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Huang M, Tallon C, Zhu X, Huizar KDJ, Picciolini S, Thomas AG, Tenora L, Liyanage W, Rodà F, Gualerzi A, Kannan RM, Bedoni M, Rais R, Slusher BS. Microglial-Targeted nSMase2 Inhibitor Fails to Reduce Tau Propagation in PS19 Mice. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:2364. [PMID: 37765332 PMCID: PMC10536502 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15092364] [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: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) correlates with the propagation of hyperphosphorylated tau (pTau) from the entorhinal cortex to the hippocampus and neocortex. Neutral sphingomyelinase2 (nSMase2) is critical in the biosynthesis of extracellular vesicles (EVs), which play a role in pTau propagation. We recently conjugated DPTIP, a potent nSMase2 inhibitor, to hydroxyl-PAMAM-dendrimer nanoparticles that can improve brain delivery. We showed that dendrimer-conjugated DPTIP (D-DPTIP) robustly inhibited the spread of pTau in an AAV-pTau propagation model. To further evaluate its efficacy, we tested D-DPTIP in the PS19 transgenic mouse model. Unexpectantly, D-DPTIP showed no beneficial effect. To understand this discrepancy, we assessed D-DPTIP's brain localization. Using immunofluorescence and fluorescence-activated cell-sorting, D-DPTIP was found to be primarily internalized by microglia, where it selectively inhibited microglial nSMase2 activity with no effect on other cell types. Furthermore, D-DPTIP inhibited microglia-derived EV release into plasma without affecting other brain-derived EVs. We hypothesize that microglial targeting allowed D-DPTIP to inhibit tau propagation in the AAV-hTau model, where microglial EVs play a central role in propagation. However, in PS19 mice, where tau propagation is independent of microglial EVs, it had a limited effect. Our findings confirm microglial targeting with hydroxyl-PAMAM dendrimers and highlight the importance of understanding cell-specific mechanisms when designing targeted AD therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meixiang Huang
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; (M.H.); (C.T.); (X.Z.); (K.D.J.H.); (A.G.T.); (L.T.); (R.R.)
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Carolyn Tallon
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; (M.H.); (C.T.); (X.Z.); (K.D.J.H.); (A.G.T.); (L.T.); (R.R.)
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Xiaolei Zhu
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; (M.H.); (C.T.); (X.Z.); (K.D.J.H.); (A.G.T.); (L.T.); (R.R.)
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Kaitlyn D. J. Huizar
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; (M.H.); (C.T.); (X.Z.); (K.D.J.H.); (A.G.T.); (L.T.); (R.R.)
| | - Silvia Picciolini
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS, Laboratory of Nanomedicine and Clinical Biophotonics (LABION), 20148 Milan, Italy; (S.P.); (F.R.); (A.G.); (M.B.)
| | - Ajit G. Thomas
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; (M.H.); (C.T.); (X.Z.); (K.D.J.H.); (A.G.T.); (L.T.); (R.R.)
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Lukas Tenora
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; (M.H.); (C.T.); (X.Z.); (K.D.J.H.); (A.G.T.); (L.T.); (R.R.)
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Wathsala Liyanage
- Center for Nanomedicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA; (W.L.); (R.M.K.)
| | - Francesca Rodà
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS, Laboratory of Nanomedicine and Clinical Biophotonics (LABION), 20148 Milan, Italy; (S.P.); (F.R.); (A.G.); (M.B.)
- Clinical and Experimental Medicine PhD Program, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 42100 Modena, Italy
| | - Alice Gualerzi
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS, Laboratory of Nanomedicine and Clinical Biophotonics (LABION), 20148 Milan, Italy; (S.P.); (F.R.); (A.G.); (M.B.)
| | - Rangaramanujam M. Kannan
- Center for Nanomedicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA; (W.L.); (R.M.K.)
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Marzia Bedoni
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS, Laboratory of Nanomedicine and Clinical Biophotonics (LABION), 20148 Milan, Italy; (S.P.); (F.R.); (A.G.); (M.B.)
| | - Rana Rais
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; (M.H.); (C.T.); (X.Z.); (K.D.J.H.); (A.G.T.); (L.T.); (R.R.)
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Barbara S. Slusher
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; (M.H.); (C.T.); (X.Z.); (K.D.J.H.); (A.G.T.); (L.T.); (R.R.)
