1
|
Edwards GA, Wood CA, He Y, Nguyen Q, Kim PJ, Gomez-Gutierrez R, Park KW, Xu Y, Zurhellen C, Al-Ramahi I, Jankowsky JL. TMEM106B coding variant is protective and deletion detrimental in a mouse model of tauopathy. Acta Neuropathol 2024; 147:61. [PMID: 38526616 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-024-02701-5] [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: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
TMEM106B is a risk modifier of multiple neurological conditions, where a single coding variant and multiple non-coding SNPs influence the balance between susceptibility and resilience. Two key questions that emerge from past work are whether the lone T185S coding variant contributes to protection, and if the presence of TMEM106B is helpful or harmful in the context of disease. Here, we address both questions while expanding the scope of TMEM106B study from TDP-43 to models of tauopathy. We generated knockout mice with constitutive deletion of TMEM106B, alongside knock-in mice encoding the T186S knock-in mutation (equivalent to the human T185S variant), and crossed both with a P301S transgenic tau model to study how these manipulations impacted disease phenotypes. We found that TMEM106B deletion accelerated cognitive decline, hind limb paralysis, tau pathology, and neurodegeneration. TMEM106B deletion also increased transcriptional correlation with human AD and the functional pathways enriched in KO:tau mice aligned with those of AD. In contrast, the coding variant protected against tau-associated cognitive decline, synaptic impairment, neurodegeneration, and paralysis without affecting tau pathology. Our findings reveal that TMEM106B is a critical safeguard against tau aggregation, and that loss of this protein has a profound effect on sequelae of tauopathy. Our study further demonstrates that the coding variant is functionally relevant and contributes to neuroprotection downstream of tau pathology to preserve cognitive function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- George A Edwards
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Mail Stop BCM295, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Caleb A Wood
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Mail Stop BCM295, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Yang He
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Quynh Nguyen
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Mail Stop BCM295, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Peter J Kim
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Mail Stop BCM295, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Ruben Gomez-Gutierrez
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Mail Stop BCM295, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Kyung-Won Park
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Mail Stop BCM295, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Yong Xu
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Cody Zurhellen
- NeuroScience Associates, 10915 Lake Ridge Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37934, USA
| | - Ismael Al-Ramahi
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Joanna L Jankowsky
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Mail Stop BCM295, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Perez GA, Park KW, Lanza D, Cicardo J, Danish Uddin M, Jankowsky JL. Generation of a Dcx-CreER T2 knock-in mouse for genetic manipulation of newborn neurons. Genesis 2024; 62:e23584. [PMID: 38102875 PMCID: PMC11021165 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23584] [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: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
A wide variety of CreERT2 driver lines are available for genetic manipulation of adult-born neurons in the mouse brain. These tools have been instrumental in studying fate potential, migration, circuit integration, and morphology of the stem cells supporting lifelong neurogenesis. Despite a wealth of tools, genetic manipulation of adult-born neurons for circuit and behavioral studies has been limited by poor specificity of many driver lines targeting early progenitor cells and by the inaccessibility of lines selective for later stages of neuronal maturation. We sought to address these limitations by creating a new CreERT2 driver line targeted to the endogenous mouse doublecortin locus as a marker of fate-specified neuroblasts and immature neurons. Our new model places a T2A-CreERT2 cassette immediately downstream of the Dcx coding sequence on the X chromosome, allowing expression of both Dcx and CreERT2 proteins in the endogenous spatiotemporal pattern for this gene. We demonstrate that the new mouse line drives expression of a Cre-dependent reporter throughout the brain in neonatal mice and in known neurogenic niches of adult animals. The line has been deposited with the Jackson Laboratory and should provide an accessible tool for studies targeting fate-restricted neuronal precursors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella A. Perez
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Kyung-Won Park
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Denise Lanza
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Jenna Cicardo
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - M. Danish Uddin
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Joanna L. Jankowsky
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
- Departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Koller EJ, Wood CA, Lai Z, Borgenheimer E, Hoffman KL, Jankowsky JL. Doxycycline for transgene control disrupts gut microbiome diversity without compromising acute neuroinflammatory response. J Neuroinflammation 2024; 21:11. [PMID: 38178148 PMCID: PMC10765643 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-023-03004-4] [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: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The tetracycline transactivator (tTA) system provides controllable transgene expression through oral administration of the broad-spectrum antibiotic doxycycline. Antibiotic treatment for transgene control in mouse models of disease might have undesirable systemic effects resulting from changes in the gut microbiome. Here we assessed the impact of doxycycline on gut microbiome diversity in a tTA-controlled model of Alzheimer's disease and then examined neuroimmune effects of these microbiome alterations following acute LPS challenge. We show that doxycycline decreased microbiome diversity in both transgenic and wild-type mice and that these changes persisted long after drug withdrawal. Despite the change in microbiome composition, doxycycline treatment had minimal effect on basal transcriptional signatures of inflammation the brain or on the neuroimmune response to LPS challenge. Our findings suggest that central neuroimmune responses may be less affected by doxycycline at doses needed for transgene control than by antibiotic cocktails at doses used for experimental microbiome disruption.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emily J Koller
