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Langerscheidt F, Wied T, Al Kabbani MA, van Eimeren T, Wunderlich G, Zempel H. Genetic forms of tauopathies: inherited causes and implications of Alzheimer's disease-like TAU pathology in primary and secondary tauopathies. J Neurol 2024; 271:2992-3018. [PMID: 38554150 PMCID: PMC11136742 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-024-12314-3] [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: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024]
Abstract
Tauopathies are a heterogeneous group of neurologic diseases characterized by pathological axodendritic distribution, ectopic expression, and/or phosphorylation and aggregation of the microtubule-associated protein TAU, encoded by the gene MAPT. Neuronal dysfunction, dementia, and neurodegeneration are common features of these often detrimental diseases. A neurodegenerative disease is considered a primary tauopathy when MAPT mutations/haplotypes are its primary cause and/or TAU is the main pathological feature. In case TAU pathology is observed but superimposed by another pathological hallmark, the condition is classified as a secondary tauopathy. In some tauopathies (e.g. MAPT-associated frontotemporal dementia (FTD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), and Alzheimer's disease (AD)) TAU is recognized as a significant pathogenic driver of the disease. In many secondary tauopathies, including Parkinson's disease (PD) and Huntington's disease (HD), TAU is suggested to contribute to the development of dementia, but in others (e.g. Niemann-Pick disease (NPC)) TAU may only be a bystander. The genetic and pathological mechanisms underlying TAU pathology are often not fully understood. In this review, the genetic predispositions and variants associated with both primary and secondary tauopathies are examined in detail, assessing evidence for the role of TAU in these conditions. We highlight less common genetic forms of tauopathies to increase awareness for these disorders and the involvement of TAU in their pathology. This approach not only contributes to a deeper understanding of these conditions but may also lay the groundwork for potential TAU-based therapeutic interventions for various tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Langerscheidt
- Institute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Tamara Wied
- Institute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
- Department of Natural Sciences, Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, Von-Liebig-Str. 20, 53359, Rheinbach, Germany
| | - Mohamed Aghyad Al Kabbani
- Institute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Thilo van Eimeren
- Multimodal Neuroimaging Group, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50937, Cologne, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50937, Cologne, Germany
| | - Gilbert Wunderlich
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50937, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Rare Diseases, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Hans Zempel
- Institute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany.
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany.
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Qi C, Lövestam S, Murzin AG, Peak-Chew S, Franco C, Bogdani M, Latimer C, Murrell JR, Cullinane PW, Jaunmuktane Z, Bird TD, Ghetti B, Scheres SH, Goedert M. Tau filaments with the Alzheimer fold in cases with MAPT mutations V337M and R406W. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.29.591661. [PMID: 38746388 PMCID: PMC11092478 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.29.591661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer's disease are the most common forms of early-onset dementia. Dominantly inherited mutations in MAPT, the microtubule-associated protein tau gene, cause FTD and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17). Individuals with FTDP-17 develop abundant filamentous tau inclusions in brain cells. Here we used electron cryo-microscopy to determine the structures of tau filaments from the brains of individuals with MAPT mutations V337M and R406W. Both mutations gave rise to tau filaments with the Alzheimer fold, which consisted of paired helical filaments in all V337M and R406W cases and of straight filaments in two V337M cases. We also identified a new assembly of the Alzheimer fold into triple tau filaments in a V337M case. Filaments assembled from recombinant tau(297-391) with mutation V337M had the Alzheimer fold and showed an increased rate of assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Qi
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Marika Bogdani
- Departments of Neurology and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
- Veterans Administration Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, USA
| | - Caitlin Latimer
- Departments of Neurology and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
- Veterans Administration Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, USA