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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Tetlow AM, Jackman BM, Alhadidy MM, Perumal V, Morgan DG, Gordon MN. Influence of Host Age on Intracranial AAV9 TauP301L Induced Tauopathy. J Alzheimers Dis 2023; 93:365-378. [PMID: 36970910 PMCID: PMC10540220 DOI: 10.3233/jad-221276] [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] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Advanced age is the greatest risk factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This implies that some aspect of the aged milieu is possibly accelerating the development of AD related pathologies. OBJECTIVE We hypothesized that intracranially injected with AAV9 tauP301L may cause a greater degree of pathology in old versus young mice. METHODS Animals were injected with viral vectors overexpressing the mutant tauP301L or control protein (green fluorescent protein, GFP) into the brains of mature, middle-aged, and old C57BL/6Nia mice. The tauopathy phenotype was monitored four months after injection using behavioral, histological, and neurochemical measures. RESULTS Phosphorylated-tau immunostaining (AT8) or Gallyas staining of aggregated tau increased with age, but other measures of tau accumulation were not significantly affected. Overall, AAV-tau injected mice had impaired radial arm water maze performance, increased microglial activation, and showed evidence of hippocampal atrophy. Aging impaired open field and rotarod performance in both AAV-tau and control mice. The efficiency of viral transduction and gene expression were the same at all animal ages. CONCLUSION We conclude that tauP301L over expression results in a tauopathy phenotype with memory impairment and accumulation of aggregated tau. However, the effects of aging on this phenotype are modest and not detected by some markers of tau accumulation, similar to prior work on this topic. Thus, although age does influence the development of tauopathy, it is likely that other factors, such as ability to compensate for tau pathology, are more responsible for the increased risk of AD with advanced age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber M. Tetlow
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
- School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Brianna M. Jackman
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Mohammed M. Alhadidy
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Varshini Perumal
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - David G. Morgan
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Marcia N. Gordon
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
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Delpech JC, Pathak D, Varghese M, Kalavai SV, Hays EC, Hof PR, Johnson WE, Ikezu S, Medalla M, Luebke JI, Ikezu T. Wolframin-1-expressing neurons in the entorhinal cortex propagate tau to CA1 neurons and impair hippocampal memory in mice. Sci Transl Med 2021; 13:eabe8455. [PMID: 34524859 PMCID: PMC8763211 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abe8455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Abnormally phosphorylated tau, an early neuropathologic marker of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), first occurs in the brain’s entorhinal cortex layer II (ECII) and then spreads to the CA1 field of the hippocampus. Animal models of tau propagation aiming to recapitulate this phenomenon mostly show tau transfer from ECII stellate neurons to the dentate gyrus, but tau pathology in the dentate gyrus does not appear until advanced stages of AD. Wolframin-1–expressing (Wfs1+) pyramidal neurons have been shown functionally to modulate hippocampal CA1 neurons in mice. Here, we report that Wfs1+ pyramidal neurons are conserved in the ECII of postmortem human brain tissue and that Wfs1 colocalized with abnormally phosphorylated tau in brains from individuals with early AD. Wfs1+ neuron–specific expression of human P301L mutant tau in mouse ECII resulted in transfer of tau to hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons, suggesting spread of tau pathology as observed in the early Braak stages of AD. In mice expressing human mutant tau specifically in the ECII brain region, electrophysiological recordings of CA1 pyramidal neurons showed reduced excitability. Multielectrode array recordings of optogenetically stimulated Wfs1+ ECII axons resulted in reduced CA1 neuronal firing. Chemogenetic activation of CA1 pyramidal neurons showed a reduction in c-fos+ cells in the CA1. Last, a fear conditioning task revealed deficits in trace and contextual memory in mice overexpressing human mutant tau in the ECII. This work demonstrates tau transfer from the ECII to CA1 in mouse brain and provides an early Braak stage preclinical model of AD. Wolframin-1–positive neurons in the entorhinal cortex of mouse brain propagate tau to the hippocampal CA1 region resulting in memory impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Christophe Delpech
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.,University of Bordeaux, INRAE, Bordeaux INP, NutriNeuro, UMR 1286, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Dhruba Pathak
- Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Merina Varghese
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, and Ronald C. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Srinidhi Venkatesan Kalavai
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Emma C Hays
- Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Patrick R Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, and Ronald C. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - W Evan Johnson
- Computational Biomedicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Seiko Ikezu
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maria Medalla
- Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.,Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jennifer I Luebke
- Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.,Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tsuneya Ikezu
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.,Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
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Sex-Related Motor Deficits in the Tau-P301L Mouse Model. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9091160. [PMID: 34572348 PMCID: PMC8471835 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9091160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The contribution of mouse models for basic and translational research at different levels is important to understand neurodegenerative diseases, including tauopathies, by studying the alterations in the corresponding mouse models in detail. Moreover, several studies demonstrated that pathological as well as behavioral changes are influenced by the sex. For this purpose, we performed an in-depth characterization of the behavioral alterations in the transgenic Tau-P301L mouse model. Sex-matched wild type and homozygous Tau-P301L mice were tested in a battery of behavioral tests at different ages. Tau-P301L male mice showed olfactory and motor deficits as well as increased Tau pathology, which was not observed in Tau-P301L female mice. Both Tau-P301L male and female mice had phenotypic alterations in the SHIRPA test battery and cognitive deficits in the novel object recognition test. This study demonstrated that Tau-P301L mice have phenotypic alterations, which are in line with the histological changes and with a sex-dependent performance in those tests. Summarized, the Tau-P301L mouse model shows phenotypic alterations due to the presence of neurofibrillary tangles in the brain.
