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Collins HM, Greenfield S. Rodent Models of Alzheimer's Disease: Past Misconceptions and Future Prospects. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:6222. [PMID: 38892408 PMCID: PMC11172947 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25116222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with no effective treatments, not least due to the lack of authentic animal models. Typically, rodent models recapitulate the effects but not causes of AD, such as cholinergic neuron loss: lesioning of cholinergic neurons mimics the cognitive decline reminiscent of AD but not its neuropathology. Alternative models rely on the overexpression of genes associated with familial AD, such as amyloid precursor protein, or have genetically amplified expression of mutant tau. Yet transgenic rodent models poorly replicate the neuropathogenesis and protein overexpression patterns of sporadic AD. Seeding rodents with amyloid or tau facilitates the formation of these pathologies but cannot account for their initial accumulation. Intracerebral infusion of proinflammatory agents offer an alternative model, but these fail to replicate the cause of AD. A novel model is therefore needed, perhaps similar to those used for Parkinson's disease, namely adult wildtype rodents with neuron-specific (dopaminergic) lesions within the same vulnerable brainstem nuclei, 'the isodendritic core', which are the first to degenerate in AD. Site-selective targeting of these nuclei in adult rodents may recapitulate the initial neurodegenerative processes in AD to faithfully mimic its pathogenesis and progression, ultimately leading to presymptomatic biomarkers and preventative therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen M. Collins
- Neuro-Bio Ltd., Building F5 The Culham Campus, Abingdon OX14 3DB, UK;
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2
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Dear A, Thacker D, Wennmalm S, Ortigosa-Pascual L, Andrzejewska EA, Meisl G, Linse S, Knowles TPJ. Aβ Oligomer Dissociation Is Catalyzed by Fibril Surfaces. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:2296-2307. [PMID: 38785363 PMCID: PMC11157482 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.4c00127] [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: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 04/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Oligomeric assemblies consisting of only a few protein subunits are key species in the cytotoxicity of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Their lifetime in solution and abundance, governed by the balance of their sources and sinks, are thus important determinants of disease. While significant advances have been made in elucidating the processes that govern oligomer production, the mechanisms behind their dissociation are still poorly understood. Here, we use chemical kinetic modeling to determine the fate of oligomers formed in vitro and discuss the implications for their abundance in vivo. We discover that oligomeric species formed predominantly on fibril surfaces, a broad class which includes the bulk of oligomers formed by the key Alzheimer's disease-associated Aβ peptides, also dissociate overwhelmingly on fibril surfaces, not in solution as had previously been assumed. We monitor this "secondary nucleation in reverse" by measuring the dissociation of Aβ42 oligomers in the presence and absence of fibrils via two distinct experimental methods. Our findings imply that drugs that bind fibril surfaces to inhibit oligomer formation may also inhibit their dissociation, with important implications for rational design of therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's and other amyloid diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander
J. Dear
- Biochemistry
and Structural Biology, Lund University, Lund 221 00, Sweden
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Dev Thacker
- Biochemistry
and Structural Biology, Lund University, Lund 221 00, Sweden
| | - Stefan Wennmalm
- Department
of Applied Physics, Biophysics Group, SciLifeLab, Royal Institute of Technology-KTH, Solna 171 65, Sweden
| | | | - Ewa A. Andrzejewska
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Georg Meisl
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Sara Linse
- Biochemistry
and Structural Biology, Lund University, Lund 221 00, Sweden
| | - Tuomas P. J. Knowles
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
- Cavendish
Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J J Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, U.K.
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3
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Zhong MZ, Peng T, Duarte ML, Wang M, Cai D. Updates on mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. Mol Neurodegener 2024; 19:23. [PMID: 38462606 PMCID: PMC10926682 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-024-00712-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease in the United States (US). Animal models, specifically mouse models have been developed to better elucidate disease mechanisms and test therapeutic strategies for AD. A large portion of effort in the field was focused on developing transgenic (Tg) mouse models through over-expression of genetic mutations associated with familial AD (FAD) patients. Newer generations of mouse models through knock-in (KI)/knock-out (KO) or CRISPR gene editing technologies, have been developed for both familial and sporadic AD risk genes with the hope to more accurately model proteinopathies without over-expression of human AD genes in mouse brains. In this review, we summarized the phenotypes of a few commonly used as well as newly developed mouse models in translational research laboratories including the presence or absence of key pathological features of AD such as amyloid and tau pathology, synaptic and neuronal degeneration as well as cognitive and behavior deficits. In addition, advantages and limitations of these AD mouse models have been elaborated along with discussions of any sex-specific features. More importantly, the omics data from available AD mouse models have been analyzed to categorize molecular signatures of each model reminiscent of human AD brain changes, with the hope to guide future selection of most suitable models for specific research questions to be addressed in the AD field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Z Zhong
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Science, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Thomas Peng
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Science Research Program, Scarsdale High School, New York, NY, 10583, USA
| | - Mariana Lemos Duarte
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Research & Development, James J Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA.
| | - Minghui Wang
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Icahn Institute for Data Science and Genomic Technology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
| | - Dongming Cai
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Research & Development, James J Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA.
- Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Department of Neurology, N. Bud Grossman Center for Memory Research and Care, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
- Geriatric Research Education & Clinical Center (GRECC), The Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, 55417, USA.
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Boyton I, Valenzuela SM, Collins-Praino LE, Care A. Neuronanomedicine for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease: Current progress and a guide to improve clinical translation. Brain Behav Immun 2024; 115:631-651. [PMID: 37967664 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuronanomedicine is an emerging multidisciplinary field that aims to create innovative nanotechnologies to treat major neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). A key component of neuronanomedicine are nanoparticles, which can improve drug properties and demonstrate enhanced safety and delivery across the blood-brain barrier, a major improvement on existing therapeutic approaches. In this review, we critically analyze the latest nanoparticle-based strategies to modify underlying disease pathology to slow or halt AD/PD progression. We find that a major roadblock for neuronanomedicine translation to date is a poor understanding of how nanoparticles interact with biological systems (i.e., bio-nano interactions), which is partly due to inconsistent reporting in published works. Accordingly, this review makes a set of specific recommendations to help guide researchers to harness the unique properties of nanoparticles and thus realise breakthrough treatments for AD/PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- India Boyton
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Gadigal Country, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Stella M Valenzuela
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Gadigal Country, NSW 2007, Australia
| | | | - Andrew Care
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Gadigal Country, NSW 2007, Australia.
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Elia A, Parodi-Rullan R, Vazquez-Torres R, Carey A, Javadov S, Fossati S. Amyloid β induces cardiac dysfunction and neuro-signaling impairment in the heart of an Alzheimer's disease model. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.11.548558. [PMID: 37502936 PMCID: PMC10369880 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.11.548558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Aims Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cerebral amyloid β (Aβ) deposition and tau pathology. The AD-mediated degeneration of the brain neuro-signaling pathways, together with a potential peripheral amyloid accumulation, may also result in the derangement of the peripheral nervous system, culminating in detrimental effects on other organs, including the heart. However, whether and how AD pathology modulates cardiac function, neurotrophins, innervation, and amyloidosis is still unknown. Here, we report for the first time that cardiac remodeling, amyloid deposition, and neuro-signaling dysregulation occur in the heart of Tg2576 mice, a widely used model of AD and cerebral amyloidosis. Methods ad Results Echocardiographic analysis showed significant deterioration of left ventricle function, evidenced by a decline of both ejection fraction and fraction shortening percentage in 12-month-old Tg2576 mice compared to age-matched WT littermates. Tg2576 mice hearts exhibited an accumulation of amyloid aggregates, including Aβ, an increase in interstitial fibrosis and severe cardiac nervous system dysfunction. The transgenic mice also showed a significant decrease in cardiac nerve fiber density, including both adrenergic and regenerating nerve endings. This myocardial denervation was accompanied by a robust reduction in NGF and BDNF protein expression as well as GAP-43 expression (regenerating fibers) in both the brain and heart of Tg2576 mice. Accordingly, cardiomyocytes and neuronal cells challenged with Aβ oligomers showed significant downregulation of BDNF and GAP-43, indicating a causal effect of Aβ on the loss of cardiac neurotrophic function. Conclusions Overall, this study uncovers possible harmful effects of AD on the heart, revealing cardiac degeneration induced by Aβ through fibrosis and neuro-signaling pathway deregulation for the first time in Tg2576 mice. Our data suggest that AD pathology can cause deleterious effects on the heart, and the peripheral neurotrophic pathway may represent a potential therapeutic target to limit these effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Elia
- Alzheimer’s Center at Temple (ACT), Department of Neural Sciences, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, 3500 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19140
| | - Rebecca Parodi-Rullan
- Alzheimer’s Center at Temple (ACT), Department of Neural Sciences, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, 3500 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19140
| | - Rafael Vazquez-Torres
- Alzheimer’s Center at Temple (ACT), Department of Neural Sciences, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, 3500 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19140
