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Pierson SR, Fiock KL, Wang R, Balasubramanian N, Reinhardt J, Khan KM, James TD, Hunter ML, Cooper BJ, Williamsen HR, Betters R, Deniz K, Lee G, Aldridge G, Hefti MM, Marcinkiewcz CA. Tau pathology in the dorsal raphe may be a prodromal indicator of Alzheimer's disease. Mol Psychiatry 2024:10.1038/s41380-024-02664-9. [PMID: 39143322 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02664-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024]
Abstract
Protein aggregation in brainstem nuclei is thought to occur in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but its specific role in driving prodromal symptoms and disease progression is largely unknown. The dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) contains a large population of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) neurons that regulate mood, reward-related behavior, and sleep, which are all disrupted in AD. We report here that tau pathology is present in the DRN of individuals 25-80 years old without a known history of dementia, and its prevalence was comparable to the locus coeruleus (LC). By comparison, fewer cases were positive for other pathological proteins including α-synuclein, β-amyloid, and TDP-43. To evaluate how early tau pathology impacts behavior, we overexpressed human P301L-tau in the DRN of mice and observed depressive-like behaviors and hyperactivity without deficits in spatial memory. Tau pathology was predominantly found in neurons relative to glia and colocalized with a significant proportion of Tph2-expressing neurons in the DRN. 5-HT neurons were also hyperexcitable in P301L-tauDRN mice, and there was an increase in the amplitude of excitatory post-synaptic currents (EPSCs). Moreover, astrocytic density was elevated in the DRN and accompanied by an increase in IL-1α and Frk expression, which suggests increased inflammatory signaling. Additionally, tau pathology was detected in axonal processes in the thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, and caudate putamen. A significant proportion of this tau pathology colocalized with the serotonin reuptake transporter (SERT), suggesting that tau may spread in an anterograde manner to regions outside the DRN. Together these results indicate that tau pathology accumulates in the DRN in a subset of individuals over 50 years and may lead to behavioral dysregulation, 5-HT neuronal dysfunction, and activation of local astrocytes which may be prodromal indicators of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha R Pierson
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Kimberly L Fiock
- Department of Pathology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Ruixiang Wang
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | | | - Jessica Reinhardt
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Kanza M Khan
- Psychological Sciences Department, Daemen University, Amherst, NY, 14226, USA
| | - Thomas D James
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Mikayla L Hunter
- Department of Pathology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Benjamin J Cooper
- Department of Pathology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | | | - Ryan Betters
- Department of Pathology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Kaancan Deniz
- Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Gloria Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Georgina Aldridge
- Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Marco M Hefti
- Department of Pathology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Catherine A Marcinkiewcz
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.
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Wahl D, Risen SJ, Osburn SC, Emge T, Sharma S, Gilberto VS, Chatterjee A, Nagpal P, Moreno JA, LaRocca TJ. Nanoligomers targeting NF-κB and NLRP3 reduce neuroinflammation and improve cognitive function with aging and tauopathy. J Neuroinflammation 2024; 21:182. [PMID: 39068433 PMCID: PMC11283709 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-024-03182-9] [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: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Neuroinflammation contributes to impaired cognitive function in brain aging and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease, which is characterized by the aggregation of pathological tau. One major driver of both age- and tau-associated neuroinflammation is the NF-κB and NLRP3 signaling axis. However, current treatments targeting NF-κB or NLRP3 may have adverse/systemic effects, and most have not been clinically translatable. In this study, we tested the efficacy of a novel, nucleic acid therapeutic (Nanoligomer) cocktail specifically targeting both NF-κB and NLRP3 in the brain for reducing neuroinflammation and improving cognitive function in old (aged 19 months) wildtype mice, and in rTg4510 tau pathology mice (aged 2 months). We found that 4 weeks of NF-κB/NLRP3-targeting Nanoligomer treatment strongly reduced neuro-inflammatory cytokine profiles in the brain and improved cognitive-behavioral function in both old and rTg4510 mice. These effects of NF-κB/NLRP3-targeting Nanoligomers were also associated with reduced glial cell activation and pathology, favorable changes in transcriptome signatures of glia-associated inflammation (reduced) and neuronal health (increased), and positive systemic effects. Collectively, our results provide a basis for future translational studies targeting both NF-κB and NLRP3 in the brain, perhaps using Nanoligomers, to inhibit neuroinflammation and improve cognitive function with aging and neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devin Wahl
- Department of Health and Exercise Science, Colorado State University, 1582 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
- Columbine Health Systems Center for Healthy Aging, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Sydney J Risen
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
- Brain Research Center, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Shelby C Osburn
- Department of Health and Exercise Science, Colorado State University, 1582 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
- Columbine Health Systems Center for Healthy Aging, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Tobias Emge
- Department of Health and Exercise Science, Colorado State University, 1582 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
- Columbine Health Systems Center for Healthy Aging, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Sadhana Sharma
- Sachi Bio, Colorado Technology Center, Louisville, CO, USA
| | | | | | | | - Julie A Moreno
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
- Brain Research Center, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Thomas J LaRocca
- Department of Health and Exercise Science, Colorado State University, 1582 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA.
- Columbine Health Systems Center for Healthy Aging, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
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3
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Wahl D, Risen SJ, Osburn SC, Emge T, Sharma S, Gilberto VS, Chatterjee A, Nagpal P, Moreno JA, LaRocca TJ. Nanoligomers targeting NF-κB and NLRP3 reduce neuroinflammation and improve cognitive function with aging and tauopathy. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.03.578493. [PMID: 38370618 PMCID: PMC10871285 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.03.578493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Neuroinflammation contributes to impaired cognitive function in brain aging and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease, which is characterized by the aggregation of pathological tau. One major driver of both age- and tau-associated neuroinflammation is the NF-κB and NLRP3 signaling axis. However, current treatments targeting NF-κB or NLRP3 may have adverse/systemic effects, and most have not been clinically translatable. In this study, we tested the efficacy of a novel, nucleic acid therapeutic (Nanoligomer) cocktail specifically targeting both NF-κB and NLRP3 in the brain for reducing neuroinflammation and improving cognitive function in old (aged 19 months) wildtype mice, and in rTg4510 tau pathology mice (aged 2 months). We found that 4 weeks of NF-κB/NLRP3-targeting Nanoligomer treatment strongly reduced neuro-inflammatory cytokine profiles in the brain and improved cognitive-behavioral function in both old and rTg4510 mice. These effects of NF-κB/NLRP3-targeting Nanoligomers were also associated with reduced glial cell activation and pathology, favorable changes in transcriptome signatures of glia-associated inflammation (reduced) and neuronal health (increased), and positive systemic effects. Collectively, our results provide a basis for future translational studies targeting both NF-κB and NLRP3 in the brain, perhaps using Nanoligomers, to inhibit neuroinflammation and improve cognitive function with aging and neurodegeneration.
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Ellis MJ, Lekka C, Holden KL, Tulmin H, Seedat F, O'Brien DP, Dhayal S, Zeissler ML, Knudsen JG, Kessler BM, Morgan NG, Todd JA, Richardson SJ, Stefana MI. Identification of high-performing antibodies for the reliable detection of Tau proteoforms by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Acta Neuropathol 2024; 147:87. [PMID: 38761203 PMCID: PMC11102361 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-024-02729-7] [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: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
Antibodies are essential research tools whose performance directly impacts research conclusions and reproducibility. Owing to its central role in Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, hundreds of distinct antibody clones have been developed against the microtubule-associated protein Tau and its multiple proteoforms. Despite this breadth of offer, limited understanding of their performance and poor antibody selectivity have hindered research progress. Here, we validate a large panel of Tau antibodies by Western blot (79 reagents) and immunohistochemistry (35 reagents). We address the reagents' ability to detect the target proteoform, selectivity, the impact of protein phosphorylation on antibody binding and performance in human brain samples. While most antibodies detected Tau at high levels, many failed to detect it at lower, endogenous levels. By WB, non-selective binding to other proteins affected over half of the antibodies tested, with several cross-reacting with the related MAP2 protein, whereas the "oligomeric Tau" T22 antibody reacted with monomeric Tau by WB, thus calling into question its specificity to Tau oligomers. Despite the presumption that "total" Tau antibodies are agnostic to post-translational modifications, we found that phosphorylation partially inhibits binding for many such antibodies, including the popular Tau-5 clone. We further combine high-sensitivity reagents, mass-spectrometry proteomics and cDNA sequencing to demonstrate that presumptive Tau "knockout" human cells continue to express residual protein arising through exon skipping, providing evidence of previously unappreciated gene plasticity. Finally, probing of human brain samples with a large panel of antibodies revealed the presence of C-term-truncated versions of all main Tau brain isoforms in both control and tauopathy donors. Ultimately, we identify a validated panel of Tau antibodies that can be employed in Western blotting and/or immunohistochemistry to reliably detect even low levels of Tau expression with high selectivity. This work represents an extensive resource that will enable the re-interpretation of published data, improve reproducibility in Tau research, and overall accelerate scientific progress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Ellis
- JDRF/Wellcome Diabetes and Inflammation Laboratory, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
| | - Christiana Lekka
- Islet Biology Group, Department of Clinical & Biomedical Sciences, Exeter Centre of Excellence in Diabetes (EXCEED), University of Exeter, RILD Building, Exeter, UK
| | - Katie L Holden
- JDRF/Wellcome Diabetes and Inflammation Laboratory, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
| | - Hanna Tulmin
- JDRF/Wellcome Diabetes and Inflammation Laboratory, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
| | - Faheem Seedat
- JDRF/Wellcome Diabetes and Inflammation Laboratory, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
- Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health, Women's Centre, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Level 3, Oxford, UK
| | - Darragh P O'Brien
- Target Discovery Institute, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
| | - Shalinee Dhayal
- Islet Biology Group, Department of Clinical & Biomedical Sciences, Exeter Centre of Excellence in Diabetes (EXCEED), University of Exeter, RILD Building, Exeter, UK
| | - Marie-Louise Zeissler
- Islet Biology Group, Department of Clinical & Biomedical Sciences, Exeter Centre of Excellence in Diabetes (EXCEED), University of Exeter, RILD Building, Exeter, UK
| | - Jakob G Knudsen
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Radcliffe, UK
- Section for Cell Biology and Physiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Benedikt M Kessler
- Target Discovery Institute, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
| | - Noel G Morgan
- Islet Biology Group, Department of Clinical & Biomedical Sciences, Exeter Centre of Excellence in Diabetes (EXCEED), University of Exeter, RILD Building, Exeter, UK
| | - John A Todd
- JDRF/Wellcome Diabetes and Inflammation Laboratory, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
| | - Sarah J Richardson
- Islet Biology Group, Department of Clinical & Biomedical Sciences, Exeter Centre of Excellence in Diabetes (EXCEED), University of Exeter, RILD Building, Exeter, UK
| | - M Irina Stefana
- JDRF/Wellcome Diabetes and Inflammation Laboratory, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK.
