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Gamez N, Morales R. Role of peripheral amyloid-β aggregates in Alzheimer's disease: mechanistic, diagnostic, and therapeutic implications. Neural Regen Res 2025; 20:1087-1089. [PMID: 38989944 DOI: 10.4103/nrr.nrr-d-24-00066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nazaret Gamez
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA (Gamez N, Morales R)
| | - Rodrigo Morales
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA (Gamez N, Morales R)
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile (Morales R)
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Alshamrani M. Recent Trends in Active and Passive Immunotherapies of Alzheimer's Disease. Antibodies (Basel) 2023; 12:41. [PMID: 37366656 DOI: 10.3390/antib12020041] [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: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
In the elderly, a debilitating condition known as dementia, which is a major health concern, is caused by Alzheimer's disease (AD). Despite promising advances by researchers, there is currently no way to completely cure this devastating disease. It is illustrated by the deposition of amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) plaques that are followed by neural dysfunction and cognitive decline. Responses against AD activate an immune system that contributes to and accelerates AD pathogenesis. Potential efforts in the field of pathogenesis have prompted researchers to explore novel therapies such as active and passive vaccines against Aβ proteins (Aβ immunotherapy), intravenous immunoglobulin, and tau immunotherapy, as well as targets that include microglia and several cytokines for the treatment of AD. Aims are now underway by experts to begin immunotherapies before the clinical manifestation, which is made possible by improving the sensitivity of biomarkers used for the diagnosis of AD to have better outcome measures. This review provides an overview of approved immunotherapeutic strategies for AD and those currently being investigated in clinical trials. We examine their mechanisms of action and discuss the potential perspectives and challenges associated with immunotherapies for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meshal Alshamrani
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
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Murray HC, Saar G, Bai L, Bouraoud N, Dodd S, Highet B, Ryan B, Curtis MA, Koretsky A, Belluscio L. Progressive Spread of Beta-amyloid Pathology in an Olfactory-driven Amyloid Precursor Protein Mouse Model. Neuroscience 2023; 516:113-124. [PMID: 36716914 PMCID: PMC10065898 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.01.009] [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: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 12/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Years before Alzheimer's disease (AD) is diagnosed, patients experience an impaired sense of smell, and β-amyloid plaques accumulate within the olfactory mucosa and olfactory bulb (OB). The olfactory vector hypothesis proposes that external agents cause β-amyloid to aggregate and spread from the OB to connected downstream brain regions. To reproduce the slow accumulation of β-amyloid that occurs in human AD, we investigated the progressive accumulation of β-amyloid across the brain using a conditional mouse model that overexpresses a humanized mutant form of the amyloid precursor protein (hAPP) in olfactory sensory neurons. Using design-based stereology, we show the progressive accumulation of β-amyloid plaques within the OB and cortical olfactory regions with age. We also observe reduced OB volumes in these mice when hAPP expression begins prior-to but not post-weaning which we tracked using manganese-enhanced MRI. We therefore conclude that the reduced OB volume does not represent progressive degeneration but rather disrupted OB development. Overall, our data demonstrate that hAPP expression in the olfactory epithelium can lead to the accumulation and spread of β-amyloid through the olfactory system into the hippocampus, consistent with an olfactory system role in the early stages of β-amyloid-related AD progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen C Murray
- Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging and Centre for Brain Research, Faculty of Medical and Health Science, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand; Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | - Galit Saar
- Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | - Li Bai
- Circuits, Synapses and Molecular Signaling Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | - Nadia Bouraoud
- Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | - Stephen Dodd
- Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | - Blake Highet
- Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging and Centre for Brain Research, Faculty of Medical and Health Science, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand.
| | - Brigid Ryan
- Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging and Centre for Brain Research, Faculty of Medical and Health Science, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand.
| | - Maurice A Curtis
- Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging and Centre for Brain Research, Faculty of Medical and Health Science, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand.
| | - Alan Koretsky
- Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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4
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Jia J, Li T, Yang J, Chen B, Qin W, Wei C, Song Y, Wang Q, Li Y, Jia L. Detection of plasma Aβ seeding activity by a newly developed analyzer for diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimers Res Ther 2022; 14:21. [PMID: 35109911 PMCID: PMC8808989 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-022-00964-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of plasma β-amyloid (Aβ) seeding activity measured using a newly developed instrument to distinguish Alzheimer’s disease (AD) from other forms of dementia. Methods Seventy-nine AD patients, 64 non-AD dementia (NADD) patients, and 75 cognitively normal (NC) subjects were recruited in the study. To measure the levels of Aβ seeding activity in the plasma samples, we have developed an AD-seeds protein analyzer. We used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to quantify the ability of plasma Aβ seeding activity to distinguish between AD and NADD or NC individuals. Spearman’s correlation was used to examine the associations between plasma Aβ seeding activity and global cognitive function or conventional AD biomarkers. Results The Aβ seeding activities were 0.83 (0.58–1.16) A.U. in AD, 0.42 (0.04–0.74) A.U. in NADD and 0.42 (0.09–0.69) A.U. in NC, respectively. The Aβ seeding activity was able to identify AD patients and distinguish them from NC or NADD with high accuracy (AUC = 0.85–0.86). In addition, the plasma Aβ seeding activity showed a strong correlation with cognitive performance (mini-mental state examination, r = − 0.188; Montreal cognitive assessment, r = − 0.189; clinical dementia rating, r = 0.205) and conventional biomarkers (cerebrospinal fluid [CSF] Aβ42/40, r = -0.227; CSF T-tau/Aβ42, r = 0.239; CSF P-tau/Aβ42, r = 0.259). Conclusion Our results confirmed that plasma Aβ seeding activity is an antibody-free and low-cost biomarker for the diagnosis of AD. Trial registration Trial registration number NCT04850053
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Gamez N, Bravo-Alegria J, Huang Y, Perez-Urrutia N, Dongarwar D, Soto C, Morales R. Altering Brain Amyloidosis by Intra-Lingual and Extra-Nasal Exposure of Aβ Aggregates. Cells 2022; 11:3442. [PMID: 36359840 PMCID: PMC9654398 DOI: 10.3390/cells11213442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Extensive experimental and human-derived evidence suggest that misfolded Aβ particles spread similarly to infectious prions. Moreover, peripheral administration of Aβ seeds accelerates brain amyloidosis in both susceptible experimental animals and humans. The mechanisms and elements governing the transport of misfolded Aβ from the periphery to the brain are not fully understood, although circulation and retrograde axonal transport have been proposed. Here, we demonstrate that injection of Aβ seeds in the tongue, a highly innervated organ, substantially accelerates the appearance of plaques in Tg2576 mice. In addition, the extra-nasal exposure of Aβ aggregates increased amyloid pathology in the olfactory bulb. Our results show that exposing highly innervated tissues to Aβ seeds accelerates AD-like pathological features, and suggest that Aβ seeds can be transported from peripheral compartments to the brain by retrograde axonal transport. Research in this direction may be relevant on different fronts, including disease mechanisms, diagnosis, and risk-evaluation of potential iatrogenic transmission of Aβ misfolding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nazaret Gamez
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin St., Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Dpto. Biología Celular, Genética y Fisiología, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga-IBIMA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad of Malaga, 29010 Malaga, Spain
| | - Javiera Bravo-Alegria
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin St., Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Medicina, Av. San Carlos de Apoquindo 2200, Las Condes, Santiago 7620001, Chile
| | - Yumeng Huang
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin St., Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Nelson Perez-Urrutia
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin St., Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad San Sebastian, Lientur 1456, Concepcion 4080871, Chile
| | - Deepa Dongarwar
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin St., Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Claudio Soto
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin St., Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Rodrigo Morales
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin St., Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago 8370993, Chile