| | - Jill R. Murrell
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Patrick W. Cullinane
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College, London UK
- Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, Institute of Neurology, University College, London, UK
| | - Zane Jaunmuktane
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College, London UK
- Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, Institute of Neurology, University College, London, UK
| | - Thomas D. Bird
- Departments of Neurology and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
- Veterans Administration Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, USA
| | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA
| | - Sjors H.W. Scheres
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- These authors jointly supervised this work: Sjors H.W. Scheres, Michel Goedert
| | - Michel Goedert
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- These authors jointly supervised this work: Sjors H.W. Scheres, Michel Goedert
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Risacher SL, Apostolova LG. Neuroimaging in Dementia. Continuum (Minneap Minn) 2023; 29:219-254. [PMID: 36795879 DOI: 10.1212/con.0000000000001248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Neurodegenerative diseases are significant health concerns with regard to morbidity and social and economic hardship around the world. This review describes the state of the field of neuroimaging measures as biomarkers for detection and diagnosis of both slowly progressing and rapidly progressing neurodegenerative diseases, specifically Alzheimer disease, vascular cognitive impairment, dementia with Lewy bodies or Parkinson disease dementia, frontotemporal lobar degeneration spectrum disorders, and prion-related diseases. It briefly discusses findings in these diseases in studies using MRI and metabolic and molecular-based imaging (eg, positron emission tomography [PET] and single-photon emission computerized tomography [SPECT]). LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Neuroimaging studies with MRI and PET have demonstrated differential patterns of brain atrophy and hypometabolism in different neurodegenerative disorders, which can be useful in differential diagnoses. Advanced MRI sequences, such as diffusion-based imaging, and functional MRI (fMRI) provide important information about underlying biological changes in dementia and new directions for development of novel measures for future clinical use. Finally, advancements in molecular imaging allow clinicians and researchers to visualize dementia-related proteinopathies and neurotransmitter levels. ESSENTIAL POINTS Diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases is primarily based on symptomatology, although the development of in vivo neuroimaging and fluid biomarkers is changing the scope of clinical diagnosis, as well as the research into these devastating diseases. This article will help inform the reader about the current state of neuroimaging in neurodegenerative diseases, as well as how these tools might be used for differential diagnoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon L Risacher
- Address correspondence to Dr Shannon L. Risacher, 355 W 16th St, Indianapolis, IN 46202,
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Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker Disease with F198S Mutation Induces Independent Tau and Prion Protein Pathologies in Bank Voles. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12101537. [PMID: 36291746 PMCID: PMC9599806 DOI: 10.3390/biom12101537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Gerstmann–Sträussler–Scheinker disease (GSS) is a rare genetic prion disease. A large GSS kindred linked to the serine-for-phenylalanine substitution at codon 198 of the prion protein gene (GSS-F198S) is characterized by conspicuous accumulation of prion protein (PrP)-amyloid deposits and neurofibrillary tangles. Recently, we demonstrated the transmissibility of GSS-F198S prions to bank vole carrying isoleucine at 109 PrP codon (BvI). Here we investigated: (i) the transmissibility of GSS-F198S prions to voles carrying methionine at codon 109 (BvM); (ii) the induction of hyperphosphorylated Tau (pTau) in two vole lines, and (iii) compared the phenotype of GSS-F198S-induced pTau with pTau induced in BvM following intracerebral inoculation of a familial Alzheimer’s disease case carrying Presenilin 1 mutation (fAD-PS1). We did not detect prion transmission to BvM, despite the high susceptibility of BvI previously observed. Immunohistochemistry established the presence of induced pTau depositions in vole brains that were not affected by prions. Furthermore, the phenotype of pTau deposits in vole brains was similar in GSS-F198S and fAD-PS1. Overall, results suggest that, regardless of the cause of pTau deposition and its relationship with PrPSc in GSS-F198S human-affected brains, the two components possess their own seeding properties, and that pTau deposition is similarly induced by GSS-F198S and fAD-PS1.