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Meftah S, Cavallini A, Murray TK, Jankowski L, Bose S, Ashby MC, Brown JT, Witton J. Synaptic alterations associated with disrupted sensory encoding in a mouse model of tauopathy. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcae134. [PMID: 38712321 PMCID: PMC11073755 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Synapse loss is currently the best biological correlate of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. Synapses seem to be highly vulnerable to tau-mediated disruption in neurodegenerative tauopathies. However, it is unclear how and when this leads to alterations in function related to the progression of tauopathy and neurodegeneration. We used the well-characterized rTg4510 mouse model of tauopathy at 5-6 months and 7-8 months of age, respectively, to study the functional impact of cortical synapse loss. The earlier age was used as a model of prodromal tauopathy, with the later age corresponding to more advanced tau pathology and presumed progression of neurodegeneration. Analysis of synaptic protein expression in the somatosensory cortex showed significant reductions in synaptic proteins and NMDA and AMPA receptor subunit expression in rTg4510 mice. Surprisingly, in vitro whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology from putative pyramidal neurons in layer 2/3 of the somatosensory cortex suggested no functional alterations in layer 4 to layer 2/3 synaptic transmission at 5-6 months. From these same neurons, however, there were alterations in dendritic structure, with increased branching proximal to the soma in rTg4510 neurons. Therefore, in vivo whole-cell patch clamp recordings were utilized to investigate synaptic function and integration in putative pyramidal neurons in layer 2/3 of the somatosensory cortex. These recordings revealed a significant increase in the peak response to synaptically driven sensory stimulation-evoked activity and a loss of temporal fidelity of the evoked signal to the input stimulus in rTg4510 neurons. Together, these data suggest that loss of synapses, changes in receptor expression and dendritic restructuring may lead to alterations in synaptic integration at a network level. Understanding these compensatory processes could identify targets to help delay symptomatic onset of dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soraya Meftah
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Department of Clinical and Biomedical Science, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Annalisa Cavallini
- Erl Wood Manor, Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals, Windlesham, Surrey, GU20 6PH, UK
| | - Tracey K Murray
- Erl Wood Manor, Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals, Windlesham, Surrey, GU20 6PH, UK
| | - Lukasz Jankowski
- Erl Wood Manor, Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals, Windlesham, Surrey, GU20 6PH, UK
| | - Suchira Bose
- Erl Wood Manor, Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals, Windlesham, Surrey, GU20 6PH, UK
| | - Michael C Ashby
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Jonathan T Brown
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Department of Clinical and Biomedical Science, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK
| | - Jonathan Witton
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Department of Clinical and Biomedical Science, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
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Keenan RJ, Daykin H, Metha J, Cornthwaite-Duncan L, Wright DK, Clarke K, Oberrauch S, Brian M, Stephenson S, Nowell CJ, Allocca G, Barnham KJ, Hoyer D, Jacobson LH. Orexin 2 receptor antagonism sex-dependently improves sleep/wakefulness and cognitive performance in tau transgenic mice. Br J Pharmacol 2024; 181:87-106. [PMID: 37553894 DOI: 10.1111/bph.16212] [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: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Tau pathology contributes to a bidirectional relationship between sleep disruption and neurodegenerative disease. Tau transgenic rTg4510 mice model tauopathy symptoms, including sleep/wake disturbances, which manifest as marked hyperarousal. This phenotype can be prevented by early transgene suppression; however, whether hyperarousal can be rescued after onset is unknown. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Three 8-week experiments were conducted with wild-type and rTg4510 mice after age of onset of hyperarousal (4.5 months): (1) Tau transgene suppression with doxycycline (200 ppm); (2) inactive phase rapid eye movement (REM) sleep enhancement with the dual orexin receptor antagonist suvorexant (50 mg·kg-1 ·day-1 ); or (3) Active phase non-NREM (NREM) and REM sleep enhancement using the selective orexin 2 (OX2 ) receptor antagonist MK-1064 (40 mg·kg-1 ·day-1 ). Sleep was assessed using polysomnography, cognition using the Barnes maze, and tau pathology using immunoblotting and/or immunohistochemistry. KEY RESULTS Tau transgene suppression improved tauopathy and hippocampal-dependent spatial memory, but did not modify hyperarousal. Pharmacological rescue of REM sleep deficits did not improve spatial memory or tau pathology. In contrast, normalising hyperarousal by increasing both NREM and REM sleep via OX2 receptor antagonism restored spatial memory, independently of tauopathy, but only in male rTg4510 mice. OX2 receptor antagonism induced only short-lived hypnotic responses in female rTg4510 mice and did not improve spatial memory, indicating a tau- and sex-dependent disruption of OX2 receptor signalling. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Pharmacologically reducing hyperarousal corrects tau-induced sleep/wake and cognitive deficits. Tauopathy causes sex-dependent disruptions of OX2 receptor signalling/function, which may have implications for choice of hypnotic therapeutics in tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan J Keenan
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Heather Daykin
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jeremy Metha
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Finance, Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Linda Cornthwaite-Duncan
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - David K Wright
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kyra Clarke
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sara Oberrauch
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Maddison Brian
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sarah Stephenson
- Bruce Lefroy Centre, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Cameron J Nowell
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Giancarlo Allocca
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Somnivore Inc. Ltd Pty, Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kevin J Barnham
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Daniel Hoyer
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Laura H Jacobson
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Melbourne Dementia Research Centre, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health and The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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Sharma H, Chang KA, Hulme J, An SSA. Mammalian Models in Alzheimer's Research: An Update. Cells 2023; 12:2459. [PMID: 37887303 PMCID: PMC10605533 DOI: 10.3390/cells12202459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
A form of dementia distinct from healthy cognitive aging, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex multi-stage disease that currently afflicts over 50 million people worldwide. Unfortunately, previous therapeutic strategies developed from murine models emulating different aspects of AD pathogenesis were limited. Consequently, researchers are now developing models that express several aspects of pathogenesis that better reflect the clinical situation in humans. As such, this review seeks to provide insight regarding current applications of mammalian models in AD research by addressing recent developments and characterizations of prominent transgenic models and their contributions to pathogenesis as well as discuss the advantages, limitations, and application of emerging models that better capture genetic heterogeneity and mixed pathologies observed in the clinical situation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Himadri Sharma
- Department of Bionano Technology, Gachon Bionano Research Institute, Gachon University, 1342 Seongnam-daero, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si 461-701, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Keun-A Chang
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Gachon University, Incheon 21565, Republic of Korea
| | - John Hulme
- Department of Bionano Technology, Gachon Bionano Research Institute, Gachon University, 1342 Seongnam-daero, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si 461-701, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Seong Soo A. An
- Department of Bionano Technology, Gachon Bionano Research Institute, Gachon University, 1342 Seongnam-daero, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si 461-701, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
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Abstract
O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) is a ubiquitous post-translational modification in mammals, decorating thousands of intracellular proteins. O-GlcNAc cycling is an essential regulator of myriad aspects of cell physiology and is dysregulated in numerous human diseases. Notably, O-GlcNAcylation is abundant in the brain and numerous studies have linked aberrant O-GlcNAc signaling to various neurological conditions. However, the complexity of the nervous system and the dynamic nature of protein O-GlcNAcylation have presented challenges for studying of neuronal O-GlcNAcylation. In this context, chemical approaches have been a particularly valuable complement to conventional cellular, biochemical, and genetic methods to understand O-GlcNAc signaling and to develop future therapeutics. Here we review selected recent examples of how chemical tools have empowered efforts to understand and rationally manipulate O-GlcNAcylation in mammalian neurobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duc Tan Huynh
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Michael Boyce
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
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9
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Hedna R, Kovacic H, Pagano A, Peyrot V, Robin M, Devred F, Breuzard G. Tau Protein as Therapeutic Target for Cancer? Focus on Glioblastoma. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:5386. [PMID: 36358803 PMCID: PMC9653627 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14215386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite being extensively studied for several decades, the microtubule-associated protein Tau has not finished revealing its secrets. For long, Tau has been known for its ability to promote microtubule assembly. A less known feature of Tau is its capability to bind to cancer-related protein kinases, suggesting a possible role of Tau in modulating microtubule-independent cellular pathways that are associated with oncogenesis. With the intention of finding new therapeutic targets for cancer, it appears essential to examine the interaction of Tau with these kinases and their consequences. This review aims at collecting the literature data supporting the relationship between Tau and cancer with a particular focus on glioblastoma tumors in which the pathological significance of Tau remains largely unexplored. We will first treat this subject from a mechanistic point of view showing the pivotal role of Tau in oncogenic processes. Then, we will discuss the involvement of Tau in dysregulating critical pathways in glioblastoma. Finally, we will outline promising strategies to target Tau protein for the therapy of glioblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rayane Hedna
- Faculté des Sciences Médicales et Paramédicales, Institut de Neurophysiopathologie (INP), UMR 7051, CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Hervé Kovacic
- Faculté des Sciences Médicales et Paramédicales, Institut de Neurophysiopathologie (INP), UMR 7051, CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Alessandra Pagano
- Faculté des Sciences Médicales et Paramédicales, Institut de Neurophysiopathologie (INP), UMR 7051, CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Vincent Peyrot
- Faculté des Sciences Médicales et Paramédicales, Institut de Neurophysiopathologie (INP), UMR 7051, CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Maxime Robin
- Faculté de Pharmacie, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et Ecologie marine et continentale (IMBE), UMR 7263, CNRS, IRD 237, Aix-Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - François Devred
- Faculté des Sciences Médicales et Paramédicales, Institut de Neurophysiopathologie (INP), UMR 7051, CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Gilles Breuzard
- Faculté des Sciences Médicales et Paramédicales, Institut de Neurophysiopathologie (INP), UMR 7051, CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France
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10
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Zaki MO, El-Desouky S, Elsherbiny DA, Salama M, Azab SS. Glimepiride mitigates tauopathy and neuroinflammation in P301S transgenic mice: role of AKT/GSK3β signaling. Inflammopharmacology 2022; 30:1871-1890. [PMID: 35922737 PMCID: PMC9499917 DOI: 10.1007/s10787-022-01023-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Tauopathy is a group of neurodegenerative diseases in which the pathogenesis processes are related to tau protein. The imbalances between the activities of kinases and phosphatases of tau protein lead to tau hyperphosphorylation and subsequent neurodegeneration. Numerous studies suggest a strong linkage between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, finding a drug with a dual therapeutic activity against T2D and neuroprotective will be a promising idea. Hence, the potential neuroprotective effect of Glimepiride (GPD) against tauopathy was evaluated in the current study. METHODS P301S mice model was employed for tauopathy and C57BL/6 wild type mice (WT) was used as control. Phosphorylated and acetylated tau protein levels was assessed in cortex and hippocampus by western blot. Effect of GPD on tauopathy related enzymes, neuroinflammation, apoptotic markers were evaluated. Furthermore, the neuroprotective effects against anxiety like behavior and motor impairment was analyzed using Parallel rod floor and Open field tests. RESULTS GPD significantly ameliorates motor impairment, anxiety like behavior and neurodegeneration in P301S mice. Phosphorylated tau and acetylated tau were significantly decreased in both cortex and hippocampus of P301S mice via decreasing GSK3β, increasing ratio of phosphorylated-AKT to total-AKT, increasing PP2A and normalization of CDK5 levels. Furthermore, GPD treatment also decreased neuroinflammation and apoptosis by reducing NF-kB, TNF-α and caspase 3 levels. CONCLUSION The current data suggests that GPD exerts a protective effect against tauopathy, behavioural consequences, neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation and apoptosis. GPD is therefore a promising agent for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases associated with tauopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mennatallah O Zaki
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Horus University, New Damietta, Egypt
| | - S El-Desouky
- Medical Experimental Research Center (MERC), Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Doaa A Elsherbiny
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo, 11566, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Salama
- Medical Experimental Research Center (MERC), Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.,Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology, The American University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Samar S Azab
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo, 11566, Egypt.
