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Langer Horvat L, Španić Popovački E, Babić Leko M, Zubčić K, Horvat L, Mustapić M, Hof PR, Šimić G. Anterograde and Retrograde Propagation of Inoculated Human Tau Fibrils and Tau Oligomers in a Non-Transgenic Rat Tauopathy Model. Biomedicines 2023; 11:1004. [PMID: 37189622 PMCID: PMC10135744 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11041004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The tauopathy of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is first observed in the brainstem and entorhinal cortex, spreading trans-synaptically along specific pathways to other brain regions with recognizable patterns. Tau propagation occurs retrogradely and anterogradely (trans-synaptically) along a given pathway and through exosomes and microglial cells. Some aspects of in vivo tau spreading have been replicated in transgenic mice models expressing a mutated human MAPT (tau) gene and in wild-type mice. In this study, we aimed to characterize the propagation of different forms of tau species in non-transgenic 3-4 months old wild-type rats after a single unilateral injection of human tau oligomers and tau fibrils into the medial entorhinal cortex (mEC). We determined whether different variants of the inoculated human tau protein, tau fibrils, and tau oligomers, would induce similar neurofibrillary changes and propagate in an AD-related pattern, and how tau-related pathological changes would correlate with presumed cognitive impairment. We injected human tau fibrils and tau oligomers stereotaxically into the mEC and examined the distribution of tau-related changes at 3 days and 4, 8, and 11 months post-injection using antibodies AT8 and MC1, which reveal early phosphorylation and aberrant conformation of tau, respectively, HT7, anti-synaptophysin, and the Gallyas silver staining method. Human tau oligomers and tau fibrils exhibited some similarities and some differences in their ability to seed and propagate tau-related changes. Both human tau fibrils and tau oligomers rapidly propagated from the mEC anterogradely into the hippocampus and various parts of the neocortex. However, using a human tau-specific HT7 antibody, 3 days post-injection we found inoculated human tau oligomers in the red nucleus, primary motor, and primary somatosensory cortex, a finding not seen in animals inoculated with human tau fibrils. In animals inoculated with human tau fibrils, 3 days post-injection the HT7 antibody showed fibrils in the pontine reticular nucleus, a finding explained only by uptake of human tau fibrils by incoming presynaptic fibers to the mEC and retrograde transport of inoculated human tau fibrils to the brainstem. Rats inoculated with human tau fibrils showed as early as 4 months after inoculation a spread of phosphorylated tau protein at the AT8 epitopes throughout the brain, dramatically faster propagation of neurofibrillary changes than with human tau oligomers. The overall severity of tau protein changes 4, 8, and 11 months after inoculation of human tau oligomers and tau fibrils correlated well with spatial working memory and cognition impairments, as measured by the T-maze spontaneous alternation, novel object recognition, and object location tests. We concluded that this non-trangenic rat model of tauopathy, especially when using human tau fibrils, demonstrates rapidly developing pathologic alterations in neurons, synapses, and identifiable pathways together with cognitive and behavioral changes, through the anterograde and retrograde spreading of neurofibrillary degeneration. Therefore, it represents a promising model for future experimental studies of primary and secondary tauopathies, especially AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Langer Horvat
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ena Španić Popovački
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Mirjana Babić Leko
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Klara Zubčić
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Luka Horvat
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Maja Mustapić
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Patrick R. Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, and Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Goran Šimić
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
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Sahara N, Yanai R. Limitations of human tau-expressing mouse models and novel approaches of mouse modeling for tauopathy. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1149761. [PMID: 37152607 PMCID: PMC10157230 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1149761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) composed of hyperphosphorylated tau protein are primarily neuropathological features of a number of neurodegenerative diseases, collectively termed tauopathy. There is no disease-modifying drug available for tauopathy except anti-amyloid antibody therapies for Alzheimer's disease. For tau-targeting therapy, experimental models recapitulating human tau pathologies are indispensable. However, there are limited numbers of animal models that display intracellular filamentous tau aggregations. At present, several lines of P301L/S mutant tau-expressing transgenic mice successfully developed neurofibrillary pathology in the central nervous system, while most non-mutant tau-expressing transgenic mice rarely developed tau pathology. Importantly, recent studies have revealed that transgenes disrupt the coding sequence of endogenous genes, resulting in deletions and/or structural variations at the insertion site. Although any impact on the pathogenesis of tauopathy is unknown, gene disruptions may affect age-related neurodegeneration including tangle formation and brain atrophy. Moreover, some mouse lines show strain-dependent pathological features. These limitations (FTDP-17 mutations, insertion/deletion mutations, and genetic background) are a major hindrance to the establishment of a precise disease model of tauopathy. In this review, we noticed both the utility and the pitfalls of current P301L/S mutant tau-expressing transgenic mice, and we propose future strategies of mouse modeling to replicate human tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naruhiko Sahara
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute for Quantum Medical Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, Japan
| | - Rin Yanai
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute for Quantum Medical Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, Japan
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Hamasaki H, Maeda N, Sasagasako N, Honda H, Shijo M, Mori SI, Yagita K, Arahata H, Iwaki T. Neuropathology of classic myotonic dystrophy type 1 is characterized by both early initiation of primary age-related tauopathy of the hippocampus and unique 3-repeat tauopathy of the brainstem. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2022; 82:29-37. [PMID: 36331500 DOI: 10.1093/jnen/nlac097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is an inherited autosomal-dominant condition that induces altered splicing of transcripts, including MAPT, leading to a distinctive abnormal deposition of tau protein in the CNS. We characterized the tau isoforms of abnormal depositions in the brains of 4 patients with classic DM1 by immunohistochemistry using isoform-specific antibodies. All patients, including those of presenile age, showed numerous neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) of both 3-repeat and 4-repeat tau in the limbic area and mild involvement in the cerebral cortex. Amyloid-β deposition was only seen in 1 senile case while cortical tauopathy in all other cases was consistent with primary age-related tauopathy (PART). In the putamen and globus pallidus, only a few tau deposits were observed. Tau deposits in the brainstem frequently showed a DM1-specific pattern with 3-repeat tau dominant NFTs. Additionally, tau-positive astrocytes morphologically similar to tufted astrocytes and astrocytic plaques were occasionally observed in the brainstem; however, they were predominantly composed of 3-repeat tau. Thus, the classic DM1 showed both early onset of PART-like pathology in the limbic areas as a progeroid syndrome of DM1 and an abnormal splicing event in the brainstem leading to 3-repeat tau dominant accumulation with both neuronal and astrocytic involvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideomi Hamasaki
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Norihisa Maeda
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.,Department of Neurology, Neuro-Muscular Center, National Hospital Organization Omuta National Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Naokazu Sasagasako
- Department of Neurology, National Hospital Organization Beppu Medical Center, Oita, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Honda
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Masahiro Shijo
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.,Department of Internal Medicine, Fukuoka Dental College Medical and Dental Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Shin-Ichiro Mori
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.,Department of Neurology, Division of Respirology, Neurology and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Japan
| | - Kaoru Yagita
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Hajime Arahata
- Department of Neurology, National Hospital Organization Beppu Medical Center, Oita, Japan
| | - Toru Iwaki
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
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Lazar AN, Hanbouch L, Boussicaut L, Fourmaux B, Daira P, Millan MJ, Bernoud-Hubac N, Potier MC. Lipid Dys-Homeostasis Contributes to APOE4-Associated AD Pathology. Cells 2022; 11:cells11223616. [PMID: 36429044 PMCID: PMC9688773 DOI: 10.3390/cells11223616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The association of the APOE4 (vs. APOE3) isoform with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is unequivocal, but the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely elucidated. A prevailing hypothesis incriminates the impaired ability of APOE4 to clear neurotoxic amyloid-β peptides (Aβ) from the brain as the main mechanism linking the apolipoprotein isoform to disease etiology. The APOE protein mediates lipid transport both within the brain and from the brain to the periphery, suggesting that lipids may be potential co-factors in APOE4-associated physiopathology. The present study reveals several changes in the pathways of lipid homeostasis in the brains of mice expressing the human APOE4 vs. APOE3 isoform. Carriers of APOE4 had altered cholesterol turnover, an imbalance in the ratio of specific classes of phospholipids, lower levels of phosphatidylethanolamines bearing polyunsaturated fatty acids and an overall elevation in levels of monounsaturated fatty acids. These modifications in lipid homeostasis were related to increased production of Aβ peptides as well as augmented levels of tau and phosphorylated tau in primary neuronal cultures. This suite of APOE4-associated anomalies in lipid homeostasis and neurotoxic protein levels may be related to the accrued risk for AD in APOE4 carriers and provides novel insights into potential strategies for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adina-Nicoleta Lazar
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, CNRS, LaMCoS, UMR5259, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
- Correspondence: (A.-N.L.); (M.-C.P.)
| | - Linda Hanbouch
- ICM Paris Brain Institute, CNRS UMR7225, INSERM U1127, Sorbonne University, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47 Bd de l’Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Lydie Boussicaut
- ICM Paris Brain Institute, CNRS UMR7225, INSERM U1127, Sorbonne University, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47 Bd de l’Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Baptiste Fourmaux
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, CNRS, LaMCoS, UMR5259, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Patricia Daira
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, CNRS, LaMCoS, UMR5259, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Mark J. Millan
- Institut De Recherche Servier IDRS, Neuroscience Inflammation Thérapeutic Area, 125 Chemin de Ronde, 78290 Croissy-sur-Seine, France
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, College of Medical, Vet and life Sciences, Glasgow University, 68 Hillhead Street, Glasgow G12 8QB, Scotland, UK
| | | | - Marie-Claude Potier
- ICM Paris Brain Institute, CNRS UMR7225, INSERM U1127, Sorbonne University, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47 Bd de l’Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
- Correspondence: (A.-N.L.); (M.-C.P.)