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Hallinan GI, Ozcan KA, Hoq MR, Cracco L, Vago FS, Bharath SR, Li D, Jacobsen M, Doud EH, Mosley AL, Fernandez A, Garringer HJ, Jiang W, Ghetti B, Vidal R. Cryo-EM structures of prion protein filaments from Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease. Acta Neuropathol 2022; 144:509-520. [PMID: 35819518 PMCID: PMC9381446 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-022-02461-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Prion protein (PrP) aggregation and formation of PrP amyloid (APrP) are central events in the pathogenesis of prion diseases. In the dominantly inherited prion protein amyloidosis known as Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker (GSS) disease, plaques made of PrP amyloid are present throughout the brain. The c.593t > c mutation in the prion protein gene (PRNP) results in a phenylalanine to serine amino acid substitution at PrP residue 198 (F198S) and causes the most severe amyloidosis among GSS variants. It has been shown that neurodegeneration in this disease is associated with the presence of extracellular APrP plaques and neuronal intracytoplasmic Tau inclusions, that have been shown to contain paired helical filaments identical to those found in Alzheimer disease. Using cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), we determined for the first time the structures of filaments of human APrP, isolated post-mortem from the brain of two symptomatic PRNP F198S mutation carriers. We report that in GSS (F198S) APrP filaments are composed of dimeric, trimeric and tetrameric left-handed protofilaments with their protomers sharing a common protein fold. The protomers in the cross-β spines consist of 62 amino acids and span from glycine 80 to phenylalanine 141, adopting a previously unseen spiral fold with a thicker outer layer and a thinner inner layer. Each protomer comprises nine short β-strands, with the β1 and β8 strands, as well as the β4 and β9 strands, forming a steric zipper. The data obtained by cryo-EM provide insights into the structural complexity of the PrP filament in a dominantly inherited human PrP amyloidosis. The novel findings highlight the urgency of extending our knowledge of the filaments' structures that may underlie distinct clinical and pathologic phenotypes of human neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace I. Hallinan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
| | - Kadir A. Ozcan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906 USA
| | - Md Rejaul Hoq
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906 USA
| | - Laura Cracco
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
| | - Frank S. Vago
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906 USA
| | - Sakshibeedu R. Bharath
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906 USA
| | - Daoyi Li
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906 USA
| | - Max Jacobsen
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
| | - Emma H. Doud
- Center for Proteome Analysis and Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
| | - Amber L. Mosley
- Center for Proteome Analysis and Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
| | - Anllely Fernandez
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
| | - Holly J. Garringer
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
| | - Wen Jiang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906 USA
| | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
| | - Ruben Vidal
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
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Jankovska N, Matej R, Olejar T. Extracellular Prion Protein Aggregates in Nine Gerstmann–Sträussler–Scheinker Syndrome Subjects with Mutation P102L: A Micromorphological Study and Comparison with Literature Data. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222413303. [PMID: 34948096 PMCID: PMC8704598 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222413303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Revised: 12/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Gerstmann–Sträussler–Scheinker syndrome (GSS) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disease characterized by extracellular aggregations of pathological prion protein (PrP) forming characteristic plaques. Our study aimed to evaluate the micromorphology and protein composition of these plaques in relation to age, disease duration, and co-expression of other pathogenic proteins related to other neurodegenerations. Hippocampal regions of nine clinically, neuropathologically, and genetically confirmed GSS subjects were investigated using immunohistochemistry and multichannel confocal fluorescent microscopy. Most pathognomic prion protein plaques were small (2–10 µm), condensed, globous, and did not contain any of the other investigated proteinaceous components, particularly dystrophic neurites. Equally rare (in two cases out of nine) were plaques over 50 µm having predominantly fibrillar structure and exhibit the presence of dystrophic neuritic structures; in one case, the plaques also included bulbous dystrophic neurites. Co-expression with hyperphosphorylated protein tau protein or amyloid beta-peptide (Aβ) in GSS PrP plaques is generally a rare observation, even in cases with comorbid neuropathology. The dominant picture of the GSS brain is small, condensed plaques, often multicentric, while presence of dystrophic neuritic changes accumulating hyperphosphorylated protein tau or Aβ in the PrP plaques are rare and, thus, their presence probably constitutes a trivial observation without any relationship to GSS development and progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikol Jankovska
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer University Hospital, 14059 Prague, Czech Republic; (N.J.); (R.M.)
| | - Radoslav Matej
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer University Hospital, 14059 Prague, Czech Republic; (N.J.); (R.M.)
