysosomal dysfunction, lipofuscinosis, and microgliosis. We first tested whether AAV-Grn could improve preexisting pathology. Even with treatment after onset of pathology, AAV-Grn reduced lipofuscinosis in several brain regions of Grn-/- mice. AAV-Grn also reduced microgliosis in brain regions distant from the injection site. AAV-expressed progranulin was only detected in neurons, not in microglia, indicating that the microglial activation in progranulin deficiency can be improved by targeting neurons and thus may be driven at least in part by neuronal dysfunction. Even areas with sparse transduction and almost undetectable progranulin showed improvement, indicating that low-level replacement may be sufficiently effective. The beneficial effects of AAV-Grn did not require progranulin binding to sortilin. Finally, we tested whether AAV-Grn improved lysosomal function. AAV-derived progranulin was delivered to the lysosome, ameliorated the accumulation of LAMP-1 in Grn-/- mice, and corrected abnormal cathepsin D activity. These data shed light on progranulin biology and support progranulin-boosting therapies for NCL and FTD due to GRN mutations.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Heterozygous loss-of-function progranulin (GRN) mutations cause frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and homozygous mutations cause neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL). Here, we address several mechanistic questions about the potential of progranulin gene therapy for these disorders. GRN mutation carriers with NCL or FTD exhibit lipofuscinosis and Grn-/- mouse models develop a similar pathology. AAV-mediated progranulin delivery reduced lipofuscinosis in Grn-/- mice even after the onset of pathology. AAV delivered progranulin only to neurons, not microglia, but improved microgliosis in several brain regions, indicating cross talk between neuronal and microglial pathology. Its beneficial effects were sortilin independent. AAV-derived progranulin was delivered to lysosomes and corrected lysosomal abnormalities. These data provide in vivo support for the efficacy of progranulin-boosting therapies for FTD and NCL.
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Rinaldi C, Wood MJA. Antisense oligonucleotides: the next frontier for treatment of neurological disorders. Nat Rev Neurol 2017; 14:9-21. [PMID: 29192260 DOI: 10.1038/nrneurol.2017.148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 482] [Impact Index Per Article: 68.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) were first discovered to influence RNA processing and modulate protein expression over two decades ago; however, progress translating these agents into the clinic has been hampered by inadequate target engagement, insufficient biological activity, and off-target toxic effects. Over the years, novel chemical modifications of ASOs have been employed to address these issues. These modifications, in combination with elucidation of the mechanism of action of ASOs and improved clinical trial design, have provided momentum for the translation of ASO-based strategies into therapies. Many neurological conditions lack an effective treatment; however, as research progressively disentangles the pathogenic mechanisms of these diseases, they provide an ideal platform to test ASO-based strategies. This steady progress reached a pinnacle in the past few years with approvals of ASOs for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy and Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which represent landmarks in a field in which disease-modifying therapies were virtually non-existent. With the rapid development of improved next-generation ASOs toward clinical application, this technology now holds the potential to have a dramatic effect on the treatment of many neurological conditions in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Rinaldi
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Le Gros Clark Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QX, UK
| | - Matthew J A Wood
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Le Gros Clark Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QX, UK
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Arrant AE, Filiano AJ, Unger DE, Young AH, Roberson ED. Restoring neuronal progranulin reverses deficits in a mouse model of frontotemporal dementia. Brain 2017; 140:1447-1465. [PMID: 28379303 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awx060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2016] [Accepted: 01/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Loss-of-function mutations in progranulin (GRN), a secreted glycoprotein expressed by neurons and microglia, are a common autosomal dominant cause of frontotemporal dementia, a neurodegenerative disease commonly characterized by disrupted social and emotional behaviour. GRN mutations are thought to cause frontotemporal dementia through progranulin haploinsufficiency, therefore, boosting progranulin expression from the intact allele is a rational treatment strategy. However, this approach has not been tested in an animal model of frontotemporal dementia and it is unclear if