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Niu Z, Gui X, Feng S, Reif B. Aggregation Mechanisms and Molecular Structures of Amyloid-β in Alzheimer's Disease. Chemistry 2024:e202400277. [PMID: 38888453 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202400277] [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: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 06/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Amyloid plaques are a major pathological hallmark involved in Alzheimer's disease and consist of deposits of the amyloid-β peptide (Aβ). The aggregation process of Aβ is highly complex, which leads to polymorphous aggregates with different structures. In addition to aberrant aggregation, Aβ oligomers can undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and form dynamic condensates. It has been hypothesized that these amyloid liquid droplets affect and modulate amyloid fibril formation. In this review, we briefly introduce the relationship between stress granules and amyloid protein aggregation that is associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Then we highlight the regulatory role of LLPS in Aβ aggregation and discuss the potential relationship between Aβ phase transition and aggregation. Furthermore, we summarize the current structures of Aβ oligomers and amyloid fibrils, which have been determined using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). The structural variations of Aβ aggregates provide an explanation for the different levels of toxicity, shed light on the aggregation mechanism and may pave the way towards structure-based drug design for both clinical diagnosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Niu
- School of Pharmacy, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, 475004, China
| | - Xinrui Gui
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Shuang Feng
- School of Pharmacy, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, 475004, China
| | - Bernd Reif
- Bavarian NMR Center (B NMRZ), Department of Bioscience, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Technische Universität München (TUM), Garching, 85747, Germany
- Institute of Structural Biology (STB), Helmholtz-Zentrum, München (HMGU), Neuherberg, 85764, Germany
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2
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Kozin SA, Kechko OI, Adzhubei AA, Makarov AA, Mitkevich VA. Switching On/Off Amyloid Plaque Formation in Transgenic Animal Models of Alzheimer's Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:72. [PMID: 38203242 PMCID: PMC10778642 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
A hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are the proteinaceous aggregates formed by the amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ) that is deposited inside the brain as amyloid plaques. The accumulation of aggregated Aβ may initiate or enhance pathologic processes in AD. According to the amyloid hypothesis, any agent that has the capability to inhibit Aβ aggregation and/or destroy amyloid plaques represents a potential disease-modifying drug. In 2023, a humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody (lecanemab) against the Aβ-soluble protofibrils was approved by the US FDA for AD therapy, thus providing compelling support to the amyloid hypothesis. To acquire a deeper insight on the in vivo Aβ aggregation, various animal models, including aged herbivores and carnivores, non-human primates, transgenic rodents, fish and worms were widely exploited. This review is based on the recent data obtained using transgenic animal AD models and presents experimental verification of the critical role in Aβ aggregation seeding of the interactions between zinc ions, Aβ with the isomerized Asp7 (isoD7-Aβ) and the α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey A. Kozin
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia; (O.I.K.); (A.A.A.); (A.A.M.)
| | | | | | | | - Vladimir A. Mitkevich
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia; (O.I.K.); (A.A.A.); (A.A.M.)
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3
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Alves SS, Servilha-Menezes G, Rossi L, da Silva Junior RMP, Garcia-Cairasco N. Evidence of disturbed insulin signaling in animal models of Alzheimer's disease. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105326. [PMID: 37479008 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023]
Abstract
Since glucose reuptake by neurons is mostly independent of insulin, it has been an intriguing question whether insulin has or not any roles in the brain. Consequently, the identification of insulin receptors in the central nervous system has fueled investigations of insulin functions in the brain. It is also already known that insulin can influence glucose reuptake by neurons, mostly during activities that have the highest energy demand. The identification of high density of insulin receptors in the hippocampus also suggests that insulin may present important roles related to memory. In this context, studies have reported worse performance in cognitive tests among diabetic patients. In addition, alterations in the regulation of central insulin pathways have been observed in the brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. In fact, some authors have proposed AD as a third type of diabetes and recently, our group proposed insulin resistance as a common link between different AD hypotheses. Therefore, in the present narrative review, we intend to revise and gather the evidence of disturbed insulin signaling in experimental animal models of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suélen Santos Alves
- Department of Neurosciences and Behavioral Sciences, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Brazil
| | - Gabriel Servilha-Menezes
- Department of Physiology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School - University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Brazil
| | - Leticia Rossi
- Department of Physiology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School - University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Brazil
| | - Rui Milton Patrício da Silva Junior
- Department of Physiology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School - University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Brazil; Institute of Neuroscience of Castilla y León, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Norberto Garcia-Cairasco
- Department of Neurosciences and Behavioral Sciences, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Brazil; Department of Physiology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School - University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Brazil.
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4
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I F. The unique neuropathological vulnerability of the human brain to aging. Ageing Res Rev 2023; 87:101916. [PMID: 36990284 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2023.101916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), argyrophilic grain disease (AGD), aging-related tau astrogliopathy (ARTAG), limbic predominant TDP-43 proteinopathy (LATE), and amygdala-predominant Lewy body disease (LBD) are proteinopathies that, together with hippocampal sclerosis, progressively appear in the elderly affecting from 50% to 99% of individuals aged 80 years, depending on the disease. These disorders usually converge on the same subject and associate with additive cognitive impairment. Abnormal Tau, TDP-43, and α-synuclein pathologies progress following a pattern consistent with an active cell-to-cell transmission and abnormal protein processing in the host cell. However, cell vulnerability and transmission pathways are specific for each disorder, albeit abnormal proteins may co-localize in particular neurons. All these alterations are unique or highly prevalent in humans. They all affect, at first, the archicortex and paleocortex to extend at later stages to the neocortex and other regions of the telencephalon. These observations show that the phylogenetically oldest areas of the human cerebral cortex and amygdala are not designed to cope with the lifespan of actual humans. New strategies aimed at reducing the functional overload of the human telencephalon, including optimization of dream repair mechanisms and implementation of artificial circuit devices to surrogate specific brain functions, appear promising.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferrer I
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Emeritus Researcher of the Bellvitge Institute of Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain; Biomedical Research Network of Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
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5
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Diddi S, Lohidasan S, Arulmozhi S, Mahadik KR. Standardization and Ameliorative effect of Kalyanaka ghrita in β-amyloid induced memory impairment in wistar rats. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2023; 300:115671. [PMID: 36055476 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Kalyanaka ghrita (KG) is an Ayurvedic formulation traditionally used in the treatment of Daurbalya (debility) and Smritidaurbalya (impairment of intellectual activities). Clinical studies have reported the effect of KG in the treatment of Manasmandata or Buddhimandyata which is associated with impaired learning, social adjustment and maturation. AIM OF THE STUDY The present study aims to standardization of KG and validation of its use in experimental models of neurodegeneration. MATERIALS AND METHODS KG was Standardized for biomarkers curcumin, gallic acid, tannic acid, chebulagic acid, and berberine. In male wistar rats, neurodegeneration was induced by administration of intracerebroventricular Amyloid β (Aβ1-42). The effect of KG (oral and intranasal treatment) was evaluated through behavioral parameters such as Morris water maze, social recognition test, novel object recognition, locomotor activity, and molecular parameters, brain acetylcholinesterase, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress markers, and antioxidants. Brain histopathology was performed for studying the architecture of the brain and plaque formation. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION A novel HPLC method has been developed for the standardization of KG. Treatment with KG significantly improved cognition and memory and increased brain BDNF and antioxidant status in Aβ1-42 induced rats. It also reduced brain acetylcholinesterase, oxidative stress, and inflammatory cytokines and prevented neuronal damage. There were more marked effects with intra-nasal administration compared to oral treatment. CONCLUSION The findings suggest that KG has neuroprotective potential and along with its nootropic property could be a promising therapy for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Snehalatha Diddi
- Department of Pharmacology, Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Poona College of Pharmacy, Pune, 411038, India
| | - Sathiyanarayanan Lohidasan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to Be University), Poona College of Pharmacy, Pune, 411038, India
| | - S Arulmozhi
- Department of Pharmacology, Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Poona College of Pharmacy, Pune, 411038, India.
| | - Kakasaheb R Mahadik
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to Be University), Poona College of Pharmacy, Pune, 411038, India
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Beach TG. A History of Senile Plaques: From Alzheimer to Amyloid Imaging. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2022; 81:387-413. [PMID: 35595841 DOI: 10.1093/jnen/nlac030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Senile plaques have been studied in postmortem brains for more than 120 years and the resultant knowledge has not only helped us understand the etiology and pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease (AD), but has also pointed to possible modes of prevention and treatment. Within the last 15 years, it has become possible to image plaques in living subjects. This is arguably the single greatest advance in AD research since the identification of the Aβ peptide as the major plaque constituent. The limitations and potentialities of amyloid imaging are still not completely clear but are perhaps best glimpsed through the perspective gained from the accumulated postmortem histological studies. The basic morphological classification of plaques into neuritic, cored and diffuse has been supplemented by sophisticated immunohistochemical and biochemical analyses and increasingly detailed mapping of plaque brain distribution. Changes in plaque classification and staging have in turn contributed to changes in the definition and diagnostic criteria for AD. All of this information continues to be tested by clinicopathological correlations and it is through the insights thereby gained that we will best be able to employ the powerful tool of amyloid imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas G Beach
- From the Civin Laboratory for Neuropathology, Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, Arizona, USA
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7
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Hamaguchi T, Ono K, Yamada M. Transmission of Cerebral β-Amyloidosis Among Individuals. Neurochem Res 2022; 47:2469-2477. [PMID: 35277809 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-022-03566-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Deposition of amyloid β protein (Aβ) in the brain (cerebral β-amyloidosis) is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). So far, there have been increasing number of experimental studies using AD mouse model that cerebral β-amyloidosis could be transmitted among individuals as prion-like mechanism. Furthermore, several pathological studies using autopsied patients with iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) showed that cerebral β-amyloidosis in addition to the CJD pathology could be transmitted among humans via medical procedures, such as human growth hormone derived from cadaver injection and cadaveric dura mater graft. In addition, although cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), which is Aβ deposition in the cerebral vessels, related cerebral hemorrhage rarely develops in young people, several patients with CAA-related cerebral hemorrhage under the age of 55 with histories of neurosurgeries with and without dura mater graft in early childhood have been reported. These patients might show that Aβ pathology is often recognized as Aβ-CAA rather than parenchymal Aβ deposition in the transmission of cerebral β-amyloidosis in humans, and we proposed an emerging concept, "acquired CAA". Considering that there have been several patients with acquired CAA with an incubation period from neurosurgery and the onset of CAA related cerebral hemorrhage of longer than 40 years, the number of cases is likely to increase in the future, and detailed epidemiological investigation is required. It is necessary to continue to elucidate the pathomechanisms of acquired CAA and urgently establish a method for preventing the transmission of cerebral β-amyloidosis among individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsuyoshi Hamaguchi
- Department of Neurology and Neurobiology of Aging, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, 920-8640, Japan.
| | - Kenjiro Ono
- Department of Neurology and Neurobiology of Aging, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, 920-8640, Japan.
| | - Masahito Yamada
- Department of Neurology and Neurobiology of Aging, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, 920-8640, Japan.