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Law AD, Cassar M, Long DM, Chow ES, Giebultowicz JM, Venkataramanan A, Strauss R, Kretzschmar D. FTD-associated mutations in Tau result in a combination of dominant and recessive phenotypes. Neurobiol Dis 2022; 170:105770. [PMID: 35588988 PMCID: PMC9261467 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2022.105770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Although mutations in the microtubules-associated protein Tau have long been connected with several neurodegenerative diseases, the underlying molecular mechanisms causing these tauopathies are still not fully understood. Studies in various models suggested that dominant gain-of-function effects underlie the pathogenicity of these mutants; however, there is also evidence that the loss of normal physiological functions of Tau plays a role in tauopathies. Previous studies on Tau in Drosophila involved expressing the human Tau protein in the background of the endogenous Tau gene in addition to inducing high expression levels. To study Tau pathology in more physiological conditions, we recently created Drosophila knock-in models that express either wildtype human Tau (hTauWT) or disease-associated mutant hTau (hTauV337M and hTauK369I) in place of the endogenous Drosophila Tau (dTau). Analyzing these flies as homozygotes, we could therefore detect recessive effects of the mutations while identifying dominant effects in heterozygotes. Using memory, locomotion and sleep assays, we found that homozygous mutant hTau flies showed deficits already when quite young whereas in heterozygous flies, disease phenotypes developed with aging. Homozygotes also revealed an increase in microtubule diameter, suggesting that changes in the cytoskeleton underlie the axonal degeneration we observed in these flies. In contrast, heterozygous mutant hTau flies showed abnormal axonal targeting and no detectable changes in microtubules. However, we previously showed that heterozygosity for hTauV337M interfered with synaptic homeostasis in central pacemaker neurons and we now show that heterozygous hTauK369I flies have decreased levels of proteins involved in the release of synaptic vesicles. Taken together, our results demonstrate that both mutations induce a combination of dominant and recessive disease-related phenotypes that provide behavioral and molecular insights into the etiology of Tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander D Law
- Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, 3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR 97219, USA
| | - Marlène Cassar
- Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, 3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR 97219, USA
| | - Dani M Long
- Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, 3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR 97219, USA
| | - Eileen S Chow
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | | | - Anjana Venkataramanan
- Institut für Entwicklungsbiologie und Neurobiologie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Roland Strauss
- Institut für Entwicklungsbiologie und Neurobiologie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Doris Kretzschmar
- Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, 3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR 97219, USA.
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Ferrer I, Andrés-Benito P, Garcia-Esparcia P, López-Gonzalez I, Valiente D, Jordán-Pirla M, Carmona M, Sala-Jarque J, Gil V, del Rio JA. Differences in Tau Seeding in Newborn and Adult Wild-Type Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:4789. [PMID: 35563179 PMCID: PMC9099670 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23094789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Revised: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies are common neurodegenerative diseases in older adults; in contrast, abnormal tau deposition in neurons and glial cells occurs only exceptionally in children. Sarkosyl-insoluble fractions from sporadic AD (sAD) containing paired helical filaments (PHFs) were inoculated unilaterally into the thalamus in newborn and three-month-old wild-type C57BL/6 mice, which were killed at different intervals from 24 h to six months after inoculation. Tau-positive cells were scanty and practically disappeared at three months in mice inoculated at the age of a newborn. In contrast, large numbers of tau-positive cells, including neurons and oligodendrocytes, were found in the thalamus of mice inoculated at three months and killed at the ages of six months and nine months. Mice inoculated at the age of newborn and re-inoculated at the age of three months showed similar numbers and distribution of positive cells in the thalamus at six months and nine months. This study shows that (a) differences in tau seeding between newborn and young adults may be related to the ratios between 3Rtau and 4Rtau, and the shift to 4Rtau predominance in adults, together with the immaturity of connections in newborn mice, and (b) intracerebral inoculation of sAD PHFs in newborn mice does not protect from tau seeding following intracerebral inoculation of sAD PHFs in young/adult mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isidro Ferrer
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Feixa Llarga sn, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain; (P.A.-B.); (P.G.-E.); (I.L.-G.); (D.V.); (M.J.-P.); (M.C.)
- Bellvitge Biomedical Research Centre—IDIBELL, Feixa Llarga sn, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
- Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases—CIBERNED, Institute of Health Carlos III, Feixa Llarga sn, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Pol Andrés-Benito
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Feixa Llarga sn, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain; (P.A.-B.); (P.G.-E.); (I.L.-G.); (D.V.); (M.J.-P.); (M.C.)
- Bellvitge Biomedical Research Centre—IDIBELL, Feixa Llarga sn, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
- Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases—CIBERNED, Institute of Health Carlos III, Feixa Llarga sn, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Paula Garcia-Esparcia
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Feixa Llarga sn, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain; (P.A.-B.); (P.G.-E.); (I.L.-G.); (D.V.); (M.J.-P.); (M.C.)
- Bellvitge Biomedical Research Centre—IDIBELL, Feixa Llarga sn, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
- Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases—CIBERNED, Institute of Health Carlos III, Feixa Llarga sn, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Irene López-Gonzalez
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Feixa Llarga sn, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain; (P.A.-B.); (P.G.-E.); (I.L.-G.); (D.V.); (M.J.-P.); (M.C.)
- Bellvitge Biomedical Research Centre—IDIBELL, Feixa Llarga sn, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
- Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases—CIBERNED, Institute of Health Carlos III, Feixa Llarga sn, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Diego Valiente
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Feixa Llarga sn, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain; (P.A.-B.); (P.G.-E.); (I.L.-G.); (D.V.); (M.J.-P.); (M.C.)
- Bellvitge Biomedical Research Centre—IDIBELL, Feixa Llarga sn, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
- Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases—CIBERNED, Institute of Health Carlos III, Feixa Llarga sn, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Mónica Jordán-Pirla
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Feixa Llarga sn, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain; (P.A.-B.); (P.G.-E.); (I.L.-G.); (D.V.); (M.J.-P.); (M.C.)
- Bellvitge Biomedical Research Centre—IDIBELL, Feixa Llarga sn, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
- Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases—CIBERNED, Institute of Health Carlos III, Feixa Llarga sn, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Margarita Carmona
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Feixa Llarga sn, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain; (P.A.-B.); (P.G.-E.); (I.L.-G.); (D.V.); (M.J.-P.); (M.C.)
- Bellvitge Biomedical Research Centre—IDIBELL, Feixa Llarga sn, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
- Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases—CIBERNED, Institute of Health Carlos III, Feixa Llarga sn, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Julia Sala-Jarque
- Molecular and Cellular Neurobiotechnology, Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia, Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Parc Científic de Barcelona, Baldiri Reixac sn, 08020 Barcelona, Spain; (J.S.-J.); (V.G.); (J.A.d.R.)
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Baldiri Reixac sn, 08020 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 28031 Madrid, Spain
| | - Vanessa Gil
- Molecular and Cellular Neurobiotechnology, Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia, Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Parc Científic de Barcelona, Baldiri Reixac sn, 08020 Barcelona, Spain; (J.S.-J.); (V.G.); (J.A.d.R.)
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Baldiri Reixac sn, 08020 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 28031 Madrid, Spain
| | - José Antonio del Rio
- Molecular and Cellular Neurobiotechnology, Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia, Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Parc Científic de Barcelona, Baldiri Reixac sn, 08020 Barcelona, Spain; (J.S.-J.); (V.G.); (J.A.d.R.)