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Moreno-Gonzalez I, Edwards G, Morales R, Duran-Aniotz C, Escobedo G, Marquez M, Pumarola M, Soto C. Aged Cattle Brain Displays Alzheimer's Disease-Like Pathology and Promotes Brain Amyloidosis in a Transgenic Animal Model. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 13:815361. [PMID: 35173603 PMCID: PMC8841674 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.815361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the leading causes of dementia in late life. Although the cause of AD neurodegenerative changes is not fully understood, extensive evidence suggests that the misfolding, aggregation and cerebral accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau proteins are hallmark events. Recent reports have shown that protein misfolding and aggregation can be induced by administration of small quantities of preformed aggregates, following a similar principle by which prion diseases can be transmitted by infection. In the past few years, many of the typical properties that characterize prions as infectious agents were also shown in Aβ aggregates. Interestingly, prion diseases affect not only humans, but also various species of mammals, and it has been demonstrated that infectious prions present in animal tissues, particularly cattle affected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), can infect humans. It has been reported that protein deposits resembling Aβ amyloid plaques are present in the brain of several aged non-human mammals, including monkeys, bears, dogs, and cheetahs. In this study, we investigated the presence of Aβ aggregates in the brain of aged cattle, their similarities with the protein deposits observed in AD patients, and their capability to promote AD pathological features when intracerebrally inoculated into transgenic animal models of AD. Our data show that aged cattle can develop AD-like neuropathological abnormalities, including amyloid plaques, as studied histologically. Importantly, cow-derived aggregates accelerate Aβ amyloid deposition in the brain of AD transgenic animals. Surprisingly, the rate of induction produced by administration of the cattle material was substantially higher than induction produced by injection of similar amounts of human AD material. Our findings demonstrate that cows develop seeding-competent Aβ aggregates, similarly as observed in AD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ines Moreno-Gonzalez
- Department of Neurology, Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
- Departamento Biología Celular, Genética y Fisiología, Instituto de Investigacion Biomedica de Malaga-IBIMA, Universidad de Malaga, Malaga, Spain
- Center for Biomedical Research on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile
- *Correspondence: Ines Moreno-Gonzalez
| | - George Edwards
- Department of Neurology, Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Rodrigo Morales
- Department of Neurology, Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - Claudia Duran-Aniotz
- Department of Neurology, Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
- Latin American Institute for Brain Health (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibanez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Gabriel Escobedo
- Department of Neurology, Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Mercedes Marquez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Veterinary Faculty, Animal Tissue Bank of Catalunya (BTAC), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Valles), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marti Pumarola
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Veterinary Faculty, Animal Tissue Bank of Catalunya (BTAC), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Valles), Barcelona, Spain
- Networking Research Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Valles), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Claudio Soto
- Department of Neurology, Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
- Claudio Soto
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Mesenchymal stem cells after the proprocessing of tanshinone IIA attenuate cognitive deficits and oxidative stress injury in an amyloid β-peptide (25-35)-induced rodent model of Alzheimer's disease. Neuroreport 2021; 33:61-71. [PMID: 34954772 DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000001755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To verify whether mesenchymal stem cells cocultured with tanshinone IIA may ameliorate Alzheimer's disease by inhibiting oxidative stress. METHODS Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups named Sham, Aβ25-35, mesenchymal stem cells, and mesenchymal stem cells (tanshinone IIA). The rats were treated according to different groups. The neurobehavioral performance of Sprague-Dawley rats was evaluated via Morris water maze test. Histological changes were checked via hematoxylin-eosin staining. The levels of total antioxidant activity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) and malondialdehyde in hippocampus were assayed by ELISA kit. The levels of Aβ, p-tau/tau, and p-AMP-activated protein kinase/AMP-activated protein kinase in hippocampus were checked by Western blot. RESULTS Our research showed that the injection of mesenchymal stem cells (tanshinone IIA) into the hippocampus alleviated learning and memory deficits and reduced hippocampal neuronal injury in the Alzheimer's disease rats. Moreover, mesenchymal stem cells (tanshinone IIA) treatment suppressed oxidative stress, attenuated Aβ accumulation reduced Tau hyperphosphorylation, and enhanced the activity of AMP-activated protein kinase in the hippocampus of the Alzheimer's disease rats. However, there were almost no significant difference between the mesenchymal stem cells and Aβ25-35 groups. CONCLUSIONS Mesenchymal stem cells (tanshinone IIA) transplantation may be a potential treatment for curing Alzheimer's disease, which may be related to the inhibition of oxidative stress.
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Vrancx C, Vadukul DM, Suelves N, Contino S, D'Auria L, Perrin F, van Pesch V, Hanseeuw B, Quinton L, Kienlen-Campard P. Mechanism of Cellular Formation and In Vivo Seeding Effects of Hexameric β-Amyloid Assemblies. Mol Neurobiol 2021; 58:6647-6669. [PMID: 34608607 PMCID: PMC8639606 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-021-02567-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) is found as amyloid fibrils in senile plaques, a typical hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, intermediate soluble oligomers of Aβ are now recognized as initiators of the pathogenic cascade leading to AD. Studies using recombinant Aβ have shown that hexameric Aβ in particular acts as a critical nucleus for Aβ self-assembly. We recently isolated hexameric Aβ assemblies from a cellular model, and demonstrated their ability to enhance Aβ aggregation in vitro. Here, we report the presence of similar hexameric-like Aβ assemblies across several cellular models, including neuronal-like cell lines. In order to better understand how they are produced in a cellular context, we investigated the role of presenilin-1 (PS1) and presenilin-2 (PS2) in their formation. PS1 and PS2 are the catalytic subunits of the γ-secretase complex that generates Aβ. Using CRISPR-Cas9 to knockdown each of the two presenilins in neuronal-like cell lines, we observed a direct link between the PS2-dependent processing pathway and the release of hexameric-like Aβ assemblies in extracellular vesicles. Further, we assessed the contribution of hexameric Aβ to the development of amyloid pathology. We report the early presence of hexameric-like Aβ assemblies in both transgenic mice brains exhibiting human Aβ pathology and in the cerebrospinal fluid of AD patients, suggesting hexameric Aβ as a potential early AD biomarker. Finally, cell-derived hexameric Aβ was found to seed other human Aβ forms, resulting in the aggravation of amyloid deposition in vivo and neuronal toxicity in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Céline Vrancx
- Alzheimer Research Group, Cellular and Molecular Division (CEMO), Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Devkee M Vadukul
- Alzheimer Research Group, Cellular and Molecular Division (CEMO), Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Nuria Suelves
- Alzheimer Research Group, Cellular and Molecular Division (CEMO), Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sabrina Contino
- Alzheimer Research Group, Cellular and Molecular Division (CEMO), Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ludovic D'Auria
- Neurochemistry Unit, Cellular and Molecular Division (CEMO), Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Florian Perrin
- Alzheimer Research Group, Cellular and Molecular Division (CEMO), Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Vincent van Pesch
- Neurochemistry Unit, Cellular and Molecular Division (CEMO), Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Bernard Hanseeuw
- Department of Neurology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Loïc Quinton
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry, Department of Chemistry, Université de Liège, 4000, Liège, Belgium
| | - Pascal Kienlen-Campard
- Alzheimer Research Group, Cellular and Molecular Division (CEMO), Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1200, Brussels, Belgium.
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Transmission of cerebral amyloid pathology by peripheral administration of misfolded Aβ aggregates. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:5690-5701. [PMID: 34002023 PMCID: PMC8595465 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01150-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2020] [Revised: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Previous reports showed that brain Aβ amyloidosis can be induced in animal models by exogenous administration of pre-formed aggregates. To date, only intra-peritoneal and intra-venous administrations are described as effective means to peripherally accelerate brain Aβ amyloidosis by seeding. Here, we show that cerebral accumulation of Aβ can be accelerated after exposing mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) to Aβ seeds by different peripheral routes of administration, including intra-peritoneal and intra-muscular. Interestingly, animals receiving drops of brain homogenate laden with Aβ seeds in the eyes were efficiently induced. On the contrary, oral administration of large quantities of brain extracts from aged transgenic mice and AD patients did not have any effect in brain pathology. Importantly, pathological induction by peripheral administration of Aβ seeds generated a large proportion of aggregates in blood vessels, suggesting vascular transport. This information highlights the role of peripheral tissues and body fluids in AD-related pathological changes.