- Division of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kudanzaka Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
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Brown SS, Mak E, Clare I, Grigorova M, Beresford-Webb J, Walpert M, Jones E, Hong YT, Fryer TD, Coles JP, Aigbirhio FI, Tudorascu D, Cohen A, Christian BT, Handen BL, Klunk WE, Menon DK, Nestor PJ, Holland AJ, Zaman SH. Support vector machine learning and diffusion-derived structural networks predict amyloid quantity and cognition in adults with Down's syndrome. Neurobiol Aging 2022; 115:112-121. [PMID: 35418341 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2022.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Down's syndrome results from trisomy of chromosome 21, a genetic change which also confers a probable 100% risk for the development of Alzheimer's disease neuropathology (amyloid plaque and neurofibrillary tangle formation) in later life. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of diffusion-weighted imaging and connectomic modelling for predicting brain amyloid plaque burden, baseline cognition and longitudinal cognitive change using support vector regression. Ninety-five participants with Down's syndrome successfully completed a full Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB) PET-MR protocol and memory assessment at two timepoints. Our findings indicate that graph theory metrics of node degree and strength based on the structural connectome are effective predictors of global amyloid deposition. We also show that connection density of the structural network at baseline is a promising predictor of current cognitive performance. Directionality of effects were mainly significant reductions in the white matter connectivity in relation to both PiB+ status and greater rate of cognitive decline. Taken together, these results demonstrate the integral role of the white matter during neuropathological progression and the utility of machine learning methodology for non-invasively evaluating Alzheimer's disease prognosis.
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do Amaral MJ, Freire MHO, Almeida MS, Pinheiro AS, Cordeiro Y. Phase separation of the mammalian prion protein: physiological and pathological perspectives. J Neurochem 2022. [PMID: 35149997 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Abnormal phase transitions have been implicated in the occurrence of proteinopathies. Disordered proteins with nucleic acid binding ability drive the formation of reversible micron-sized condensates capable of controlling nucleic acid processing/transport. This mechanism, achieved via liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), underlies the formation of long-studied membraneless organelles (e.g., nucleolus) and various transient condensates formed by driver proteins. The prion protein (PrP) is not a classical nucleic acid-binding protein. However, it binds nucleic acids with high affinity, undergoes nucleocytoplasmic shuttling, contains a long intrinsically disordered region rich in glycines and evenly spaced aromatic residues, among other biochemical/biophysical properties of bona fide drivers of phase transitions. Because of this, our group and others have characterized LLPS of recombinant PrP. In vitro phase separation of PrP is modulated by nucleic acid aptamers, and, depending on the aptamer conformation, the liquid droplets evolve to solid-like species. Herein we discuss recent studies and previous evidence supporting PrP phase transitions. We focus on the central role of LLPS related to PrP physiology and pathology, with a special emphasis on the interaction of PrP with different ligands, such as proteins and nucleic acids, which can play a role in prion disease pathogenesis. Finally, we comment on therapeutic strategies directed at the nonfunctional phase separation that could potentially tackle prion diseases or other protein misfolding disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana J do Amaral
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | | | | | - Anderson S Pinheiro
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Yraima Cordeiro
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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10
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MacKenzie JL, Ivanova N, Nell HJ, Giordano CR, Terlecky SR, Agca C, Agca Y, Walton PA, Whitehead SN, Cechetto DF. Microglial inflammation and cognitive dysfunction in comorbid rat models of striatal ischemic stroke and alzheimer’s disease: effects of antioxidant catalase-SKL on behavioral and cellular pathology. Neuroscience 2022; 487:47-65. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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Moreno-Gonzalez I, Edwards G, Morales R, Duran-Aniotz C, Escobedo G, Marquez M, Pumarola M, Soto C. Aged Cattle Brain Displays Alzheimer's Disease-Like Pathology and Promotes Brain Amyloidosis in a Transgenic Animal Model. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 13:815361. [PMID: 35173603 PMCID: PMC8841674 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.815361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the leading causes of dementia in late life. Although the cause of AD neurodegenerative changes is not fully understood, extensive evidence suggests that the misfolding, aggregation and cerebral accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau proteins are hallmark events. Recent reports have shown that protein misfolding and aggregation can be induced by administration of small quantities of preformed aggregates, following a similar principle by which prion diseases can be transmitted by infection. In the past few years, many of the typical properties that characterize prions as infectious agents were also shown in Aβ aggregates. Interestingly, prion diseases affect not only humans, but also various species of mammals, and it has been demonstrated that infectious prions present in animal tissues, particularly cattle affected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), can infect humans. It has been reported that protein deposits resembling Aβ amyloid plaques are present in the brain of several aged non-human mammals, including monkeys, bears, dogs, and cheetahs. In this study, we investigated the presence of Aβ aggregates in the brain of aged cattle, their similarities with the protein deposits observed in AD patients, and their capability to promote AD pathological features when intracerebrally inoculated into transgenic animal models of AD. Our data show that aged cattle can develop AD-like neuropathological abnormalities, including amyloid plaques, as studied histologically. Importantly, cow-derived aggregates accelerate Aβ amyloid deposition in the brain of AD transgenic animals. Surprisingly, the rate of induction produced by administration of the cattle material was substantially higher than induction produced by injection of similar amounts of human AD material. Our findings demonstrate that cows develop seeding-competent Aβ aggregates, similarly as observed in AD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ines Moreno-Gonzalez
- Department of Neurology, Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
- Departamento Biología Celular, Genética y Fisiología, Instituto de Investigacion Biomedica de Malaga-IBIMA, Universidad de Malaga, Malaga, Spain
- Center for Biomedical Research on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile
- *Correspondence: Ines Moreno-Gonzalez
| | - George Edwards
- Department of Neurology, Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Rodrigo Morales
- Department of Neurology, Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - Claudia Duran-Aniotz
- Department of Neurology, Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
- Latin American Institute for Brain Health (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibanez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Gabriel Escobedo
- Department of Neurology, Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Mercedes Marquez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Veterinary Faculty, Animal Tissue Bank of Catalunya (BTAC), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Valles), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marti Pumarola
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Veterinary Faculty, Animal Tissue Bank of Catalunya (BTAC), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Valles), Barcelona, Spain
- Networking Research Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Valles), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Claudio Soto
- Department of Neurology, Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
- Claudio Soto
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12
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Wu Y, Wang Z, Yin J, Yang B, Fan J, Cheng Z. Association Plasma Aβ42 Levels with Alzheimer's Disease and Its Influencing Factors in Chinese Elderly Population. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2022; 18:1831-1841. [PMID: 36043117 PMCID: PMC9420413 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s374722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Intracerebral Aβ protein deposition is an important pathological mechanism of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and is one of the indicators of early diagnosis of AD. However, invasive lumbar puncture and Aβ PET are difficult to perform in primary units, resulting delays in early diagnosis of AD. In recent years, it has been found that plasma Aβ can reflect the pathological state of AD in early stage, but the results are not consistent. The objective of this study was to explore the association between plasma Aβ42 levels and AD cognitive impairment and its influencing factors in Chinese elderly population, so as to provide guidance for the clinical application of plasma Aβ42 as a blood biomarker of AD. METHODS This is a cross-sectional study based on the community population. Plasma samples were collected from 604 healthy controls (HC), 508 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 202 dementia with Alzheimer's type (DAT) patients from three cities. We analyzed the correlation between plasma Aβ42 levels and cognitive function and the influence of confounding factors on the relationship between plasma Aβ42 levels and AD. The independent influencing factors of plasma Aβ42 levels were determined by covariance and linear regression analysis. RESULTS Our results suggest that there is a special linear relationship between plasma Aβ42 and cognitive impairment of AD in Chinese elderly population, with Aβ42 levels slightly decreased in early AD and significantly increased in moderate-to-severe AD (P<0.01). There are many factors influencing the association between plasma Aβ42 levels and AD cognitive impairment, and sample source, gender and BMI are independent influencing factors of plasma Aβ42. CONCLUSION This indentifies that plasma Aβ42 may be a peripheral biomarker for AD screening in Chinese elderly population, but it is necessary to establish standardized detection methods and establish different demarcation criteria for various influencing factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Wu
- Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, The Affiliated Wuxi Mental Health Center of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiqiang Wang
- Department of Clinical Psychology, The Affiliated Wuxi Mental Health Center of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiajun Yin
- Brain Science Basic Laboratory, The Affiliated Wuxi Mental Health Center of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Bixiu Yang
- Department of Clinical Psychology, The Affiliated Wuxi Mental Health Center of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Fan
- Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, The Affiliated Wuxi Mental Health Center of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Zaohuo Cheng
- Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, The Affiliated Wuxi Mental Health Center of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
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13
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Roos TT, Garcia MG, Martinsson I, Mabrouk R, Israelsson B, Deierborg T, Kobro-Flatmoen A, Tanila H, Gouras GK. Neuronal spreading and plaque induction of intracellular Aβ and its disruption of Aβ homeostasis. Acta Neuropathol 2021; 142:669-687. [PMID: 34272583 PMCID: PMC8423700 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-021-02345-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ) is thought to have prion-like properties promoting its spread throughout the brain in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the cellular mechanism(s) of this spread remains unclear. Here, we show an important role of intracellular Aβ in its prion-like spread. We demonstrate that an intracellular source of Aβ can induce amyloid plaques in vivo via hippocampal injection. We show that hippocampal injection of mouse AD brain homogenate not only induces plaques, but also damages interneurons and affects intracellular Aβ levels in synaptically connected brain areas, paralleling cellular changes seen in AD. Furthermore, in a primary neuron AD model, exposure of picomolar amounts of brain-derived Aβ leads to an apparent redistribution of Aβ from soma to processes and dystrophic neurites. We also observe that such neuritic dystrophies associate with plaque formation in AD-transgenic mice. Finally, using cellular models, we propose a mechanism for how intracellular accumulation of Aβ disturbs homeostatic control of Aβ levels and can contribute to the up to 10,000-fold increase of Aβ in the AD brain. Our data indicate an essential role for intracellular prion-like Aβ and its synaptic spread in the pathogenesis of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas T Roos
- Experimental Dementia Research Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Megg G Garcia
- Experimental Dementia Research Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Experimental Neuroinflammation Laboratory, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Isak Martinsson
- Experimental Dementia Research Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Rana Mabrouk
- A. I. Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Bodil Israelsson
- Experimental Dementia Research Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Tomas Deierborg
- Experimental Neuroinflammation Laboratory, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | | | - Heikki Tanila
- A. I. Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Gunnar K Gouras
- Experimental Dementia Research Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
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14
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Transmission of cerebral amyloid pathology by peripheral administration of misfolded Aβ aggregates. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:5690-5701. [PMID: 34002023 PMCID: PMC8595465 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01150-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2020] [Revised: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Previous reports showed that brain Aβ amyloidosis can be induced in animal models by exogenous administration of pre-formed aggregates. To date, only intra-peritoneal and intra-venous administrations are described as effective means to peripherally accelerate brain Aβ amyloidosis by seeding. Here, we show that cerebral accumulation of Aβ can be accelerated after exposing mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) to Aβ seeds by different peripheral routes of administration, including intra-peritoneal and intra-muscular. Interestingly, animals receiving drops of brain homogenate laden with Aβ seeds in the eyes were efficiently induced. On the contrary, oral administration of large quantities of brain extracts from aged transgenic mice and AD patients did not have any effect in brain pathology. Importantly, pathological induction by peripheral administration of Aβ seeds generated a large proportion of aggregates in blood vessels, suggesting vascular transport. This information highlights the role of peripheral tissues and body fluids in AD-related pathological changes.