boosting progranulin could correct pre-existing deficits. Here, we show that adeno-associated virus-driven expression of progranulin in the medial prefrontal cortex reverses social dominance deficits in Grn+/- mice, an animal model of frontotemporal dementia due to GRN mutations. Adeno-associated virus-progranulin also corrected lysosomal abnormalities in Grn+/- mice. The adeno-associated virus-progranulin vector only transduced neurons, suggesting that restoring neuronal progranulin is sufficient to correct deficits in Grn+/- mice. To further test the role of neuronal progranulin in the development of frontotemporal dementia-related deficits, we generated two neuronal progranulin-deficient mouse lines using CaMKII-Cre and Nestin-Cre. Measuring progranulin levels in these lines indicated that most brain progranulin is derived from neurons. Both neuronal progranulin-deficient lines developed social dominance deficits similar to those in global Grn+/- mice, showing that neuronal progranulin deficiency is sufficient to disrupt social behaviour. These data support the concept of progranulin-boosting therapies for frontotemporal dementia and highlight an important role for neuron-derived progranulin in maintaining normal social function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew E Arrant
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Alzheimer's Disease Center, and Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Anthony J Filiano
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Alzheimer's Disease Center, and Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Daniel E Unger
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Alzheimer's Disease Center, and Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Allen H Young
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Alzheimer's Disease Center, and Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Erik D Roberson
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Alzheimer's Disease Center, and Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
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Cretin B, Philippi N, Bousiges O, Dibitonto L, Sellal F, Martin-Hunyadi C, Blanc F. Do we know how to diagnose epilepsy early in Alzheimer's disease? Rev Neurol (Paris) 2017; 173:374-380. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurol.2017.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2016] [Revised: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 03/31/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Damar U, Gersner R, Johnstone JT, Schachter S, Rotenberg A. Huperzine A: A promising anticonvulsant, disease modifying, and memory enhancing treatment option in Alzheimer's disease. Med Hypotheses 2016; 99:57-62. [PMID: 28110700 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2016.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 12/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most frequent cause of dementia. Besides cognitive deterioration, patients with AD are prone to seizures - more than 20% of patients diagnosed with AD experience at least one unprovoked seizure and up to 7% have recurrent seizures. Although available antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may suppress seizures in patients with AD, they may also worsen cognitive dysfunction and increase the risk of falls. On the basis of preclinical studies, we hypothesize that Huperzine A (HupA), a safe and potent acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor with potentially disease-modifying qualities in AD, may have a realistic role as an anticonvulsant in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ugur Damar
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Roman Gersner
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Steven Schachter
- Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alexander Rotenberg
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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41
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Pachima YI, Zhou LY, Lei P, Gozes I. Microtubule-Tau Interaction as a Therapeutic Target for Alzheimer's Disease. J Mol Neurosci 2016; 58:145-52. [PMID: 26816082 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-016-0715-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Yanina Ivashko Pachima
- Lily and Avraham Gildor Chair for the Investigation of Growth Factors, Elton Laboratory for Neuroendocrinology, Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Adams Super Center for Brain Studies and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Liu-yao Zhou
- Department of Neurology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Peng Lei
- Department of Neurology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Sichuan, 610041, China. .,Oxidation Biology Unit, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3052, VIC, Australia.
| | - Illana Gozes
- Lily and Avraham Gildor Chair for the Investigation of Growth Factors, Elton Laboratory for Neuroendocrinology, Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Adams Super Center for Brain Studies and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel.