- Department of Pathology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital, 12800 Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Pathology, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady, 10034 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Tomas Olejar
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer University Hospital, 14059 Prague, Czech Republic; (N.J.); (R.M.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +420-261-083-102
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Structure of Tau filaments in Prion protein amyloidoses. Acta Neuropathol 2021; 142:227-241. [PMID: 34128081 PMCID: PMC8270882 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-021-02336-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In human neurodegenerative diseases associated with the intracellular aggregation of Tau protein, the ordered cores of Tau filaments adopt distinct folds. Here, we analyze Tau filaments isolated from the brain of individuals affected by Prion-Protein cerebral amyloid angiopathy (PrP-CAA) with a nonsense mutation in the PRNP gene that leads to early termination of translation of PrP (Q160Ter or Q160X), and Gerstmann–Sträussler–Scheinker (GSS) disease, with a missense mutation in the PRNP gene that leads to an amino acid substitution at residue 198 (F198S) of PrP. The clinical and neuropathologic phenotypes associated with these two mutations in PRNP are different; however, the neuropathologic analyses of these two genetic variants have consistently shown the presence of numerous neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) made of filamentous Tau aggregates in neurons. We report that Tau filaments in PrP-CAA (Q160X) and GSS (F198S) are composed of 3-repeat and 4-repeat Tau isoforms, having a striking similarity to NFTs in Alzheimer disease (AD). In PrP-CAA (Q160X), Tau filaments are made of both paired helical filaments (PHFs) and straight filaments (SFs), while in GSS (F198S), only PHFs were found. Mass spectrometry analyses of Tau filaments extracted from PrP-CAA (Q160X) and GSS (F198S) brains show the presence of post-translational modifications that are comparable to those seen in Tau aggregates from AD. Cryo-EM analysis reveals that the atomic models of the Tau filaments obtained from PrP-CAA (Q160X) and GSS (F198S) are identical to those of the Tau filaments from AD, and are therefore distinct from those of Pick disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and corticobasal degeneration. Our data support the hypothesis that in the presence of extracellular amyloid deposits and regardless of the primary amino acid sequence of the amyloid protein, similar molecular mechanisms are at play in the formation of identical Tau filaments.
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Ganguly J, Jog M. Tauopathy and Movement Disorders-Unveiling the Chameleons and Mimics. Front Neurol 2020; 11:599384. [PMID: 33250855 PMCID: PMC7674803 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.599384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The spectrum of tauopathy encompasses heterogenous group of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by neural or glial deposition of pathological protein tau. Clinically they can present as cognitive syndromes, movement disorders, motor neuron disease, or mixed. The heterogeneity in clinical presentation, genetic background, and underlying pathology make it difficult to classify and clinically approach tauopathy. In the literature, tauopathies are thus mostly highlighted from pathological perspective. From clinical standpoint, cognitive syndromes are often been focussed while reviewing tauopathies. However, the spectrum of tauopathy has also evolved significantly in the domain of movement disorders and has transgressed beyond the domain of primary tauopathies. Secondary tauopathies from neuroinflammation or autoimmune insults and some other "novel" tauopathies are increasingly being reported in the current literature, while some of them are geographically isolated. Because of the overlapping clinical phenotypes, it often becomes difficult for the clinician to diagnose them clinically and have to wait for the pathological confirmation by autopsy. However, each of these tauopathies has some clinical and radiological signatures those can help in clinical diagnosis and targeted genetic testing. In this review, we have exposed the heterogeneity of tauopathy from a movement disorder perspective and have provided a clinical approach to diagnose them ante mortem before confirmatory autopsy. Additionally, phenotypic variability of these disorders (chameleons) and the look-alikes (mimics) have been discussed with potential clinical pointers for each of them. The review provides a framework within which new and as yet undiscovered entities can be classified in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mandar Jog
- Movement Disorder Centre, London Health Sciences Centre, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
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Race B, Williams K, Striebel JF, Chesebro B. Prion-associated cerebral amyloid angiopathy is not exacerbated by human phosphorylated tau aggregates in scrapie-infected mice expressing anchorless prion protein. Neurobiol Dis 2020; 144:105057. [PMID: 32829029 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2020.105057] [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] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau aggregates consisting of hyperphosphorylated tau fibrils are associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Pick's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and progressive supranuclear palsy. Tau may contribute to the pathogenesis of these diseases, collectively referred to as tauopathies. In human genetic prion diseases, tau aggregates are detected in association with amyloid plaques consisting of prion protein (PrP). However, the role of abnormal tau aggregates in PrP amyloid disease remains unclear. Previously we inoculated scrapie prions into transgenic mice expressing human tau, mouse tau, glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchored PrP, and anchorless PrP. These mice developed both spongiform vacuolar pathology and PrP amyloid pathology, and human tau was detected near PrP amyloid plaques. However, the presence of human tau did not alter the disease tempo or prion-induced neuropathology. In the present study, we tested mice which more closely modeled familial human prion disease. These mice expressed human tau but lacked both mouse tau and GPI-anchored PrP. However, they did produce anchorless PrP, resulting in perivascular PrP amyloid plaques, i.e. cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), without spongiform degeneration. Typical of PrP amyloid disease, the clinical course was very slow in this model. Nevertheless, the accumulation of aggregated, phosphorylated human tau and its association with PrP amyloid plaques failed to alter the timing or course of the clinical disease observed. These data suggest that human tau does not contribute to the pathogenesis of mouse PrP amyloid brain disease and raise the possibility that tau may also not be pathogenic in human PrP amyloid disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent Race
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South Fourth Street, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA.