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15
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Levit A, Gibson A, Hough O, Jung Y, Agca Y, Agca C, Hachinski V, Allman BL, Whitehead SN. Precocious White Matter Inflammation and Behavioural Inflexibility Precede Learning and Memory Impairment in the TgAPP21 Rat Model of Alzheimer Disease. Mol Neurobiol 2021; 58:5014-5030. [PMID: 34232476 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-021-02476-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Neuroinflammation and behavioural inflexibility are both common in late adulthood but far more profound in Alzheimer disease (AD). To investigate the relationship between ageing, AD, neuroinflammation, and behavioural flexibility, male wild-type Fischer 344 (Wt) and the transgenic APP21 (TgAPP21) rats were aged to 4, 8, 13, and 22 months and evaluated for neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment. TgAPP21 rats overexpress a pathogenic variant of the human amyloid precursor protein (hAPP; Swedish and Indiana mutations) but do not spontaneously develop overt pathology related to AD. In both genotypes, learning and memory were similarly impaired in older rats. However, at 8 months of age, TgAPP21 rats demonstrated behavioural inflexibility in set shifting, reversal, and the Morris water maze, while Wt rats showed inflexibility at 13 and 22 months of age. This early inflexibility in TgAPP21 rats was accompanied by a precocious increase in microglia activation within the corpus callosum; 8- and 13-month-old TgAPP21 rats had similar levels of microglia activation as 13- and 22-month-old Wt rats, respectively. However, while neuroinflammation within the white matter continued to progress with age, behavioural inflexibility peaked in 8-month-old TgAPP21 rats; in older TgAPP21 rats, memory and learning impairments masked inflexibility. These findings suggest that the behavioural inflexibility and white matter inflammation seen in normal ageing are accelerated in AD and may precede impairments of learning and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Levit
- Vulnerable Brain Laboratory, Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Andrew Gibson
- Vulnerable Brain Laboratory, Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Olivia Hough
- Vulnerable Brain Laboratory, Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Youngkyung Jung
- Vulnerable Brain Laboratory, Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Yuksel Agca
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Cansu Agca
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Vladimir Hachinski
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University Hospital, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5C1, Canada
| | - Brian L Allman
- Vulnerable Brain Laboratory, Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Shawn N Whitehead
- Vulnerable Brain Laboratory, Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University Hospital, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5C1, Canada.
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16
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Contiliani DF, Ribeiro YDA, de Moraes VN, Pereira TC. MicroRNAs in Prion Diseases-From Molecular Mechanisms to Insights in Translational Medicine. Cells 2021; 10:1620. [PMID: 34209482 PMCID: PMC8307047 DOI: 10.3390/cells10071620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules able to post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression via base-pairing with partially complementary sequences of target transcripts. Prion diseases comprise a singular group of neurodegenerative conditions caused by endogenous, misfolded pathogenic (prion) proteins, associated with molecular aggregates. In humans, classical prion diseases include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, fatal familial insomnia, Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome, and kuru. The aim of this review is to present the connections between miRNAs and prions, exploring how the interaction of both molecular actors may help understand the susceptibility, onset, progression, and pathological findings typical of such disorders, as well as the interface with some prion-like disorders, such as Alzheimer's. Additionally, due to the inter-regulation of prions and miRNAs in health and disease, potential biomarkers for non-invasive miRNA-based diagnostics, as well as possible miRNA-based therapies to restore the levels of deregulated miRNAs on prion diseases, are also discussed. Since a cure or effective treatment for prion disorders still pose challenges, miRNA-based therapies emerge as an interesting alternative strategy to tackle such defying medical conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danyel Fernandes Contiliani
- Graduate Program of Genetics, Department of Genetics, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, Ribeirao Preto 3900, Brazil; (D.F.C.); (Y.d.A.R.); (V.N.d.M.)
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, Ribeirao Preto 3900, Brazil
| | - Yasmin de Araújo Ribeiro
- Graduate Program of Genetics, Department of Genetics, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, Ribeirao Preto 3900, Brazil; (D.F.C.); (Y.d.A.R.); (V.N.d.M.)
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, Ribeirao Preto 3900, Brazil
| | - Vitor Nolasco de Moraes
- Graduate Program of Genetics, Department of Genetics, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, Ribeirao Preto 3900, Brazil; (D.F.C.); (Y.d.A.R.); (V.N.d.M.)
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, Ribeirao Preto 3900, Brazil
| | - Tiago Campos Pereira
- Graduate Program of Genetics, Department of Genetics, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, Ribeirao Preto 3900, Brazil; (D.F.C.); (Y.d.A.R.); (V.N.d.M.)
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, Ribeirao Preto 3900, Brazil
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17
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Scherpelz KP, Wang S, Pytel P, Madhurapantula RS, Srivastava AK, Sachleben JR, Orgel J, Ishii Y, Meredith SC. Atomic-level differences between brain parenchymal- and cerebrovascular-seeded Aβ fibrils. Sci Rep 2021; 11:247. [PMID: 33420184 PMCID: PMC7794565 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80042-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is characterized by neuritic plaques, the main protein components of which are β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides deposited as β-sheet-rich amyloid fibrils. Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy (CAA) consists of cerebrovascular deposits of Aβ peptides; it usually accompanies Alzheimer's disease, though it sometimes occurs in the absence of neuritic plaques, as AD also occurs without accompanying CAA. Although neuritic plaques and vascular deposits have similar protein compositions, one of the characteristic features of amyloids is polymorphism, i.e., the ability of a single pure peptide to adopt multiple conformations in fibrils, depending on fibrillization conditions. For this reason, we asked whether the Aβ fibrils in neuritic plaques differed structurally from those in cerebral blood vessels. To address this question, we used seeding techniques, starting with amyloid-enriched material from either brain parenchyma or cerebral blood vessels (using meninges as the source). These amyloid-enriched preparations were then added to fresh, disaggregated solutions of Aβ to make replicate fibrils, as described elsewhere. Such fibrils were then studied by solid-state NMR, fiber X-ray diffraction, and other biophysical techniques. We observed chemical shift differences between parenchymal vs. vascular-seeded replicate fibrils in select sites (in particular, Ala2, Phe4, Val12, and Gln15 side chains) in two-dimensional 13C-13C correlation solid-state NMR spectra, strongly indicating structural differences at these sites. X-ray diffraction studies also indicated that vascular-seeded fibrils displayed greater order than parenchyma-seeded fibrils in the "side-chain dimension" (~ 10 Å reflection), though the "hydrogen-bond dimensions" (~ 5 Å reflection) were alike. These results indicate that the different nucleation conditions at two sites in the brain, parenchyma and blood vessels, affect the fibril products that get formed at each site, possibly leading to distinct pathophysiological outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Songlin Wang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois At Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA
| | - Peter Pytel
- Department of Pathology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Rama S Madhurapantula
- Department of Biology and Biomedical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Atul K Srivastava
- Department of Pathology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Joseph R Sachleben
- Biomolecular NMR Facility, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Joseph Orgel
- Department of Biology and Biomedical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Yoshitaka Ishii
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 226-8503, Japan
| | - Stephen C Meredith
- Department of Pathology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
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18
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Catania M, Di Fede G. One or more β-amyloid(s)? New insights into the prion-like nature of Alzheimer's disease. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2020; 175:213-237. [PMID: 32958234 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2020.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Misfolding and aggregation of proteins play a central role in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's and Lewy Body diseases, Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration and prion diseases. Increasing evidence supports the view that Aβ and tau, which are the two main molecular players in AD, share with the prion protein several "prion-like" features that can be relevant for disease pathogenesis. These features essentially include structural/conformational/biochemical variations, resistance to degradation by endogenous proteases, seeding ability, attitude to form neurotoxic assemblies, spreading and propagation of toxic aggregates, transmissibility of tau- and Aβ-related pathology to animal models. Following this view, part of the recent scientific literature has generated a new reading frame for AD pathophysiology, based on the application of the prion paradigm to the amyloid cascade hypothesis in an attempt to definitely explain the key events causing the disease and inducing its occurrence under different clinical phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcella Catania
- Neurology 5 / Neuropathology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Di Fede
- Neurology 5 / Neuropathology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy.