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11
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Xolalpa-Cueva L, García-Carlos CA, Villaseñor-Zepeda R, Orta-Salazar E, Díaz-Cintra S, Peña-Ortega F, Perry G, Mondragón-Rodríguez S. Hyperphosphorylated Tau Relates to Improved Cognitive Performance and Reduced Hippocampal Excitability in the Young rTg4510 Mouse Model of Tauopathy. J Alzheimers Dis 2022; 87:529-543. [PMID: 35342085 DOI: 10.3233/jad-215186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tau hyperphosphorylation at several sites, including those close to its microtubule domain (MD), is considered a key pathogenic event in the development of tauopathies. Nevertheless, we recently demonstrated that at the very early disease stage, tau phosphorylation (pTau) at MD sites promotes neuroprotection by preventing seizure-like activity. OBJECTIVE To further support the notion that very early pTau is not detrimental, the present work evaluated the young rTg4510 mouse model of tauopathy as a case study. Thus, in mice at one month of age (PN30-35), we studied the increase of pTau within the hippocampal area as well as hippocampal and locomotor function. METHODS We used immunohistochemistry, T-maze, nesting test, novel object recognition test, open field arena, and electrophysiology. RESULTS Our results showed that the very young rTg4510 mouse model has no detectable changes in hippocampal dependent tasks, such as spontaneous alternation and nesting, or in locomotor activity. However, at this very early stage the hippocampal neurons from PN30-35 rTg4510 mice accumulate pTau protein and exhibit changes in hippocampal oscillatory activity. Moreover, we found a significant reduction in the somatic area of pTau positive pyramidal and granule neurons in the young rTg4510 mice. Despite this, improved memory and increased number of dendrites per cell in granule neurons was found. CONCLUSION Altogether, this study provides new insights into the early pathogenesis of tauopathies and provides further evidence that pTau remodels hippocampal function and morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Xolalpa-Cueva
- UNAM Developmental Neurobiology and Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurobiology, National Autonomous University of México, Querétaro, México
| | - Carlos Antonio García-Carlos
- UNAM Developmental Neurobiology and Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurobiology, National Autonomous University of México, Querétaro, México
| | - Rocío Villaseñor-Zepeda
- UNAM Developmental Neurobiology and Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurobiology, National Autonomous University of México, Querétaro, México
| | - Erika Orta-Salazar
- UNAM Developmental Neurobiology and Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurobiology, National Autonomous University of México, Querétaro, México
| | - Sofia Díaz-Cintra
- UNAM Developmental Neurobiology and Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurobiology, National Autonomous University of México, Querétaro, México
| | - Fernando Peña-Ortega
- UNAM Developmental Neurobiology and Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurobiology, National Autonomous University of México, Querétaro, México
| | - George Perry
- UTSA Neuroscience Institute and Department of Biology, College of Sciences, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Siddhartha Mondragón-Rodríguez
- UNAM Developmental Neurobiology and Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurobiology, National Autonomous University of México, Querétaro, México.,CONACYT National Council for Science and Technology, México, México
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12
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Cuadrado-Tejedor M, Pérez-González M, Alfaro-Ruiz R, Badesso S, Sucunza D, Espelosin M, Ursúa S, Lachen-Montes M, Fernández-Irigoyen J, Santamaria E, Luján R, García-Osta A. Amyloid-Driven Tau Accumulation on Mitochondria Potentially Leads to Cognitive Deterioration in Alzheimer's Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222111950. [PMID: 34769380 PMCID: PMC8584544 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the well-accepted role of the two main neuropathological markers (β-amyloid and tau) in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, the interaction and specific contribution of each of them is not fully elucidated. To address this question, in the present study, an adeno-associated virus (AAV9) carrying the mutant P301L form of human tau, was injected into the dorsal hippocampi of APP/PS1 transgenic mice or wild type mice (WT). Three months after injections, memory tasks, biochemical and immunohistochemical analysis were performed. We found that the overexpression of hTauP301L accelerates memory deficits in APP/PS1 mice, but it did not affect memory function of WT mice. Likewise, biochemical assays showed that only in the case of APP/PS1-hTauP301L injected mice, an important accumulation of tau was observed in the insoluble urea fraction. Similarly, electron microscopy images revealed that numerous clusters of tau immunoparticles appear at the dendrites of APP/PS1 injected mice and not in WT animals, suggesting that the presence of amyloid is necessary to induce tau aggregation. Interestingly, these tau immunoparticles accumulate in dendritic mitochondria in the APP/PS1 mice, whereas most of mitochondria in WT injected mice remain free of tau immunoparticles. Taken together, it seems that amyloid induces tau aggregation and accumulation in the dendritic mitochondria and subsequently may alter synapse function, thus, contributing to accelerate cognitive decline in APP/PS1 mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mar Cuadrado-Tejedor
- Neurosciences Program, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, IdiSNA, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; (M.P.-G.); (S.B.); (M.E.); (S.U.)
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Correspondence: (M.C.-T.); (A.G.-O.)
| | - Marta Pérez-González
- Neurosciences Program, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, IdiSNA, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; (M.P.-G.); (S.B.); (M.E.); (S.U.)
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Rocío Alfaro-Ruiz
- Synaptic Structure Laboratory, Instituto de Investigación en Discapacidades Neurológicas (IDINE), Department Ciencias Médicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Castilla-La Mancha, 02008 Albacete, Spain; (R.A.-R.); (R.L.)
| | - Sara Badesso
- Neurosciences Program, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, IdiSNA, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; (M.P.-G.); (S.B.); (M.E.); (S.U.)
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Diego Sucunza
- Neurosciences Program, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, IdiSNA, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; (M.P.-G.); (S.B.); (M.E.); (S.U.)
| | - María Espelosin
- Neurosciences Program, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, IdiSNA, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; (M.P.-G.); (S.B.); (M.E.); (S.U.)
| | - Susana Ursúa
- Neurosciences Program, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, IdiSNA, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; (M.P.-G.); (S.B.); (M.E.); (S.U.)
| | - Mercedes Lachen-Montes
- Clinical Neuroproteomics Unit, Proteomics Platform, Proteored-ISCIII, Navarrabiomed, Hospital Universitario de Navarra (HUN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), IdiSNA, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; (M.L.-M.); (J.F.-I.); (E.S.)
| | - Joaquín Fernández-Irigoyen
- Clinical Neuroproteomics Unit, Proteomics Platform, Proteored-ISCIII, Navarrabiomed, Hospital Universitario de Navarra (HUN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), IdiSNA, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; (M.L.-M.); (J.F.-I.); (E.S.)
| | - Enrique Santamaria
- Clinical Neuroproteomics Unit, Proteomics Platform, Proteored-ISCIII, Navarrabiomed, Hospital Universitario de Navarra (HUN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), IdiSNA, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; (M.L.-M.); (J.F.-I.); (E.S.)
| | - Rafael Luján
- Synaptic Structure Laboratory, Instituto de Investigación en Discapacidades Neurológicas (IDINE), Department Ciencias Médicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Castilla-La Mancha, 02008 Albacete, Spain; (R.A.-R.); (R.L.)
| | - Ana García-Osta
- Neurosciences Program, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, IdiSNA, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; (M.P.-G.); (S.B.); (M.E.); (S.U.)
- Correspondence: (M.C.-T.); (A.G.-O.)