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Baldiri Reixac sn, 08020 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 28031 Madrid, Spain
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Chung DEC, Roemer S, Petrucelli L, Dickson DW. Cellular and pathological heterogeneity of primary tauopathies. Mol Neurodegener 2021; 16:57. [PMID: 34425874 PMCID: PMC8381569 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-021-00476-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Microtubule-associated protein tau is abnormally aggregated in neuronal and glial cells in a range of neurodegenerative diseases that are collectively referred to as tauopathies. Multiple studies have suggested that pathological tau species may act as a seed that promotes aggregation of endogenous tau in naïve cells and contributes to propagation of tau pathology. While they share pathological tau aggregation as a common feature, tauopathies are distinct from one another with respect to predominant tau isoforms that accumulate and the selective vulnerability of brain regions and cell types that have tau inclusions. For instance, primary tauopathies present with glial tau pathology, while it is mostly neuronal in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Also, morphologies of tau inclusions can greatly vary even within the same cell type, suggesting distinct mechanisms or distinct tau conformers in each tauopathy. Neuropathological heterogeneity across tauopathies challenges our understanding of pathophysiology behind tau seeding and aggregation, as well as our efforts to develop effective therapeutic strategies for AD and other tauopathies. In this review, we describe diverse neuropathological features of tau inclusions in neurodegenerative tauopathies and discuss what has been learned from experimental studies with mouse models, advanced transcriptomics, and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) on the biology underlying cell type-specific tau pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dah-eun Chloe Chung
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 32224 Jacksonville, FL USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, 77030 Houston, TX USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, 77030 Houston, TX USA
| | - Shanu Roemer
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 32224 Jacksonville, FL USA
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Ding Y, Lei L, Lai C, Tang Z. Tau Protein and Zebrafish Models for Tau-Induced Neurodegeneration. J Alzheimers Dis 2020; 69:339-353. [PMID: 31006683 DOI: 10.3233/jad-180917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Tauopathies are a specific type of slow and progressive neurodegeneration, which involves intracellular deposition of fibrillar material composed of abnormal hyperphosphorylation of the microtubule associated protein (MAP) tau. Despite many years of intensive research, our understanding of the molecular events that lead to neurodegeneration is far from complete. No effective therapeutic treatments have been defined, and questions surround the validity and utility of existing animal models. It is an urgent need to develop a novel animal model to study the underlying neurodegenerative mechanisms of tauopathies. Zebrafish models of tauopathies could complement existing models by providing an in vivo platform for genetic and chemical screens in order to identify new therapeutic targets and compounds, meanwhile zebrafish models have permitted discovery of unique characteristics of these genes that could have been difficultly observed in other models. Novel transgenic zebrafish models expressing wild-type or mutant forms of human 4R-tau in neurons have recently been reported. These studies show disease-relevant changes including tau hyperphosphorylation, aggregation and somato-dendritic relocalization. This review highlights the availability of transgenic tau zebrafish models that allow more detailed biochemical studies of tau in the zebrafish CNS to characterize solubility, fibril morphology and further clarify phosphorylation proceedings. Furthermore, a deeper knowledge of the zebrafish brain and a better characterization of tau caused by alterations in neurodegenerative disorders are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanting Ding
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Lijuan Lei
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Chencen Lai
- Clinical Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Zhi Tang
- Clinical Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
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Van Erum J, Valkenburg F, Van Dam D, De Deyn PP. Pentylenetetrazole-induced Seizure Susceptibility in the Tau58/4 Transgenic Mouse Model of Tauopathy. Neuroscience 2019; 425:112-122. [PMID: 31785360 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Revised: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
In several tauopathies such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), an increased incidence of seizures is observed. Tau, one of the major proteins implicated in AD pathology, is an important regulator of neural network excitability and might participate in the underlying epileptic cascade. However, the mechanisms underlying this relationship are not fully elucidated. We aim to investigate this mechanism by analyzing seizure susceptibility to the convulsant pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) in a novel rodent tauopathy model. A single dose of PTZ was systemically injected in Tau58/4 transgenic mice. To investigate whether young and aged heterozygous (HET) mice exhibit a higher susceptibility to seizures in comparison with wild-type (WT) littermates, video electroencephalography (EEG) in combination with behavioral scoring according to a modified Racine scale was used. The employment of different dosage groups enabled us to characterize the dose range reliably inducing seizures. Here, we report an increased seizure susceptibility in young but not in old HET Tau58/4 mice. Young HET animals displayed more severe seizures and had a reduced latency to the first seizure compared to WTs. Also, age-related differences in susceptibility could be demonstrated for both genotypes. Identification and targeting of secondary diseases such as epilepsy, which aggravate dementia and lead to earlier institutionalization, is key. This study finds that tau pathology itself is sufficient to alter seizure susceptibility in a rodent model, indicating that the disease process is crucial in the emergence of epilepsy in patients with tauopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Van Erum
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry and Behavior, Institute Born-Bunge, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk (Antwerp), Belgium
| | - Femke Valkenburg
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry and Behavior, Institute Born-Bunge, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk (Antwerp), Belgium
| | - Debby Van Dam
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry and Behavior, Institute Born-Bunge, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk (Antwerp), Belgium; Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Center, University of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Peter Paul De Deyn
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry and Behavior, Institute Born-Bunge, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk (Antwerp), Belgium; Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Center, University of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology, Memory Clinic of Hospital Network Antwerp (ZNA) Middelheim and Hoge Beuken, Antwerp, Belgium.
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10
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Developmental Pathogenicity of 4-Repeat Human Tau Is Lost with the P301L Mutation in Genetically Matched Tau-Transgenic Mice. J Neurosci 2019; 40:220-236. [PMID: 31685653 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1256-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Revised: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein that becomes dysregulated in a group of neurodegenerative diseases called tauopathies. Differential tau isoforms, expression levels, promoters, and disruption of endogenous genes in transgenic mouse models of tauopathy make it difficult to draw definitive conclusions about the biological role of tau in these models. We addressed this shortcoming by characterizing the molecular and cognitive phenotypes associated with the pathogenic P301L tau mutation (rT2 mice) in relation to a genetically matched transgenic mouse overexpressing nonmutant (NM) 4-repeat (4R) human tau (rT1 mice). Both male and female mice were included in this study. Unexpectedly, we found that 4R NM human tau (hTau) exhibited abnormal dynamics in young mice that were lost with the P301L mutation, including elevated protein stability and hyperphosphorylation, which were associated with cognitive impairment in 5-month-old rT1 mice. Hyperphosphorylation of NM hTau was observed as early as 4 weeks of age, and transgene suppression for the first 4 or 12 weeks of life prevented abnormal molecular and cognitive phenotypes in rT1, demonstrating that NM hTau pathogenicity is specific to postnatal development. We also show that NM hTau exhibits stronger binding to microtubules than P301L hTau, and is associated with mitochondrial abnormalities. Overall, our genetically matched mice have revealed that 4R NM hTau overexpression is pathogenic in a manner distinct from classical aging-related tauopathy, underlining the importance of assaying the effects of transgenic disease-related proteins at appropriate stages in life.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Due to differences in creation of transgenic lines, the pathological properties of the P301L mutation confers to the tau protein in vivo have remained elusive, perhaps contributing to the lack of disease-modifying therapies for tauopathies. In an attempt to characterize P301L-specific effects on tau biology and cognition in novel genetically matched transgenic mouse models, we surprisingly found that nonmutant human tau has development-specific pathogenic properties of its own. Our findings indicate that overexpression of 4-repeat human tau during postnatal development is associated with excessive microtubule binding, which may disrupt important cellular processes, such as mitochondrial dynamics, leading to elevated stability and hyperphosphorylation of tau, and eventual cognitive impairments.
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11
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Ferrer I, Zelaya MV, Aguiló García M, Carmona M, López-González I, Andrés-Benito P, Lidón L, Gavín R, Garcia-Esparcia P, Del Rio JA. Relevance of host tau in tau seeding and spreading in tauopathies. Brain Pathol 2019; 30:298-318. [PMID: 31397930 DOI: 10.1111/bpa.12778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Human tau seeding and spreading occur following intracerebral inoculation of brain homogenates obtained from tauopathies in transgenic mice expressing natural or mutant tau, and in wild-type (WT) mice. The present study was geared to learning about the patterns of tau seeding, the cells involved and the characteristics of tau following intracerebral inoculation of homogenates from primary age-related tauopathy (PART: neuronal 4Rtau and 3Rtau), aging-related tau astrogliopathy (ARTAG: astrocytic 4Rtau) and globular glial tauopathy (GGT: 4Rtau with neuronal deposits and specific tau inclusions in astrocytes and oligodendrocytes). For this purpose, young and adult WT mice were inoculated unilaterally in the hippocampus or in the lateral corpus callosum with sarkosyl-insoluble fractions from PART, ARTAG and GGT cases, and were killed at variable periods of three to seven months. Brains were processed for immunohistochemistry in paraffin sections. Tau seeding occurred in the ipsilateral hippocampus and corpus callosum and spread to the septal nuclei, periventricular hypothalamus and contralateral corpus callosum, respectively. Tau deposits were mainly found in neurons, oligodendrocytes and threads; the deposits were diffuse or granular, composed of phosphorylated tau, tau with abnormal conformation and 3Rtau and 4Rtau independently of the type of tauopathy. Truncated tau at the aspartic acid 421 and ubiquitination were absent. Tau deposits had the characteristics of pre-tangles. A percentage of intracellular tau deposits co-localized with active (phosphorylated) tau kinases p38 and ERK 1/2. Present study shows that seeding and spreading of human tau into the brain of WT mice involves neurons and glial cells, mainly oligodendrocytes, thereby supporting the idea of a primary role of oligodendrogliopathy, together with neuronopathy, in the progression of tauopathies. In addition, it suggests that human tau inoculation modifies murine tau metabolism with the production and deposition of 3Rtau and 4Rtau, and by activation of specific tau kinases in affected cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isidro Ferrer
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain.,Bellvitge University Hospital, IDIBELL (Bellvitge Biomedical Research Centre), Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain.,CIBERNED (Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases), Institute of Health Carlos III, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Madrid, Spain.,Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Maria Victoria Zelaya
- Pathological Anatomy Department, Hospital of Navarra, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Meritxell Aguiló García
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Margarita Carmona
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain.,CIBERNED (Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases), Institute of Health Carlos III, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Madrid, Spain
| | - Irene López-González
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain.,CIBERNED (Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases), Institute of Health Carlos III, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pol Andrés-Benito
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain.,CIBERNED (Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases), Institute of Health Carlos III, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Madrid, Spain
| | - Laia Lidón
- Molecular and Cellular Neurobiotechnology, Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rosalina Gavín
- Molecular and Cellular Neurobiotechnology, Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Paula Garcia-Esparcia
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain.,CIBERNED (Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases), Institute of Health Carlos III, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Madrid, Spain
| | - José Antonio Del Rio
- CIBERNED (Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases), Institute of Health Carlos III, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Madrid, Spain.,Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain.,Molecular and Cellular Neurobiotechnology, Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