| | - Ashley Carey
- Alzheimer’s Center at Temple (ACT), Department of Neural Sciences, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, 3500 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19140
| | - Sabzali Javadov
- Department of Physiology, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR 00936-5067, USA
| | - Silvia Fossati
- Alzheimer’s Center at Temple (ACT), Department of Neural Sciences, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, 3500 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19140
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Célestine M, Jacquier-Sarlin M, Borel E, Petit F, Perot JB, Hérard AS, Bousset L, Buisson A, Dhenain M. Long term worsening of amyloid pathology, cerebral function, and cognition after a single inoculation of beta-amyloid seeds with Osaka mutation. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2023; 11:66. [PMID: 37087498 PMCID: PMC10122826 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01559-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 04/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by intracerebral deposition of abnormal proteinaceous assemblies made of amyloid-β (Aß) peptides or tau proteins. These peptides and proteins induce synaptic dysfunctions that are strongly correlated with cognitive decline. Intracerebral infusion of well-defined Aβ seeds from non-mutated Aβ1-40 or Aβ1-42 peptides can increase Aβ depositions several months after the infusion. Familial forms of AD are associated with mutations in the amyloid precursor protein (APP) that induce the production of Aβ peptides with different structures. The Aβ Osaka (Aβosa mutation (E693Δ)) is located within the Aβ sequence and thus the Aβosa peptides have different structures and properties as compared to non-mutated Aβ1-42 peptides (Aβwt). Here, we wondered if a single exposure to this mutated Aβ can worsen AD pathology as well as downstream events including cognition, cerebral connectivity and synaptic health several months after the inoculation. To answer this question we inoculated Aβ1-42-bearing Osaka mutation (Aβosa) in the dentate gyrus of APPswe/PS1dE9 mice at the age of two months. Their cognition and cerebral connectivity were analyzed at 4 months post-inoculation by behavioral evaluation and functional MRI. Aβ pathology as well as synaptic density were evaluated by histology. The impact of Aβosa peptides on synaptic health was also measured on primary cortical neurons. Remarkably, the intracerebral administration of Aβosa induced cognitive and synaptic impairments as well as a reduction of functional connectivity between different brain regions, 4 months post-inoculation. It increased Aβ plaque depositions and increased Aβ oligomers. This is the first study showing that a single, sporadic event as Aβosa inoculation can worsen the fate of the pathology and clinical outcome several months after the event. It suggests that a single inoculation of Aβ regulates a large cascade of events for a long time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Célestine
- Laboratoire Des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265, Fontenay-Aux-Roses, France
- Commissariat À L'Energie Atomique Et Aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA), Direction de La Recherche Fondamentale (DRF), Institut François Jacob, MIRCen, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Muriel Jacquier-Sarlin
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, GIN, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Eve Borel
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, GIN, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Fanny Petit
- Laboratoire Des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265, Fontenay-Aux-Roses, France
- Commissariat À L'Energie Atomique Et Aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA), Direction de La Recherche Fondamentale (DRF), Institut François Jacob, MIRCen, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Jean-Baptiste Perot
- Laboratoire Des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265, Fontenay-Aux-Roses, France
- Commissariat À L'Energie Atomique Et Aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA), Direction de La Recherche Fondamentale (DRF), Institut François Jacob, MIRCen, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Anne-Sophie Hérard
- Laboratoire Des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265, Fontenay-Aux-Roses, France
- Commissariat À L'Energie Atomique Et Aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA), Direction de La Recherche Fondamentale (DRF), Institut François Jacob, MIRCen, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Luc Bousset
- Laboratoire Des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265, Fontenay-Aux-Roses, France
- Commissariat À L'Energie Atomique Et Aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA), Direction de La Recherche Fondamentale (DRF), Institut François Jacob, MIRCen, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Alain Buisson
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, GIN, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Marc Dhenain
- Laboratoire Des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265, Fontenay-Aux-Roses, France.