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Parvand M, Rankin CH. Is There a Shared Etiology of Olfactory Impairments in Normal Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease? J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 73:1-21. [PMID: 31744002 DOI: 10.3233/jad-190636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
As we age, our olfactory function declines. In addition to occurring in normal aging, more rapid decrement of olfactory decline has been associated with several neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). It has been argued that since olfactory deficits occur less frequently or are absent in diseases such as progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, and multiple system atrophy, olfactory deficits can be used for differential diagnoses of AD and PD. The purpose of this review is to provide a survey of current knowledge about the molecular bases and differential patterns of olfactory deficits present in normal aging, AD, and PD. As substantial research has been conducted in this area, the majority of the content of this review focuses on articles published in the past decade. We hypothesize that olfactory deficits in normal aging, AD, and PD may have different underlying causes, and propose the use of model organisms with small, tractable nervous systems and/or easy to manipulate genomes to further investigate the cellular mechanisms responsible for these deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahraz Parvand
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Catharine H Rankin
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Duran-Aniotz C, Moreno-Gonzalez I, Gamez N, Perez-Urrutia N, Vegas-Gomez L, Soto C, Morales R. Amyloid pathology arrangements in Alzheimer's disease brains modulate in vivo seeding capability. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2021; 9:56. [PMID: 33785065 PMCID: PMC8008576 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-021-01155-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloid-β (Aβ) misfolding is one of the hallmark pathological features of Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD can manifest with diverse symptomatology including variable rates of cognitive decline, duration of clinical disease, and other detrimental changes. Several reports suggest that conformational diversity in misfolded Aβ is a leading factor for clinical variability in AD, analogous to what it has been described for prion strains in prion diseases. Notably, prion strains generate diverse patterns of misfolded protein deposition in the brains of affected individuals. Here, we tested the in vivo prion-like transmission features of four AD brains displaying particular patterns of amyloidosis. AD brains induced different phenotypes in recipient mice, as evaluated by their specific seeding activity, as well as the total amount of Aβ deposited surrounding vascular structures and the reactivity of amyloid pathology to thioflavin S. Our results support the notion that AD-subtypes are encoded in disease-associated Aβ. Further research exploring whether AD include a spectrum of different clinical conditions or syndromes may pave the way to personalized diagnosis and treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Duran-Aniotz
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin, St. Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibanez, Santiago, Chile
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibanez, Santiago, Chile
- Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Medicina, Av. San Carlos de Apoquindo, 2200, Las Condes, Santiago, Chile
| | - Ines Moreno-Gonzalez
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin, St. Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Malaga-IBIMA, 29010, Malaga, Spain
- Networking Research Center On Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia Y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - Nazaret Gamez
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin, St. Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Malaga-IBIMA, 29010, Malaga, Spain
| | - Nelson Perez-Urrutia
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin, St. Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Laura Vegas-Gomez
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Malaga-IBIMA, 29010, Malaga, Spain
| | - Claudio Soto
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin, St. Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Medicina, Av. San Carlos de Apoquindo, 2200, Las Condes, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodrigo Morales
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin, St. Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia Y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile.
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12
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Morales R, Duran-Aniotz C, Bravo-Alegria J, Estrada LD, Shahnawaz M, Hu PP, Kramm C, Morales-Scheihing D, Urayama A, Soto C. Infusion of blood from mice displaying cerebral amyloidosis accelerates amyloid pathology in animal models of Alzheimer's disease. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2020; 8:213. [PMID: 33287898 PMCID: PMC7720397 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-020-01087-1] [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: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies showed that injection of tissue extracts containing amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregates accelerate amyloid deposition in the brain of mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) through prion-like mechanisms. In this study, we evaluated whether brain amyloidosis could be accelerated by blood infusions, procedures that have been shown to transmit prion diseases in animals and humans. Young transgenic mice infused with whole blood or plasma from old animals with extensive Aβ deposition in their brains developed significantly higher levels brain amyloidosis and neuroinflammation compared to untreated animals or mice infused with wild type blood. Similarly, intra-venous injection of purified Aβ aggregates accelerated amyloid pathology, supporting the concept that Aβ seeds present in blood can reach the brain to promote neuropathological alterations in the brain of treated animals. However, an amyloid-enhancing effect of other factors present in the blood of donors cannot be discarded. Our results may help to understand the role of peripheral (amyloid-dependent or -independent) factors implicated in the development of AD and uncover new strategies for disease intervention.
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13
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Parobkova E, van der Zee J, Dillen L, Van Broeckhoven C, Rusina R, Matej R. Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and Other Proteinopathies in Comorbidity. Front Neurol 2020; 11:596108. [PMID: 33329348 PMCID: PMC7735378 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.596108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (sCJD) is the most common type of a group of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (prion diseases). The etiology of the sporadic form of CJD is still unclear. sCJD can occur in combination with other neurodegenerative diseases, which further complicates the diagnosis. Alzheimer's disease (AD), e.g., is often seen in conjunction with sCJD. Method: In this study, we performed a systematic analysis of 15 genes related to the most important neurodegenerative diseases - AD, frontotemporal dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, prion disease, and Parkinson's disease - in a cohort of sCJD and sCJD in comorbidity with AD and primary age-related proteinopathy (PART). A total of 30 neuropathologically verified cases of sCJD with and without additional proteinopathies were included in the study. In addition, we compared microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) haplotypes between sCJD patients and patients with sCJD and PART or sCJD and AD. Then we studied the interaction between the Apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) and PRNP in sCJD patients. Results: We did not find any causal mutations in the neurodegenerative disease genes. We did detect a p.E318G missense variant of uncertain significance (VUS) in PSEN1 in three patients. In PRNP, we also found a previously described non-pathogenic insertion (p.P84_Q91Q). Conclusion: Our pilot study failed to find any critical differences between pure sCJD and sCJD in conjunction with other comorbid neurodegenerative diseases. Further investigations are needed to better understand this phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Parobkova
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czechia.,National Reference Laboratory for Human Prion Diseases, Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czechia
| | - Julie van der Zee
- Neurodegenerative Brain Diseases Group, VIB Center for Molecular Neurology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB), Antwerp, Belgium.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Lubina Dillen
- Neurodegenerative Brain Diseases Group, VIB Center for Molecular Neurology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB), Antwerp, Belgium.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Christine Van Broeckhoven
- Neurodegenerative Brain Diseases Group, VIB Center for Molecular Neurology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB), Antwerp, Belgium.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Robert Rusina
- National Reference Laboratory for Human Prion Diseases, Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czechia.,Department of Neurology, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czechia
| | - Radoslav Matej
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czechia.,National Reference Laboratory for Human Prion Diseases, Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czechia.,Department of Pathology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital, Prague, Czechia.,Department of Pathology, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Kralovske Vinohrady University Hospital, Prague, Czechia
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14
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Bistaffa E, Tagliavini F, Matteini P, Moda F. Contributions of Molecular and Optical Techniques to the Clinical Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease. Brain Sci 2020; 10:E815. [PMID: 33153223 PMCID: PMC7692713 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10110815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder worldwide. The distinctive neuropathological feature of AD is the intracerebral accumulation of two abnormally folded proteins: β-amyloid (Aβ) in the form of extracellular plaques, and tau in the form of intracellular neurofibrillary tangles. These proteins are considered disease-specific biomarkers, and the definite diagnosis of AD relies on their post-mortem identification in the brain. The clinical diagnosis of AD is challenging, especially in the early stages. The disease is highly heterogeneous in terms of clinical presentation and neuropathological features. This phenotypic variability seems to be partially due to the presence of distinct Aβ conformers, referred to as strains. With the development of an innovative technique named Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC), traces of Aβ strains were found in the cerebrospinal fluid of AD patients. Emerging evidence suggests that different conformers may transmit their strain signature to the RT-QuIC reaction products. In this review, we describe the current challenges for the clinical diagnosis of AD and describe how the RT-QuIC products could be analyzed by a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)-based systems to reveal the presence of strain signatures, eventually leading to early diagnosis of AD with the recognition of individual disease phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edoardo Bistaffa
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Division of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, 20133 Milan, Italy;