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van Hummel A, Bi M, Ippati S, van der Hoven J, Volkerling A, Lee WS, Tan DCS, Bongers A, Ittner A, Ke YD, Ittner LM. No Overt Deficits in Aged Tau-Deficient C57Bl/6.Mapttm1(EGFP)Kit GFP Knockin Mice. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0163236. [PMID: 27736877 PMCID: PMC5063411 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0163236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Several mouse lines with knockout of the tau-encoding MAPT gene have been reported in the past; they received recent attention due to reports that tau reduction prevented Aβ-induced deficits in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. However, the effects of long-term depletion of tau in vivo remained controversial. Here, we used the tau-deficient GFP knockin line Mapttm1(EGFP)kit on a pure C57Bl/6 background and subjected a large cohort of males and females to a range of motor, memory and behavior tests and imaging analysis, at the advanced age of over 16 months. Neither heterozygous nor homozygous Mapttm1(EGFP)kit mice presented with deficits or abnormalities compared to wild-type littermates. Differences to reports using other tau knockout models may be due to different genetic backgrounds, respective gene targeting strategies or other confounding factors, such as nutrition. To this end, we report no functional or morphological deficits upon tau reduction or depletion in aged mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika van Hummel
- Dementia Research Unit, Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Mian Bi
- Dementia Research Unit, Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Stefania Ippati
- Dementia Research Unit, Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Julia van der Hoven
- Dementia Research Unit, Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Alexander Volkerling
- Dementia Research Unit, Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Wei S. Lee
- Dementia Research Unit, Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Daniel C. S. Tan
- Dementia Research Unit, Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Andre Bongers
- Biological Resources Imaging Laboratory, Mark Wainright Analytical Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Arne Ittner
- Dementia Research Unit, Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Yazi D. Ke
- Motor Neuron Disease Unit, Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Lars M. Ittner
- Dementia Research Unit, Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- * E-mail:
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Filiano AJ, Xu Y, Tustison NJ, Marsh RL, Baker W, Smirnov I, Overall CC, Gadani SP, Turner SD, Weng Z, Peerzade SN, Chen H, Lee KS, Scott MM, Beenhakker MP, Litvak V, Kipnis J. Unexpected role of interferon-γ in regulating neuronal connectivity and social behaviour. Nature 2016; 535:425-9. [PMID: 27409813 PMCID: PMC4961620 DOI: 10.1038/nature18626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 463] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2015] [Accepted: 06/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Immune dysfunction is commonly associated with several neurological and mental disorders. Although the mechanisms by which peripheral immunity may influence neuronal function are largely unknown, recent findings implicate meningeal immunity influencing behavior, such as spatial learning and memory1. Here we show that meningeal immunity is also critical for social behavior; mice deficient in adaptive immunity exhibit social deficits and hyper-connectivity of fronto-cortical brain regions. Associations between rodent transcriptomes from brain and cellular transcriptomes in response to T cell–derived cytokines suggest a strong interaction between social behavior and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) driven responses. Concordantly, we demonstrate that inhibitory neurons respond to IFN-γ and increase GABAergic currents in projection neurons, suggesting that IFN-γ is a molecular link between meningeal immunity and neural circuits recruited for social behavior. Meta-analysis on the transcriptomes of a range of organisms revealed that rodents, fish, and flies elevate IFN-γ/JAK-STAT–dependent gene signatures in a social context, suggesting that the IFN-γ signaling pathway could mediate a co-evolutionary link between social/aggregation behavior and an efficient anti-pathogen response. This study implicates adaptive immune dysfunction, in particular IFN-γ, in disorders characterized by social dysfunction and suggests a co-evolutionary link between social behavior and an anti-pathogen immune response driven by IFN-γ signaling.
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Yetman MJ, Fowler SW, Jankowsky JL. Humanized Tau Mice with Regionalized Amyloid Exhibit Behavioral Deficits but No Pathological Interaction. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0153724. [PMID: 27070146 PMCID: PMC4829202 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2016] [Accepted: 04/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) researchers have struggled for decades to draw a causal link between extracellular Aβ aggregation and intraneuronal accumulation of microtubule-associated protein tau. The amyloid cascade hypothesis posits that Aβ deposition promotes tau hyperphosphorylation, tangle formation, cell loss, vascular damage, and dementia. While the genetics of familial AD and the pathological staging of sporadic disease support this sequence of events, attempts to examine the molecular mechanism in transgenic animal models have largely relied on models of other inherited tauopathies as the basis for testing the interaction with Aβ. In an effort to more accurately model the relationship between Aβ and wild-type tau in AD, we intercrossed mice that overproduce human Aβ with a tau substitution model in which all 6 isoforms of the human protein are expressed in animals lacking murine tau. We selected an amyloid model in which pathology was biased towards the entorhinal region so that we could further examine whether the anticipated changes in tau phosphorylation occurred at the site of Aβ deposition or in synaptically connected regions. We found that Aβ and tau had independent effects on locomotion, learning, and memory, but found no behavioral evidence for an interaction between the two transgenes. Moreover, we saw no indication of amyloid-induced changes in the phosphorylation or aggregation of human tau either within the entorhinal area or elsewhere. These findings suggest that robust amyloid pathology within the medial temporal lobe has little effect on the metabolism of wild type human tau in this model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Yetman