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19
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Presence of intrinsically disordered proteins can inhibit the nucleation phase of amyloid fibril formation of Aβ(1-42) in amino acid sequence independent manner. Sci Rep 2020; 10:12334. [PMID: 32703978 PMCID: PMC7378830 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69129-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The molecular shield effect was studied for intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) that do not adopt compact and stable protein folds. IDPs are found among many stress-responsive gene products and cryoprotective- and drought-protective proteins. We recently reported that some fragments of human genome-derived IDPs are cryoprotective for cellular enzymes, despite a lack of relevant amino acid sequence motifs. This sequence-independent IDP function may reflect their molecular shield effect. This study examined the inhibitory activity of IDPs against fibril formation in an amyloid beta peptide (Aβ(1–42)) model system. Four of five human genome-derived IDPs (size range 20 to 44 amino acids) showed concentration-dependent inhibition of amyloid formation (IC50 range between 60 and 130 μM against 20 μM Aβ(1–42)). The IC50 value was two orders of magnitude lower than that of polyethylene-glycol and dextran, used as neutral hydrophilic polymer controls. Nuclear magnetic resonance with 15 N-labeled Aβ(1–42) revealed no relevant molecular interactions between Aβ(1–42) and IDPs. The inhibitory activities were abolished by adding external amyloid-formation seeds. Therefore, IDPs seemed to act only at the amyloid nucleation phase but not at the elongation phase. These results suggest that IDPs (0.1 mM or less) have a molecular shield effect that prevents aggregation of susceptible molecules.
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20
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Levit A, Cheng S, Hough O, Liu Q, Agca Y, Agca C, Hachinski V, Whitehead SN. Hypertension and Pathogenic hAPP Independently Induce White Matter Astrocytosis and Cognitive Impairment in the Rat. Front Aging Neurosci 2020; 12:82. [PMID: 32351378 PMCID: PMC7174625 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.00082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Hypertension is recognized as a risk factor for Alzheimer disease, but the causal link remains undetermined. Although astrocytes and microglia play an important role in maintaining the neurovascular unit, astrocytes and microglia have been understudied in comorbid models of hypertension and Alzheimer disease. In this study, male transgenic Fischer 344 rats (TgAPP21) overexpressing a pathogenic human amyloid precursor protein received 8 weeks of Angiotensin II infusion to increase blood pressure, and the rats were evaluated for astrocytosis, microgliosis, and cognitive function. A linear relationship between astrocytosis and blood pressure was observed in the corpus callosum and cingulum of wildtype rats, with hypertensive wildtype rats matching the elevated baseline astrocytosis seen in normotensive transgenic rats. In contrast, hypertensive transgenic rats did not demonstrate a further increase of astrocytosis, suggesting a deficient response. Angiotensin II infusion did not affect activation of microglia, which were elevated in the white matter and hippocampus of transgenic rats. Angiotensin II infusion did impair both wildtype and transgenic rats’ executive functions in the Morris Water Maze. These results present important implications for the interaction between hypertension and pathogenic human amyloid precursor protein expression, as Angiotensin II infusion produced cognitive impairments in both genotypes, but transgenic rats were additionally impaired in developing a normal astrocytic response to elevated blood pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Levit
- Vulnerable Brain Lab, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Sonny Cheng
- Vulnerable Brain Lab, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Olivia Hough
- Vulnerable Brain Lab, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Qingfan Liu
- Vulnerable Brain Lab, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Yuksel Agca
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Cansu Agca
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Vladimir Hachinski
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University Hospital, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Shawn N Whitehead
- Vulnerable Brain Lab, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.,Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University Hospital, Western University, London, ON, Canada
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McAllister BB, Lacoursiere SG, Sutherland RJ, Mohajerani MH. Intracerebral seeding of amyloid-β and tau pathology in mice: Factors underlying prion-like spreading and comparisons with α-synuclein. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 112:1-27. [PMID: 31996301 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Revised: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized neuropathologically by progressive neurodegeneration and by the presence of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. These plaques and tangles are composed, respectively, of amyloid-beta (Aβ) and tau proteins. While long recognized as hallmarks of AD, it remains unclear what causes the formation of these insoluble deposits. One theory holds that prion-like templated misfolding of Aβ and tau induces these proteins to form pathological aggregates, and propagation of this misfolding causes the stereotyped progression of pathology commonly seen in AD. Supporting this theory, numerous studies have been conducted in which aggregated Aβ, tau, or α-synuclein is injected intracerebrally into pathology-free host animals, resulting in robust formation of pathology. Here, we review this literature, focusing on in vivo intracerebral seeding of Aβ and tau in mice. We compare the results of these experiments to what is known about the seeding and spread of α-synuclein pathology, and we discuss how this research informs our understanding of the factors underlying the onset, progression, and outcomes of proteinaceous pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan B McAllister
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Sean G Lacoursiere
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Robert J Sutherland
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada.
| | - Majid H Mohajerani
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada.
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22
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Ivanova N, Liu Q, Agca C, Agca Y, Noble EG, Whitehead SN, Cechetto DF. White matter inflammation and cognitive function in a co-morbid metabolic syndrome and prodromal Alzheimer's disease rat model. J Neuroinflammation 2020; 17:29. [PMID: 31964387 PMCID: PMC6975033 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-020-1698-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Metabolic syndrome, the development of which is associated with high-caloric Western diet (HCD) intake, represent a risk factor for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia including Alzheimer's disease (AD) later in life. This study aimed to investigate the effect of diet-induced metabolic disturbances on white matter neuroinflammation and cognitive function in a transgenic (TG) Fischer 344 rat carrying a human β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene with Swedish and Indiana mutations (APP21 TG), a model of pre-AD and MCI. METHODS TG and wildtype (WT) rats received either a HCD with 40% kJ from fat supplemented with 20% corn syrup drink or a standard diet for 12 weeks. Body weight, caloric intake, and blood pressure were measured repeatedly. End-point changes in glucose and lipid metabolism were also assessed. Open field task was used for assessment of activity; Morris water maze was used to assess spatial learning and memory. Cerebral white matter microglia and astrocytes, hippocampal neurons, and neuronal synapses were examined using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Rats maintained on the HCD developed significant obesity, visceral adiposity, dyslipidemia, and hyperinsulinemia, but did not become hypertensive. Impaired glucose tolerance was observed only in WT rats on the HCD. Total microglia number, activated OX-6+ microglia, as well as GFAP+ astrocytes located predominantly in the white matter were greater in the APP21 TG rat model in comparison to WT rats. HCD-driven metabolic perturbations further exacerbated white matter microgliosis and microglia cell activation in the APP21 TG rats and led to detectable changes in spatial reference memory in the comorbid prodromal AD and metabolic syndrome group compared to WT control rats. Neuronal density in the CA1 subregion of the hippocampus was not different between the experimental groups. Synaptic density in the CA1 and CA3 hippocampal subregions was lower in the TG rats compared to WT rats; however, there was no additional effect of the co-morbidity on this measure. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that white matter neuroinflammation might be one of the possible processes of early interaction of metabolic syndrome with MCI and pre-AD and could be one of the early brain pathologies contributing to cognitive deficits observed in mild cognitive impairment and dementia, including AD cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadezda Ivanova
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N6A 5C1, Canada.