| | - Fabrizio Tagliavini
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Scientific Directorate, 20133 Milan, Italy;
| | - Paolo Matteini
- IFAC-CNR, Institute of Applied Physics “Nello Carrara”, National Research Council, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Fabio Moda
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Division of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, 20133 Milan, Italy;
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15
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Gomez-Gutierrez R, Morales R. The prion-like phenomenon in Alzheimer's disease: Evidence of pathology transmission in humans. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1009004. [PMID: 33119726 PMCID: PMC7595341 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ruben Gomez-Gutierrez
- Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Cell Biology, Genetics and Physiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Malaga, Malaga, Spain
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Rodrigo Morales
- Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Centro Integrativo de Biología y Química Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago, Chile
- * E-mail:
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16
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Edwards G, Zhao J, Dash PK, Soto C, Moreno-Gonzalez I. Traumatic Brain Injury Induces Tau Aggregation and Spreading. J Neurotrauma 2019; 37:80-92. [PMID: 31317824 PMCID: PMC6921297 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2018.6348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The misfolding and aggregation of tau protein into neurofibrillary tangles is the main underlying hallmark of tauopathies. Most tauopathies have a sporadic origin and can be associated with multiple risk factors. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been suggested as a risk factor for tauopathies by triggering disease onset and facilitating its progression. Several studies indicate that TBI seems to be a risk factor to development of Alzheimer disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, because there is a relationship of TBI severity and propensity to development of these illnesses. In this study, we evaluated whether moderate to severe TBI can trigger the initial formation of pathological tau that would induce the development of the pathology throughout the brain. To this end, we subjected tau transgenic mice to TBI and assessed tau phosphorylation and aggregation pattern to create a spatial heat map of tau deposition and spreading in the brain. Our results suggest that brain injured tau transgenic mice have an accelerated tau pathology in different brain regions that increases over time compared with sham mice. The appearance of pathological tau occurs in regions distant to the injury area that are connected synaptically, suggesting dissemination of tau aggregates. Overall, this work posits TBI as a risk factor for tauopathies through the induction of tau hyperphosphorylation and aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Edwards
- Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Jing Zhao
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Pramod K Dash
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Claudio Soto
- Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Ines Moreno-Gonzalez
- Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas.,Department of Cell Biology, Networking Research Center on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Facultad Ciencias, Universidad de Malaga, Malaga, Spain
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17
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Agrawal N, Skelton AA. Structure and Function of Alzheimer’s Amyloid βeta Proteins from Monomer to Fibrils: A Mini Review. Protein J 2019; 38:425-434. [DOI: 10.1007/s10930-019-09854-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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18
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Marinko J, Huang H, Penn WD, Capra JA, Schlebach JP, Sanders CR. Folding and Misfolding of Human Membrane Proteins in Health and Disease: From Single Molecules to Cellular Proteostasis. Chem Rev 2019; 119:5537-5606. [PMID: 30608666 PMCID: PMC6506414 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 153] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Advances over the past 25 years have revealed much about how the structural properties of membranes and associated proteins are linked to the thermodynamics and kinetics of membrane protein (MP) folding. At the same time biochemical progress has outlined how cellular proteostasis networks mediate MP folding and manage misfolding in the cell. When combined with results from genomic sequencing, these studies have established paradigms for how MP folding and misfolding are linked to the molecular etiologies of a variety of diseases. This emerging framework has paved the way for the development of a new class of small molecule "pharmacological chaperones" that bind to and stabilize misfolded MP variants, some of which are now in clinical use. In this review, we comprehensively outline current perspectives on the folding and misfolding of integral MPs as well as the mechanisms of cellular MP quality control. Based on these perspectives, we highlight new opportunities for innovations that bridge our molecular understanding of the energetics of MP folding with the nuanced complexity of biological systems. Given the many linkages between MP misfolding and human disease, we also examine some of the exciting opportunities to leverage these advances to address emerging challenges in the development of therapeutics and precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin
T. Marinko
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
| | - Hui Huang
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
| | - Wesley D. Penn
- Department
of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, United States
| | - John A. Capra
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
- Department
of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37245, United States
| | - Jonathan P. Schlebach
- Department
of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, United States
| | - Charles R. Sanders
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
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19
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Rossi M, Kai H, Baiardi S, Bartoletti-Stella A, Carlà B, Zenesini C, Capellari S, Kitamoto T, Parchi P. The characterization of AD/PART co-pathology in CJD suggests independent pathogenic mechanisms and no cross-seeding between misfolded Aβ and prion proteins. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2019; 7:53. [PMID: 30961668 PMCID: PMC6454607 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-019-0706-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Current evidence indicating a role of the human prion protein (PrP) in amyloid-beta (Aβ) formation or a synergistic effect between Aβ and prion pathology remains controversial. Conflicting results also concern the frequency of the association between the two protein misfolding disorders and the issue of whether the apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) and the prion protein gene (PRNP), the major modifiers of Aβ- and PrP-related pathologies, also have a pathogenic role in other proteinopathies, including tau neurofibrillary degeneration. Here, we thoroughly characterized the Alzheimer's disease/primary age-related tauopathy (AD/PART) spectrum in a series of 450 cases with definite sporadic or genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Moreover, we analyzed: (i) the effect of variables known to affect CJD pathogenesis and the co-occurring Aβ- and tau-related pathologies; (II) the influence of APOE genotype on CJD pathology, and (III) the effect of AD/PART co-pathology on the clinical CJD phenotype. AD/PART characterized 74% of CJD brains, with 53.3% and 8.2% showing low or intermediate-high levels of AD pathology, and 12.4 and 11.8% definite or possible PART. There was no significant correlation between variables affecting CJD (i.e., disease subtype, prion strain, PRNP genotype) and those defining the AD/PART spectrum (i.e., ABC score, Thal phase, prevalence of CAA and Braak stage), and no difference in the distribution of APOE ε4 and ε2 genotypes among CJD subtypes. Moreover, AD/PART co-pathology did not significantly affect the clinical presentation of typical CJD, except for a tendency to increase the frequency of cognitive symptoms. Altogether, the present results seem to exclude an increased prevalence AD/PART co-pathology in sporadic and genetic CJD, and indicate that largely independent pathogenic mechanisms drive AD/PART and CJD pathology even when they coexist in the same brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcello Rossi
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Ospedale Bellaria, Via Altura 1/8, 40139 Bologna, Italy
| | - Hideaki Kai
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Ospedale Bellaria, Via Altura 1/8, 40139 Bologna, Italy
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Simone Baiardi
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Anna Bartoletti-Stella
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Ospedale Bellaria, Via Altura 1/8, 40139 Bologna, Italy
| | - Benedetta Carlà
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Ospedale Bellaria, Via Altura 1/8, 40139 Bologna, Italy
| | - Corrado Zenesini
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Ospedale Bellaria, Via Altura 1/8, 40139 Bologna, Italy
| | - Sabina Capellari
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Ospedale Bellaria, Via Altura 1/8, 40139 Bologna, Italy
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Tetsuyuki Kitamoto
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Piero Parchi
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Ospedale Bellaria, Via Altura 1/8, 40139 Bologna, Italy
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20
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Taguchi Y, Otaki H, Nishida N. Mechanisms of Strain Diversity of Disease-Associated in-Register Parallel β-Sheet Amyloids and Implications About Prion Strains. Viruses 2019; 11:E110. [PMID: 30696005 PMCID: PMC6410106 DOI: 10.3390/v11020110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2018] [Revised: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanism of prion strain diversity remains unsolved. Investigation of inheritance and diversification of protein-based pathogenic information demands the identification of the detailed structures of abnormal isoforms of the prion protein (PrPSc); however, achieving purification is difficult without affecting infectivity. Similar prion-like properties are recognized also in other disease-associated in-register parallel β-sheet amyloids including Tau and α-synuclein (αSyn) amyloids. Investigations into structures of those amyloids via solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and cryo-electron microscopy recently made remarkable advances due to their relatively small sizes and lack of post-translational modifications. Herein, we review advances regarding pathogenic amyloids, particularly Tau and αSyn, and discuss implications about strain diversity mechanisms of prion/PrPSc from the perspective that PrPSc is an in-register parallel β-sheet amyloid. Additionally, we present our recent data of molecular dynamics simulations of αSyn amyloid, which suggest significance of compatibility between β-sheet propensities of the substrate and local structures of the template for stability of amyloid structures. Detailed structures of αSyn and Tau amyloids are excellent models of pathogenic amyloids, including PrPSc, to elucidate strain diversity and pathogenic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuzuru Taguchi
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan.
| | - Hiroki Otaki
- Center for Bioinformatics and Molecular Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan.
| | - Noriyuki Nishida
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan.