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13
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Dai S, Zhou F, Sun J, Li Y. NPD1 Enhances Autophagy and Reduces Hyperphosphorylated Tau and Amyloid-β42 by Inhibiting GSK3β Activation in N2a/APP695swe Cells. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 84:869-881. [PMID: 34602482 DOI: 10.3233/jad-210729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The most prevalent kind of dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), is a neurodegenerative disease. Previous research has shown that glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) is involved in the etiology and progression of AD, including amyloid-β (Aβ), phosphorylated tau, and mitochondrial dysfunction. NPD1 has been shown to serve a neuroprotective function in AD, although the mechanism is unclear. OBJECTIVE The effects of NPD1 on Aβ expression levels, tau protein phosphorylation, apoptosis ratio, autophagy activity, and GSK-3β activity in N2a/APP695swe cells (AD cell model) were studied, as well as the mechanism behind such effects. METHODS N2a/APP695swe cells were treated with NPD1, SB216763, or wortmannin as an AD cell model. The associated proteins of hyperphosphorylated tau and autophagy, as well as the activation of GSK3β, were detected using western blot and RT-PCR. Flow cytometry was utilized to analyze apoptosis and ELISA was employed to observe Aβ42. Images of autophagy in cells are captured using transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS In N2a/APP695swe cells, NPD1 decreased Aβ42 and hyperphosphorylated tau while suppressing cell death. NPD1 also promoted autophagy while suppressing GSK-3β activation in N2a/APP695swe cells. The outcome of inhibiting GSK-3β is comparable to that of NPD1 therapy. However, after activating GSK-3β, the opposite experimental results were achieved. CONCLUSION NPD1 might minimize cell apoptosis, downregulate Aβ expression, control tau hyperphosphorylation, and enhance autophagy activity in AD cell models to promote neuronal survival. NPD1's neuroprotective effects may be mediated via decreasing GSK-3β.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songyang Dai
- Institute of Neuroscience, School of Basic Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Fanlin Zhou
- Department of Pathology, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital & Chongqing Cancer Institute & Chongqing Cancer Hospital, Chongqing, China.,Institute of Neuroscience, School of Basic Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jieyun Sun
- Institute of Neuroscience, School of Basic Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yu Li
- Department of Pathology, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital & Chongqing Cancer Institute & Chongqing Cancer Hospital, Chongqing, China.,Institute of Neuroscience, School of Basic Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
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14
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Xu Y, Du S, Marsh JA, Horie K, Sato C, Ballabio A, Karch CM, Holtzman DM, Zheng H. TFEB regulates lysosomal exocytosis of tau and its loss of function exacerbates tau pathology and spreading. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:5925-5939. [PMID: 32366951 PMCID: PMC7609570 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-0738-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) composed of hyperphosphorylated and misfolded tau protein are a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathy conditions. Tau is predominantly an intraneuronal protein but is also secreted in physiological and pathological conditions. The extracellular tau has been implicated in the seeding and propagation of tau pathology and is the prime target of the current tau immunotherapy. However, truncated tau species lacking the microtubule-binding repeat (MTBR) domains essential for seeding have been shown to undergo active secretion and the mechanisms and functional consequences of the various extracellular tau are poorly understood. We report here that the transcription factor EB (TFEB), a master regulator of lysosomal biogenesis, plays an essential role in the lysosomal exocytosis of selected tau species. TFEB loss of function significantly reduced the levels of interstitial fluid (ISF) tau in PS19 mice expressing P301S mutant tau and in conditioned media of mutant tau expressing primary neurons, while the secretion of endogenous wild-type tau was not affected. Mechanistically we found that TFEB regulates the secretion of truncated mutant tau lacking MTBR and this process is dependent on the lysosomal calcium channel TRPML1. Consistent with the seeding-incompetent nature of the truncated tau and supporting the concept that TFEB-mediated lysosomal exocytosis promotes cellular clearance, we show that reduced ISF tau in the absence of TFEB is associated with enhanced intraneuronal pathology and accelerated spreading. Our results support the idea that TFEB-mediated tau exocytosis serves as a clearance mechanism to reduce intracellular tau under pathological conditions and that effective tau immunotherapy should devoid targeting these extracellular tau species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Xu
- Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Shuqi Du
- Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jacob A. Marsh
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Kanta Horie
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Chihiro Sato
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Andrea Ballabio
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA,Dan and Jan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA,Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM) and Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Frederico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Celeste M. Karch
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA,Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - David M. Holtzman
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA,Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Hui Zheng
- Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA. .,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA. .,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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15
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Niu J, Iqbal K, Liu F, Hu W. Rats Display Sexual Dimorphism in Phosphorylation of Brain Tau with Age. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 82:855-869. [PMID: 34092647 DOI: 10.3233/jad-210341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Women have a two-fold higher risk than men to Alzheimer's disease (AD) at midlife. Larger brain tau burden was consistently shown in older women than age-matched men. The biological basis for this gender disparity remains elusive. OBJECTIVE We sought to know whether tau expression and phosphorylation physiologically differ between males and females. METHODS We used western blots and immunohistochemistry to compare the levels of total tau and phosphorylated tau in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex (EC) between sexes in Wistar rats at 40 days, and 8 and 20 months of age. RESULTS We detected no statistically significant difference in total tau, 3R-tau, and 4R-tau between sexes. However, female rats exhibited lower levels of tau unphosphorylated at the Tau-1 site at 40 days of age. At 8 months of age, females showed higher levels of tau phosphorylated at Ser190, Ser387, and Ser395 (Ser199, Ser396, and Ser404 of human tau, respectively) than males in EC. At 20 months of age, both brain regions of female rats consistently showed higher levels than males of tau phosphorylated at Ser253, Ser387, PHF-1 (Ser387/395), and Ser413 sites, which correspond to Ser262, Ser396, Ser396/404, and Ser422 of human tau, respectively. CONCLUSION Rats of both sexes have comparable levels of total tau, 3R-tau, and 4R-tau, whereas females exhibit higher levels of tau phosphorylated at multiple sites that are implicated in AD tau pathology, indicating a sexual dimorphism of tau phosphorylation that may potentially underlie the disparity in brain tau burden and risk for AD between sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahui Niu
- Department of Neurochemistry, Inge Grundke-Iqbal Research Floor, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY, USA
| | - Khalid Iqbal
- Department of Neurochemistry, Inge Grundke-Iqbal Research Floor, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY, USA
| | - Fei Liu
- Department of Neurochemistry, Inge Grundke-Iqbal Research Floor, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY, USA
| | - Wen Hu
- Department of Neurochemistry, Inge Grundke-Iqbal Research Floor, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY, USA
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16
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Hole KL, Staniaszek LE, Menon Balan G, Mason JM, Brown JT, Williams RJ. Oral (-)-Epicatechin Inhibits Progressive Tau Pathology in rTg4510 Mice Independent of Direct Actions at GSK3β. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:697319. [PMID: 34220446 PMCID: PMC8244787 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.697319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggregation of the microtubule-associated protein tau into paired helical filaments (PHFs) and neurofibrillary tangles is a defining characteristic of Alzheimer’s Disease. Various plant polyphenols disrupt tau aggregation in vitro but display poor bioavailability and low potency, challenging their therapeutic translation. We previously reported that oral administration of the flavonoid (−)-epicatechin (EC) reduced Amyloid-β (Aβ) plaque pathology in APP/PS1 transgenic mice. Here, we investigated whether EC impacts on tau pathology, independent of actions on Aβ, using rTg4510 mice expressing P301L mutant tau. 4 and 6.5 months old rTg4510 mice received EC (∼18 mg/day) or vehicle (ethanol) via drinking water for 21 days and the levels of total and phosphorylated tau were assessed. At 4 months, tau appeared as two bands of ∼55 kDa, phosphorylated at Ser262 and Ser396 and was unaffected by exposure to EC. At 6.5 months an additional higher molecular weight form of tau was detected at ∼64 kDa which was phosphorylated at Ser262, Ser396 and additionally at the AT8 sites, indicative of the presence of PHFs. EC consumption reduced the levels of the ∼64 kDa tau species and inhibited phosphorylation at Ser262 and AT8 phosphoepitopes. Regulation of the key tau kinase glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) by phosphorylation at Ser9 was not altered by exposure to EC in mice or primary neurons. Furthermore, EC did not significantly inhibit GSK3β activity at physiologically-relevant concentrations in a cell free assay. Therefore, a 21-day intervention with EC inhibits or reverses the development of tau pathology in rTg4510 mice independently of direct inhibition of GSK3β.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katriona L Hole
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Lydia E Staniaszek
- Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Gayathri Menon Balan
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Jody M Mason
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Jon T Brown
- Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Robert J Williams
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
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17
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Flores-Rodríguez P, Harrington CR, Wischik CM, Ibarra-Bracamontes V, Zarco N, Navarrete A, Martínez-Maldonado A, Guadarrama-Ortíz P, Villanueva-Fierro I, Ontiveros-Torres MA, Perry G, Alonso AD, Floran-Garduño B, Segovia J, Luna-Muñoz J. Phospho-Tau Protein Expression in the Cell Cycle of SH-SY5Y Neuroblastoma Cells: A Morphological Study. J Alzheimers Dis 2020; 71:631-645. [PMID: 31424392 DOI: 10.3233/jad-190155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
It has been reported that the main function of tau protein is to stabilize microtubules and promote the movement of organelles through the axon in neurons. In Alzheimer's disease, tau protein is the major constituent of the paired helical filament, and it undergoes post-translational modifications including hyperphosphorylation and truncation. Whether other functions of tau protein are involved in Alzheimer's disease is less clear. We used SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells as an in vitro model to further study the functions of tau protein. We detected phosphorylated tau protein as small dense dots in the cell nucleus, which strongly colocalize with intranuclear speckle structures that were also labelled with an antibody to SC35, a protein involved in nuclear RNA splicing. We have shown further that tau protein, phosphorylated at the sites recognized by pT231, TG-3, and AD2 antibodies, is closely associated with cell division. Different functions may be characteristic of phosphorylation at specific sites. Our findings suggest that the presence of tau protein is involved in separation of sister chromatids in anaphase, and that tau protein also participates in maintaining the integrity of the DNA (pT231, prophase) and chromosomes during cell division (TG-3).