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Mail Stop BCM295, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Caleb A Wood
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Mail Stop BCM295, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Zoe Lai
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Mail Stop BCM295, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Ella Borgenheimer
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Mail Stop BCM295, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Kristi L Hoffman
- Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research, Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Joanna L Jankowsky
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Mail Stop BCM295, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Huffington Center On Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Nguyen Q, Wood CA, Kim PJ, Jankowsky JL. The TMEM106B T186S coding variant increases neurite arborization and synaptic density in primary hippocampal neurons. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1275959. [PMID: 37901434 PMCID: PMC10603297 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1275959] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The lysosomal protein TMEM106B was identified as a risk modifier of multiple dementias including frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The gene comes in two major haplotypes, one associated with disease risk, and by comparison, the other with resilience. Only one coding polymorphism distinguishes the two alleles, a threonine-to-serine substitution at residue 185 (186 in mouse), that is inherited in disequilibrium with multiple non-coding variants. Transcriptional studies suggest synaptic, neuronal, and cognitive preservation in human subjects with the protective haplotype, while murine in vitro studies reveal dramatic effects of TMEM106B deletion on neuronal development. Despite this foundation, the field has not yet resolved whether coding variant is biologically meaningful, and if so, whether it has any specific effect on neuronal phenotypes. Here we studied how loss of TMEM106B or expression of the lone coding variant in isolation affected transcriptional signatures in the mature brain and neuronal structure during development in primary neurons. Homozygous expression of the TMEM106B T186S variant in knock-in mice increased cortical expression of genes associated with excitatory synaptic function and axon outgrowth, and promoted neurite branching, dendritic spine density, and synaptic density in primary hippocampal neurons. In contrast, constitutive TMEM106B deletion affected transcriptional signatures of myelination without altering neuronal development in vitro. Our findings show that the T186S variant is functionally relevant and may contribute to disease resilience during neurodevelopment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Quynh Nguyen
- Departments of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Caleb A. Wood
- Departments of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Peter J. Kim
- Departments of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Joanna L. Jankowsky
- Departments of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Zhang T, Pang W, Feng T, Guo J, Wu K, Nunez Santos M, Arthanarisami A, Nana AL, Nguyen Q, Kim PJ, Jankowsky JL, Seeley WW, Hu F. TMEM106B regulates microglial proliferation and survival in response to demyelination. Sci Adv 2023; 9:eadd2676. [PMID: 37146150 PMCID: PMC10162677 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add2676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
TMEM106B, a lysosomal transmembrane protein, has been closely associated with brain health. Recently, an intriguing link between TMEM106B and brain inflammation has been discovered, but how TMEM106B regulates inflammation is unknown. Here, we report that TMEM106B deficiency in mice leads to reduced microglia proliferation and activation and increased microglial apoptosis in response to demyelination. We also found an increase in lysosomal pH and a decrease in lysosomal enzyme activities in TMEM106B-deficient microglia. Furthermore, TMEM106B loss results in a significant decrease in the protein levels of TREM2, an innate immune receptor essential for microglia survival and activation. Specific ablation of TMEM106B in microglia results in similar microglial phenotypes and myelination defects in mice, supporting the idea that microglial TMEM106B is critical for proper microglial activities and myelination. Moreover, the TMEM106B risk allele is associated with myelin loss and decreased microglial numbers in humans. Collectively, our study unveils a previously unknown role of TMEM106B in promoting microglial functionality during demyelination.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Zhang
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Weilun Pang
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Tuancheng Feng
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Jennifer Guo
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Kenton Wu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Mariela Nunez Santos
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Akshayakeerthi Arthanarisami
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Alissa L. Nana
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Quynh Nguyen
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Peter J. Kim
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Joanna L. Jankowsky
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Departments of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - William W. Seeley
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Fenghua Hu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Edwards GA, Wood CA, Nguyen Q, Kim PJ, Gomez-Gutierrez R, Park KW, Zurhellen C, Al-Ramahi I, Jankowsky JL. TMEM106B coding variant is protective and deletion detrimental in a mouse model of tauopathy. bioRxiv 2023:2023.03.23.533978. [PMID: 36993574 PMCID: PMC10055407 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.23.533978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
TMEM106B is a risk modifier for a growing list of age-associated dementias including Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia, yet its function remains elusive. Two key questions that emerge from past work are whether the conservative T185S coding variant found in the minor haplotype contributes to protection, and whether the presence of TMEM106B is helpful or harmful in the context of disease. Here we address both issues while extending the testbed for study of TMEM106B from models of TDP to tauopathy. We show that TMEM106B deletion accelerates cognitive decline, hindlimb paralysis, neuropathology, and neurodegeneration. TMEM106B deletion also increases transcriptional overlap with human AD, making it a better model of disease than tau alone. In contrast, the coding variant protects against tau-associated cognitive decline, neurodegeneration, and paralysis without affecting tau pathology. Our findings show that the coding variant contributes to neuroprotection and suggest that TMEM106B is a critical safeguard against tau aggregation.