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21
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Kell DB, Pretorius E. No effects without causes: the Iron Dysregulation and Dormant Microbes hypothesis for chronic, inflammatory diseases. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 93:1518-1557. [PMID: 29575574 PMCID: PMC6055827 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2017] [Revised: 02/12/2018] [Accepted: 02/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Since the successful conquest of many acute, communicable (infectious) diseases through the use of vaccines and antibiotics, the currently most prevalent diseases are chronic and progressive in nature, and are all accompanied by inflammation. These diseases include neurodegenerative (e.g. Alzheimer's, Parkinson's), vascular (e.g. atherosclerosis, pre-eclampsia, type 2 diabetes) and autoimmune (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis) diseases that may appear to have little in common. In fact they all share significant features, in particular chronic inflammation and its attendant inflammatory cytokines. Such effects do not happen without underlying and initially 'external' causes, and it is of interest to seek these causes. Taking a systems approach, we argue that these causes include (i) stress-induced iron dysregulation, and (ii) its ability to awaken dormant, non-replicating microbes with which the host has become infected. Other external causes may be dietary. Such microbes are capable of shedding small, but functionally significant amounts of highly inflammagenic molecules such as lipopolysaccharide and lipoteichoic acid. Sequelae include significant coagulopathies, not least the recently discovered amyloidogenic clotting of blood, leading to cell death and the release of further inflammagens. The extensive evidence discussed here implies, as was found with ulcers, that almost all chronic, infectious diseases do in fact harbour a microbial component. What differs is simply the microbes and the anatomical location from and at which they exert damage. This analysis offers novel avenues for diagnosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas B. Kell
- School of ChemistryThe University of Manchester, 131 Princess StreetManchesterLancsM1 7DNU.K.
- The Manchester Institute of BiotechnologyThe University of Manchester, 131 Princess StreetManchesterLancsM1 7DNU.K.
- Department of Physiological SciencesStellenbosch University, Stellenbosch Private Bag X1Matieland7602South Africa
| | - Etheresia Pretorius
- Department of Physiological SciencesStellenbosch University, Stellenbosch Private Bag X1Matieland7602South Africa
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22
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Schultz MK, Gentzel R, Usenovic M, Gretzula C, Ware C, Parmentier-Batteur S, Schachter JB, Zariwala HA. Pharmacogenetic neuronal stimulation increases human tau pathology and trans-synaptic spread of tau to distal brain regions in mice. Neurobiol Dis 2018; 118:161-176. [PMID: 30049665 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2018.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2017] [Revised: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In Alzheimer's Disease (AD), tau pathology has a spatiotemporally distinct pattern of progressive spread along anatomically connected neural pathways. Extracellular tau in the brain interstitial space increases in response to neuronal activity suggesting that neural activity may also drive pathogenic tau spread. Here we tested the hypothesis that neuronal activity drives human Tau (hTau) release and trans-synaptic spread to neuroanatomically connected regions. We used AAV to overexpress wild type full-length hTau and an excitatory DREADD (Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by a Designer Drug) in mouse primary hippocampal cultures and determined that excitatory stimulation with the DREADD ligand clozapine N-oxide (CNO) promoted extracellular hTau release. We translated this approach to an in vivo model and used AAV to express hTau and the excitatory DREADD in the ventral hippocampus of wild type mice, P301L hTau-expressing mice, or tau knockout mice. Six to eight weeks following AAV injection, we determined that CNO treatment in DREADD-expressing mice resulted in increased hTau pathology and hTau spread to distal brain regions compared to unstimulated controls (CNO in non-DREADD mice, or vehicle in DREADD mice). The results highlight a potentially disease relevant exacerbation of tau pathology in response to elevated neuronal activity. This model underscores the propensity of non-mutant hTau to undergo neuronal spreading, as seen in AD. The model can translate to other preclinical species and can be used to evaluate modes of tau transmission and test the efficacy of therapeutic approaches that target tau or hyperexcitability.
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Affiliation(s)
- M K Schultz
- Pharmacology, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA, USA
| | - R Gentzel
- Neuroscience, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA, USA
| | - M Usenovic
- Neuroscience, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA, USA
| | - C Gretzula
- Neuroscience, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA, USA
| | - C Ware
- Neuroscience, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - J B Schachter
- Neuroscience, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA, USA
| | - H A Zariwala
- Pharmacology, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA, USA.
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23
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Garai K, Posey AE, Li X, Buxbaum JN, Pappu RV. Inhibition of amyloid beta fibril formation by monomeric human transthyretin. Protein Sci 2018; 27:1252-1261. [PMID: 29498118 PMCID: PMC6032350 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Revised: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Transthyretin (TTR) is a homotetrameric protein that is found in the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid. Dissociation of TTR tetramers sets off a downhill cascade of amyloid formation through polymerization of monomeric TTR. Interestingly, TTR has an additional, biologically relevant activity, which pertains to its ability to slow the progression of amyloid beta (Aβ) associated pathology in transgenic mice. In vitro, both TTR and a kinetically stable variant of monomeric TTR (M-TTR) inhibit the fibril formation of Aβ1-40/42 molecules. Published evidence suggests that tetrameric TTR binds preferentially to Aβ monomers, thus destabilizing fibril formation by depleting the pool of Aβ monomers from aggregating mixtures. Here, we investigate the effects of M-TTR on the in vitro aggregation of Aβ1-42 . Our data confirm previous observations that fibril formation of Aβ is suppressed in the presence of sub-stoichiometric amounts of M-TTR. Despite this, we find that sub-stoichiometric levels of M-TTR are not bona fide inhibitors of aggregation. Instead, they co-aggregate with Aβ to promote the formation of large, micron-scale insoluble, non-fibrillar amorphous deposits. Based on fluorescence correlation spectroscopy measurements, we find that M-TTR does not interact with monomeric Aβ. Two-color coincidence analysis of the fluorescence bursts of Aβ and M-TTR labeled with different fluorophores shows that M-TTR co-assembles with soluble Aβ aggregates and this appears to drive the co-aggregation into amorphous precipitates. Our results suggest that mimicking the co-aggregation activity with protein-based therapeutics might be a worthwhile strategy for rerouting amyloid beta peptides into inert, insoluble, and amorphous deposits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanchan Garai
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Center for Biological Systems EngineeringWashington University in St. Louis, One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1097St. LouisMissouri63130
- TIFR Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences, 36/P Gopanpally Village, SerilingampallyHyderabad500019India
| | - Ammon E. Posey
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Center for Biological Systems EngineeringWashington University in St. Louis, One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1097St. LouisMissouri63130
| | - Xinyi Li
- Department of Molecular and Experimental MedicineThe Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torey Pines RoadLa JollaCalifornia92037
| | - Joel N. Buxbaum
- Department of Molecular and Experimental MedicineThe Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torey Pines RoadLa JollaCalifornia92037
| | - Rohit V. Pappu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Center for Biological Systems EngineeringWashington University in St. Louis, One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1097St. LouisMissouri63130
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24
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Abstract
AbstractPrions are proteins that can self-propagate, leading to the misfolding of proteins. In addition to the previously demonstrated pathogenic roles of prions during the development of different mammalian diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, they have recently been shown to represent an important functional component in many prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms and bacteriophages, confirming the previously unexplored important regulatory and functional roles. However, an in-depth analysis of these domains in eukaryotic viruses has not been performed. Here, we examined the presence of prion-like proteins in eukaryotic viruses that play a primary role in different ecosystems and that are associated with emerging diseases in humans. We identified relevant functional associations in different viral processes and regularities in their presence at different taxonomic levels. Using the prion-like amino-acid composition computational algorithm, we detected 2679 unique putative prion-like domains within 2,742,160 publicly available viral protein sequences. Our findings indicate that viral prion-like proteins can be found in different viruses of insects, plants, mammals, and humans. The analysis performed here demonstrated common patterns in the distribution of prion-like domains across viral orders and families, and revealed probable functional associations with different steps of viral replication and interaction with host cells. These data allow the identification of the viral prion-like proteins as potential novel regulators of viral infections.