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12
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Qiang L, Piermarini E, Muralidharan H, Yu W, Leo L, Hennessy LE, Fernandes S, Connors T, Yates PL, Swift M, Zholudeva LV, Lane MA, Morfini G, Alexander GM, Heiman-Patterson TD, Baas PW. Hereditary spastic paraplegia: gain-of-function mechanisms revealed by new transgenic mouse. Hum Mol Genet 2019; 28:1136-1152. [PMID: 30520996 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddy419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2018] [Revised: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 12/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations of the SPAST gene, which encodes the microtubule-severing protein spastin, are the most common cause of hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP). Haploinsufficiency is the prevalent opinion as to the mechanism of the disease, but gain-of-function toxicity of the mutant proteins is another possibility. Here, we report a new transgenic mouse (termed SPASTC448Y mouse) that is not haploinsufficient but expresses human spastin bearing the HSP pathogenic C448Y mutation. Expression of the mutant spastin was documented from fetus to adult, but gait defects reminiscent of HSP (not observed in spastin knockout mice) were adult onset, as is typical of human patients. Results of histological and tracer studies on the mouse are consistent with progressive dying back of corticospinal axons, which is characteristic of the disease. The C448Y-mutated spastin alters microtubule stability in a manner that is opposite to the expectations of haploinsufficiency. Neurons cultured from the mouse display deficits in organelle transport typical of axonal degenerative diseases, and these deficits were worsened by depletion of endogenous mouse spastin. These results on the SPASTC448Y mouse are consistent with a gain-of-function mechanism underlying HSP, with spastin haploinsufficiency exacerbating the toxicity of the mutant spastin proteins. These findings reveal the need for a different therapeutic approach than indicated by haploinsufficiency alone.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Laura E Hennessy
- Department of Neurology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Gerardo Morfini
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Guillermo M Alexander
- Department of Neurology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Terry D Heiman-Patterson
- Department of Neurology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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13
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Croft CL, Cruz PE, Ryu DH, Ceballos-Diaz C, Strang KH, Woody BM, Lin WL, Deture M, Rodríguez-Lebrón E, Dickson DW, Chakrabarty P, Levites Y, Giasson BI, Golde TE. rAAV-based brain slice culture models of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease inclusion pathologies. J Exp Med 2019; 216:539-555. [PMID: 30770411 PMCID: PMC6400529 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20182184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Revised: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been challenging to produce ex vivo models of the inclusion pathologies that are hallmark pathologies of many neurodegenerative diseases. Using three-dimensional mouse brain slice cultures (BSCs), we have developed a paradigm that rapidly and robustly recapitulates mature neurofibrillary inclusion and Lewy body formation found in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, respectively. This was achieved by transducing the BSCs with recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAVs) that express α-synuclein or variants of tau. Notably, the tauopathy BSC model enables screening of small molecule therapeutics and tracking of neurodegeneration. More generally, the rAAV BSC "toolkit" enables efficient transduction and transgene expression from neurons, microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, alone or in combination, with transgene expression lasting for many months. These rAAV-based BSC models provide a cost-effective and facile alternative to in vivo studies, and in the future can become a widely adopted methodology to explore physiological and pathological mechanisms related to brain function and dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cara L Croft
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Pedro E Cruz
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Daniel H Ryu
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Carolina Ceballos-Diaz
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Kevin H Strang
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Brittany M Woody
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Wen-Lang Lin
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL
| | - Michael Deture
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL
| | - Edgardo Rodríguez-Lebrón
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Dennis W Dickson
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL
| | - Paramita Chakrabarty
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Yona Levites
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Benoit I Giasson
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Todd E Golde
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
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14
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Experimental Models of Tauopathy - From Mechanisms to Therapies. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1184:381-391. [PMID: 32096051 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-32-9358-8_28] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Animal models have been instrumental in reproducing key aspects of human tauopathy. In pursuing these efforts, the mouse continues to have a prominent role. In this chapter, we focus on models that overexpress wild-type or mutant forms of tau, the latter being based on mutations found in familial cases of frontotemporal dementia. We review some of these models in more detail and discuss what they have revealed about the underlying pathomechanisms, as well as highlighting new developments that exploit gene editing tools such as TALEN and CRISPR. Interestingly, when investigating the role of tau in impairing cellular functions, common themes emerge. Because tau is a scaffolding protein that aggregates in the somatodendritic domain under pathological conditions, it traps proteins such as parkin and JIP1, preventing them from executing their normal function in mitophagy and axonal transport, respectively. Another aspect is the emerging role of tau in the translational machinery and the finding that the somatodendritic accumulation of tau in Alzheimer's disease may in part be due to the induction of the de novo synthesis of tau by amyloid-β via the Fyn/ERK/S6 pathway. We further discuss treatment strategies such as tau-based vaccinations and therapeutic ultrasound and conclude by discussing whether there is a future for animal models of tauopathies.
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15
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Woerman AL, Patel S, Kazmi SA, Oehler A, Freyman Y, Espiritu L, Cotter R, Castaneda JA, Olson SH, Prusiner SB. Kinetics of Human Mutant Tau Prion Formation in the Brains of 2 Transgenic Mouse Lines. JAMA Neurol 2017; 74:1464-1472. [PMID: 29059326 DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2017.2822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Importance Accumulation of the protein tau is a defining characteristic of several neurodegenerative diseases. Thorough assessment of transgenic (Tg) mouse lines that replicate this process is critical for establishing the models used for testing anti-tau therapeutics in vivo. Objective To define a consistent mouse model of disease for use in future compound efficacy studies. Design, Setting, and Participants In this time course study, cohorts of Tg and control mice were euthanized at defined intervals. Collected brains were bisected down the midline. One half was frozen and used to measure the tau prion content, while the other half was fixed for immunostaining with anti-tau antibodies. All mice were maintained at the Hunters Point Animal Facility at the University of California, San Francisco, and all experiments were performed at the Mission Bay Campus of the University of California, San Francisco. Study animals were PS19, homozygous and hemizygous Tg(MAPT*P301S), and B6/J mice. The study dates were August 9, 2010, to October 3, 2016. Main Outcomes and Measures Tau prions were measured using a cell-based assay. Neuropathology was measured by determining the percentage area positive for immunostaining in defined brain regions. A separate cohort of mice was aged until each mouse developed neurological signs as determined by trained animal technicians to assess mortality. Results A total of 1035 mice were used in this time course study. These included PS19 mice (51.2% [126 of 246] male and 48.8% [120 of 246] female), Tg(MAPT*P301S+/+) mice (52.3% [216 of 413] male, 43.8% [181 of 413] female, and 3.9% [16 of 413] undetermined), Tg(MAPT*P301S+/-) mice (51.8% [101 of 195] male and 48.2% [94 of 195] female), and B6/J mice (49.7% [90 of 181] male and 50.3% [91 of 181] female). While considerable interanimal variability in neuropathology, disease onset, and tau prion formation in the PS19 mice was observed, all 3 measures of disease were more uniform in the Tg(MAPT*P301S+/+) mice. Comparing tau prion formation in Tg(MAPT*P301S+/+) mice with B6/J controls, the 95% CIs for the 2 mouse lines diverged before age 5 weeks, and significant (P < .05) neuropathology in the hindbrain of 24-week-old mice was quantifiable. Conclusions and Relevance The assessment of disease progression using 3 criteria showed that disease onset in PS19 mice is too variable to obtain reliable measurements for drug discovery research. However, the reproducibility of tau prion formation in young Tg(MAPT*P301S+/+) mice establishes a rapid assay for compound efficacy in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda L Woerman
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco.,Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Smita Patel
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Sabeen A Kazmi
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Abby Oehler
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Yevgeniy Freyman
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Lloyd Espiritu
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Robert Cotter
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Julian A Castaneda
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Steven H Olson
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco.,Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Stanley B Prusiner
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco.,Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco.,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco
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16
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Mudher A, Colin M, Dujardin S, Medina M, Dewachter I, Alavi Naini SM, Mandelkow EM, Mandelkow E, Buée L, Goedert M, Brion JP. What is the evidence that tau pathology spreads through prion-like propagation? Acta Neuropathol Commun 2017; 5:99. [PMID: 29258615 PMCID: PMC5735872 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-017-0488-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 229] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging experimental evidence suggests that the spread of tau pathology in the brain in Tauopathies reflects the propagation of abnormal tau species along neuroanatomically connected brain areas. This propagation could occur through a "prion-like" mechanism involving transfer of abnormal tau seeds from a "donor cell" to a "recipient cell" and recruitment of normal tau in the latter to generate new tau seeds. This review critically appraises the evidence that the spread of tau pathology occurs via such a "prion-like" mechanism and proposes a number of recommendations for directing future research. Recommendations for definitions of frequently used terms in the tau field are presented in an attempt to clarify and standardize interpretation of research findings. Molecular and cellular factors affecting tau aggregation are briefly reviewed, as are potential contributions of physiological and pathological post-translational modifications of tau. Additionally, the experimental evidence for tau seeding and "prion-like" propagation of tau aggregation that has emerged from cellular assays and in vivo models is discussed. Propagation of tau pathology using "prion-like" mechanisms is expected to incorporate several steps including cellular uptake, templated seeding, secretion and intercellular transfer through synaptic and non-synaptic pathways. The experimental findings supporting each of these steps are reviewed. The clinical validity of these experimental findings is then debated by considering the supportive or contradictory findings from patient samples. Further, the role of physiological tau release in this scenario is examined because emerging data shows that tau is secreted but the physiological function (if any) of this secretion in the context of propagation of pathological tau seeds is unclear. Bona fide prions exhibit specific properties, including transmission from cell to cell, tissue to tissue and organism to organism. The propagation of tau pathology has so far not been shown to exhibit all of these steps and how this influences the debate of whether or not abnormal tau species can propagate in a "prion-like" manner is discussed. The exact nature of tau seeds responsible for propagation of tau pathology in human tauopathies remains controversial; it might be tightly linked to the existence of tau strains stably propagating peculiar patterns of neuropathological lesions, corresponding to the different patterns seen in human tauopathies. That this is a property shared by all seed-competent tau conformers is not yet firmly established. Further investigation is also required to clarify the relationship between propagation of tau aggregates and tau-induced toxicity. Genetic variants identified as risks factors for tauopathies might play a role in propagation of tau pathology, but many more studies are needed to document this. The contribution of selective vulnerability of neuronal populations, as an alternative to prion-like mechanisms to explain spreading of tau pathology needs to be clarified. Learning from the prion field will be helpful to enhance our understanding of propagation of tau pathology. Finally, development of better models is expected to answer some of these key questions and allow for the testing of propagation-centred therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amrit Mudher
- University of Southampton, Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, SO17 1BJ, Southampton, UK.