Collapse
|
7
|
Koller EJ, Comstock M, Bean JC, Escobedo G, Park KW, Jankowsky JL. Correction: Temporal and spatially controlled APP transgene expression using Cre-dependent alleles. Dis Model Mech 2023; 16:297046. [PMID: 36897116 PMCID: PMC10040240 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.050136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
|
8
|
Zhao R, Grunke SD, Wood CA, Perez GA, Comstock M, Li MH, Singh AK, Park KW, Jankowsky JL. Activity disruption causes degeneration of entorhinal neurons in a mouse model of Alzheimer's circuit dysfunction. eLife 2022; 11:e83813. [PMID: 36468693 PMCID: PMC9873254 DOI: 10.7554/elife.83813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by selective vulnerability of distinct cell populations; however, the cause for this specificity remains elusive. Here, we show that entorhinal cortex layer 2 (EC2) neurons are unusually vulnerable to prolonged neuronal inactivity compared with neighboring regions of the temporal lobe, and that reelin + stellate cells connecting EC with the hippocampus are preferentially susceptible within the EC2 population. We demonstrate that neuronal death after silencing can be elicited through multiple independent means of activity inhibition, and that preventing synaptic release, either alone or in combination with electrical shunting, is sufficient to elicit silencing-induced degeneration. Finally, we discovered that degeneration following synaptic silencing is governed by competition between active and inactive cells, which is a circuit refinement process traditionally thought to end early in postnatal life. Our data suggests that the developmental window for wholesale circuit plasticity may extend into adulthood for specific brain regions. We speculate that this sustained potential for remodeling by entorhinal neurons may support lifelong memory but renders them vulnerable to prolonged activity changes in disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rong Zhao
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Stacy D Grunke
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Caleb A Wood
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Gabriella A Perez
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Melissa Comstock
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Ming-Hua Li
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Anand K Singh
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Kyung-Won Park
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Joanna L Jankowsky
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Koller EJ, Comstock M, Bean JC, Escobedo G, Park KW, Jankowsky JL. Temporal and spatially controlled APP transgene expression using Cre-dependent alleles. Dis Model Mech 2022; 15:dmm049330. [PMID: 35394029 PMCID: PMC9118045 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.049330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Although a large number of mouse models have been made to study Alzheimer's disease, only a handful allow experimental control over the location or timing of the protein being used to drive pathology. Other fields have used the Cre and the tamoxifen-inducible CreER driver lines to achieve precise spatial and temporal control over gene deletion and transgene expression, yet these tools have not been widely used in studies of neurodegeneration. Here, we describe two strategies for harnessing the wide range of Cre and CreER driver lines to control expression of disease-associated amyloid precursor protein (APP) in modeling Alzheimer's amyloid pathology. We show that CreER-based spatial and temporal control over APP expression can be achieved with existing lines by combining a Cre driver with a tetracycline-transactivator (tTA)-dependent APP responder using a Cre-to-tTA converter line. We then describe a new mouse line that places APP expression under direct control of Cre recombinase using an intervening lox-stop-lox cassette. Mating this allele with a CreER driver allows both spatial and temporal control over APP expression, and with it, amyloid onset. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emily J. Koller
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Melissa Comstock
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jonathan C. Bean
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Gabriel Escobedo
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Kyung-Won Park
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Joanna L. Jankowsky
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Gomez‐Gutierrez R, Fujita M, Jankowsky JL. TSPO and P2X7 discriminate between amyloid‐ and tau‐induced glial responses. Alzheimers Dement 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/alz.058697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
|
11
|