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25
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Abstract
Prions are proteins that can self-propagate, leading to the misfolding of proteins. In addition to the previously demonstrated pathogenic roles of prions during the development of different mammalian diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, they have recently been shown to represent an important functional component in many prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms and bacteriophages, confirming the previously unexplored important regulatory and functional roles. However, an in-depth analysis of these domains in eukaryotic viruses has not been performed. Here, we examined the presence of prion-like proteins in eukaryotic viruses that play a primary role in different ecosystems and that are associated with emerging diseases in humans. We identified relevant functional associations in different viral processes and regularities in their presence at different taxonomic levels. Using the prion-like amino-acid composition computational algorithm, we detected 2679 unique putative prion-like domains within 2,742,160 publicly available viral protein sequences. Our findings indicate that viral prion-like proteins can be found in different viruses of insects, plants, mammals, and humans. The analysis performed here demonstrated common patterns in the distribution of prion-like domains across viral orders and families, and revealed probable functional associations with different steps of viral replication and interaction with host cells. These data allow the identification of the viral prion-like proteins as potential novel regulators of viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Tetz
- Human Microbiology Institute, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
| | - Victor Tetz
- Human Microbiology Institute, New York, NY, 10027, USA
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26
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Amyloid-β oligomers synaptotoxicity: The emerging role of EphA4/c-Abl signaling in Alzheimer's disease. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2018; 1864:1148-1159. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2018.01.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Revised: 01/12/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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27
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Yoo BK, Xiao Y, McElheny D, Ishii Y. E22G Pathogenic Mutation of β-Amyloid (Aβ) Enhances Misfolding of Aβ40 by Unexpected Prion-like Cross Talk between Aβ42 and Aβ40. J Am Chem Soc 2018; 140:2781-2784. [PMID: 29425039 PMCID: PMC6408951 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b13660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Cross-seeding of misfolded amyloid proteins is postulated to induce cross-species infection of prion diseases. In sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD), misfolding of 42-residue β-amyloid (Aβ) is widely considered to trigger amyloid plaque deposition. Despite increasing evidence that misfolded Aβ mimics prions, interactions of misfolded 42-residue Aβ42 with more abundant 40-residue Aβ40 in AD are elusive. This study presents in vitro evidence that a heterozygous E22G pathogenic ("Arctic") mutation of Aβ40 can enhance misfolding of Aβ via cross-seeding from wild-type (WT) Aβ42 fibril. Thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence analysis suggested that misfolding of E22G Aβ40 was enhanced by adding 5% (w/w) WT Aβ42 fibril as "seed", whereas WT Aβ40 was unaffected by Aβ42 fibril seed. 13C SSNMR analysis revealed that such cross-seeding prompted formation of E22G Aβ40 fibril that structurally mimics the seed Aβ42 fibril, suggesting unexpected cross talk of Aβ isoforms that potentially promotes early onset of AD. The SSNMR approach is likely applicable to elucidate structural details of heterogeneous amyloid fibrils produced in cross-seeding for amyloids linked to neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian K Yoo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
| | - Yiling Xiao
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
| | - Dan McElheny
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
| | - Yoshitaka Ishii
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology , 4259 Nagatsuta, Yokohama 226-8503, Japan
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28
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Banks WA, Kovac A, Majerova P, Bullock KM, Shi M, Zhang J. Tau Proteins Cross the Blood-Brain Barrier. J Alzheimers Dis 2018; 55:411-419. [PMID: 27662303 DOI: 10.3233/jad-160542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Tauopathies are a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and traumatic brain injuries. It has been demonstrated that amyloid-beta peptides, alpha-synuclein, and prion proteins cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), contributing to their abilities to induce disease. Very little is known about whether tau proteins can cross the BBB. Here we systematically characterized several key forms of tau proteins to cross the BBB, including Tau-441 (2N4R), Tau-410 (2N3R), truncated tau 151-391 (0N4R), and truncated tau 121-227. All of these tau proteins crossed the BBB readily and bidirectonally; however, only Tau-410 had a saturable component to its influx. The tau proteins also entered the blood after their injection into the brain, with Tau 121-227 having the slowest exit from brain. The tau proteins varied in regards to their enzymatic stability in brain and blood and in their peripheral pharmacokinetics. These results show that blood-borne tau proteins could contribute to brain tauopathies. The result also suggest that the CNS can contribute to blood levels of tau, raising the possibility that, as suggested for other misfolded proteins, blood levels of tau proteins could be used as a biomarker of CNS disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- William A Banks
- Research and Development, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, USA.,Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Andrej Kovac
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Kosice, Slovak Republic
| | - Petra Majerova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,AXON Neuroscience SE, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Kristin M Bullock
- Research and Development, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Min Shi
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jing Zhang
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Pathology, Peking University Health Science Center and Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
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29
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Olsson TT, Klementieva O, Gouras GK. Prion-like seeding and nucleation of intracellular amyloid-β. Neurobiol Dis 2018; 113:1-10. [PMID: 29414379 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2018.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2017] [Revised: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 01/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain tissue can act as a seed to accelerate aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) into plaques in AD transgenic mice. Aβ seeds have been hypothesized to accelerate plaque formation in a prion-like manner of templated seeding and intercellular propagation. However, the structure(s) and location(s) of the Aβ seeds remain unknown. Moreover, in contrast to tau and α-synuclein, an in vitro system with prion-like Aβ has not been reported. Here we treat human APP expressing N2a cells with AD transgenic mouse brain extracts to induce inclusions of Aβ in a subset of cells. We isolate cells with induced Aβ inclusions and using immunocytochemistry, western blot and infrared spectroscopy show that these cells produce oligomeric Aβ over multiple replicative generations. Further, we demonstrate that cell lysates of clones with induced oligomeric Aβ can induce aggregation in previously untreated N2a APP cells. These data strengthen the case that Aβ acts as a prion-like protein, demonstrate that Aβ seeds can be intracellular oligomers and for the first time provide a cellular model of nucleated seeding of Aβ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas T Olsson
- Experimental Dementia Research Unit, Dept. of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Oxana Klementieva
- Experimental Dementia Research Unit, Dept. of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Gunnar K Gouras
- Experimental Dementia Research Unit, Dept. of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
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30
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Leighton PLA, Allison WT. Protein Misfolding in Prion and Prion-Like Diseases: Reconsidering a Required Role for Protein Loss-of-Function. J Alzheimers Dis 2018; 54:3-29. [PMID: 27392869 DOI: 10.3233/jad-160361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Prion disease research has contributed much toward understanding other neurodegenerative diseases, including recent demonstrations that Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases are prion-like. Prion-like diseases involve the spread of degeneration between individuals and/or among cells or tissues via template directed misfolding, wherein misfolded protein conformers propagate disease by causing normal proteins to misfold. Here we use the premise that AD, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's disease, and other similar diseases are prion-like and ask: Can we apply knowledge gained from studies of these prion-like diseases to resolve debates about classical prion diseases? We focus on controversies about what role(s) protein loss-of-function might have in prion diseases because this has therapeutic implications, including for AD. We examine which loss-of-function events are recognizable in prion-like diseases by considering the normal functions of the proteins before their misfolding and aggregation. We then delineate scenarios wherein gain-of-function and/or loss-of-function would be necessary or sufficient for neurodegeneration. We consider roles of PrPC loss-of-function in prion diseases and in AD, and conclude that the conventional wisdom that prion diseases are 'toxic gain-of-function diseases' has limitations. While prion diseases certainly have required gain-of-function components, we propose that disease phenotypes are predominantly caused by deficits in the normal physiology of PrPC and its interaction partners as PrPC converts to PrPSc. In this model, gain-of-function serves mainly to spread disease, and loss-of-function directly mediates neuron dysfunction. We propose experiments and predictions to assess our conclusion. Further study on the normal physiological roles of these key proteins is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia L A Leighton
- Centre for Prions & Protein Folding Disease, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - W Ted Allison
- Centre for Prions & Protein Folding Disease, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Department of Medical Genetics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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31
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Abstract
Senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are the principal histopathologic hallmarks of Alzheimer disease. The essential constituents of these lesions are structurally abnormal variants of normally generated proteins: Aβ protein in plaques and tau protein in tangles. At the molecular level, both proteins in a pathogenic state share key properties with classic prions, i.e., they consist of alternatively folded, β-sheet-rich forms of the proteins that autopropagate by the seeded corruption and self-assembly of like proteins. Other similarities with prions include the ability to manifest as polymorphic and polyfunctional strains, resistance to chemical and enzymatic destruction, and the ability to spread within the brain and from the periphery to the brain. In Alzheimer disease, current evidence indicates that the pathogenic cascade follows from the endogenous, sequential corruption of Aβ and then tau. Therapeutic options include reducing the production or multimerization of the proteins, uncoupling the Aβ-tauopathy connection, or promoting the inactivation or removal of anomalous assemblies from the brain. Although aberrant Aβ appears to be the prime mover of Alzheimer disease pathogenesis, once set in motion by Aβ, the prion-like propagation of tauopathy may proceed independently of Aβ; if so, Aβ might be solely targeted as an early preventive measure, but optimal treatment of Alzheimer disease at later stages of the cascade could require intervention in both pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lary C Walker
- Department of Neurology and Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.