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Stephanie W. Fowler
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Joanna L. Jankowsky
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Decker JM, Krüger L, Sydow A, Dennissen FJ, Siskova Z, Mandelkow E, Mandelkow EM. The Tau/A152T mutation, a risk factor for frontotemporal-spectrum disorders, leads to NR2B receptor-mediated excitotoxicity. EMBO Rep 2016; 17:552-69. [PMID: 26931569 DOI: 10.15252/embr.201541439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2015] [Accepted: 01/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We report on a novel transgenic mouse model expressing human full-length Tau with the Tau mutation A152T (hTau(AT)), a risk factor for FTD-spectrum disorders including PSP and CBD Brain neurons reveal pathological Tau conformation, hyperphosphorylation, mis-sorting, aggregation, neuronal degeneration, and progressive loss, most prominently in area CA3 of the hippocampus. The mossy fiber pathway shows enhanced basal synaptic transmission without changes in short- or long-term plasticity. In organotypic hippocampal slices, extracellular glutamate increases early above control levels, followed by a rise in neurotoxicity. These changes are normalized by inhibiting neurotransmitter release or by blocking voltage-gated sodium channels. CA3 neurons show elevated intracellular calcium during rest and after activity induction which is sensitive to NR2B antagonizing drugs, demonstrating a pivotal role of extrasynaptic NMDA receptors. Slices show pronounced epileptiform activity and axonal sprouting of mossy fibers. Excitotoxic neuronal death is ameliorated by ceftriaxone, which stimulates astrocytic glutamate uptake via the transporter EAAT2/GLT1. In summary, hTau(AT) causes excitotoxicity mediated by NR2B-containing NMDA receptors due to enhanced extracellular glutamate.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lars Krüger
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Astrid Sydow
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany Max-Planck-Institute for Metabolism Research (Cologne), Hamburg Outstation, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Zuzana Siskova
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Eckhard Mandelkow
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany Max-Planck-Institute for Metabolism Research (Cologne), Hamburg Outstation, Hamburg, Germany Caesar Research Center, Bonn, Germany
| | - Eva-Maria Mandelkow
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany Max-Planck-Institute for Metabolism Research (Cologne), Hamburg Outstation, Hamburg, Germany Caesar Research Center, Bonn, Germany
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Khan SS, Bloom GS. Tau: The Center of a Signaling Nexus in Alzheimer's Disease. Front Neurosci 2016; 10:31. [PMID: 26903798 PMCID: PMC4746348 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2016.00031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 01/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein whose misfolding, hyper-phosphorylation, loss of normal function and toxic gain of function are linked to several neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). This review discusses the role of tau in amyloid-β (Aβ) induced toxicity in AD. The consequences of tau dysfunction, starting from the axon and concluding at somadendritic compartments, will be highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahzad S Khan
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - George S Bloom
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA, USA
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Cochran JN, Rush T, Buckingham SC, Roberson ED. The Alzheimer's disease risk factor CD2AP maintains blood-brain barrier integrity. Hum Mol Genet 2015; 24:6667-74. [PMID: 26358779 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddv371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2015] [Accepted: 09/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
CD2-associated protein (CD2AP) is a leading genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, but little is known about the function of CD2AP in the brain. We studied CD2AP(-/-) mice to address this question. Because CD2AP(-/-) mice normally die by 6 weeks from nephrotic syndrome, we used mice that also express a CD2AP transgene in the kidney, but not brain, to attenuate this phenotype. CD2AP-deficient mice had no behavioral abnormalities except for mild motor and anxiety deficits in a subset of CD2AP(-/-) mice exhibiting severe nephrotic syndrome, associated with systemic illness. Pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced seizures occurred with shorter latency in CD2AP(-/-) mice, but characteristics of these seizures on electroencephalography were not altered. As CD2AP is expressed in brain-adjacent endothelial cells, we hypothesized that the shorter latency to seizures without detectably different seizure characteristics may be due to increased penetration of PTZ related to compromised blood-brain barrier integrity. Using sodium fluorescein extravasation, we found that CD2AP(-/-) mice had reduced blood-brain barrier integrity. Neither seizure severity nor blood-brain barrier integrity was correlated with nephrotic syndrome, indicating that these effects are dissociable from the systemic illness associated with CD2AP deficiency. Confirming this dissociation, wild-type mice with induced nephrotic syndrome maintained an intact blood-brain barrier. Taken together, our results support a role of CD2AP in mediating blood-brain barrier integrity and suggest that cerebrovascular roles of CD2AP could contribute to its effects on Alzheimer's disease risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Nicholas Cochran