| | - Morvane Colin
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU-Lille, UMR-S 1172, LabEx DISTALZ, 59000, Lille, France
| | - Simon Dujardin
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Miguel Medina
- Network Center for Biomedical Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain; CIEN Foundation, Queen Sofia Foundation Alzheimer Center, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ilse Dewachter
- Dementia Research Group, BioMedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Seyedeh Maryam Alavi Naini
- Institut de Biologie Paris Seine-Laboratoire Neuroscience Paris Seine INSERM UMRS 1130, CNRS UMR 8246, UPMC UM 118 Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
| | - Eva-Maria Mandelkow
- DZNE (German Ctr. Neurodegen. Diseases), Bonn, Germany
- CAESAR Research Center, Bonn, Germany
- DESY, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Eckhard Mandelkow
- DZNE (German Ctr. Neurodegen. Diseases), Bonn, Germany
- CAESAR Research Center, Bonn, Germany
- DESY, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Luc Buée
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU-Lille, UMR-S 1172, LabEx DISTALZ, 59000, Lille, France
| | - Michel Goedert
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, CB2 0QH, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jean-Pierre Brion
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology Université Libre de Bruxelles, Faculty of Medicine, ULB Neuroscience Institute (UNI) 808, route de Lennik 1070, Brussels, Belgium.
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17
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Kneynsberg A, Combs B, Christensen K, Morfini G, Kanaan NM. Axonal Degeneration in Tauopathies: Disease Relevance and Underlying Mechanisms. Front Neurosci 2017; 11:572. [PMID: 29089864 PMCID: PMC5651019 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Accepted: 09/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Tauopathies are a diverse group of diseases featuring progressive dying-back neurodegeneration of specific neuronal populations in association with accumulation of abnormal forms of the microtubule-associated protein tau. It is well-established that the clinical symptoms characteristic of tauopathies correlate with deficits in synaptic function and neuritic connectivity early in the course of disease, but mechanisms underlying these critical pathogenic events are not fully understood. Biochemical in vitro evidence fueled the widespread notion that microtubule stabilization represents tau's primary biological role and that the marked atrophy of neurites observed in tauopathies results from loss of microtubule stability. However, this notion contrasts with the mild phenotype associated with tau deletion. Instead, an analysis of cellular hallmarks common to different tauopathies, including aberrant patterns of protein phosphorylation and early degeneration of axons, suggests that alterations in kinase-based signaling pathways and deficits in axonal transport (AT) associated with such alterations contribute to the loss of neuronal connectivity triggered by pathogenic forms of tau. Here, we review a body of literature providing evidence that axonal pathology represents an early and common pathogenic event among human tauopathies. Observations of axonal degeneration in animal models of specific tauopathies are discussed and similarities to human disease highlighted. Finally, we discuss potential mechanistic pathways other than microtubule destabilization by which disease-related forms of tau may promote axonopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Kneynsberg
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States.,Department of Translational Science and Molecular Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
| | - Benjamin Combs
- Department of Translational Science and Molecular Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
| | - Kyle Christensen
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States.,Department of Translational Science and Molecular Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
| | - Gerardo Morfini
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Nicholas M Kanaan
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States.,Department of Translational Science and Molecular Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States.,Hauenstein Neuroscience Center, Mercy Health Saint Mary's, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
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18
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Bakota L, Ussif A, Jeserich G, Brandt R. Systemic and network functions of the microtubule-associated protein tau: Implications for tau-based therapies. Mol Cell Neurosci 2017; 84:132-141. [PMID: 28318914 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2017.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2016] [Revised: 02/23/2017] [Accepted: 03/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-associated neuronal protein, whose primary role was long thought to regulate axonal microtubule assembly. Tau is subject to many posttranslational modifications and can aggregate into neurofibrillary tangles, which are considered to be a hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases collectively called "tauopathies". The most common tauopathy is Alzheimer's disease, where tau pathology correlates with sites of neurodegeneration. Tau belongs to the class of intrinsically disordered proteins, which are known to interact with many partners and are considered to be involved in various signaling, regulation and recognition processes. Thus more recent evidence indicates that tau functionally interacts with many proteins and different cellular structures, which may have an important physiological role and may be involved in neurodegenerative processes. Furthermore, tau can be released from neurons and exert functional effects on other cells. This review article weighs the evidence that tau has subtle but important systemic effects on neuronal network function by maintaining physiological neuronal transmission and synaptic plasticity, which are possibly independent from tau's microtubule modulating activities. Implications for tau-based therapeutic approaches are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lidia Bakota
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Osnabrück, Barbarastrasse 11, 49076 Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Abdala Ussif
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Osnabrück, Barbarastrasse 11, 49076 Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Gunnar Jeserich
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Osnabrück, Barbarastrasse 11, 49076 Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Roland Brandt
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Osnabrück, Barbarastrasse 11, 49076 Osnabrück, Germany.
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19
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Wobst HJ, Denk F, Oliver PL, Livieratos A, Taylor TN, Knudsen MH, Bengoa-Vergniory N, Bannerman D, Wade-Martins R. Increased 4R tau expression and behavioural changes in a novel MAPT-N296H genomic mouse model of tauopathy. Sci Rep 2017; 7:43198. [PMID: 28233851 PMCID: PMC5324134 DOI: 10.1038/srep43198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2016] [Accepted: 01/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The microtubule-associated protein tau is implicated in various neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration, which are characterized by intracellular accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau. Mutations in the tau gene MAPT cause frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17). In the human central nervous system, six tau isoforms are expressed, and imbalances in tau isoform ratios are associated with pathology. To date, few animal models of tauopathy allow for the potential influence of these protein isoforms, relying instead on cDNA-based transgene expression. Using the P1-derived artificial chromosome (PAC) technology, we created mouse lines expressing all six tau isoforms from the human MAPT locus, harbouring either the wild-type sequence or the disease-associated N296H mutation on an endogenous Mapt-/- background. Animals expressing N296H mutant tau recapitulated early key features of tauopathic disease, including a tau isoform imbalance and tau hyperphosphorylation in the absence of somatodendritic tau inclusions. Furthermore, N296H animals displayed behavioural anomalies such as hyperactivity, increased time in the open arms of the elevated plus maze and increased immobility during the tail suspension test. The mouse models described provide an excellent model to study the function of wild-type or mutant tau in a highly physiological setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heike J. Wobst
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Franziska Denk
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Peter L. Oliver
- MRC Functional Genomics Unit, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Achilleas Livieratos
- MRC Functional Genomics Unit, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Tonya N. Taylor
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Maria H. Knudsen
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Nora Bengoa-Vergniory
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - David Bannerman
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Wade-Martins
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Parkinson’s Disease Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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20
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Maj M, Hoermann G, Rasul S, Base W, Wagner L, Attems J. The Microtubule-Associated Protein Tau and Its Relevance for Pancreatic Beta Cells. J Diabetes Res 2016; 2016:1964634. [PMID: 26824039 PMCID: PMC4707345 DOI: 10.1155/2016/1964634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2015] [Accepted: 11/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Structural and biochemical alterations of the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) are associated with degenerative disorders referred to as tauopathies. We have previously shown that MAPT is present in human islets of Langerhans, human insulinomas, and pancreatic beta-cell line models, with biophysical similarities to the pathological MAPT in the brain. Here, we further studied MAPT in pancreatic endocrine tissue to better understand the mechanisms that lead to functional dysregulation of pancreatic beta cells. We found upregulation of MAPT protein expression in human insulinomas when compared to human pancreatic islets of Langerhans and an imbalance between MAPT isoforms in insulinomas tissue. We cloned one 3-repeat domain MAPT and transduced this into a beta-cell derived rodent cell line Rin-5F. Proliferation experiments showed higher growth rates and metabolic activities of cells overexpressing MAPT protein. We observed that a MAPT overexpressing cell line demonstrates altered insulin transcription, translation, and insulin secretion rates. We found the relative insulin secretion rates were significantly decreased in a MAPT overexpressing cell line and these findings could be confirmed using partial MAPT knock-down cell lines. Our findings support that MAPT may play an important role in insulin granule trafficking and indicate the importance of balanced MAPT phosphorylation and dephosphorylation for adequate insulin release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Maj
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- *Magdalena Maj:
| | - Gregor Hoermann
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Sazan Rasul
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Base
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Ludwig Wagner
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Johannes Attems
- Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 5PL, UK
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21
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The role of telomerase protein TERT in Alzheimer's disease and in tau-related pathology in vitro. J Neurosci 2015; 35:1659-74. [PMID: 25632141 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2925-14.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The telomerase reverse transcriptase protein TERT has recently been demonstrated to have a variety of functions both in vitro and in vivo, which are distinct from its canonical role in telomere extension. In different cellular systems, TERT protein has been shown to be protective through its interaction with mitochondria. TERT has previously been found in rodent neurons, and we hypothesize that it might have a protective function in adult human brain. Here, we investigated the expression of TERT at different stages of Alzheimer's disease pathology (Braak Stages I-VI) in situ and the ability of TERT to protect against oxidative damage in an in vitro model of tau pathology. Our data reveal that TERT is expressed in vitro in mouse neurons and microglia, and in vivo in the cytoplasm of mature human hippocampal neurons and activated microglia, but is absent from astrocytes. Intriguingly, hippocampal neurons expressing TERT did not contain hyperphosphorylated tau. Vice versa, neurons that expressed high levels of pathological tau did not appear to express TERT protein. TERT protein colocalized with mitochondria in the hippocampus of Alzheimer's disease brains (Braak Stage VI), as well as in cultured neurons under conditions of oxidative stress. Our in vitro data suggest that the absence of TERT increases ROS generation and oxidative damage in neurons induced by pathological tau. Together, our findings suggest that TERT protein persists in neurons of the adult human brain, where it may have a protective role against tau pathology.