Park KW, Wood CA, Li J, Taylor BC, Oh S, Young NL, Jankowsky JL. Gene therapy using Aβ variants for amyloid reduction. Mol Ther 2021; 29:2294-2307. [PMID: 33647457 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2021.02.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous aggregation inhibitors have been developed with the goal of blocking or reversing toxic amyloid formation in vivo. Previous studies have used short peptide inhibitors targeting different amyloid β (Aβ) amyloidogenic regions to prevent aggregation. Despite the specificity that can be achieved by peptide inhibitors, translation of these strategies has been thwarted by two key obstacles: rapid proteolytic degradation in the bloodstream and poor transfer across the blood-brain barrier. To circumvent these problems, we have created a minigene to express full-length Aβ variants in the mouse brain. We identify two variants, F20P and F19D/L34P, that display four key properties required for therapeutic use: neither peptide aggregates on its own, both inhibit aggregation of wild-type Aβ in vitro, promote disassembly of pre-formed fibrils, and diminish toxicity of Aβ oligomers. We used intraventricular injection of adeno-associated virus (AAV) to express each variant in APP/PS1 transgenic mice. Lifelong expression of F20P, but not F19D/L34P, diminished Aβ levels, plaque burden, and plaque-associated neuroinflammation. Our findings suggest that AAV delivery of Aβ variants may offer a novel therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer's disease. More broadly our work offers a framework for identifying and delivering peptide inhibitors tailored to other protein-misfolding diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kyung-Won Park
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Caleb A Wood
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Bethany C Taylor
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - SaeWoong Oh
- Department of Integrative Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon City, 16419 GyunggiDo, Republic of Korea
| | - Nicolas L Young
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Joanna L Jankowsky
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Neurology, and Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Roy ER, Wang B, Wan YW, Chiu G, Cole A, Yin Z, Propson NE, Xu Y, Jankowsky JL, Liu Z, Lee VMY, Trojanowski JQ, Ginsberg SD, Butovsky O, Zheng H, Cao W. Type I interferon response drives neuroinflammation and synapse loss in Alzheimer disease. J Clin Invest 2020; 130:1912-1930. [PMID: 31917687 DOI: 10.1172/jci133737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 241] [Impact Index Per Article: 60.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Type I interferon (IFN) is a key cytokine that curbs viral infection and cell malignancy. Previously, we demonstrated a potent IFN immunogenicity of nucleic acid-containing (NA-containing) amyloid fibrils in the periphery. Here, we investigated whether IFN is associated with β-amyloidosis inside the brain and contributes to neuropathology. An IFN-stimulated gene (ISG) signature was detected in the brains of multiple murine Alzheimer disease (AD) models, a phenomenon also observed in WT mouse brain challenged with generic NA-containing amyloid fibrils. In vitro, microglia innately responded to NA-containing amyloid fibrils. In AD models, activated ISG-expressing microglia exclusively surrounded NA+ amyloid β plaques, which accumulated in an age-dependent manner. Brain administration of rIFN-β resulted in microglial activation and complement C3-dependent synapse elimination in vivo. Conversely, selective IFN receptor blockade effectively diminished the ongoing microgliosis and synapse loss in AD models. Moreover, we detected activated ISG-expressing microglia enveloping NA-containing neuritic plaques in postmortem brains of patients with AD. Gene expression interrogation revealed that IFN pathway was grossly upregulated in clinical AD and significantly correlated with disease severity and complement activation. Therefore, IFN constitutes a pivotal element within the neuroinflammatory network of AD and critically contributes to neuropathogenic processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ethan R Roy
- Huffington Center on Aging.,Translational Biology & Molecular Medicine Program, and
| | | | - Ying-Wooi Wan
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | | | | | - Zhuoran Yin
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Nicholas E Propson
- Huffington Center on Aging.,Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
| | - Yin Xu
- Huffington Center on Aging
| | | | - Zhandong Liu
- Department of Pediatrics-Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Virginia M-Y Lee
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - John Q Trojanowski
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Stephen D Ginsberg
- Center for Dementia Research, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, New York, USA.,Departments of Psychiatry, Neuroscience & Physiology and the NYU Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Oleg Butovsky
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Hui Zheng
- Huffington Center on Aging.,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Wei Cao
- Huffington Center on Aging.,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Huichalaf CH, Al-Ramahi I, Park KW, Grunke SD, Lu N, de Haro M, El-Zein K, Gallego-Flores T, Perez AM, Jung SY, Botas J, Zoghbi HY, Jankowsky JL. Cross-species genetic screens to identify kinase targets for APP reduction in Alzheimer's disease. Hum Mol Genet 2020; 28:2014-2029. [PMID: 30753434 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddz034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2018] [Revised: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