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32
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Abstract
Recent studies on iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) raised concerns that one of the hallmark lesions of Alzheimer disease (AD), amyloid-β (Aβ), may be transmitted from human-to-human. The neuropathology of AD-related lesions is complex. Therefore, many aspects need to be considered in deciding on this issue. Observations of recent studies can be summarized as follows: 1) The frequency of iatrogenic CJD cases with parencyhmal and vascular Aβ deposits is statistically higher than expected; 2) The morphology and distribution of Aβ deposition may show distinct features; 3) The pituitary and the dura mater themselves may serve as potential sources of Aβ seeds; 4) Cadaveric dura mater from 2 examined cases shows Aβ deposition; and 5) There is a lack of evidence that the clinical phenotype of AD appears following the application of cadaveric pituitary hormone or dura mater transplantation. These studies support the notion that neurodegenerative diseases have common features regarding propagation of disease-associated proteins as seeds. However, until further evidence emerges, prions of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are the only neurodegenerative disease-related proteins proven to propagate clinicopathological phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabor G Kovacs
- a Institute of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna , Vienna , Austria
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33
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Kulbe JR, Hall ED. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy-integration of canonical traumatic brain injury secondary injury mechanisms with tau pathology. Prog Neurobiol 2017; 158:15-44. [PMID: 28851546 PMCID: PMC5671903 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2017.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2017] [Revised: 08/09/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, a new neurodegenerative tauopathy labeled Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), has been identified that is believed to be primarily a sequela of repeated mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), often referred to as concussion, that occurs in athletes participating in contact sports (e.g. boxing, American football, Australian football, rugby, soccer, ice hockey) or in military combatants, especially after blast-induced injuries. Since the identification of CTE, and its neuropathological finding of deposits of hyperphosphorylated tau protein, mechanistic attention has been on lumping the disorder together with various other non-traumatic neurodegenerative tauopathies. Indeed, brains from suspected CTE cases that have come to autopsy have been confirmed to have deposits of hyperphosphorylated tau in locations that make its anatomical distribution distinct for other tauopathies. The fact that these individuals experienced repetitive TBI episodes during their athletic or military careers suggests that the secondary injury mechanisms that have been extensively characterized in acute TBI preclinical models, and in TBI patients, including glutamate excitotoxicity, intracellular calcium overload, mitochondrial dysfunction, free radical-induced oxidative damage and neuroinflammation, may contribute to the brain damage associated with CTE. Thus, the current review begins with an in depth analysis of what is known about the tau protein and its functions and dysfunctions followed by a discussion of the major TBI secondary injury mechanisms, and how the latter have been shown to contribute to tau pathology. The value of this review is that it might lead to improved neuroprotective strategies for either prophylactically attenuating the development of CTE or slowing its progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline R Kulbe
- Spinal Cord & Brain Injury Research Center, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, United States; Department of Neuroscience, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, United States
| | - Edward D Hall
- Spinal Cord & Brain Injury Research Center, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, United States; Department of Neuroscience, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, United States.
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34
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Abstract
Prion diseases are a group of fatal neurodegenerative disorders caused by the misfolding of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) into a pathogenic conformation (PrPSc). PrPSc is capable of folding into multiple self-replicating prion strains that produce phenotypically distinct neurological disorders. Evidence suggests that the structural heterogeneity of PrPSc is the molecular basis of strain-specific prion properties. The self-templating of PrPSc typically ensures that prion strains breed true upon passage. However, prion strains also have the capacity to conformationally transform to maximize their rate of replication in a given environment. Here, we provide an overview of the prion-strain phenomenon and describe the role of strain adaptation in drug resistance. We also describe recent evidence that shows the presence of distinct conformational strains in other neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sina Ghaemmaghami
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627
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35
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Zhang G, Yang P. A novel cell-cell communication mechanism in the nervous system: exosomes. J Neurosci Res 2017; 96:45-52. [DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Revised: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 06/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Guan Zhang
- Department of Neurobiology, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology; Third Military Medical University; Chongqing 400038 P.R. China
- Cadet Brigade; Third Military Medical University; Chongqing 400038 P.R. China
| | - Ping Yang
- Department of Neurobiology, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology; Third Military Medical University; Chongqing 400038 P.R. China
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36
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Uversky VN. Looking at the recent advances in understanding α-synuclein and its aggregation through the proteoform prism. F1000Res 2017; 6:525. [PMID: 28491292 PMCID: PMC5399969 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.10536.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite attracting the close attention of multiple researchers for the past 25 years, α-synuclein continues to be an enigma, hiding sacred truth related to its structure, function, and dysfunction, concealing mechanisms of its pathological spread within the affected brain during disease progression, and, above all, covering up the molecular mechanisms of its multipathogenicity, i.e. the ability to be associated with the pathogenesis of various diseases. The goal of this article is to present the most recent advances in understanding of this protein and its aggregation and to show that the remarkable structural, functional, and dysfunctional multifaceted nature of α-synuclein can be understood using the proteoform concept.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir N Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine and USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. MDC07, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA.,Laboratory of New Methods in Biology, Institute for Biological Instrumentation, Russian Academy of Sciences, 7 Institutskaya St., 142290 Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russian Federation.,Laboratory of Structural Dynamics, Stability and Folding Of Proteins, Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Tikhoretsky Av., 194064 St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
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37
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Injected Amyloid Beta in the Olfactory Bulb Transfers to Other Brain Regions via Neural Connections in Mice. Mol Neurobiol 2017; 55:1703-1713. [DOI: 10.1007/s12035-017-0446-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2016] [Accepted: 02/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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38
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Sideri T, Yashiroda Y, Ellis DA, Rodríguez-López M, Yoshida M, Tuite MF, Bähler J. The copper transport-associated protein Ctr4 can form prion-like epigenetic determinants in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. MICROBIAL CELL 2017; 4:16-28. [PMID: 28191457 PMCID: PMC5302157 DOI: 10.15698/mic2017.01.552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Prions are protein-based infectious entities associated with fatal brain diseases
in animals, but also modify a range of host-cell phenotypes in the budding
yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Many questions remain about
the evolution and biology of prions. Although several functionally distinct
prion-forming proteins exist in S. cerevisiae, [HET-s] of
Podospora anserina is the only other known fungal prion.