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22
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Tau proteins in the temporal and frontal cortices in patients with vascular dementia. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2015; 74:148-57. [PMID: 25575131 DOI: 10.1097/nen.0000000000000157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
We previously reported that, in the brains of older patients with vascular dementia (VaD), there is a distinctive accumulation of detergent-extractable soluble amyloid-β, with a predominance of Aβ42 species. It is unclear, however, if tau proteins also accumulate in the brains of older VaD subjects. Using antibody-specific immunoassays, we assessed concentrations of total tau (t-tau) and phosphorylated tau protein, measured at 3 phosphorylated sites (i.e. Thr181, Ser202/Thr205, and Ser262), as well as synaptophysin in the temporal and frontal cortices of 18 VaD, 16 Alzheimer disease (AD), and 16 normal age-matched control subjects. There was selective loss of t-tau protein in VaD compared with controls and AD subjects (p < 0.021 and p < 0.001, respectively). In contrast, phosphorylated tau levels were similar to controls in VaD in both regions, but they were increased in the temporal lobes of patients with AD (p < 0.01 and p < 0.0001 for Ser202/Thr205 and Ser262 phosphorylated sites, respectively). The reduced t-tau in the VaD group was unrelated to any low-level neurofibrillary or amyloid pathology or age at death. These findings suggest that breaches of microvascular or microstructural tissue integrity subsequent to ischemic injury in older age may modify tau protein metabolism or phosphorylation and have effects on the burden of neurofibrillary pathology characteristic of AD.
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23
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Dujardin S, Colin M, Buée L. Invited review: Animal models of tauopathies and their implications for research/translation into the clinic. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2015; 41:59-80. [DOI: 10.1111/nan.12200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2014] [Accepted: 11/23/2014] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Simon Dujardin
- Inserm, UMR1172 Jean-Pierre Aubert Research Centre; Lille France
- Faculté de Médecine; Université de Lille; France
- Memory Clinic; CHRU; Lille France
| | - Morvane Colin
- Inserm, UMR1172 Jean-Pierre Aubert Research Centre; Lille France
- Faculté de Médecine; Université de Lille; France
- Memory Clinic; CHRU; Lille France
| | - Luc Buée
- Inserm, UMR1172 Jean-Pierre Aubert Research Centre; Lille France
- Faculté de Médecine; Université de Lille; France
- Memory Clinic; CHRU; Lille France
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24
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Kanaan NM, Himmelstein DS, Ward SM, Combs B, Binder LI. Tau Protein. Mov Disord 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-405195-9.00056-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
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25
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Ren Y, Sahara N, Giasson B, Lewis J. Tauopathy Mouse Models. Mov Disord 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-405195-9.00055-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
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26
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Baglietto-Vargas D, Kitazawa M, Le EJ, Estrada-Hernandez T, Rodriguez-Ortiz CJ, Medeiros R, Green KN, LaFerla FM. Endogenous murine tau promotes neurofibrillary tangles in 3xTg-AD mice without affecting cognition. Neurobiol Dis 2013; 62:407-15. [PMID: 24176788 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2013.10.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2013] [Revised: 10/01/2013] [Accepted: 10/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies on tauopathy animal models suggest that the concomitant expression of the endogenous murine tau delays the pathological accumulation of human tau, and interferes with the disease progression. To elucidate the role of endogenous murine tau in a model with both plaques and tangles, we developed a novel transgenic mouse model by crossing 3xTg-AD with mtauKO mice (referred to as 3xTg-AD/mtauKO mice). Therefore, this new model allows us to determine the pathological consequences of the murine tau. Here, we show that 3xTg-AD/mtauKO mice have lower tau loads in both soluble and insoluble fractions, and lower tau hyperphosphorylation level in the soluble fraction relative to 3xTg-AD mice. In the 3xTg-AD model endogenous mouse tau is hyperphosphorylated and significantly co-aggregates with human tau. Despite the deletion of the endogenous tau gene in 3xTg-AD/mtauKO mice, cognitive dysfunction was equivalent to 3xTg-AD mice, as there was no additional impairment on a spatial memory task, and thus despite increased tau phosphorylation, accumulation and NFTs in 3xTg-AD mice no further effects on cognition are seen. These findings provide better understanding about the role of endogenous tau to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology and for developing new AD models.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Baglietto-Vargas
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-4545, USA
| | - Masashi Kitazawa
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-4545, USA; Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Elaine J Le
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-4545, USA
| | - Tatiana Estrada-Hernandez
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-4545, USA
| | - Carlos J Rodriguez-Ortiz
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-4545, USA; Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Rodrigo Medeiros
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-4545, USA
| | - Kim N Green
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-4545, USA
| | - Frank M LaFerla
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-4545, USA.
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27
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Gendreau KL, Hall GF. Tangles, Toxicity, and Tau Secretion in AD - New Approaches to a Vexing Problem. Front Neurol 2013; 4:160. [PMID: 24151487 PMCID: PMC3801151 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2013.00160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2013] [Accepted: 09/26/2013] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
When the microtubule (MT)-associated protein tau is not bound to axonal MTs, it becomes hyperphosphorylated and vulnerable to proteolytic cleavage and other changes typically seen in the hallmark tau deposits (neurofibrillary tangles) of tau-associated neurodegenerative diseases (tauopathies). Neurofibrillary tangle formation is preceded by tau oligomerization and accompanied by covalent crosslinking and cytotoxicity, making tangle cytopathogenesis a natural central focus of studies directed at understanding the role of tau in neurodegenerative disease. Recent studies suggest that the formation of tau oligomers may be more closely related to tau neurotoxicity than the presence of the tangles themselves. It has also become increasingly clear that tau pathobiology involves a wide variety of other cellular abnormalities including a disruption of autophagy, vesicle trafficking mechanisms, axoplasmic transport, neuronal polarity, and even the secretion of tau, which is normally a cytosolic protein, to the extracellular space. In this review, we discuss tau misprocessing, toxicity and secretion in the context of normal tau functions in developing and mature neurons. We also compare tau cytopathology to that of other aggregation-prone proteins involved in neurodegeneration (alpha synuclein, prion protein, and APP). Finally, we consider potential mechanisms of intra- and interneuronal tau lesion spreading, an area of particular recent interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerry L Gendreau
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell , Lowell, MA , USA
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28
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Umeda T, Yamashita T, Kimura T, Ohnishi K, Takuma H, Ozeki T, Takashima A, Tomiyama T, Mori H. Neurodegenerative Disorder FTDP-17–Related Tau Intron 10 +16C→T Mutation Increases Tau Exon 10 Splicing and Causes Tauopathy in Transgenic Mice. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2013; 183:211-25. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2013.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2012] [Revised: 02/27/2013] [Accepted: 03/21/2013] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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29
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Lentiviral delivery of the human wild-type tau protein mediates a slow and progressive neurodegenerative tau pathology in the rat brain. Mol Ther 2013; 21:1358-68. [PMID: 23609018 DOI: 10.1038/mt.2013.66] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2012] [Accepted: 03/12/2013] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Most models for tauopathy use a mutated form of the Tau gene, MAPT, that is found in frontotemporal dementia with Parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17) and that leads to rapid neurofibrillary degeneration (NFD). Use of a wild-type (WT) form of human Tau protein to model the aggregation and associated neurodegenerative processes of Tau in the mouse brain has thus far been unsuccessful. In the present study, we generated an original "sporadic tauopathy-like" model in the rat hippocampus, encoding six Tau isoforms as found in humans, using lentiviral vectors (LVs) for the delivery of a human WT Tau. The overexpression of human WT Tau in pyramidal neurons resulted in NFD, the morphological characteristics and kinetics of which reflected the slow and sporadic neurodegenerative processes observed in sporadic tauopathies, unlike the rapid neurodegenerative processes leading to cell death and ghost tangles triggered by the FTDP-17 mutant Tau P301L. This new model highlights differences in the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the pathological processes induced by WT and mutant Tau and suggests that preference should be given to animal models using WT Tau in the quest to understand sporadic tauopathies.
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Abstract
AbstractRecent investigations into the etiology and pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in the past few years have expanded to include previously unexplored and/or disconnected aspects of AD and related conditions at both the cellular and systemic levels of organization. These include how AD-associated abnormalities affect the cell cycle and neuronal differentiation state and how they recruit signal transduction, membrane trafficking and protein transcytosis mechanisms to produce a neurotoxic syndrome capable of spreading itself throughout the brain. The recent expansion of AD research into intercellular and new aspects of cellular degenerative mechanisms is causing a systemic re-evaluation of AD pathogenesis, including the roles played by well-studied elements, such as the generation of Aβ and tau protein aggregates. It is also changing our view of neurodegenerative diseases as a whole. Here we propose a conceptual framework to account for some of the emerging aspects of the role of tau in AD pathogenesis.