| | - Qingfan Liu
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N6A 5C1, Canada
| | - Cansu Agca
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Yuksel Agca
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Earl G Noble
- School of Kinesiology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Shawn Narain Whitehead
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N6A 5C1, Canada
| | - David Floyd Cechetto
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N6A 5C1, Canada
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24
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Friesen M, Meyer-Luehmann M. Aβ Seeding as a Tool to Study Cerebral Amyloidosis and Associated Pathology. Front Mol Neurosci 2019; 12:233. [PMID: 31632238 PMCID: PMC6783493 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Misfolded proteins can form aggregates and induce a self-perpetuating process leading to the amplification and spreading of pathological protein assemblies. These misfolded protein assemblies act as seeds of aggregation. In an in vivo exogenous seeding model, both the features of seeds and the position at which seeding originates are precisely defined. Ample evidence from studies on intracerebal injection of amyloid-beta (Aβ)-rich brain extracts suggests that Aβ aggregation can be initiated by prion-like seeding. In this mini-review article, we will summarize the past and current literature on Aβ seeding in mouse models of AD and discuss its implementation as a tool to study cerebral amyloidosis and associated pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Friesen
- Department of Neurology/Neurodegeneration, Medical Center—University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Melanie Meyer-Luehmann
- Department of Neurology/Neurodegeneration, Medical Center—University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Center for Basics in NeuroModulation (NeuroModulBasics), Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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25
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Levit A, Regis AM, Gibson A, Hough OH, Maheshwari S, Agca Y, Agca C, Hachinski V, Allman BL, Whitehead SN. Impaired behavioural flexibility related to white matter microgliosis in the TgAPP21 rat model of Alzheimer disease. Brain Behav Immun 2019; 80:25-34. [PMID: 30776475 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2019.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2018] [Revised: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Executive dysfunction and white matter inflammation continue to be relatively understudied in rodent models of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Behavioural inflexibility is an important component of executive dysfunction that can be further categorized as perseverative or regressive, which respectively specify whether maladaptive persistence occurs early or late during a behavioural change. Previous studies of the TgAPP21 rat model of AD (expressing pathogenic hAPP) suggested a potentially spontaneous increase of regressive behavioral inflexibility. In this study, 7-8-month-old male TgAPP21 rats were tested for behavioral flexibility, learning, and memory using an operant conditioning chamber and the Morris Water Maze (MWM). TgAPP21 rats demonstrated a regressive behavioral inflexibility during set shifting in an operant conditioning chamber (regressive errors η2 = 0.32 and number of errors after criterion η2 = 0.33). Regressive behavior was also demonstrated in the MWM probe test, wherein TgAPP21 rats significantly increased their swim time in the target quadrant during the last third of the probe test (43% vs 33% in the first 2 thirds of the probe test or the Wt rats' 29%-32%); this behavioral phenotype has not been previously described in the MWM. TgAPP21 demonstrated further impairment of behavioural inflexibility as they committed a greater number of reversal errors in the operant conditioning chamber (η2 = 0.30). Diffuse microglia activation was increased in the white matter tracts of TgAPP21 (corpus callosum, cingulum, and internal capsule; η2 = 0.59-0.62), which was found to correlate with the number of reversal errors in the operant conditioning chamber (R2 = 0.42). As TgAPP21 rats do not spontaneously develop amyloid plaques but have been shown in previous studies to be vulnerable to the development of plaques, these rats demonstrate an important onset of cognitive change and inflammation in the pre-plaque phase of AD. TgAPP21 rats are also an instrumental model for studying the role and mechanism of white matter microglial activation in executive functioning. This is pertinent to clinical research of prodromal AD which has suggested that white matter inflammation may underlie impairment of executive functions such as behavioral flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Levit
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Aaron M Regis
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Andrew Gibson
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Olivia H Hough
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Shikhar Maheshwari
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Yuksel Agca
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Cansu Agca
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Vladimir Hachinski
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University Hospital, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Brian L Allman
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Shawn N Whitehead
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada; Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University Hospital, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
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26
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Ossenkoppele R, Iaccarino L, Schonhaut DR, Brown JA, La Joie R, O'Neil JP, Janabi M, Baker SL, Kramer JH, Gorno-Tempini ML, Miller BL, Rosen HJ, Seeley WW, Jagust WJ, Rabinovici GD. Tau covariance patterns in Alzheimer's disease patients match intrinsic connectivity networks in the healthy brain. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2019; 23:101848. [PMID: 31077982 PMCID: PMC6510968 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2018] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
According to the network model of neurodegeneration, the spread of pathogenic proteins occurs selectively along connected brain regions. We tested in vivo whether the distribution of filamentous tau (measured with [18F]flortaucipir-PET), fibrillar amyloid-β ([11C]PIB-PET) and glucose hypometabolism ([18F]FDG-PET) follows the intrinsic functional organization of the healthy brain. We included 63 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD; 30 male, 63 ± 8 years) who underwent [18F]flortaucipir, [11C]PIB and [18F]FDG PET, and 1000 young adults (427 male, 21 ± 3 years) who underwent task-free fMRI. We selected six predefined disease epicenters as seeds for whole-brain voxelwise covariance analyses to compare correlated patterns of tracer uptake across AD patients against fMRI intrinsic connectivity patterns in young adults. We found a striking convergence between [18F]flortaucipir covariance patterns and intrinsic connectivity maps (range Spearman rho's: 0.32-0.78, p < .001), which corresponded with expected functional networks (range goodness-of-fit: 3.8-8.2). The topography of amyloid-β covariance patterns was more diffuse and less network-specific, while glucose hypometabolic patterns were more spatially restricted than tau but overlapped with functional networks. These findings suggest that the spatial patterns of tau and glucose hypometabolism observed in AD resemble the functional organization of the healthy brain, supporting the notion that tau pathology spreads through circumscribed brain networks and drives neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rik Ossenkoppele
- Memory and Aging Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Department of Neurology & Alzheimer Center, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands.
| | - Leonardo Iaccarino
- Memory and Aging Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Daniel R Schonhaut
- Memory and Aging Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Jesse A Brown
- Memory and Aging Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Renaud La Joie
- Memory and Aging Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - James P O'Neil
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Mustafa Janabi
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Suzanne L Baker
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Joel H Kramer
- Memory and Aging Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | | | - Bruce L Miller
- Memory and Aging Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Howard J Rosen
- Memory and Aging Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - William W Seeley
- Memory and Aging Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Department of Pathology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - William J Jagust
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Gil D Rabinovici
- Memory and Aging Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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27
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Scialò C, De Cecco E, Manganotti P, Legname G. Prion and Prion-Like Protein Strains: Deciphering the Molecular Basis of Heterogeneity in Neurodegeneration. Viruses 2019; 11:E261. [PMID: 30875755 PMCID: PMC6466326 DOI: 10.3390/v11030261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that neurodegenerative disorders share a common pathogenic feature: the presence of deposits of misfolded proteins with altered physicochemical properties in the Central Nervous System. Despite a lack of infectivity, experimental data show that the replication and propagation of neurodegenerative disease-related proteins including amyloid-β (Aβ), tau, α-synuclein and the transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43) share a similar pathological mechanism with prions. These observations have led to the terminology of "prion-like" to distinguish between conditions with noninfectious characteristics but similarities with the prion replication and propagation process. Prions are considered to adapt their conformation to changes in the context of the environment of replication. This process is known as either prion selection or adaptation, where a distinct conformer present in the initial prion population with higher propensity to propagate in the new environment is able to prevail over the others during the replication process. In the last years, many studies have shown that prion-like proteins share not only the prion replication paradigm but also the specific ability to aggregate in different conformations, i.e., strains, with relevant clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic implications. This review focuses on the molecular basis of the strain phenomenon in prion and prion-like proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Scialò
- Laboratory of Prion Biology, Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), 34136 Trieste, Italy.
| | - Elena De Cecco
- Laboratory of Prion Biology, Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), 34136 Trieste, Italy.
| | - Paolo Manganotti
- Clinical Unit of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University Hospital and Health Services of Trieste, University of Trieste, 34149 Trieste, Italy.
| | - Giuseppe Legname
- Laboratory of Prion Biology, Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), 34136 Trieste, Italy.
- ELETTRA Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A, Basovizza, 34149 Trieste, Italy.
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28
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Galkin AP, Velizhanina ME, Sopova YV, Shenfeld AA, Zadorsky SP. Prions and Non-infectious Amyloids of Mammals - Similarities and Differences. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2018; 83:1184-1195. [PMID: 30472956 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297918100048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Amyloids are highly ordered aggregates of protein fibrils exhibiting cross-β structure formed by intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Pathological amyloid deposition is associated with the development of several socially significant incurable human diseases. Of particular interest are infectious amyloids, or prions, that cause several lethal neurodegenerative diseases in humans and can be transmitted from one organism to another. Because of almost complete absence of criteria for infectious and non-infectious amyloids, there is a lack of consensus, especially, in the definition of similarities and differences between prions and non-infectious amyloids. In this review, we formulated contemporary molecular-biological criteria for identification of prions and non-infectious amyloids and focused on explaining the differences between these two types of molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- A P Galkin
- St. Petersburg Branch of Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia. .,St. Petersburg State University, Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
| | - M E Velizhanina
- St. Petersburg State University, Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
| | - Yu V Sopova
- St. Petersburg Branch of Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia.,St. Petersburg State University, Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
| | - A A Shenfeld
- St. Petersburg Branch of Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia.,St. Petersburg State University, Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
| | - S P Zadorsky
- St. Petersburg Branch of Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia. .,St. Petersburg State University, Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
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29
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Kozin SA, Barykin EP, Mitkevich VA, Makarov AA. Anti-amyloid Therapy of Alzheimer's Disease: Current State and Prospects. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2018; 83:1057-1067. [PMID: 30472944 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297918090079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Drug development for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been for a long time focused on agents that were expected to support endogenous β-amyloid (Aβ) in a monomeric state and destroy soluble Aβ oligomers and insoluble Aβ aggregates. However, this strategy has failed over the last 20 years and was eventually abandoned. In this review, we propose a new approach to the anti-amyloid AD therapy based on the latest achievements in understanding molecular causes of cerebral amyloidosis in AD animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- S A Kozin
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - E P Barykin
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - V A Mitkevich
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
| | - A A Makarov
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
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30
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Rangachari V, Dean DN, Rana P, Vaidya A, Ghosh P. Cause and consequence of Aβ - Lipid interactions in Alzheimer disease pathogenesis. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOMEMBRANES 2018; 1860:1652-1662. [PMID: 29526709 PMCID: PMC6133763 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2018.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2017] [Revised: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 03/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Self-templating propagation of protein aggregate conformations is increasingly becoming a significant factor in many neurological diseases. In Alzheimer disease (AD), intrinsically disordered amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides undergo aggregation that is sensitive to environmental conditions. High-molecular weight aggregates of Aβ that form insoluble fibrils are deposited as senile plaques in AD brains. However, low-molecular weight aggregates called soluble oligomers are known to be the primary toxic agents responsible for neuronal dysfunction. The aggregation process is highly stochastic involving both homotypic (Aβ-Aβ) and heterotypic (Aβ with interacting partners) interactions. Two of the important members of interacting partners are membrane lipids and surfactants, to which Aβ shows a perpetual association. Aβ-membrane interactions have been widely investigated for more than two decades, and this research has provided a wealth of information. Although this has greatly enriched our understanding, the objective of this review is to consolidate the information from the literature that collectively showcases the unique phenomenon of lipid-mediated Aβ oligomer generation, which has largely remained inconspicuous. This is especially important because Aβ aggregate "strains" are increasingly becoming relevant in light of the correlations between the structure of aggregates and AD phenotypes. Here, we will focus on aspects of Aβ-lipid interactions specifically from the context of how lipid modulation generates a wide variety of biophysically and biochemically distinct oligomer sub-types. This, we believe, will refocus our thinking on the influence of lipids and open new approaches in delineating the mechanisms of AD pathogenesis. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Protein Aggregation and Misfolding at the Cell Membrane Interface edited by Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijayaraghavan Rangachari
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA.
| | - Dexter N Dean
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA
| | - Pratip Rana
- Department of Computer Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
| | - Ashwin Vaidya
- Department of Mathematical Science, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA
| | - Preetam Ghosh
- Department of Computer Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
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31
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Blood-derived amyloid-β protein induces Alzheimer's disease pathologies. Mol Psychiatry 2018; 23:1948-1956. [PMID: 29086767 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2017.204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Revised: 08/04/2017] [Accepted: 08/09/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The amyloid-β protein (Aβ) protein plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is believed that Aβ deposited in the brain originates from the brain tissue itself. However, Aβ is generated in both brain and peripheral tissues. Whether circulating Aβ contributes to brain AD-type pathologies remains largely unknown. In this study, using a model of parabiosis between APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic AD mice and their wild-type littermates, we observed that the human Aβ originated from transgenic AD model mice entered the circulation and accumulated in the brains of wild-type mice, and formed cerebral amyloid angiopathy and Aβ plaques after a 12-month period of parabiosis. AD-type pathologies related to the Aβ accumulation including tau hyperphosphorylation, neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation and microhemorrhage were found in the brains of the parabiotic wild-type mice. More importantly, hippocampal CA1 long-term potentiation was markedly impaired in parabiotic wild-type mice. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to reveal that blood-derived Aβ can enter the brain, form the Aβ-related pathologies and induce functional deficits of neurons. Our study provides novel insight into AD pathogenesis and provides evidence that supports the development of therapies for AD by targeting Aβ metabolism in both the brain and the periphery.