| | - Katie Williams
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South Fourth Street, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA
| | - James F Striebel
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South Fourth Street, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA
| | - Bruce Chesebro
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South Fourth Street, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA
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Ufkes NA, Woodard C, Dale ML. A case of Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker (GSS) disease with supranuclear gaze palsy. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MOVEMENT DISORDERS 2019; 6:7. [PMID: 31890235 PMCID: PMC6907140 DOI: 10.1186/s40734-019-0082-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Background Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease (GSS), an autosomal dominant prion disorder, usually presents as a slowly progressive cerebellar ataxia followed by later cognitive decline. We present a member of the GSS Indiana Kindred with supranuclear palsy, a less common feature in GSS. Case presentation A 42-year-old man presented with 12 months of progressive gait and balance difficulty. Exam was notable for ataxia and cerebellar eye movement abnormalities. Genetic testing revealed a F198S variant in the prion protein (PRNP) gene, the pathological variant of GSS associated with his family, the Indiana kindred. Eighteen months after initial presentation supranuclear palsy developed. Conclusions GSS is a neurodegenerative prion disease with diverse clinical presentations, and exhibits greater variability in disease phenotype compared to other inherited spongiform encephalopathies. GSS should be on the differential for patients with ataxia and supranuclear palsy, and it is important to assess both horizontal and vertical saccades and optokinetic nystagmus in patients with ataxia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole A Ufkes
- 1College of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, 96 Jonathan Lucas Street, Charleston, SC 29425 USA
| | - Craig Woodard
- 2Neurology Department, Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC USA.,3Department of Neurology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC USA
| | - Marian L Dale
- 4Department of Neurology, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, L226, Portland, OR 97239 USA
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Ghetti B, Piccardo P, Zanusso G. Dominantly inherited prion protein cerebral amyloidoses - a modern view of Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2018; 153:243-269. [PMID: 29887140 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-63945-5.00014-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Among genetically determined neurodegenerative diseases, the dominantly inherited prion protein cerebral amyloidoses are characterized by deposition of amyloid in cerebral parenchyma or blood vessels. Among them, Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease has been the first to be described. Their clinical, neuropathologic, and molecular phenotypes are distinct from those observed in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and related spongiform encephalopathies. It is not understood why specific mutations in the prion protein gene (PRNP) cause cerebral amyloidosis and others cause CJD. A significant neurobiologic event in these amyloidoses is the frequent coexistence of prion amyloid with tau neurofibrillary pathology, a phenomenon suggesting that similar pathogenetic mechanisms may be shared among different diseases in the sequence of events occurring in the cascade from amyloid formation to tau aggregation. This chapter describes the clinical, neuropathologic, and biochemical phenotypes associated with each of the PRNP mutations causing an inherited cerebral amyloidosis and emphasizes the variability of phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States.
| | - Pedro Piccardo
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian, United Kingdom
| | - Gianluigi Zanusso
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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