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Travis Rush
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Susan C Buckingham
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Erik D Roberson
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
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Morris M, Knudsen GM, Maeda S, Trinidad JC, Ioanoviciu A, Burlingame AL, Mucke L. Tau post-translational modifications in wild-type and human amyloid precursor protein transgenic mice. Nat Neurosci 2015; 18:1183-9. [PMID: 26192747 PMCID: PMC8049446 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 333] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2015] [Accepted: 06/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The microtubule-associated protein tau has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative disorders. Reducing tau levels ameliorates AD-related synaptic, network, and behavioral abnormalities in human amyloid precursor protein (hAPP) transgenic mice. We used mass spectrometry to characterize the post-translational modification of endogenous tau isolated from wildtype and hAPP mice. We identified seven types of tau modifications at 63 sites in wildtype mice. Wildtype and hAPP mice had similar modifications, supporting the hypothesis that neuronal dysfunction in hAPP mice is enabled by physiological forms of tau. Our findings provide clear evidence for acetylation and ubiquitination of the same lysine residues; some sites were also targeted by lysine methylation. Our findings refute the hypothesis of extensive O-GlcNAc modification of endogenous tau. The complex post-translational modification of physiological tau suggests that tau is regulated by diverse mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meaghan Morris
- 1] Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, California, USA. [2] Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, Department of Biological Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Giselle M Knudsen
- Mass Spectrometry Facility, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Sumihiro Maeda
- 1] Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, California, USA. [2] Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Jonathan C Trinidad
- Mass Spectrometry Facility, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Alexandra Ioanoviciu
- Mass Spectrometry Facility, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Alma L Burlingame
- Mass Spectrometry Facility, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Lennart Mucke
- 1] Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, California, USA. [2] Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
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Cheng JS, Craft R, Yu GQ, Ho K, Wang X, Mohan G, Mangnitsky S, Ponnusamy R, Mucke L. Tau reduction diminishes spatial learning and memory deficits after mild repetitive traumatic brain injury in mice. PLoS One 2014; 9:e115765. [PMID: 25551452 PMCID: PMC4281043 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0115765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2014] [Accepted: 12/01/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Because reduction of the microtubule-associated protein Tau has beneficial effects in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy, we wanted to determine whether this strategy can also improve the outcome of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). METHODS We adapted a mild frontal impact model of TBI for wildtype C57Bl/6J mice and characterized the behavioral deficits it causes in these animals. The Barnes maze, Y maze, contextual and cued fear conditioning, elevated plus maze, open field, balance beam, and forced swim test were used to assess different behavioral functions. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, 7 Tesla) and histological analysis of brain sections were used to look for neuropathological alterations. We also compared the functional effects of this TBI model and of controlled cortical impact in mice with two, one or no Tau alleles. RESULTS Repeated (2-hit), but not single (1-hit), mild frontal impact impaired spatial learning and memory in wildtype mice as determined by testing of mice in the Barnes maze one month after the injury. Locomotor activity, anxiety, depression and fear related behaviors did not differ between injured and sham-injured mice. MRI imaging did not reveal focal injury or mass lesions shortly after the injury. Complete ablation or partial reduction of tau prevented deficits in spatial learning and memory after repeated mild frontal impact. Complete tau ablation also showed a trend towards protection after a single controlled cortical impact. Complete or partial reduction of tau also reduced the level of axonopathy in the corpus callosum after repeated mild frontal impact. INTERPRETATION Tau promotes or enables the development of learning and memory deficits and of axonopathy after mild TBI, and tau reduction counteracts these adverse effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason S. Cheng
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Ryan Craft
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Gui-Qiu Yu
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Kaitlyn Ho
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Xin Wang
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Geetha Mohan
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Sergey Mangnitsky
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Ravikumar Ponnusamy
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Lennart Mucke
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, California, United States of America
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