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Siew JJ, Chen HM, Chiu FL, Lee CW, Chang YM, Chen HL, Nguyen TNA, Liao HT, Liu M, Hagar HT, Sun YC, Lai HL, Kuo MH, Blum D, Buée L, Jin LW, Chen SY, Ko TM, Huang JR, Kuo HC, Liu FT, Chern Y. Galectin-3 aggravates microglial activation and tau transmission in tauopathy. J Clin Invest 2024; 134:e165523. [PMID: 37988169 PMCID: PMC10786694 DOI: 10.1172/jci165523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-β plaques, aggregation of hyperphosphorylated tau (pTau), and microglia activation. Galectin-3 (Gal3) is a β-galactoside-binding protein that has been implicated in amyloid pathology. Its role in tauopathy remains enigmatic. Here, we showed that Gal3 was upregulated in the microglia of humans and mice with tauopathy. pTau triggered the release of Gal3 from human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived microglia in both its free and extracellular vesicular-associated (EV-associated) forms. Both forms of Gal3 increased the accumulation of pathogenic tau in recipient cells. Binding of Gal3 to pTau greatly enhanced tau fibrillation. Besides Gal3, pTau was sorted into EVs for transmission. Moreover, pTau markedly enhanced the number of EVs released by iMGL in a Gal3-dependent manner, suggesting a role of Gal3 in biogenesis of EVs. Single-cell RNA-Seq analysis of the hippocampus of a mouse model of tauopathy (THY-Tau22) revealed a group of pathogenic tau-evoked, Gal3-associated microglia with altered cellular machineries implicated in neurodegeneration, including enhanced immune and inflammatory responses. Genetic removal of Gal3 in THY-Tau22 mice suppressed microglia activation, reduced the level of pTau and synaptic loss in neurons, and rescued memory impairment. Collectively, Gal3 is a potential therapeutic target for tauopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Feng-Lan Chiu
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Mengyu Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Hsiao-Tien Hagar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Yung-Chen Sun
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | | | - Min-Hao Kuo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - David Blum
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, U1172 - LilNCog - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France
- Alzheimer & Tauopathies, LabEx DISTALZ, LiCEND, Lille, France
| | - Luc Buée
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, U1172 - LilNCog - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France
- Alzheimer & Tauopathies, LabEx DISTALZ, LiCEND, Lille, France
| | - Lee-Way Jin
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California, USA
| | | | - Tai-Ming Ko
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Jie-Rong Huang
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Chih Kuo
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
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