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Flores-Rodríguez
- Deparment of Physiology, Biophysics and Neuroscience, CINVESTAV, CDMX, México.,Brain Bank, Laboratorio Nacional de Servicios Experimentales, LaNSE-CINVESTAV, CDMX, México.,CIIDIR Durango, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Becario COFAA, Durango, México
| | - Charles R Harrington
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Claude M Wischik
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Vanessa Ibarra-Bracamontes
- Deparment of Physiology, Biophysics and Neuroscience, CINVESTAV, CDMX, México.,Brain Bank, Laboratorio Nacional de Servicios Experimentales, LaNSE-CINVESTAV, CDMX, México
| | - Natanael Zarco
- Deparment of Physiology, Biophysics and Neuroscience, CINVESTAV, CDMX, México
| | - Araceli Navarrete
- Deparment of Physiology, Biophysics and Neuroscience, CINVESTAV, CDMX, México
| | - Alejandra Martínez-Maldonado
- Deparment of Physiology, Biophysics and Neuroscience, CINVESTAV, CDMX, México.,Anahuac University North Mexico, CDMX, México
| | | | | | | | - George Perry
- College of Sciences, University of Texas at San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Alejandra D Alonso
- Biology Department and Center for Developmental Neuroscience, College of Staten Island, The City University of New York, Staten Island, NY, USA
| | | | - José Segovia
- Deparment of Physiology, Biophysics and Neuroscience, CINVESTAV, CDMX, México
| | - José Luna-Muñoz
- Brain Bank, Laboratorio Nacional de Servicios Experimentales, LaNSE-CINVESTAV, CDMX, México
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18
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Reimer L, Betzer C, Kofoed RH, Volbracht C, Fog K, Kurhade C, Nilsson E, Överby AK, Jensen PH. PKR kinase directly regulates tau expression and Alzheimer's disease-related tau phosphorylation. Brain Pathol 2020; 31:103-119. [PMID: 32716602 PMCID: PMC8018097 DOI: 10.1111/bpa.12883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Deposition of extensively hyperphosphorylated tau in specific brain cells is a clear pathological hallmark in Alzheimer's disease and a number of other neurodegenerative disorders, collectively termed the tauopathies. Furthermore, hyperphosphorylation of tau prevents it from fulfilling its physiological role as a microtubule‐stabilizing protein and leaves it increasingly vulnerable to self‐assembly, suggestive of a central underlying role of hyperphosphorylation as a contributing factor in the etiology of these diseases. Via in vitro phosphorylation and regulation of kinase activity within cells and acute brain tissue, we reveal that the inflammation associated kinase, protein kinase R (PKR), directly phosphorylates numerous abnormal and disease‐modifying residues within tau including Thr181, Ser199/202, Thr231, Ser262, Ser396, Ser404 and Ser409. Similar to disease processes, these PKR‐mediated phosphorylations actively displace tau from microtubules in cells. In addition, PKR overexpression and knockdown, respectively, increase and decrease tau protein and mRNA levels in cells. This regulation occurs independent of noncoding transcriptional elements, suggesting an underlying mechanism involving intra‐exonic regulation of the tau‐encoding microtubule‐associated protein tau (MAPT) gene. Finally, acute encephalopathy in wild type mice, induced by intracranial Langat virus infection, results in robust inflammation and PKR upregulation accompanied by abnormally phosphorylated full‐length‐ and truncated tau. These findings indicate that PKR, independent of other kinases and upon acute brain inflammation, is capable of triggering pathological modulation of tau, which, in turn, might form the initial pathologic seed in several tauopathies such as Alzheimer's disease and Chronic traumatic encephalopathy where inflammation is severe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lasse Reimer
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Cristine Betzer
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Rikke Hahn Kofoed
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | | | - Chaitanya Kurhade
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Virology, Umeå University, Umea, Sweden.,Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå University, Umea, Sweden
| | - Emma Nilsson
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Virology, Umeå University, Umea, Sweden.,Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå University, Umea, Sweden
| | - Anna K Överby
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Virology, Umeå University, Umea, Sweden.,Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå University, Umea, Sweden
| | - Poul Henning Jensen
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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19
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Wang X, Li W, Marcus J, Pearson M, Song L, Smith K, Terracina G, Lee J, Hong KLK, Lu SX, Hyde L, Chen SC, Kinsley D, Melchor JP, Rubins DJ, Meng X, Hostetler E, Sur C, Zhang L, Schachter JB, Hess JF, Selnick HG, Vocadlo DJ, McEachern EJ, Uslaner JM, Duffy JL, Smith SM. MK-8719, a Novel and Selective O-GlcNAcase Inhibitor That Reduces the Formation of Pathological Tau and Ameliorates Neurodegeneration in a Mouse Model of Tauopathy. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2020; 374:252-263. [PMID: 32493725 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.120.266122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Deposition of hyperphosphorylated and aggregated tau protein in the central nervous system is characteristic of Alzheimer disease and other tauopathies. Tau is subject to O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) modification, and O-GlcNAcylation of tau has been shown to influence tau phosphorylation and aggregation. Inhibition of O-GlcNAcase (OGA), the enzyme that removes O-GlcNAc moieties, is a novel strategy to attenuate the formation of pathologic tau. Here we described the in vitro and in vivo pharmacological properties of a novel and selective OGA inhibitor, MK-8719. In vitro, this compound is a potent inhibitor of the human OGA enzyme with comparable activity against the corresponding enzymes from mouse, rat, and dog. In vivo, oral administration of MK-8719 elevates brain and peripheral blood mononuclear cell O-GlcNAc levels in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, positron emission tomography imaging studies demonstrate robust target engagement of MK-8719 in the brains of rats and rTg4510 mice. In the rTg4510 mouse model of human tauopathy, MK-8719 significantly increases brain O-GlcNAc levels and reduces pathologic tau. The reduction in tau pathology in rTg4510 mice is accompanied by attenuation of brain atrophy, including reduction of forebrain volume loss as revealed by volumetric magnetic resonance imaging analysis. These findings suggest that OGA inhibition may reduce tau pathology in tauopathies. However, since hundreds of O-GlcNAcylated proteins may be influenced by OGA inhibition, it will be critical to understand the physiologic and toxicological consequences of chronic O-GlcNAc elevation in vivo. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: MK-8719 is a novel, selective, and potent O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc)-ase (OGA) inhibitor that inhibits OGA enzyme activity across multiple species with comparable in vitro potency. In vivo, MK-8719 elevates brain O-GlcNAc levels, reduces pathological tau, and ameliorates brain atrophy in the rTg4510 mouse model of tauopathy. These findings indicate that OGA inhibition may be a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of Alzheimer disease and other tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohai Wang
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Wenping Li
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Jacob Marcus
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Michelle Pearson
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Lixin Song
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Karen Smith
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Giuseppe Terracina
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Julie Lee
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Kwok-Lam Karen Hong
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Sherry X Lu
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Lynn Hyde
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Shu-Cheng Chen
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - David Kinsley
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Jerry P Melchor
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Daniel J Rubins
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Xiangjun Meng
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Eric Hostetler
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Cyrille Sur
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Lili Zhang
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Joel B Schachter
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - J Fred Hess
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Harold G Selnick
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - David J Vocadlo
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Ernest J McEachern
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Jason M Uslaner
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Joseph L Duffy
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
| | - Sean M Smith
- MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey (X.W., W.L., J.M., M.P., L.S., K.S., G.T., J.L., K.-L.K.H., S.X.L., L.H., S.-C.C., D.K., J.P.M., D.J.R., X.M., E.H., C.S., L.Z., J.B.S., J.F.H., H.G.S., J.M.U., J.L.D., S.M.S.) and Alectos Therapeutics Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (D.J.V., E.J.M.)
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Ercan-Herbst E, Ehrig J, Schöndorf DC, Behrendt A, Klaus B, Gomez Ramos B, Prat Oriol N, Weber C, Ehrnhoefer DE. A post-translational modification signature defines changes in soluble tau correlating with oligomerization in early stage Alzheimer's disease brain. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2019; 7:192. [PMID: 31796124 PMCID: PMC6892178 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-019-0823-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/29/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-binding protein that can receive various post-translational modifications (PTMs) including phosphorylation, methylation, acetylation, glycosylation, nitration, sumoylation and truncation. Hyperphosphorylation of tau is linked to its aggregation and the formation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), which are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). While more than 70 phosphorylation sites have been detected previously on NFT tau, studies of oligomeric and detergent-soluble tau in human brains during the early stages of AD are lacking. Here we apply a comprehensive electrochemiluminescence ELISA assay to analyze twenty-five different PTM sites as well as tau oligomerization in control and sporadic AD brain. The samples were classified as Braak stages 0-I, II or III-IV, corresponding to the progression of microscopically detectable tau pathology throughout different brain regions. We found that soluble tau multimers are strongly increased at Braak stages III-IV in all brain regions under investigation, including the temporal cortex, which does not contain NFTs or misfolded oligomers at this stage of pathology. We additionally identified five phosphorylation sites that are specifically and consistently increased across the entorhinal cortex, hippocampus and temporal cortex in the same donors. Three of these sites correlate with tau multimerization in all three brain regions, but do not overlap with the epitopes of phospho-sensitive antibodies commonly used for the immunohistochemical detection of NFTs. Our results thus suggest that soluble multimers are characterized by a small set of specific phosphorylation events that differ from those dominating in mature NFTs. These findings shed light on early PTM changes of tau during AD pathogenesis in human brains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ebru Ercan-Herbst
- BioMed X Innovation Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 515, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jens Ehrig
- B CUBE - Center for Molecular Bioengineering, Technische Universitaet Dresden, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - David C Schöndorf
- BioMed X Innovation Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 515, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Annika Behrendt
- BioMed X Innovation Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 515, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Bernd Klaus
- Centre for Statistical Data Analysis, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), 69117, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Borja Gomez Ramos
- BioMed X Innovation Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 515, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- Present address: Life Sciences Research Unit, University of Luxembourg, L-4367, Belvaux, Luxembourg
- Present address: Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, University of Luxembourg, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Nuria Prat Oriol
- BioMed X Innovation Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 515, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christian Weber
- BioMed X Innovation Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 515, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Dagmar E Ehrnhoefer
- BioMed X Innovation Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 515, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
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21
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Ajit D, Trzeciakiewicz H, Tseng JH, Wander CM, Chen Y, Ajit A, King DP, Cohen TJ. A unique tau conformation generated by an acetylation-mimic substitution modulates P301S-dependent tau pathology and hyperphosphorylation. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:16698-16711. [PMID: 31543505 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.009674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Revised: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Abnormal intracellular accumulation of aggregated tau is a hallmark feature of Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. Pathological tau can undergo a range of post-translational modifications (PTMs) that are implicated as triggers of disease pathology. Recent studies now indicate that tau acetylation, in particular, controls both microtubule binding and tau aggregation, thereby acting as a central regulator of tau's biochemical properties and providing avenues to exploit for potential therapies. Here, using cell-based assays and tau transgenic mice harboring an acetylation-mimic mutation at residue Lys-280 (K280Q), we evaluated whether this substitution modifies the neurodegenerative disease pathology associated with the aggregate-prone tau P301S variant. Strikingly, the addition of a K280Q-substituted variant altered P301S-mediated tau conformation and reduced tau hyperphosphorylation. We further evaluated neurodegeneration markers in K280Q acetylation-mimic mice and observed reduced neuroinflammation as well as restored levels of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors and post-synaptic markers compared with the parental mice. Thus, substituting a single lysine residue in the context of a P301S disease-linked mutation produces a unique tau species that abrogates some of the cardinal features of tauopathy. The findings of our study indicate that a complex tau PTM code likely regulates tau pathogenesis, highlighting the potential utility of manipulating and detoxifying tau strains through site-specific tau-targeting approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepa Ajit
- Department of Neurology, UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
| | - Hanna Trzeciakiewicz
- Department of Neurology, UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
| | - Jui-Heng Tseng
- Department of Neurology, UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
| | - Connor M Wander
- Department of Neurology, UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
| | - Youjun Chen
- Department of Neurology, UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
| | - Aditi Ajit
- Department of Neurology, UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
| | - Diamond P King
- Department of Neurology, UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
| | - Todd J Cohen
- Department of Neurology, UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
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22
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Tan CC, Zhang XY, Tan L, Yu JT. Tauopathies: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies. J Alzheimers Dis 2019; 61:487-508. [PMID: 29278892 DOI: 10.3233/jad-170187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Tauopathies are morphologically, biochemically, and clinically heterogeneous neurodegenerative diseases defined by the accumulation of abnormal tau proteins in the brain. There is no effective method to prevent and reverse the tauopathies, but this gloomy picture has been changed by recent research advances. Evidences from genetic studies, experimental animal models, and molecular and cell biology have shed light on the main mechanisms of the diseases. The development of radiology and biochemistry, especially the development of PET imaging, will provide important biomarkers for the clinical diagnosis and treatment. Given the central role of tau in tauopathies, many treatments have constantly emerged, including targeting phosphorylation, targeting aggregation, increasing microtubule stabilization, tau immunization, clearance of tau, anti-inflammatory treatment, and other therapeutics. There is still a long way to go before we obtain drug therapy targeted at multifactor mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen-Chen Tan
- Department of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, School of Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Xiao-Yan Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, School of Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Lan Tan
- Department of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, School of Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Jin-Tai Yu
- Department of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, School of Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
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23
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Tapia-Rojas C, Cabezas-Opazo F, Deaton CA, Vergara EH, Johnson GVW, Quintanilla RA. It's all about tau. Prog Neurobiol 2018; 175:54-76. [PMID: 30605723 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2018.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2017] [Revised: 12/07/2018] [Accepted: 12/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Tau is a protein that is highly enriched in neurons and was originally defined by its ability to bind and stabilize microtubules. However, it is now becoming evident that the functions of tau extend beyond its ability to modulate microtubule dynamics. Tau plays a role in mediating axonal transport, synaptic structure and function, and neuronal signaling pathways. Although tau plays important physiological roles in neurons, its involvement in neurodegenerative diseases, and most prominently in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease (AD), has directed the majority of tau studies. However, a thorough knowledge of the physiological functions of tau and its post-translational modifications under normal conditions are necessary to provide the foundation for understanding its role in pathological settings. In this review, we will focus on human tau, summarizing tau structure and organization, as well as its posttranslational modifications associated with physiological processes. We will highlight possible mechanisms involved in mediating the turnover of tau and finally discuss newly elucidated tau functions in a physiological context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheril Tapia-Rojas
- Laboratory of Neurobiology of Aging, Centro de Biología Celular y Biomedicina (CEBICEM), Universidad San Sebastián, Santiago, Chile
| | - Fabian Cabezas-Opazo
- Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Centro de Investigación Biomédica, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carol A Deaton
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, NY, USA
| | - Erick H Vergara
- Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Centro de Investigación Biomédica, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Gail V W Johnson
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, NY, USA
| | - Rodrigo A Quintanilla
- Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Centro de Investigación Biomédica, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Centro de Investigación y Estudio del Consumo de Alcohol en Adolescentes (CIIA), Santiago, Chile.