- Commissariat À L'Energie Atomique Et Aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA), Direction de La Recherche Fondamentale (DRF), Institut François Jacob, MIRCen, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
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Xu G, Fromholt S, Borchelt DR. Modeling the Competition between Misfolded Aβ Conformers That Produce Distinct Types of Amyloid Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease. Biomolecules 2022; 12:886. [PMID: 35883442 PMCID: PMC9313290 DOI: 10.3390/biom12070886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The amyloid pathology characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD) can be broadly classified as either fibrillary amyloid or diffuse amyloid. Fibrillary amyloid is found in cored-neuritic deposits, fibrillar deposits, and vascular deposits, and binds strongly to the amyloid revealing dyes Thioflavin-S or Congo Red. Diffuse amyloid can appear as wispy dispersed deposits or compact tufted deposits dispersed in neuropil, and binds amyloid dyes weakly if at all. In AD brains, both types of pathology are detected. Homogenates from AD brains, or the brains of transgenic mice modeling AD-amyloidosis, have been used to seed pathology in vulnerable host transgenic models. These studies suggest that pathologies may arise from distinct conformers or strains of misfolded Aβ, similar to propagating prions. Using Aβ strains sourced from four different AD-amyloidosis models, we injected pathological seeds into the brains of newborn mice from three different transgenic hosts with distinctive Aβ pathologies. Two of the seeding sources were from mice that primarily develop cored-neuritic Aβ deposits (cored strain) while the other two seeding sources were from mice that develop diffuse Aβ deposits (diffuse strain). These seeds were injected into host APP mice in which the resident strain was either diffuse or cored-neuritic pathology. Seeding-homogenates were injected into the brains of newborn mice to initiate propagation as early as possible. Depending upon the level of transgene expression in the host, we show that the injected strains of misfolded Aβ from the seeding homogenate were able to outcompete the resident strain of the APP host model. In serial passaging experiments, it appeared that the diffuse strain was more easily propagated than the cored strain. Collectively, our studies align with the idea that different types of Aβ pathology in AD brains arise from different populations of Aβ conformers that compete to populate the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilian Xu
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; (G.X.); (S.F.)
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Susan Fromholt
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; (G.X.); (S.F.)
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - David R. Borchelt
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; (G.X.); (S.F.)
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
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Moore BD, Levites Y, Xu G, Hampton H, Adamo MF, Croft CL, Futch HS, Moran C, Fromholt S, Janus C, Prokop S, Dickson D, Lewis J, Giasson BI, Golde TE, Borchelt DR. Soluble brain homogenates from diverse human and mouse sources preferentially seed diffuse Aβ plaque pathology when injected into newborn mouse hosts. FREE NEUROPATHOLOGY 2022; 3. [PMID: 35494163 DOI: 10.17879/freeneuropathology-2022-3766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Background Seeding of pathology related to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Lewy body disease (LBD) by tissue homogenates or purified protein aggregates in various model systems has revealed prion-like properties of these disorders. Typically, these homogenates are injected into adult mice stereotaxically. Injection of brain lysates into newborn mice represents an alternative approach of delivering seeds that could direct the evolution of amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology co-mixed with either tau or α-synuclein (αSyn) pathology in susceptible mouse models. Methods Homogenates of human pre-frontal cortex were injected into the lateral ventricles of newborn (P0) mice expressing a mutant humanized amyloid precursor protein (APP), human P301L tau, human wild type αSyn, or combinations thereof. The homogenates were prepared from AD and AD/LBD cases displaying variable degrees of Aβ pathology and co-existing tau and αSyn deposits. Behavioral assessments of APP transgenic mice injected with AD brain lysates were conducted. For comparison, homogenates of aged APP transgenic mice that preferentially exhibit diffuse or cored deposits were similarly injected into the brains of newborn APP mice. Results We observed that lysates from the brains with AD (Aβ+, tau+), AD/LBD (Aβ+, tau+, αSyn+), or Pathological Aging (Aβ+, tau-, αSyn-) efficiently seeded diffuse Aβ deposits. Moderate seeding of cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) was also observed. No animal of any genotype developed discernable tau or αSyn pathology. Performance in fear-conditioning cognitive tasks was not significantly altered in APP transgenic animals injected with AD brain lysates compared to nontransgenic controls. Homogenates prepared from aged APP transgenic mice with diffuse Aβ deposits induced similar deposits in APP host mice; whereas homogenates from APP mice with cored deposits induced similar cored deposits, albeit at a lower level. Conclusions These findings are consistent with the idea that diffuse Aβ pathology, which is a common feature of human AD, AD/LBD, and PA brains, may arise from a distinct strain of misfolded Aβ that is highly transmissible to newborn transgenic APP mice. Seeding of tau or αSyn comorbidities was inefficient in the models we used, indicating that additional methodological refinement will be needed to efficiently seed AD or AD/LBD mixed pathologies by injecting newborn mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenda D Moore
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Yona Levites
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Guilian Xu
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Hailey Hampton
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Munir F Adamo
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Cara L Croft
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Hunter S Futch
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Corey Moran
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Susan Fromholt
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Christopher Janus
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Stefan Prokop
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,Department of Pathology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA.,Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Dennis Dickson
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Jada Lewis
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Benoit I Giasson
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Todd E Golde
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32610, USA
| | - David R Borchelt
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
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