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Bell BJ, Malvankar MM, Tallon C, Slusher BS. Sowing the Seeds of Discovery: Tau-Propagation Models of Alzheimer's Disease. ACS Chem Neurosci 2020; 11:3499-3509. [PMID: 33050700 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The propagation of pathological proteins throughout the brain is the primary physiological hallmark of the progression of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). A growing body of evidence indicates that hyperphosphorylated Tau proteins are spread transcellularly between neurons in a prionlike fashion, inducing misfolding and aggregation into neurofibrillary tangles which accumulate along specific connectivity pathways. Earlier transgenic rodent AD models did not capture this disease-relevant spread, and therefore, seeded Tau-propagation models have been developed. Here, mutant human Tau (as isolated protein or packaged into an adeno-associated virus (AAV) viral vector) is stereotaxically injected into select brain regions and its histopathological propagation to downstream neurons quantified. These models offer a faster and more direct mechanism to evaluate genetic components and therapeutic approaches which attenuate Tau spreading in vivo. Recently, these Tau-seeding models have revealed several new targets for AD drug discovery, including nSMase2, SIRT1, p300/CBP, LRP1, and TYROBP, as well as the potential therapeutics based on melatonin and chondroitinase ABC. Importantly, these Tau-propagation rodent models more closely phenocopy the progression of AD in humans and are therefore likely to improve preclinical studies and derisk future moves into clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J. Bell
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Medhinee M. Malvankar
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Carolyn Tallon
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Barbara S. Slusher
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
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Postganglionic sympathetic neurons, but not locus coeruleus optostimulation, activates neuromuscular transmission in the adult mouse in vivo. Mol Cell Neurosci 2020; 109:103563. [PMID: 33039519 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2020.103563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Revised: 09/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent work demonstrated that sympathetic neurons innervate the skeletal muscle near the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), and muscle sympathectomy and sympathomimetic agents strongly influence motoneuron synaptic vesicle release ex vivo. Moreover, reports attest that the pontine nucleus locus coeruleus (LC) projects to preganglionic sympathetic neurons and regulates human mobility and skeletal muscle physiology. Thus, we hypothesized that peripheral and central sympathetic neurons projecting directly or indirectly to the skeletal muscle regulate NMJ transmission. The aim of this study was to define the specific neuronal groups in the peripheral and central nervous systems that account for such regulation in adult mice in vivo by using optogenetics and NMJ transmission recordings in 3-5-month-old, male and female ChR2(H134R/EYFP)/TH-Cre mice. After detecting ChR2(H134R)/EYFP fluorescence in the paravertebral ganglia and LC neurons, we tested whether optostimulating the plantar nerve near the lumbricalis muscle or LC neurons effectively modulates motor nerve terminal synaptic vesicle release in living mice. Nerve optostimulation increased motor synaptic vesicle release in vitro and in vivo, while the presynaptic adrenoceptor blockers propranolol (β1/β2) and atenolol (β1) prevented this outcome. The effect is primarily presynaptic since miniature end-plate potential (MEPP) kinetics remained statistically unmodified after stimulation. In contrast, optostimulation of LC neurons did not regulate NMJ transmission. In summary, we conclude that postganglionic sympathetic neurons, but not LC neurons, increased NMJ transmission by acting on presynaptic β1-adrenergic receptors in vivo.
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