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24
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McKenzie-Nickson S, Chan J, Perez K, Hung LW, Cheng L, Sedjahtera A, Gunawan L, Adlard PA, Hayne DJ, McInnes LE, Donnelly PS, Finkelstein DI, Hill AF, Barnham KJ. Modulating Protein Phosphatase 2A Rescues Disease Phenotype in Neurodegenerative Tauopathies. ACS Chem Neurosci 2018; 9:2731-2740. [PMID: 29920069 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia worldwide accounting for around 70% of all cases. There is currently no treatment for AD beyond symptom management and attempts at developing disease-modifying therapies have yielded very little. These strategies have traditionally targeted the peptide Aβ, which is thought to drive pathology. However, the lack of clinical translation of these Aβ-centric strategies underscores the need for diverse treatment strategies targeting other aspects of the disease. Metal dyshomeostasis is a common feature of several neurodegenerative diseases such as AD, Parkinson's disease, and frontotemporal dementia, and manipulation of metal homeostasis has been explored as a potential therapeutic avenue for these diseases. The copper ionophore glyoxalbis-[N4-methylthiosemicarbazonato]Cu(II) (CuII(gtsm)) has previously been shown to improve the cognitive deficits seen in an AD animal model; however, the molecular mechanism remained unclear. Here we report that the treatment of two animal tauopathy models (APP/PS1 and rTg4510) with CuII(gtsm) recovers the cognitive deficits seen in both neurodegenerative models. In both models, markers of tau pathology were significantly reduced with CuII(gtsm) treatment, and in the APP/PS1 model, the levels of Aβ remained unchanged. Analysis of tau kinases (GSK3β and CDK5) revealed no drug induced changes; however, both models exhibited a significant increase in the levels of the structural subunit of the tau phosphatase, PP2A. These findings suggest that targeting the tau phosphatase PP2A has therapeutic potential for preventing memory impairments and reducing the tau pathology seen in AD and other tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon McKenzie-Nickson
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Jacky Chan
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Keyla Perez
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Lin W. Hung
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Lesley Cheng
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
| | - Amelia Sedjahtera
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Lydia Gunawan
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Paul A. Adlard
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | | | | | | | - David I. Finkelstein
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Andrew F. Hill
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
| | - Kevin J. Barnham
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3052, Australia
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25
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Prion-Like Propagation of Post-Translationally Modified Tau in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Hypothesis. J Mol Neurosci 2018; 65:480-490. [DOI: 10.1007/s12031-018-1111-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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26
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Zhu Y, Shan X, Safarpour F, Erro Go N, Li N, Shan A, Huang MC, Deen M, Holicek V, Ashmus R, Madden Z, Gorski S, Silverman MA, Vocadlo DJ. Pharmacological Inhibition of O-GlcNAcase Enhances Autophagy in Brain through an mTOR-Independent Pathway. ACS Chem Neurosci 2018; 9:1366-1379. [PMID: 29460617 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The glycosylation of nucleocytoplasmic proteins with O-linked N-acetylglucosamine residues (O-GlcNAc) is conserved among metazoans and is particularly abundant within brain. O-GlcNAc is involved in diverse cellular processes ranging from the regulation of gene expression to stress response. Moreover, O-GlcNAc is implicated in various diseases including cancers, diabetes, cardiac dysfunction, and neurodegenerative diseases. Pharmacological inhibition of O-GlcNAcase (OGA), the sole enzyme that removes O-GlcNAc, reproducibly slows neurodegeneration in various Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse models manifesting either tau or amyloid pathology. These data have stimulated interest in the possibility of using OGA-selective inhibitors as pharmaceuticals to alter the progression of AD. The mechanisms mediating the neuroprotective effects of OGA inhibitors, however, remain poorly understood. Here we show, using a range of methods in neuroblastoma N2a cells, in primary rat neurons, and in mouse brain, that selective OGA inhibitors stimulate autophagy through an mTOR-independent pathway without obvious toxicity. Additionally, OGA inhibition significantly decreased the levels of toxic protein species associated with AD pathogenesis in the JNPL3 tauopathy mouse model as well as the 3×Tg-AD mouse model. These results strongly suggest that OGA inhibitors act within brain through a mechanism involving enhancement of autophagy, which aids the brain in combatting the accumulation of toxic protein species. Our study supports OGA inhibition being a feasible therapeutic strategy for hindering the progression of AD and other neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, these data suggest more targeted strategies to stimulate autophagy in an mTOR-independent manner may be found within the O-GlcNAc pathway. These findings should aid the advancement of OGA inhibitors within the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanping Zhu
- Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
- Centre for Cell Biology, Development, and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Xiaoyang Shan
- Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Farzaneh Safarpour
- Centre for Cell Biology, Development, and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Nancy Erro Go
- The Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 1L3, Canada
| | - Nancy Li
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Alice Shan
- Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Mina C. Huang
- Centre for Cell Biology, Development, and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Matthew Deen
- Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Viktor Holicek
- Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Roger Ashmus
- Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Zarina Madden
- Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Sharon Gorski
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
- Centre for Cell Biology, Development, and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
- The Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 1L3, Canada
| | - Michael A. Silverman
- Centre for Cell Biology, Development, and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - David J. Vocadlo
- Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
- Centre for Cell Biology, Development, and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
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27
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Presymptomatic change in microRNAs modulates Tau pathology. Sci Rep 2018; 8:9251. [PMID: 29915328 PMCID: PMC6006352 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-27527-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2017] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRs) are 18~23 nucleotides long non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression. To explore whether miR alterations in tauopathy contribute to pathological conditions, we first determined which hippocampal miRs are altered at the presymptomatic and symptomatic stages of tauopathy using rTg4510 mice (Tau mice), a well-characterized tauopathy model. miR-RNA pairing analysis using QIAGEN Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) revealed 401 genes that can be regulated by 71 miRs altered in Tau hippocampi at the presymptomatic stage. Among several miRs confirmed with real-time qPCR, miR142 (−3p and −5p) in Tau hippocampi were significantly upregulated by two-weeks of age and onward. Transcriptome studies by RNAseq and IPA revealed several overlapping biological and disease associated pathways affected by either Tau or miR142 overexpression, including Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (Stat3) and Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor 2 (Tnfr2) signaling pathways. Similar to what was observed in Tau brains, overexpressing miR142 in wildtype cortical neurons augments mRNA levels of Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (Gfap) and Colony Stimulating Factor 1 (Csf1), accompanied by a significant increase in microglia and reactive astrocyte numbers. Taken together, our study suggests that miR alterations by Tau overexpression may contribute to the neuroinflammation observed in Tau brains.