Here we investigated prion-like, protein-based epigenetic transmission in the
fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. We show that
S. pombe cells can support the formation and maintenance of
the prion form of the S. cerevisiae Sup35 translation factor
[PSI+], and that the formation and propagation
of these Sup35 aggregates is inhibited by guanidine hydrochloride, indicating
commonalities in prion propagation machineries in these evolutionary diverged
yeasts. A proteome-wide screen identified the Ctr4 copper transporter subunit as
a putative prion with a predicted prion-like domain. Overexpression of
the ctr4 gene resulted in large Ctr4 protein aggregates
that were both detergent and proteinase-K resistant. Cells carrying such
[CTR+] aggregates showed increased sensitivity
to oxidative stress, and this phenotype could be transmitted to aggregate-free
[ctr-] cells by transformation with
[CTR+] cell extracts. Moreover, this
[CTR+] phenotype was inherited in a
non-Mendelian manner following mating with naïve
[ctr-] cells, but intriguingly the
[CTR+] phenotype was not eliminated by
guanidine-hydrochloride treatment. Thus, Ctr4 exhibits multiple features
diagnostic of other fungal prions and is the first example of a prion in fission
yeast. These findings suggest that transmissible protein-based determinants of
traits may be more widespread among fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodora Sideri
- University College London, Research Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment and Institute of Healthy Ageing, London, U.K
| | - Yoko Yashiroda
- Chemical Genetics Laboratory, RIKEN and Chemical Genomics Research Group, RIKEN CSRS, Saitama, Japan
| | - David A Ellis
- University College London, Research Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment and Institute of Healthy Ageing, London, U.K
| | - María Rodríguez-López
- University College London, Research Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment and Institute of Healthy Ageing, London, U.K
| | - Minoru Yoshida
- Chemical Genetics Laboratory, RIKEN and Chemical Genomics Research Group, RIKEN CSRS, Saitama, Japan
| | - Mick F Tuite
- Kent Fungal Group, University of Kent, School of Biosciences, Canterbury, Kent, U.K
| | - Jürg Bähler
- University College London, Research Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment and Institute of Healthy Ageing, London, U.K
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39
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Proteins behaving badly. Substoichiometric molecular control and amplification of the initiation and nature of amyloid fibril formation: lessons from and for blood clotting. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2017; 123:16-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2016.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2016] [Revised: 08/14/2016] [Accepted: 08/19/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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40
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Chiarini A, Armato U, Liu D, Dal Prà I. Calcium-Sensing Receptors of Human Neural Cells Play Crucial Roles in Alzheimer's Disease. Front Physiol 2016; 7:134. [PMID: 27199760 PMCID: PMC4844916 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2016.00134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2016] [Accepted: 03/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In aged subjects, late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) starts in the lateral entorhinal allocortex where a failure of clearance mechanisms triggers an accumulation of neurotoxic amyloid-β42 oligomers (Aβ42-os). In neurons and astrocytes, Aβ42-os enhance the transcription of Aβ precursor protein (APP) and β-secretase/BACE1 genes. Thus, by acting together with γ-secretase, the surpluses of APP and BACE1 amplify the endogenous production of Aβ42-os which pile up, damage mitochondria, and are oversecreted. At the plasmalemma, exogenous Aβ42-os bind neurons' and astrocytes' calcium-sensing receptors (CaSRs) activating a set of intracellular signaling pathways which upkeep Aβ42-os intracellular accumulation and oversecretion by hindering Aβ42-os proteolysis. In addition, Aβ42-os accumulating in the extracellular milieu spread and reach mounting numbers of adjacent and remoter teams of neurons and astrocytes which in turn are recruited, again via Aβ42-os•CaSR-governed mechanisms, to produce and release additional Aβ42-os amounts. This relentless self-sustaining mechanism drives AD progression toward upper cortical areas. Later on accumulating Aβ42-os elicit the advent of hyperphosphorylated (p)-Tau oligomers which acting together with Aβ42-os and other glial neurotoxins cooperatively destroy wider and wider cognition-related cortical areas. In parallel, Aβ42-os•CaSR signals also elicit an excess production and secretion of nitric oxide and vascular endothelial growth factor-A from astrocytes, of Aβ42-os and myelin basic protein from oligodendrocytes, and of proinflammatory cytokines, nitric oxide and (likely) Aβ42-os from microglia. Activated astrocytes and microglia survive the toxic onslaught, whereas neurons and oligodendrocytes increasingly die. However, we have shown that highly selective allosteric CaSR antagonists (calcilytics), like NPS 2143 and NPS 89626, efficiently suppress all the neurotoxic effects Aβ42-os•CaSR signaling drives in cultured cortical untransformed human neurons and astrocytes. In fact, calcilytics increase Aβ42 proteolysis and discontinue the oversecretion of Aβ42-os, nitric oxide, and vascular endothelial growth factor-A from both astrocytes and neurons. Seemingly, calcilytics would also benefit the other types of glial cells and cerebrovascular cells otherwise damaged by the effects of Aβ42-os•CaSR signaling. Thus, given at amnestic minor cognitive impairment (aMCI) or initial symptomatic stages, calcilytics could prevent or terminate the propagation of LOAD neuropathology and preserve human neurons' viability and hence patients' cognitive abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Chiarini
- Human Histology and Embryology Unit, University of Verona Medical SchoolVerona, Italy
| | - Ubaldo Armato
- Human Histology and Embryology Unit, University of Verona Medical SchoolVerona, Italy
| | - Daisong Liu
- Human Histology and Embryology Unit, University of Verona Medical SchoolVerona, Italy
- Proteomics Laboratory, Institute for Burn Research, Third Military Medical UniversityChongqing, China
| | - Ilaria Dal Prà
- Human Histology and Embryology Unit, University of Verona Medical SchoolVerona, Italy
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41
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Insights into Mechanisms of Chronic Neurodegeneration. Int J Mol Sci 2016; 17:ijms17010082. [PMID: 26771599 PMCID: PMC4730326 DOI: 10.3390/ijms17010082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2015] [Revised: 12/22/2015] [Accepted: 12/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and prion diseases are characterised by the accumulation of abnormal conformers of a host encoded protein in the central nervous system. The process leading to neurodegeneration is still poorly defined and thus development of early intervention strategies is challenging. Unique amongst these diseases are Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion diseases, which have the ability to transmit between individuals. The infectious nature of these diseases has permitted in vivo and in vitro modelling of the time course of the disease process in a highly reproducible manner, thus early events can be defined. Recent evidence has demonstrated that the cell-to-cell spread of protein aggregates by a “prion-like mechanism” is common among the protein misfolding diseases. Thus, the TSE models may provide insights into disease mechanisms and testable hypotheses for disease intervention, applicable to a number of these chronic neurodegenerative diseases.
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Valera E, Spencer B, Masliah E. Immunotherapeutic Approaches Targeting Amyloid-β, α-Synuclein, and Tau for the Treatment of Neurodegenerative Disorders. Neurotherapeutics 2016; 13:179-89. [PMID: 26494242 PMCID: PMC4720672 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-015-0397-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Disease-modifying alternatives are sorely needed for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, a group of diseases that afflict approximately 50 million Americans annually. Immunotherapy is one of the most developed approaches in this direction. Vaccination against amyloid-β, α-synuclein, or tau has been extensively explored, specially as the discovery that these proteins may propagate cell-to-cell and be accessible to antibodies when embedded into the plasma membrane or in the extracellular space. Likewise, the use of passive immunization approaches with specific antibodies against abnormal conformations of these proteins has also yielded promising results. The clinical development of immunotherapies for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, and other neurodegenerative disorders is a field in constant evolution. Results to date suggest that immunotherapy is a promising therapeutic approach for neurodegenerative diseases that progress with the accumulation and prion-like propagation of toxic protein aggregates. Here we provide an overview of the most novel and relevant immunotherapeutic advances targeting amyloid-β in Alzheimer’s disease, α-synuclein in Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, and tau in Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elvira Valera
- grid.266100.30000000121074242Department of Neurosciences, University of California, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093 USA
| | - Brian Spencer
- grid.266100.30000000121074242Department of Neurosciences, University of California, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093 USA
| | - Eliezer Masliah
- grid.266100.30000000121074242Department of Neurosciences, University of California, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093 USA
- grid.266100.30000000121074242Department of Pathology, University of California, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093 USA
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Ye L, Fritschi SK, Schelle J, Obermüller U, Degenhardt K, Kaeser SA, Eisele YS, Walker LC, Baumann F, Staufenbiel M, Jucker M. Persistence of Aβ seeds in APP null mouse brain. Nat Neurosci 2015; 18:1559-61. [DOI: 10.1038/nn.4117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2015] [Accepted: 08/25/2015] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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Daus ML. Techniques to elucidate the conformation of prions. World J Biol Chem 2015; 6:218-222. [PMID: 26322176 PMCID: PMC4549762 DOI: 10.4331/wjbc.v6.i3.218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2015] [Revised: 05/04/2015] [Accepted: 06/16/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Proteinaceous infectious particles (prions) are unique pathogens as they are devoid of any coding nucleic acid. Whilst it is assumed that prion disease is transmitted by a misfolded isoform of the cellular prion protein, the structural insight of prions is still vague and research for high resolution structural information of prions is still ongoing. In this review, techniques that may contribute to the clarification of the conformation of prions are presented and discussed.
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