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31
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Kitazawa M, Medeiros R, Laferla FM. Transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer disease: developing a better model as a tool for therapeutic interventions. Curr Pharm Des 2012; 18:1131-47. [PMID: 22288400 DOI: 10.2174/138161212799315786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2011] [Accepted: 12/19/2011] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia among elderly. Currently, no effective treatment is available for AD. Analysis of transgenic mouse models of AD has facilitated our understanding of disease mechanisms and provided valuable tools for evaluating potential therapeutic strategies. In this review, we will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of current mouse models of AD and the contribution towards understanding the pathological mechanisms and developing effective therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masashi Kitazawa
- School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, USA.
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32
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Abstract
Aggregation-prone proteins associated with neurodegenerative disease, such as α synuclein and β amyloid, now appear to share key prion-like features with mammalian prion protein, such as the ability to recruit normal proteins to aggregates and to translocate between neurons. These features may shed light on the genesis of stereotyped lesion development patterns in conditions such as Alzheimer disease and Lewy Body dementia. We discuss the qualifications of tau protein as a possible "prionoid" mediator of lesion spread based on recent characterizations of the secretion, uptake and transneuronal transfer of human tau isoforms in a variety of tauopathy models, and in human patients. In particular, we consider (1) the possibility that prionoid behavior of misprocessed tau in neurodegenerative disease may involve other aggregation-prone proteins, including PrP itself, and (2) whether "prionlike" tau lesion propagation might include mechanisms other than protein-protein templating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garth F Hall
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA.
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33
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Pozueta J, Lefort R, Shelanski ML. Synaptic changes in Alzheimer's disease and its models. Neuroscience 2012; 251:51-65. [PMID: 22687952 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.05.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 216] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2012] [Revised: 05/14/2012] [Accepted: 05/17/2012] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a highly prevalent neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a progressive loss of cognition and the presence of two hallmark lesions, senile plaques (SP) and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), which result from the accumulation and deposition of the β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) and the aggregation of hyperphosphorylated tau protein, respectively. Initially, it was thought that Aβ fibrils, which make up SP, were the root cause of the massive neurodegeneration usual found in AD brains. Over time, the longstanding emphasis on fibrillar Aβ deposits and neuronal death slowly gave way to a new paradigm involving soluble oligomeric forms of Aβ, which play a prominent role in triggering the cognitive deficits by specifically targeting synapses and disrupting synaptic signaling pathways. While this paradigm is widely accepted today in the AD field, the molecular details have not been fully elucidated. In this review, we address some of the important evidence, which has led to the Aβ oligomer-centric hypothesis as well as some of the key findings concerning the effects of Aβ oligomers on synapses at a morphological and functional level. Understanding how Aβ oligomers target synapses provides an important framework for ongoing AD research, which can lead to the development of successful therapeutic strategies designed to alter or perhaps reverse the course of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Pozueta
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain and Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, United States
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34
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Age-dependent axonal transport and locomotor changes and tau hypophosphorylation in a “P301L” tau knockin mouse. Neurobiol Aging 2012; 33:621.e1-621.e15. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2011.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2010] [Revised: 02/03/2011] [Accepted: 02/20/2011] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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35
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Accumulation of vesicle-associated human tau in distal dendrites drives degeneration and tau secretion in an in situ cellular tauopathy model. Int J Alzheimers Dis 2012; 2012:172837. [PMID: 22315694 PMCID: PMC3270555 DOI: 10.1155/2012/172837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2011] [Accepted: 09/15/2011] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
We used a nontransgenic cellular tauopathy model in which individual giant neurons in the lamprey CNS (ABCs) overexpress human tau isoforms cell autonomously to characterize the still poorly understood consequences of disease-associated tau processing in situ. In this model, tau colocalizes with endogenous microtubules and is nontoxic when expressed at low levels, but is misprocessed by a toxicity-associated alternative pathway when expressed above levels that saturate dendritic microtubules, causing abnormally phosphorylated, vesicle-associated tau to accumulate in ABC distal dendrites. This causes localized microtubule loss and eventually dendritic degeneration, which is preceded by tau secretion to the extracellular space. This sequence is reiterated at successively more proximal dendritic locations over time, suggesting that tau-induced dendritic degeneration is driven by distal dendritic accumulation of hyperphosphorylated, vesicle-associated tau perpetuated by localized microtubule loss. The implications for the diagnosis and treatment of human disease are discussed.
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Abstract
Considering the many differences between mice and humans, it is perhaps surprising how well mice model late-onset human neurodegenerative disease. Models of Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease show some striking similarities to the corresponding human pathologies in terms of axonal transport disruption, protein aggregation, synapse loss and some behavioural phenotypes. However, there are also major differences. To extrapolate from mouse models to human disease, we need to understand how these differences relate to intrinsic limitations of the mouse system and to the effects of transgene overexpression. In the present paper, we use examples from an amyloid-overexpression model and a mutant-tau-knockin model to illustrate what we learn from each type of approach and what the limitations are. Finally, we discuss the further contributions that knockin and similar approaches can make to understanding pathogenesis and how best to model disorders of aging in a short-lived mammal.
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Differential regional distribution of phosphorylated tau and synapse loss in the nucleus accumbens in tauopathy model mice. Neurobiol Dis 2011; 42:404-14. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2011.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2010] [Revised: 01/29/2011] [Accepted: 02/03/2011] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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Ando K, Leroy K, Héraud C, Yilmaz Z, Authelet M, Suain V, De Decker R, Brion JP. Accelerated human mutant tau aggregation by knocking out murine tau in a transgenic mouse model. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2011; 178:803-16. [PMID: 21281813 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2010.10.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2010] [Revised: 10/22/2010] [Accepted: 10/28/2010] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Many models of human tauopathies have been generated in mice by expression of a human mutant tau with maintained expression of mouse endogenous tau. Because murine tau might interfere with the toxic effects of human mutant tau, we generated a model in which a pathogenic human tau protein is expressed in the absence of wild-type tau protein, with the aim of facilitating the study of the pathogenic role of the mutant tau and to reproduce more faithfully a human tauopathy. The Tg30 line is a tau transgenic mouse model overexpressing human 1N4R double-mutant tau (P301S and G272V) that develops Alzheimer's disease-like neurofibrillary tangles in an age-dependent manner. By crossing Tg30 mice with mice invalidated for their endogenous tau gene, we obtained Tg30xtau(-/-) mice that express only exogenous human double-mutant 1N4R tau. Although Tg30xtau(-/-) mice express less tau protein compared with Tg30, they exhibit signs of decreased survival, increased proportion of sarkosyl-insoluble tau in the brain and in the spinal cord, increased number of Gallyas-positive neurofibrillary tangles in the hippocampus, increased number of inclusions in the spinal cord, and a more severe motor phenotype. Deletion of murine tau accelerated tau aggregation during aging of this mutant tau transgenic model, suggesting that murine tau could interfere with the development of tau pathology in transgenic models of human tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunie Ando
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
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39
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Troy CM, Akpan N, Jean YY. Regulation of Caspases in the Nervous System. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2011; 99:265-305. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-385504-6.00007-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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40
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Gomez-Isla T, Spires T, De Calignon A, Hyman BT. Neuropathology of Alzheimer's disease. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2010; 89:233-43. [PMID: 18631748 DOI: 10.1016/s0072-9752(07)01222-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Gomez-Isla
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
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41
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Abstract
Tau pathology is characterized by intracellular aggregates of abnormally and hyperphosphorylated tau proteins. It is encountered in many neurodegenerative disorders, but also in aging. These neurodegenerative disorders are referred to as tauopathies. Comparative biochemistry of the tau aggregates shows that they differ in both tau isoform phosphorylation and content, which enables a molecular classification of tauopathies. In conditions of dementia, NFD (neurofibrillary degeneration) severity is correlated to cognitive impairment and is often considered as neuronal death. Using tau animal models, analysis of the kinetics of tau phosphorylation, aggregation and neuronal death in parallel to electrophysiological and behavioural parameters indicates a disconnection between cognition deficits and neuronal cell death. Tau phosphorylation and aggregation are early events followed by cognitive impairment. Neuronal death is not observed before the oldest ages. A sequence of events may be the formation of toxic phosphorylated tau species, their aggregation, the formation of neurofibrillary tangles (from pre-tangles to ghost tangles) and finally neuronal cell death. This sequence will last from 15 to 25 years and one can ask whether the aggregation of toxic phosphorylated tau species is a protection against cell death. Apoptosis takes 24 h, but NFD lasts for 24 years to finally kill the neuron or rather to protect it for more than 20 years. Altogether, these data suggest that NFD is a transient state before neuronal death and that therapeutic interventions are possible at that stage.
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Götz J, Gladbach A, Pennanen L, van Eersel J, Schild A, David D, Ittner LM. Animal models reveal role for tau phosphorylation in human disease. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2010; 1802:860-71. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2009.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2009] [Revised: 09/03/2009] [Accepted: 09/07/2009] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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43
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Deletion of murine tau gene increases tau aggregation in a human mutant tau transgenic mouse model. Biochem Soc Trans 2010; 38:1001-5. [DOI: 10.1042/bst0381001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
We have reported previously a tau transgenic mouse model (Tg30tau) overexpressing human 4R1N double-mutant tau (P301S and G272V) and that develops AD (Alzheimer's disease)-like NFTs (neurofibrillary tangles) in an age-dependent manner. Since murine tau might interfere with the toxic effects of human mutant tau, we set out to analyse the phenotype of our Tg30tau model in the absence of endogenous murine tau with the aim to reproduce more faithfully a model of human tauopathy. By crossing the Tg30tau line with TauKO (tau-knockout) mice, we have obtained a new mouse line called Tg30×TauKO that expresses only exogenous human double-mutant 4R1N tau. Whereas Tg30×TauKO mice express fewer tau proteins compared with Tg30tau, they exhibit augmented sarkosyl-insoluble tau in the brain and an increased number of Gallyas-positive NFTs in the hippocampus. Taken together, exclusion of murine tau causes accelerated tau aggregation during aging of this mutant tau transgenic model.