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28
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Wang X, Smith K, Pearson M, Hughes A, Cosden ML, Marcus J, Hess JF, Savage MJ, Rosahl T, Smith SM, Schachter JB, Uslaner JM. Early intervention of tau pathology prevents behavioral changes in the rTg4510 mouse model of tauopathy. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0195486. [PMID: 29624602 PMCID: PMC5889169 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2017] [Accepted: 03/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Although tau pathology, behavioral deficits, and neuronal loss are observed in patients with tauopathies, the relationship between these endpoints has not been clearly established. Here we found that rTg4510 mice, which overexpress human mutant tau in the forebrain, develop progressive age-dependent increases in locomotor activity (LMA), which correlates with neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) pathology, hyperphosphorylated tau levels, and brain atrophy. To further clarify the relationship between these endpoints, we treated the rTg4510 mice with either doxycycline to reduce mutant tau expression or an O-GlcNAcase inhibitor Thiamet G, which has been shown to ameliorate tau pathology in animal models. We found that both doxycycline and Thiamet G treatments starting at 2 months of age prevented the progression of hyperactivity, slowed brain atrophy, and reduced brain hyperphosphorylated tau. In contrast, initiating doxycycline treatment at 4 months reduced neither brain hyperphosphorylated tau nor hyperactivity, further confirming the relationship between these measures. Collectively, our results demonstrate a unique behavioral phenotype in the rTg4510 mouse model of tauopathy that strongly correlates with disease progression, and that early interventions which reduce tau pathology ameliorate the progression of the locomotor dysfunction. These findings suggest that better understanding the relationship between locomotor deficits and tau pathology in the rTg4510 model may improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying behavioral disturbances in patients with tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohai Wang
- Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Karen Smith
- Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Michelle Pearson
- Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Anna Hughes
- Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Mali L. Cosden
- Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Jacob Marcus
- Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - J. Fred Hess
- Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Mary J. Savage
- Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Thomas Rosahl
- Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Sean M. Smith
- Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Joel B. Schachter
- Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Jason M. Uslaner
- Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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29
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A validated antibody panel for the characterization of tau post-translational modifications. Mol Neurodegener 2017; 12:87. [PMID: 29157277 PMCID: PMC5697095 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-017-0229-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2017] [Accepted: 11/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Tau is a microtubule-binding protein, which is subject to various post-translational modifications (PTMs) including phosphorylation, methylation, acetylation, glycosylation, nitration, sumoylation and truncation. Aberrant PTMs such as hyperphosphorylation result in tau aggregation and the formation of neurofibrillary tangles, which are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In order to study the importance of PTMs on tau function, antibodies raised against specific modification sites are widely used. However, quality control of these antibodies is lacking and their specificity for particular modifications is often unclear. Methods In this study, we first designed an online tool called ‘TauPTM’, which enables the visualization of PTMs and their interactions on human tau. Using TauPTM, we next searched for commercially available antibodies against tau PTMs and characterized their specificity by peptide array, immunoblotting, electrochemiluminescence ELISA and immunofluorescence technologies. Results We demonstrate that commercially available antibodies can show a significant lack of specificity, and PTM-specific antibodies in particular often recognize non-modified versions of the protein. In addition, detection may be hindered by other PTMs in close vicinity, complicating the interpretation of results. Finally, we compiled a panel of specific antibodies and show that they are useful to detect PTM-modified endogenous tau in hiPSC-derived neurons and mouse brains. Conclusion This study has created a platform to reliably and robustly detect changes in localization and abundance of post-translationally modified tau in health and disease. A web-based version of TauPTM is fully available at http://www.tauptm.org.
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30
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Tau-based therapies in neurodegeneration: opportunities and challenges. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2017; 16:863-883. [DOI: 10.1038/nrd.2017.155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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31
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Hastings NB, Wang X, Song L, Butts BD, Grotz D, Hargreaves R, Fred Hess J, Hong KLK, Huang CRR, Hyde L, Laverty M, Lee J, Levitan D, Lu SX, Maguire M, Mahadomrongkul V, McEachern EJ, Ouyang X, Rosahl TW, Selnick H, Stanton M, Terracina G, Vocadlo DJ, Wang G, Duffy JL, Parker EM, Zhang L. Inhibition of O-GlcNAcase leads to elevation of O-GlcNAc tau and reduction of tauopathy and cerebrospinal fluid tau in rTg4510 mice. Mol Neurodegener 2017; 12:39. [PMID: 28521765 PMCID: PMC5437664 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-017-0181-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2016] [Accepted: 05/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hyperphosphorylation of microtubule-associated protein tau is a distinct feature of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) that are the hallmark of neurodegenerative tauopathies. O-GlcNAcylation is a lesser known post-translational modification of tau that involves the addition of N-acetylglucosamine onto serine and threonine residues. Inhibition of O-GlcNAcase (OGA), the enzyme responsible for the removal of O-GlcNAc modification, has been shown to reduce tau pathology in several transgenic models. Clarifying the underlying mechanism by which OGA inhibition leads to the reduction of pathological tau and identifying translatable measures to guide human dosing and efficacy determination would significantly facilitate the clinical development of OGA inhibitors for the treatment of tauopathies. METHODS Genetic and pharmacological approaches are used to evaluate the pharmacodynamic response of OGA inhibition. A panel of quantitative biochemical assays is established to assess the effect of OGA inhibition on pathological tau reduction. A "click" chemistry labeling method is developed for the detection of O-GlcNAcylated tau. RESULTS Substantial (>80%) OGA inhibition is required to observe a measurable increase in O-GlcNAcylated proteins in the brain. Sustained and substantial OGA inhibition via chronic treatment with Thiamet G leads to a significant reduction of aggregated tau and several phosphorylated tau species in the insoluble fraction of rTg4510 mouse brain and total tau in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). O-GlcNAcylated tau is elevated by Thiamet G treatment and is found primarily in the soluble 55 kD tau species, but not in the insoluble 64 kD tau species thought as the pathological entity. CONCLUSION The present study demonstrates that chronic inhibition of OGA reduces pathological tau in the brain and total tau in the CSF of rTg4510 mice, most likely by directly increasing O-GlcNAcylation of tau and thereby maintaining tau in the soluble, non-toxic form by reducing tau aggregation and the accompanying panoply of deleterious post-translational modifications. These results clarify some conflicting observations regarding the effects and mechanism of OGA inhibition on tau pathology, provide pharmacodynamic tools to guide human dosing and identify CSF total tau as a potential translational biomarker. Therefore, this study provides additional support to develop OGA inhibitors as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Xiaohai Wang
- Department of In Vivo Pharmacology, West Point, PA USA
| | - Lixin Song
- Department of Neuroscience, Kenilworth, NJ USA
| | | | - Diane Grotz
- Department of Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics and Drug Metabolism, Kenilworth, NJ USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Lynn Hyde
- Department of Neuroscience, Kenilworth, NJ USA
| | | | - Julie Lee
- Department of Neuroscience, Kenilworth, NJ USA
| | - Diane Levitan
- Department of Molecular Biomarkers, Kenilworth, NJ USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Harold Selnick
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Joseph L. Duffy
- Discovery Chemistry Merck Research Laboratories, Kenilworth, NJ USA
| | | | - Lili Zhang
- Department of Neuroscience, Kenilworth, NJ USA
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32
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Guo T, Noble W, Hanger DP. Roles of tau protein in health and disease. Acta Neuropathol 2017; 133:665-704. [PMID: 28386764 PMCID: PMC5390006 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-017-1707-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 565] [Impact Index Per Article: 80.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Revised: 03/26/2017] [Accepted: 03/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Tau is well established as a microtubule-associated protein in neurons. However, under pathological conditions, aberrant assembly of tau into insoluble aggregates is accompanied by synaptic dysfunction and neural cell death in a range of neurodegenerative disorders, collectively referred to as tauopathies. Recent advances in our understanding of the multiple functions and different locations of tau inside and outside neurons have revealed novel insights into its importance in a diverse range of molecular pathways including cell signalling, synaptic plasticity, and regulation of genomic stability. The present review describes the physiological and pathophysiological properties of tau and how these relate to its distribution and functions in neurons. We highlight the post-translational modifications of tau, which are pivotal in defining and modulating tau localisation and its roles in health and disease. We include discussion of other pathologically relevant changes in tau, including mutation and aggregation, and how these aspects impinge on the propensity of tau to propagate, and potentially drive neuronal loss, in diseased brain. Finally, we describe the cascade of pathological events that may be driven by tau dysfunction, including impaired axonal transport, alterations in synapse and mitochondrial function, activation of the unfolded protein response and defective protein degradation. It is important to fully understand the range of neuronal functions attributed to tau, since this will provide vital information on its involvement in the development and pathogenesis of disease. Such knowledge will enable determination of which critical molecular pathways should be targeted by potential therapeutic agents developed for the treatment of tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Guo
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 9NU, UK
| | - Wendy Noble
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 9NU, UK
| | - Diane P Hanger
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 9NU, UK.
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33
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Nobuhara CK, DeVos SL, Commins C, Wegmann S, Moore BD, Roe AD, Costantino I, Frosch MP, Pitstick R, Carlson GA, Hock C, Nitsch RM, Montrasio F, Grimm J, Cheung AE, Dunah AW, Wittmann M, Bussiere T, Weinreb PH, Hyman BT, Takeda S. Tau Antibody Targeting Pathological Species Blocks Neuronal Uptake and Interneuron Propagation of Tau in Vitro. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2017; 187:1399-1412. [PMID: 28408124 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2017.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The clinical progression of Alzheimer disease (AD) is associated with the accumulation of tau neurofibrillary tangles, which may spread throughout the cortex by interneuronal tau transfer. If so, targeting extracellular tau species may slow the spreading of tau pathology and possibly cognitive decline. To identify suitable target epitopes, we tested the effects of a panel of tau antibodies on neuronal uptake and aggregation in vitro. Immunodepletion was performed on brain extract from tau-transgenic mice and postmortem AD brain and added to a sensitive fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based tau uptake assay to assess blocking efficacy. The antibodies reduced tau uptake in an epitope-dependent manner: N-terminal (Tau13) and middomain (6C5 and HT7) antibodies successfully prevented uptake of tau species, whereas the distal C-terminal-specific antibody (Tau46) had little effect. Phosphorylation-dependent (40E8 and p396) and C-terminal half (4E4) tau antibodies also reduced tau uptake despite removing less total tau by immunodepletion, suggesting specific interactions with species involved in uptake. Among the seven antibodies evaluated, 6C5 most efficiently blocked uptake and subsequent aggregation. More important, 6C5 also blocked neuron-to-neuron spreading of tau in a unique three-chamber microfluidic device. Furthermore, 6C5 slowed down the progression of tau aggregation even after uptake had begun. Our results imply that not all antibodies/epitopes are equally robust in terms of blocking tau uptake of human AD-derived tau species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe K Nobuhara
- Alzheimer's Disease Research Laboratory, Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Sarah L DeVos
- Alzheimer's Disease Research Laboratory, Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Caitlin Commins
- Alzheimer's Disease Research Laboratory, Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Susanne Wegmann
- Alzheimer's Disease Research Laboratory, Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Benjamin D Moore
- Alzheimer's Disease Research Laboratory, Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Allyson D Roe
- Alzheimer's Disease Research Laboratory, Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Isabel Costantino
- Alzheimer's Disease Research Laboratory, Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Matthew P Frosch
- Alzheimer's Disease Research Laboratory, Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | | | | | - Christoph Hock
- Neurimmune, Schlieren, Switzerland; Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Roger M Nitsch
- Neurimmune, Schlieren, Switzerland; Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Bradley T Hyman
- Alzheimer's Disease Research Laboratory, Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts.
| | - Shuko Takeda
- Alzheimer's Disease Research Laboratory, Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts.