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32
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Weishaupt N, Liu Q, Shin S, Singh R, Agca Y, Agca C, Hachinski V, Whitehead SN. APP21 transgenic rats develop age-dependent cognitive impairment and microglia accumulation within white matter tracts. J Neuroinflammation 2018; 15:241. [PMID: 30153843 PMCID: PMC6114740 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-018-1273-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Accepted: 08/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Most of the animal models commonly used for preclinical research into Alzheimer's disease (AD) largely fail to address the pathophysiology, including the impact of known risk factors, of the widely diagnosed sporadic form of the disease. Here, we use a transgenic rat (APP21) that does not develop AD-like pathology spontaneously with age, but does develop pathology following vascular stress. To further the potential of this novel rat model as a much-needed pre-clinical animal model of sporadic AD, we characterize APP21 transgenic rats behaviorally and histologically up to 19 months of age. METHODS The open field test was used as a measure of activity; and the Morris water maze was used to assess learning, memory, and strategy shift. Neuronal loss and microglia activation were also assessed throughout the brain. RESULTS APP21 transgenic rats showed deficits in working memory from an early age, yet memory recall performance after 24 and 72 h was equal to that of wildtype rats and did not deteriorate with age. A deficit in strategy shift was observed at 19 months of age in APP21 transgenic rats compared to Fischer wildtype rats. Histologically, APP21 transgenic rats demonstrated accelerated white matter inflammation compared to wildtype rats, but interestingly no differences in neuron loss were observed. CONCLUSIONS The combined presence of white matter pathology and executive function deficits mirrored what is often found in patients with mild cognitive impairment or early dementia, and suggests that this rat model will be useful for translationally meaningful studies into the development and prevention of sporadic AD. The presence of widespread white matter inflammation as the only observed pathological correlate for cognitive deficits raises new questions as to the role of neuroinflammation in cognitive decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Weishaupt
- Vulnerable Brain Laboratory, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St, London, Ontario N6A 5C1 Canada
| | - Qingfan Liu
- Vulnerable Brain Laboratory, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St, London, Ontario N6A 5C1 Canada
| | - Sheojung Shin
- Vulnerable Brain Laboratory, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St, London, Ontario N6A 5C1 Canada
| | - Ramandeep Singh
- Vulnerable Brain Laboratory, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St, London, Ontario N6A 5C1 Canada
| | - Yuksel Agca
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO USA
| | - Cansu Agca
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO USA
| | - Vladimir Hachinski
- Clinical Neurological Sciences, London Health Sciences Centre, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5A5 Canada
| | - Shawn Narain Whitehead
- Vulnerable Brain Laboratory, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St, London, Ontario N6A 5C1 Canada
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33
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Törnquist M, Michaels TCT, Sanagavarapu K, Yang X, Meisl G, Cohen SIA, Knowles TPJ, Linse S. Secondary nucleation in amyloid formation. Chem Commun (Camb) 2018; 54:8667-8684. [PMID: 29978862 DOI: 10.1039/c8cc02204f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 272] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Nucleation of new peptide and protein aggregates on the surfaces of amyloid fibrils of the same peptide or protein has emerged in the past two decades as a major pathway for both the generation of molecular species responsible for cellular toxicity and for the autocatalytic proliferation of peptide and protein aggregates. A key question in current research is the molecular mechanism and driving forces governing such processes, known as secondary nucleation. In this context, the analogies with other self-assembling systems for which monomer-dependent secondary nucleation has been studied for more than a century provide a valuable source of inspiration. Here, we present a short overview of this background and then review recent results regarding secondary nucleation of amyloid-forming peptides and proteins, focusing in particular on the amyloid β peptide (Aβ) from Alzheimer's disease, with some examples regarding α-synuclein from Parkinson's disease. Monomer-dependent secondary nucleation of Aβ was discovered using a combination of kinetic experiments, global analysis, seeding experiments and selective isotope-enrichment, which pinpoint the monomer as the origin of new aggregates in a fibril-catalyzed reaction. Insights into driving forces are gained from variations of solution conditions, temperature and peptide sequence. Selective inhibition of secondary nucleation is explored as an effective means to limit oligomer production and toxicity. We also review experiments aimed at finding interaction partners of oligomers generated by secondary nucleation in an ongoing aggregation process. At the end of this feature article we bring forward outstanding questions and testable mechanistic hypotheses regarding monomer-dependent secondary nucleation in amyloid formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattias Törnquist
- Lund University, Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Chemical Centre, PO Box 124, SE221 00 Lund, Sweden.
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34
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Davis AA, Leyns CEG, Holtzman DM. Intercellular Spread of Protein Aggregates in Neurodegenerative Disease. Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol 2018; 34:545-568. [PMID: 30044648 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-cellbio-100617-062636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Most neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the accumulation of protein aggregates, some of which are toxic to cells. Mounting evidence demonstrates that in several diseases, protein aggregates can pass from neuron to neuron along connected networks, although the role of this spreading phenomenon in disease pathogenesis is not completely understood. Here we briefly review the molecular and histopathological features of protein aggregation in neurodegenerative disease, we summarize the evidence for release of proteins from donor cells into the extracellular space, and we highlight some other mechanisms by which protein aggregates might be transmitted to recipient cells. We also discuss the evidence that supports a role for spreading of protein aggregates in neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis and some limitations of this model. Finally, we consider potential therapeutic strategies to target spreading of protein aggregates in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert A Davis
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA; .,Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
| | - Cheryl E G Leyns
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA; .,Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.,Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
| | - David M Holtzman
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA; .,Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.,Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
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35
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Watts JC, Prusiner SB. β-Amyloid Prions and the Pathobiology of Alzheimer's Disease. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2018; 8:cshperspect.a023507. [PMID: 28193770 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a023507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease in humans and will pose a considerable challenge to healthcare systems in the coming years. Aggregation of the β-amyloid (Aβ) peptide within the brain is thought to be an initiating event in AD pathogenesis. Many recent studies in transgenic mice have provided evidence that Aβ aggregates become self-propagating during disease, leading to a cascade of protein aggregation in the brain, which may underlie the progressive nature of AD. The ability to self-propagate and the existence of distinct "strains" reveals that Aβ aggregates exhibit many properties indistinguishable from those of prions composed of PrPSc proteins. Here, we review the evidence that Aβ can become a prion during disease and discuss how Aβ prions may be important for understanding the pathobiology of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel C Watts
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases and Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5T 2S8, Canada
| | - Stanley B Prusiner
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Departments of Neurology and of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143
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36
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Ruiz-Riquelme A, Lau HHC, Stuart E, Goczi AN, Wang Z, Schmitt-Ulms G, Watts JC. Prion-like propagation of β-amyloid aggregates in the absence of APP overexpression. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2018; 6:26. [PMID: 29615128 PMCID: PMC5883524 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-018-0529-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The amyloid cascade hypothesis posits that the initiating event in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the aggregation and deposition of the β-amyloid (Aβ) peptide, which is a proteolytic cleavage product of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Mounting evidence suggests that the formation and spread of prion-like Aβ aggregates during AD may contribute to disease progression. Inoculation of transgenic mice that overexpress APP with pre-formed Aβ aggregates results in the prion-like induction of cerebral Aβ deposition. To determine whether Aβ deposition can also be induced when physiological APP levels are present in the brain, we inoculated AppNL-F mice, a knock-in model of AD that avoids potential artifacts associated with APP overexpression, with Aβ aggregates derived from the brains of AD patients or transgenic mice. In all cases, induced Aβ deposition was apparent in the corpus callosum, olfactory bulb, and meningeal blood vessels of inoculated mice at 130-150 days post-inoculation, whereas uninoculated and buffer-inoculated animals exhibited minimal or no Aβ deposits at these ages. Interestingly, despite being predominantly composed of protease-resistant Aβ42 aggregates, the induced parenchymal Aβ deposits were largely diffuse and were unreactive to an amyloid-binding dye. These results demonstrate that APP overexpression is not a prerequisite for the prion-like induction of cerebral Aβ deposition. Accordingly, spreading of Aβ deposition may contribute to disease progression in AD patients.
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Caughlin S, Maheshwari S, Agca Y, Agca C, Harris AJ, Jurcic K, Yeung KKC, Cechetto DF, Whitehead SN. Membrane-lipid homeostasis in a prodromal rat model of Alzheimer's disease: Characteristic profiles in ganglioside distributions during aging detected using MALDI imaging mass spectrometry. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2018; 1862:1327-1338. [PMID: 29545134 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2018.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2017] [Revised: 03/02/2018] [Accepted: 03/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Accumulation of simple gangliosides GM2 and GM3, and gangliosides with longer long-chain bases (d20:1) have been linked to toxicity and the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Conversely, complex gangliosides, such as GM1, have been shown to be neuroprotective. Recent evidence using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-IMS) has demonstrated that a-series gangliosides are differentially altered during normal aging, yet it remains unclear how simple species are shifting relative to complex gangliosides in the prodromal stages of AD. METHODS Ganglioside profiles in wild-type (Wt) and transgenic APP21 Fischer rats were detected and quantified using MALDI-IMS at P0 (birth), 3, 12, and 20 months of age and each species quantified to allow for individual species comparisons. RESULTS Tg APP21 rats were found to have a decreased level of complex gangliosides in a number of brain regions as compared to Wt rats and showed higher levels of simple gangliosides. A unique pattern of expression was observed in the white matter as compared to gray matter regions, with an age-dependent decrease in GD1 d18:1 species observed and significantly elevated levels of GM3 in Tg APP21 rats. CONCLUSIONS These results are indicative of a pathological shift in ganglioside homeostasis during aging that is exacerbated in Tg APP21 rats. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE Ganglioside dysregulation may occur in the prodromal stages of neurodegenerative diseases like AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Caughlin
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Shikhar Maheshwari
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Yuksel Agca
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Cansu Agca
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Aaron J Harris
- Department of Chemistry, Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Kristina Jurcic
- Department of Chemistry, Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Ken K-C Yeung
- Department of Chemistry, Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - David F Cechetto
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Shawn N Whitehead
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
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Abstract
Senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are the principal histopathologic hallmarks of Alzheimer disease. The essential constituents of these lesions are structurally abnormal variants of normally generated proteins: Aβ protein in plaques and tau protein in tangles. At the molecular level, both proteins in a pathogenic state share key properties with classic prions, i.e., they consist of alternatively folded, β-sheet-rich forms of the proteins that autopropagate by the seeded corruption and self-assembly of like proteins. Other similarities with prions include the ability to manifest as polymorphic and polyfunctional strains, resistance to chemical and enzymatic destruction, and the ability to spread within the brain and from the periphery to the brain. In Alzheimer disease, current evidence indicates that the pathogenic cascade follows from the endogenous, sequential corruption of Aβ and then tau. Therapeutic options include reducing the production or multimerization of the proteins, uncoupling the Aβ-tauopathy connection, or promoting the inactivation or removal of anomalous assemblies from the brain. Although aberrant Aβ appears to be the prime mover of Alzheimer disease pathogenesis, once set in motion by Aβ, the prion-like propagation of tauopathy may proceed independently of Aβ; if so, Aβ might be solely targeted as an early preventive measure, but optimal treatment of Alzheimer disease at later stages of the cascade could require intervention in both pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lary C Walker
- Department of Neurology and Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.