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Koechling T, Lim F, Hernandez F, Avila J. Neuronal models for studying tau pathology. Int J Alzheimers Dis 2010; 2010. [PMID: 20721342 PMCID: PMC2915753 DOI: 10.4061/2010/528474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2010] [Accepted: 06/17/2010] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most frequent neurodegenerative disorder leading to dementia in the aged human population. It is characterized by the presence of two main pathological hallmarks in the brain: senile plaques containing β-amyloid peptide and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), consisting of fibrillar polymers of abnormally phosphorylated tau protein. Both of these histological characteristics of the disease have been simulated in genetically modified animals, which today include numerous mouse, fish, worm, and fly models of AD. The objective of this review is to present some of the main animal models that exist for reproducing symptoms of the disorder and their advantages and shortcomings as suitable models of the pathological processes. Moreover, we will discuss the results and conclusions which have been drawn from the use of these models so far and their contribution to the development of therapeutic applications for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thorsten Koechling
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (C.S.I.C.-U.A.M.), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
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Medeiros R, Baglietto-Vargas D, LaFerla FM. The role of tau in Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. CNS Neurosci Ther 2010; 17:514-24. [PMID: 20553310 DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-5949.2010.00177.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 177] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau, the microtubule-associated protein, forms insoluble filaments that accumulate as neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related tauopathies. Under physiological conditions, tau regulates the assembly and maintenance of the structural stability of microtubules. In the diseased brain, however, tau becomes abnormally hyperphosphorylated, which ultimately causes the microtubules to disassemble, and the free tau molecules aggregate into paired helical filaments. A large body of evidence suggests that tau hyperphosphorylation results from perturbation of cellular signaling, mainly through imbalance in the activities of different protein kinases and phosphatases. In AD, it appears that ß-amyloid peptide (Aß) plays a pivotal role in triggering this imbalance. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of the role of tau in AD and other tauopathies, and highlight key issues that need to be addressed to improve the success of developing novel therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Medeiros
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior and Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
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46
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Wisniewski T, Boutajangout A. Vaccination as a therapeutic approach to Alzheimer's disease. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 77:17-31. [PMID: 20101719 DOI: 10.1002/msj.20156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia worldwide. Alzheimer's disease is a member of a broad range of neurodegenerative diseases characterized pathologically by the conformational change of a normal protein into a pathological conformer with a high beta-sheet content that renders it neurotoxic. In the case of Alzheimer's disease, the normal soluble amyloid beta peptide is converted into oligomeric/fibrillar amyloid beta. The oligomeric forms of amyloid beta have been hypothesized to be the most toxic, whereas fibrillar amyloid beta becomes deposited as amyloid plaques and congophilic angiopathy, which both serve as neuropathological markers of the disease. In addition, the accumulation of abnormally phosphorylated tau as soluble toxic oligomers and as neurofibrillary tangles is a critical part of the pathology. Numerous therapeutic interventions are under investigation to prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease. Among the most exciting and advanced of these approaches is vaccination. Immunomodulation is being tried for a range of neurodegenerative disorders, with great success being reported in most model animal trials; however, the much more limited human data have shown more modest clinical success so far, with encephalitis occurring in a minority of patients treated with active immunization. The immunomodulatory approaches for neurodegenerative diseases involve targeting a self-protein, albeit in an abnormal conformation; hence, effective enhanced clearance of the disease-associated conformer has to be balanced with the potential risk of stimulating excessive toxic inflammation within the central nervous system. The design of future immunomodulatory approaches that are more focused is dependent on addressing a number of questions, including when is the best time to start immunization, what are the most appropriate targets for vaccination, and is amyloid central to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease or is it critical to target tau-related pathology also. In this review, we discuss the past experience with vaccination for Alzheimer's disease and the development of possible future strategies that target both amyloid beta-related and tau-related pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Wisniewski
- Department of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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Hanger DP, Seereeram A, Noble W. Mediators of tau phosphorylation in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Expert Rev Neurother 2010; 9:1647-66. [PMID: 19903024 DOI: 10.1586/ern.09.104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The need for disease-modifying drugs for Alzheimer's disease has become increasingly important owing to escalating disease prevalence and the associated socio-economic burden. Until recently, reducing brain amyloid accumulation has been the main therapeutic focus; however, increasing evidence suggests that targeting abnormal tau phosphorylation could be beneficial. Tau is phosphorylated by several protein kinases and this is balanced by dephosphorylation by protein phosphatases. Phosphorylation at specific sites can influence the physiological functions of tau, including its role in binding to and stabilizing the neuronal cytoskeleton. aberrant phosphorylation of tau could render it susceptible to potentially pathogenic alterations, including conformational changes, proteolytic cleavage and aggregation. While strategies that reduce tau phosphorylation in transgenic models of disease have been promising, our understanding of the mechanisms through which tau becomes abnormally phosphorylated in disease is lacking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diane P Hanger
- MRC Centre for Neurodegeneration Research, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience (P037), De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK.
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Zilka N, Korenova M, Novak M. Misfolded tau protein and disease modifying pathways in transgenic rodent models of human tauopathies. Acta Neuropathol 2009; 118:71-86. [PMID: 19238406 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-009-0499-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2008] [Revised: 02/05/2009] [Accepted: 02/09/2009] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Human tauopathies represent a heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) that are characterized by the presence of intracellular accumulations of abnormal filaments of protein tau. Presently, AD poses an increasing public health concern, because it affects nearly 2% of the population in industrialized countries and the number of patients is expected to increase threefold within the next 50 years. Therefore, the identification of disease modifying pathways that will lead to the development of novel therapeutic approaches targeting downstream molecular events of the tauopathy is of paramount importance. In order to identify factors that may exacerbate or inhibit the disease phenotype a number of genetically modified rodent models reproducing key clinical, histopathological and molecular hallmarks of human tauopathies were developed. Current tau transgenic rodent models express as a transgene either an individual or all six human wild-type tau isoforms, mutant tau linked to FTDP-17, or structurally modified tau species derived from AD. In this review we will provide an up-to-date account of various facets of the tau neurodegenerative cascade with a special emphasis on the evolution of neurofibrillary tangles, neuronal death and neuroinflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norbert Zilka
- Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders, Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska 9, 84510 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
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Ubhi K, Rockenstein E, Doppler E, Mante M, Adame A, Patrick C, Trejo M, Crews L, Paulino A, Moessler H, Masliah E. Neurofibrillary and neurodegenerative pathology in APP-transgenic mice injected with AAV2-mutant TAU: neuroprotective effects of Cerebrolysin. Acta Neuropathol 2009; 117:699-712. [PMID: 19252918 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-009-0505-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2008] [Revised: 02/17/2009] [Accepted: 02/18/2009] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) continues to be the most common cause of cognitive and motor alterations in the aging population. Accumulation of amyloid beta (Abeta)-protein oligomers and the microtubule associated protein-TAU might be responsible for the neurological damage. We have previously shown that Cerebrolysin (CBL) reduces the synaptic and behavioral deficits in amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgenic (tg) mice by decreasing APP phosphorylation via modulation of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK3beta) and cyclin-dependent kinase-5 (CDK5) activity. These kinases also regulate TAU phosphorylation and are involved in promoting neurofibrillary pathology. In order to investigate the neuroprotective effects of CBL on TAU pathology, a new model for neurofibrillary alterations was developed using somatic gene transfer with adeno-associated virus (AAV2)-mutant (mut) TAU (P301L). The Thy1-APP tg mice (3 m/o) received bilateral injections of AAV2-mutTAU or AAV2-GFP, into the hippocampus. After 3 months, compared to non-tg controls, in APP tg mice intra-hippocampal injections with AAV2-mutTAU resulted in localized increased accumulation of phosphorylated TAU and neurodegeneration. Compared with vehicle controls, treatment with CBL in APP tg injected with AAV2-mutTAU resulted in a significant decrease in the levels of TAU phosphorylation at critical sites dependent on GSK3beta and CDK5 activity. This was accompanied by amelioration of the neurodegenerative alterations in the hippocampus. This study supports the concept that the neuroprotective effects of CBL may involve the reduction of TAU phosphorylation by regulating kinase activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiren Ubhi
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093-0624, USA
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Denk F, Wade-Martins R. Knock-out and transgenic mouse models of tauopathies. Neurobiol Aging 2009; 30:1-13. [PMID: 17590238 PMCID: PMC2806682 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2007.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2007] [Revised: 05/04/2007] [Accepted: 05/11/2007] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Tauopathies, characterized by the dysfunction and aggregation of the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT), represent some of the most devastating neurodegenerative disorders afflicting the elderly, including Alzheimer's disease and progressive supranuclear palsy. Here we review the range of Mapt knock-out and MAPT transgenic mouse models which have proven successful at providing insights into the molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease. In this overview we highlight several themes, including the insights such models provide into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of tauopathy, the direct relationship between neuropathology and behaviour, and the use of mouse models to help provide a platform for testing novel therapies. Mouse models have helped clarify the relationship between pathological forms of tau, cell death, and the emergence of disease, as well as the interaction between tau and other disease-associated molecules, such as the A beta peptide. Finally, we discuss potential future MAPT genomic DNA models to investigate the importance of alternative splicing of the MAPT locus and its role in sporadic tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Denk
- The Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7BN, United Kingdom.
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