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Trzeciakiewicz H, Tseng JH, Wander CM, Madden V, Tripathy A, Yuan CX, Cohen TJ. A Dual Pathogenic Mechanism Links Tau Acetylation to Sporadic Tauopathy. Sci Rep 2017; 7:44102. [PMID: 28287136 PMCID: PMC5347034 DOI: 10.1038/srep44102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau acetylation has recently emerged as a dominant post-translational modification (PTM) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related tauopathies. Mass spectrometry studies indicate that tau acetylation sites cluster within the microtubule (MT)-binding region (MTBR), suggesting acetylation could regulate both normal and pathological tau functions. Here, we combined biochemical and cell-based approaches to uncover a dual pathogenic mechanism mediated by tau acetylation. We show that acetylation specifically at residues K280/K281 impairs tau-mediated MT stabilization, and enhances the formation of fibrillar tau aggregates, highlighting both loss and gain of tau function. Full-length acetylation-mimic tau showed increased propensity to undergo seed-dependent aggregation, revealing a potential role for tau acetylation in the propagation of tau pathology. We also demonstrate that methylene blue, a reported tau aggregation inhibitor, modulates tau acetylation, a novel mechanism of action for this class of compounds. Our study identifies a potential “two-hit” mechanism in which tau acetylation disengages tau from MTs and also promotes tau aggregation. Thus, therapeutic approaches to limit tau K280/K281 acetylation could simultaneously restore MT stability and ameliorate tau pathology in AD and related tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Trzeciakiewicz
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jui-Heng Tseng
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
| | - Connor M Wander
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
| | - Victoria Madden
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
| | - Ashutosh Tripathy
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Chao-Xing Yuan
- Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA
| | - Todd J Cohen
- Department of Neurology, UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
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Zheng Q, Huang T, Zhang L, Zhou Y, Luo H, Xu H, Wang X. Dysregulation of Ubiquitin-Proteasome System in Neurodegenerative Diseases. Front Aging Neurosci 2016; 8:303. [PMID: 28018215 PMCID: PMC5156861 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2016.00303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 202] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2016] [Accepted: 11/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is one of the major protein degradation pathways, where abnormal UPS function has been observed in cancer and neurological diseases. Many neurodegenerative diseases share a common pathological feature, namely intracellular ubiquitin-positive inclusions formed by aggregate-prone neurotoxic proteins. This suggests that dysfunction of the UPS in neurodegenerative diseases contributes to the accumulation of neurotoxic proteins and to instigate neurodegeneration. Here, we review recent findings describing various aspects of UPS dysregulation in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuyang Zheng
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Institute of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Xiamen University Xiamen, China
| | - Timothy Huang
- Neuroscience Initiative, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA USA
| | - Lishan Zhang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Institute of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Xiamen University Xiamen, China
| | - Ying Zhou
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Institute of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Xiamen University Xiamen, China
| | - Hong Luo
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Institute of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Xiamen University Xiamen, China
| | - Huaxi Xu
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Institute of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Xiamen UniversityXiamen, China; Neuroscience Initiative, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CAUSA
| | - Xin Wang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Institute of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Xiamen University Xiamen, China
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36
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Breydo L, Redington JM, Uversky VN. Effects of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors on Aggregation of Physiologically Important Intrinsically Disordered Proteins. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2016; 329:145-185. [PMID: 28109327 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ircmb.2016.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Misfolding and aggregation of proteins and peptides play an important role in a number of diseases as well as in many physiological processes. Many of the proteins that misfold and aggregate in vivo are intrinsically disordered. Protein aggregation is a complex multistep process, and aggregates can significantly differ in morphology, structure, stability, cytotoxicity, and self-propagation ability. The aggregation process is influenced by both intrinsic (e.g., mutations and expression levels) and extrinsic (e.g., polypeptide chain truncation, macromolecular crowding, posttranslational modifications, as well as interaction with metal ions, other small molecules, lipid membranes, and chaperons) factors. This review examines the effect of a variety of these factors on aggregation of physiologically important intrinsically disordered proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Breydo
- Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States.
| | - J M Redington
- Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - V N Uversky
- Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States; Laboratory of Structural Dynamics, Stability and Folding of Proteins, Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia.
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Rottscholl R, Haegele M, Jainsch B, Xu H, Respondek G, Höllerhage M, Rösler TW, Bony E, Le Ven J, Guérineau V, Schmitz-Afonso I, Champy P, Oertel WH, Yamada ES, Höglinger GU. Chronic consumption ofAnnona muricatajuice triggers and aggravates cerebral tau phosphorylation in wild-type andMAPTtransgenic mice. J Neurochem 2016; 139:624-639. [DOI: 10.1111/jnc.13835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 08/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Marlen Haegele
- Experimental Neurology; University of Marburg; Marburg Germany
| | - Britta Jainsch
- Experimental Neurology; University of Marburg; Marburg Germany
| | - Hong Xu
- Experimental Neurology; University of Marburg; Marburg Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE); Munich Germany
| | - Gesine Respondek
- Experimental Neurology; University of Marburg; Marburg Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE); Munich Germany
- Department of Neurology; Technical University Munich; Munich Germany
| | - Matthias Höllerhage
- Experimental Neurology; University of Marburg; Marburg Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE); Munich Germany
- Department of Neurology; Technical University Munich; Munich Germany
| | - Thomas W. Rösler
- Experimental Neurology; University of Marburg; Marburg Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE); Munich Germany
| | - Emilie Bony
- Laboratoire de Pharmacognosie; BioCIS; Univ. Paris-Sud; CNRS; Université Paris-Saclay; UFR Pharmacie; Châtenay-Malabry France
| | - Jessica Le Ven
- Laboratoire de Pharmacognosie; BioCIS; Univ. Paris-Sud; CNRS; Université Paris-Saclay; UFR Pharmacie; Châtenay-Malabry France
| | - Vincent Guérineau
- Centre de recherche de Gif; Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles; CNRS; Gif-sur-Yvette France
| | - Isabelle Schmitz-Afonso
- Centre de recherche de Gif; Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles; CNRS; Gif-sur-Yvette France
- Normandie Université; COBRA; UMR 6014 et FR3038; Université de Rouen; INSA de Rouen; CNRS; IRCOF; Mont-Saint-Aignan Cedex France
| | - Pierre Champy
- Laboratoire de Pharmacognosie; BioCIS; Univ. Paris-Sud; CNRS; Université Paris-Saclay; UFR Pharmacie; Châtenay-Malabry France
| | | | - Elizabeth S. Yamada
- Experimental Neurology; University of Marburg; Marburg Germany
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuropathology-ICB; João de Barros Barreto University Hospital; Federal University of Pará; Belém Brazil
| | - Günter U. Höglinger
- Experimental Neurology; University of Marburg; Marburg Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE); Munich Germany
- Department of Neurology; Technical University Munich; Munich Germany
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38
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Grimm A, Mensah-Nyagan AG, Eckert A. Alzheimer, mitochondria and gender. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 67:89-101. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2015] [Revised: 04/11/2016] [Accepted: 04/20/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Regan P, Whitcomb DJ, Cho K. Physiological and Pathophysiological Implications of Synaptic Tau. Neuroscientist 2016; 23:137-151. [DOI: 10.1177/1073858416633439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Tauopathies encompass a broad range of neurodegenerative diseases featuring extensive neuronal death and cognitive decline. However, research over the past 30 years has failed to significantly advance our understanding of how tau causes dementia, limiting the design of rational therapeutics. It has become evident that we need to expand our understanding of tau in physiology, in order to delineate how tau may contribute to pathology. This review discusses recent evidence that has uncovered a novel aspect of tau function, based on its previously uncharacterized localization to the synapse. Here, multiple streams of evidence support a critical role for synaptic tau in the regulation of synapse physiology. In particular, long-term depression, a form of synaptic weakening, is dependent on the presence of tau in hippocampal neurons. The regulation of tau by specific phosphorylation events downstream of GSK-3β activation appears to be integral to this signaling role. We also describe how the regulation of synapse physiology by tau and its phosphorylation may inform our understanding of tauopathies and comorbid diseases. This work should provide a platform for future tau biology research in addition to therapeutic design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Regan
- Henry Wellcome Laboratories for Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology (HW-LINE), Bristol, UK
| | - Daniel J. Whitcomb
- Henry Wellcome Laboratories for Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology (HW-LINE), Bristol, UK
- Centre for Synaptic Plasticity, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Kwangwook Cho
- Henry Wellcome Laboratories for Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology (HW-LINE), Bristol, UK
- Centre for Synaptic Plasticity, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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40
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Li Y, Sun H, Chen Z, Xu H, Bu G, Zheng H. Implications of GABAergic Neurotransmission in Alzheimer's Disease. Front Aging Neurosci 2016; 8:31. [PMID: 26941642 PMCID: PMC4763334 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2016.00031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 02/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized pathologically by the deposition of β-amyloid peptides (Aβ) and the accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) composed of hyper-phosphorylated tau. Regardless of the pathological hallmarks, synaptic dysfunction is widely accepted as a causal event in AD. Of the two major types of synapses in the central nervous system (CNS): glutamatergic and GABAergic, which provide excitatory and inhibitory outputs respectively, abundant data implicate an impaired glutamatergic system during disease progression. However, emerging evidence supports the notion that disrupted default neuronal network underlies impaired memory, and that alterations of GABAergic circuits, either plays a primary role or as a compensatory response to excitotoxicity, may also contribute to AD by disrupting the overall network function. The goal of this review is to provide an overview of the involvement of Aβ, tau and apolipoprotein E4 (apoE4), the major genetic risk factor in late-onset AD (LOAD), in GABAergic neurotransmission and the potential of modulating the GABAergic function as AD therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanfang Li
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Institute of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Xiamen University Xiamen, China
| | - Hao Sun
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Institute of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Xiamen University Xiamen, China
| | - Zhicai Chen
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Institute of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Xiamen University Xiamen, China
| | - Huaxi Xu
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Institute of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Xiamen UniversityXiamen, China; Neurodegenerative Disease Research Program, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research InstituteLa Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Guojun Bu
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Institute of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Xiamen UniversityXiamen, China; Department of Neuroscience, Mayo ClinicJacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Hui Zheng
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Institute of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Xiamen UniversityXiamen, China; The Interdepartmental Program of Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of MedicineHouston, TX, USA
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