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He Z, Guo JL, McBride JD, Narasimhan S, Kim H, Changolkar L, Zhang B, Gathagan RJ, Yue C, Dengler C, Stieber A, Nitla M, Coulter DA, Abel T, Brunden KR, Trojanowski JQ, Lee VMY. Amyloid-β plaques enhance Alzheimer's brain tau-seeded pathologies by facilitating neuritic plaque tau aggregation. Nat Med 2018; 24:29-38. [PMID: 29200205 PMCID: PMC5760353 DOI: 10.1038/nm.4443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 402] [Impact Index Per Article: 67.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 10/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by extracellular amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and intracellular tau inclusions. However, the exact mechanistic link between these two AD lesions remains enigmatic. Through injection of human AD-brain-derived pathological tau (AD-tau) into Aβ plaque-bearing mouse models that do not overexpress tau, we recapitulated the formation of three major types of AD-relevant tau pathologies: tau aggregates in dystrophic neurites surrounding Aβ plaques (NP tau), AD-like neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and neuropil threads (NTs). These distinct tau pathologies have different temporal onsets and functional consequences on neural activity and behavior. Notably, we found that Aβ plaques created a unique environment that facilitated the rapid amplification of proteopathic AD-tau seeds into large tau aggregates, initially appearing as NP tau, which was followed by the formation and spread of NFTs and NTs, likely through secondary seeding events. Our study provides insights into a new multistep mechanism underlying Aβ plaque-associated tau pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuohao He
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute on Aging and Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jing L Guo
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute on Aging and Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jennifer D McBride
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute on Aging and Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Sneha Narasimhan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute on Aging and Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Hyesung Kim
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute on Aging and Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Lakshmi Changolkar
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute on Aging and Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Bin Zhang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute on Aging and Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ronald J Gathagan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute on Aging and Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Cuiyong Yue
- Division of Neurology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Christopher Dengler
- Division of Neurology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Anna Stieber
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute on Aging and Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Magdalena Nitla
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute on Aging and Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Douglas A Coulter
- Division of Neurology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Departments of Neuroscience and of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ted Abel
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute and Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Kurt R Brunden
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute on Aging and Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - John Q Trojanowski
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute on Aging and Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Virginia M-Y Lee
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute on Aging and Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Polanco JC, Li C, Bodea LG, Martinez-Marmol R, Meunier FA, Götz J. Amyloid-β and tau complexity — towards improved biomarkers and targeted therapies. Nat Rev Neurol 2017; 14:22-39. [DOI: 10.1038/nrneurol.2017.162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 235] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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41
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Animal models of cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Clin Sci (Lond) 2017; 131:2469-2488. [PMID: 28963121 DOI: 10.1042/cs20170033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2017] [Revised: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), due to vascular amyloid β (Aβ) deposition, is a risk factor for intracerebral haemorrhage and dementia. CAA can occur in sporadic or rare hereditary forms, and is almost invariably associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Experimental (animal) models are of great interest in studying mechanisms and potential treatments for CAA. Naturally occurring animal models of CAA exist, including cats, dogs and non-human primates, which can be used for longitudinal studies. However, due to ethical considerations and low throughput of these models, other animal models are more favourable for research. In the past two decades, a variety of transgenic mouse models expressing the human Aβ precursor protein (APP) has been developed. Many of these mouse models develop CAA in addition to senile plaques, whereas some of these models were generated specifically to study CAA. In addition, other animal models make use of a second stimulus, such as hypoperfusion or hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy), to accelerate CAA. In this manuscript, we provide a comprehensive review of existing animal models for CAA, which can aid in understanding the pathophysiology of CAA and explore the response to potential therapies.
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42
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Sowade RF, Jahn TR. Seed-induced acceleration of amyloid-β mediated neurotoxicity in vivo. Nat Commun 2017; 8:512. [PMID: 28894090 PMCID: PMC5594032 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00579-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Seeded propagation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) pathology is suggested to contribute to the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Local overproduction of aggregation-prone Aβ variants could explain the focal initiation of a seeding cascade that subsequently triggers widespread pathology. Several animal models support this seeding concept by demonstrating accelerated Aβ deposition following inoculation with Aβ-containing homogenates, however its role in progressive neurodegeneration remains unclear. Here, we present a non-invasive approach to study Aβ seeding processes in vivo using Drosophila models. We show that small amounts of aggregation-competent Aβ42 seeds, generated in selected neuronal clusters, can induce the deposition of the pan-neuronally expressed and otherwise soluble Aβ40. Moreover, our models visualize the accelerated formation and propagation of amyloid pathology throughout the brain, which correlates with severe neurotoxicity. Taken together, these in vivo models provide mechanistic insights into disease-related processes and represent versatile genetic tools to determine novel modifiers of the Aβ seeding cascade.Seeding of amyloid beta from one brain region to another is thought to contribute to the progression of Alzheimer's disease, although to date most studies have depended on inoculation of animals with exogenous amyloid. Here the authors describe a genetic seed and target system in Drosophila which may be useful for the mechanistic study of seeding of amyloid in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramona F Sowade
- Proteostasis in Neurodegenerative Disease (B180), German Cancer Research Center, Schaller Research Group at the University of Heidelberg and DKFZ, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany
| | - Thomas R Jahn
- Proteostasis in Neurodegenerative Disease (B180), German Cancer Research Center, Schaller Research Group at the University of Heidelberg and DKFZ, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany. .,AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Ludwigshafen, 67061, Germany.
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43
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Levit A, Regis AM, Garabon JR, Oh SH, Desai SJ, Rajakumar N, Hachinski V, Agca Y, Agca C, Whitehead SN, Allman BL. Behavioural inflexibility in a comorbid rat model of striatal ischemic injury and mutant hAPP overexpression. Behav Brain Res 2017; 333:267-275. [PMID: 28693862 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2017] [Revised: 06/22/2017] [Accepted: 07/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer disease (AD) and stroke coexist and interact; yet how they interact is not sufficiently understood. Both AD and basal ganglia stroke can impair behavioural flexibility, which can be reliably modeled in rats using an established operant based set-shifting test. Transgenic Fischer 344-APP21 rats (TgF344) overexpress pathogenic human amyloid precursor protein (hAPP) but do not spontaneously develop overt pathology, hence TgF344 rats can be used to model the effect of vascular injury in the prodromal stages of Alzheimer disease. We demonstrate that the injection of endothelin-1 (ET1) into the dorsal striatum of TgF344 rats (Tg-ET1) produced an exacerbation of behavioural inflexibility with a behavioural phenotype that was distinct from saline-injected wildtype & TgF344 rats as well as ET1-injected wildtype rats (Wt-ET1). In addition to profiling the types of errors made, interpolative modeling using logistic exposure-response regression provided an informative analysis of the timing and efficiency of behavioural flexibility. During set-shifting, Tg-ET1 committed fewer perseverative errors than Wt-ET1. However, Tg-ET1 committed significantly more regressive errors and had a less efficient strategy change than all other groups. Thus, behavioural flexibility was more vulnerable to striatal ischemic injury in TgF344 rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Levit
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London ON, Canada
| | - Aaron M Regis
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London ON, Canada
| | - Jessica R Garabon
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London ON, Canada
| | - Seung-Hun Oh
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London ON, Canada
| | - Sagar J Desai
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London ON, Canada
| | - Nagalingam Rajakumar
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London ON, Canada
| | - Vladimir Hachinski
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University Hospital, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Yuksel Agca
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Cansu Agca
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Shawn N Whitehead
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London ON, Canada; Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University Hospital, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
| | - Brian L Allman
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London ON, Canada.
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44
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Abstract
The prion paradigm is increasingly invoked to explain the molecular pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases involving the misfolding and aggregation of proteins other than the prion protein (PrP). Extensive evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies indicates that misfolded and aggregated Aβ peptide, which is the probable molecular trigger for Alzheimer's disease, manifests all of the key characteristics of canonical mammalian prions. These features include a β-sheet rich architecture, tendency to polymerize into amyloid, templated corruption of like protein molecules, ability to form structurally and functionally variant strains, systematic spread by neuronal transport, and resistance to inactivation by heat and formaldehyde. In addition to Aβ, a growing body of research supports the view that the prion-like molecular transformation of specific proteins drives the onset and course of a remarkable variety of clinicopathologically diverse diseases. As such, the expanded prion paradigm could conceptually unify fundamental and translational investigations of these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay Rasmussen
- a Department of Cellular Neurology , Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen , Tübingen , Germany.,b German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) , Tübingen , Germany.,c Graduate Training Center of Neuroscience, University of Tübingen , Tübingen , Germany
| | - Mathias Jucker
- a Department of Cellular Neurology , Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen , Tübingen , Germany.,b German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) , Tübingen , Germany
| | - Lary C Walker
- d Department of Neurology and Yerkes National Primate Research Center , Emory University , Atlanta , GA , USA
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45
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Toni M, Massimino ML, De Mario A, Angiulli E, Spisni E. Metal Dyshomeostasis and Their Pathological Role in Prion and Prion-Like Diseases: The Basis for a Nutritional Approach. Front Neurosci 2017; 11:3. [PMID: 28154522 PMCID: PMC5243831 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2016] [Accepted: 01/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Metal ions are key elements in organisms' life acting like cofactors of many enzymes but they can also be potentially dangerous for the cell participating in redox reactions that lead to the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Any factor inducing or limiting a metal dyshomeostasis, ROS production and cell injury may contribute to the onset of neurodegenerative diseases or play a neuroprotective action. Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), also known as prion diseases, are a group of fatal neurodegenerative disorders affecting the central nervous system (CNS) of human and other mammalian species. The causative agent of TSEs is believed to be the scrapie prion protein PrPSc, the β sheet-rich pathogenic isoform produced by the conformational conversion of the α-helix-rich physiological isoform PrPC. The peculiarity of PrPSc is its ability to self-propagate in exponential fashion in cells and its tendency to precipitate in insoluble and protease-resistance amyloid aggregates leading to neuronal cell death. The expression “prion-like diseases” refers to a group of neurodegenerative diseases that share some neuropathological features with prion diseases such as the involvement of proteins (α-synuclein, amyloid β, and tau) able to precipitate producing amyloid deposits following conformational change. High social impact diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's belong to prion-like diseases. Accumulating evidence suggests that the exposure to environmental metals is a risk factor for the development of prion and prion-like diseases and that metal ions can directly bind to prion and prion-like proteins affecting the amount of amyloid aggregates. The diet, source of metal ions but also of natural antioxidant and chelating agents such as polyphenols, is an aspect to take into account in addressing the issue of neurodegeneration. Epidemiological data suggest that the Mediterranean diet, based on the abundant consumption of fresh vegetables and on low intake of meat, could play a preventive or delaying role in prion and prion-like neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, metal role in the onset of prion and prion-like diseases is dealt with from a nutritional, cellular, and molecular point of view.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Toni
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University Rome, Italy
| | - Maria L Massimino
- National Research Council (CNR), Neuroscience Institute c/o Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova Padova, Italy
| | - Agnese De Mario
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova Padova, Italy
| | - Elisa Angiulli
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University Rome, Italy
| | - Enzo Spisni
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna Bologna, Italy
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46
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Abstract
Since the term protein was first coined in 1838 and protein was discovered to be the essential component of fibrin and albumin, all cellular proteins were presumed to play beneficial roles in plants and mammals. However, in 1967, Griffith proposed that proteins could be infectious pathogens and postulated their involvement in scrapie, a universally fatal transmissible spongiform encephalopathy in goats and sheep. Nevertheless, this novel hypothesis had not been evidenced until 1982, when Prusiner and coworkers purified infectious particles from scrapie-infected hamster brains and demonstrated that they consisted of a specific protein that he called a "prion." Unprecedentedly, the infectious prion pathogen is actually derived from its endogenous cellular form in the central nervous system. Unlike other infectious agents, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, prions do not contain genetic materials such as DNA or RNA. The unique traits and genetic information of prions are believed to be encoded within the conformational structure and posttranslational modifications of the proteins. Remarkably, prion-like behavior has been recently observed in other cellular proteins-not only in pathogenic roles but also serving physiological functions. The significance of these fascinating developments in prion biology is far beyond the scope of a single cellular protein and its related disease.
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47
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Xu F, Fu Z, Dass S, Kotarba AE, Davis J, Smith SO, Van Nostrand WE. Cerebral vascular amyloid seeds drive amyloid β-protein fibril assembly with a distinct anti-parallel structure. Nat Commun 2016; 7:13527. [PMID: 27869115 PMCID: PMC5121328 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2015] [Accepted: 10/12/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Cerebrovascular accumulation of amyloid β-protein (Aβ), a condition known as cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), is a common pathological feature of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Familial Aβ mutations, such as Dutch-E22Q and Iowa-D23N, can cause severe cerebrovascular accumulation of amyloid that serves as a potent driver of vascular cognitive impairment and dementia. The distinctive features of vascular amyloid that underlie its unique pathological properties remain unknown. Here, we use transgenic mouse models producing CAA mutants (Tg-SwDI) or overproducing human wild-type Aβ (Tg2576) to demonstrate that CAA-mutant vascular amyloid influences wild-type Aβ deposition in brain. We also show isolated microvascular amyloid seeds from Tg-SwDI mice drive assembly of human wild-type Aβ into distinct anti-parallel β-sheet fibrils. These findings indicate that cerebrovascular amyloid can serve as an effective scaffold to promote rapid assembly and strong deposition of Aβ into a unique structure that likely contributes to its distinctive pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Xu
- Departments of Neurosurgery and Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
| | - Ziao Fu
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
| | - Sharmila Dass
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
| | - AnnMarie E. Kotarba
- Departments of Neurosurgery and Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
| | - Judianne Davis
- Departments of Neurosurgery and Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
| | - Steven O. Smith
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
| | - William E. Van Nostrand
- Departments of Neurosurgery and Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
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48
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Ugalde CL, Finkelstein DI, Lawson VA, Hill AF. Pathogenic mechanisms of prion protein, amyloid-β and α-synuclein misfolding: the prion concept and neurotoxicity of protein oligomers. J Neurochem 2016; 139:162-180. [PMID: 27529376 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.13772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2016] [Revised: 07/24/2016] [Accepted: 08/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Proteinopathies represent a group of diseases characterized by the unregulated misfolding and aggregation of proteins. Accumulation of misfolded protein in the central nervous system (CNS) is associated with neurodegenerative diseases, such as the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (or prion diseases), Alzheimer's disease, and the synucleinopathies (the most common of which is Parkinson's disease). Of these, the pathogenic mechanisms of prion diseases are particularly striking where the transmissible, causative agent of disease is the prion, or proteinaceous infectious particle. Prions are composed almost exclusively of PrPSc ; a misfolded isoform of the normal cellular protein, PrPC , which is found accumulated in the CNS in disease. Today, mounting evidence suggests other aggregating proteins, such as amyloid-β (Aβ) and α-synuclein (α-syn), proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease and synucleinopathies, respectively, share similar biophysical and biochemical properties with PrPSc that influences how they misfold, aggregate, and propagate in disease. In this regard, the definition of a 'prion' may ultimately expand to include other pathogenic proteins. Unifying knowledge of folded proteins may also reveal common mechanisms associated with other features of disease that are less understood, such as neurotoxicity. This review discusses the common features Aβ and α-syn share with PrP and neurotoxic mechanisms associated with these misfolded proteins. Several proteins are known to misfold and accumulate in the central nervous system causing a range of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and the prion diseases. Prions are transmissible misfolded conformers of the prion protein, PrP, which seed further generation of infectious proteins. Similar effects have recently been observed in proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease and the synucleinopathies, leading to the proposition that the definition of a 'prion' may ultimately expand to include other pathogenic proteins. Unifying knowledge of misfolded proteins may also reveal common mechanisms associated with other features of disease that are less understood, such as neurotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cathryn L Ugalde
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Vic., Australia.,Howard Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Vic., Australia.,Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia
| | - David I Finkelstein
- Howard Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Vic., Australia
| | - Victoria A Lawson
- Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia
| | - Andrew F Hill
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Vic., Australia. .,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia.
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49
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Eraña H, Venegas V, Moreno J, Castilla J. Prion-like disorders and Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies: An overview of the mechanistic features that are shared by the various disease-related misfolded proteins. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2016; 483:1125-1136. [PMID: 27590581 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2016.08.166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2016] [Revised: 08/04/2016] [Accepted: 08/29/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Prion diseases or Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) are a group of fatal neurodegenerative disorders affecting several mammalian species. Its causative agent, disease-associated prion protein (PrPd), is a self-propagating β-sheet rich aberrant conformation of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) with neurotoxic and aggregation-prone properties, capable of inducing misfolding of PrPC molecules. PrPd is the major constituent of prions and, most importantly, is the first known example of a protein with infectious attributes. It has been suggested that similar molecular mechanisms could be shared by other proteins implicated in diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or systemic amyloidoses. Accordingly, several terms have been proposed to collectively group all these disorders. Through the stringent evaluation of those aspects that characterise TSE-causing prions, in particular propagation and spread, strain variability or transmissibility, we will discuss whether terms such as "prion", "prion-like", "prionoid" or "propagon" can be used when referring to the aetiological agents of the above other disorders. Moreover, it will also be discussed whether the term "infectious", which defines a prion essential trait, is currently misused when referring to the other misfolded proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hasier Eraña
- CIC bioGUNE, Parque Tecnológico de Bizkaia, 48160, Derio, Spain
| | - Vanesa Venegas
- CIC bioGUNE, Parque Tecnológico de Bizkaia, 48160, Derio, Spain
| | - Jorge Moreno
- CIC bioGUNE, Parque Tecnológico de Bizkaia, 48160, Derio, Spain
| | - Joaquín Castilla
- CIC bioGUNE, Parque Tecnológico de Bizkaia, 48160, Derio, Spain; IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, 48011, Bizkaia, Spain.
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Walsh DM, Selkoe DJ. A critical appraisal of the pathogenic protein spread hypothesis of neurodegeneration. Nat Rev Neurosci 2016; 17:251-60. [PMID: 26988744 DOI: 10.1038/nrn.2016.13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 207] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
There has been an explosion in the number of papers discussing the hypothesis of 'pathogenic spread' in neurodegenerative disease - the idea that abnormal forms of disease-associated proteins, such as tau or α-synuclein, physically move from neuron to neuron to induce disease progression. However, whether inter-neuronal spread of protein aggregates actually occurs in humans and, if so, whether it causes symptom onset remain uncertain. Even if pathogenic spread is proven in humans, it is unclear how much this would alter the specific therapeutic approaches that are in development. A critical appraisal of this increasingly popular hypothesis thus seems both important and timely.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominic M Walsh
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Dennis J Selkoe
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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