An early hallmark of Alzheimer's disease is the accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ), inspiring numerous therapeutic strategies targeting this peptide. An alternative approach is to destabilize the amyloid beta precursor protein (APP) from which Aβ is derived. We interrogated innate pathways governing APP stability using a siRNA screen for modifiers whose own reduction diminished APP in human cell lines and transgenic Drosophila. As proof of principle, we validated PKCβ-a known modifier identified by the screen-in an APP transgenic mouse model. PKCβ was genetically targeted using a novel adeno-associated virus shuttle vector to deliver microRNA-adapted shRNA via intracranial injection. In vivo reduction of PKCβ initially diminished APP and delayed plaque formation. Despite persistent PKCβ suppression, the effect on APP and amyloid diminished over time. Our study advances this approach for mining druggable modifiers of disease-associated proteins, while cautioning that prolonged in vivo validation may be needed to reveal emergent limitations on efficacy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ismael Al-Ramahi
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | | | - Nan Lu
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Maria de Haro
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Karla El-Zein
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Tatiana Gallego-Flores
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Alma M Perez
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Juan Botas
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Huda Y Zoghbi
- Department of Neuroscience.,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics.,Department of Pediatrics.,Department of Neurology.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Joanna L Jankowsky
- Department of Neuroscience.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology.,Department of Neurology.,Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Lillehaug S, Yetman MJ, Puchades MA, Checinska MM, Kleven H, Jankowsky JL, Bjaalie JG, Leergaard TB. Brain-wide distribution of reporter expression in five transgenic tetracycline-transactivator mouse lines. Sci Data 2019; 6:190028. [PMID: 30806643 PMCID: PMC6390708 DOI: 10.1038/sdata.2019.28] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The spatial pattern of transgene expression in tetracycline-controlled mouse models is governed primarily by the driver line used to introduce the tetracycline-controlled transactivator (tTA). Detailed maps showing where each tTA driver activates expression are therefore essential for designing and using tet-regulated models, particularly in brain research where cell type and regional specificity determine the circuits affected by conditional gene expression. We have compiled a comprehensive online repository of serial microscopic images showing brain-wide reporter expression for five commonly used tTA driver lines. We have spatially registered all images to a common three-dimensional mouse brain anatomical reference atlas for direct comparison of spatial distribution across lines. The high-resolution images and associated metadata are shared via the web page of the EU Human Brain Project. Images can be inspected using an interactive viewing tool that includes an optional overlay feature providing anatomical delineations and reference atlas coordinates. Interactive viewing is supplemented by semi-quantitative analyses of expression levels within anatomical subregions for each tTA driver line.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sveinung Lillehaug
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Michael J. Yetman
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Maja A. Puchades
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Martyna M. Checinska
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Heidi Kleven
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Joanna L. Jankowsky
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Departments of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jan G. Bjaalie
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Trygve B. Leergaard
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Chiang ACA, Fowler SW, Savjani RR, Hilsenbeck SG, Wallace CE, Cirrito JR, Das P, Jankowsky JL. Combination anti-Aβ treatment maximizes cognitive recovery and rebalances mTOR signaling in APP mice. J Exp Med 2018; 215:1349-1364. [PMID: 29626114 PMCID: PMC5940263 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20171484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2017] [Revised: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Chiang et al. show that combining two complementary approaches for Aβ reduction improved cognitive function in a mouse model of amyloidosis relative to either treatment alone. Efficacy corresponded with restoration of mTOR signaling, TFEB expression, and autophagic flux, suggesting additional targets for future polytherapy in AD. Drug development for Alzheimer’s disease has endeavored to lower amyloid β (Aβ) by either blocking production or promoting clearance. The benefit of combining these approaches has been examined in mouse models and shown to improve pathological measures of disease over single treatment; however, the impact on cellular and cognitive functions affected by Aβ has not been tested. We used a controllable APP transgenic mouse model to test whether combining genetic suppression of Aβ production with passive anti-Aβ immunization improved functional outcomes over either treatment alone. Compared with behavior before treatment, arresting further Aβ production (but not passive immunization) was sufficient to stop further decline in spatial learning, working memory, and associative memory, whereas combination treatment reversed each of these impairments. Cognitive improvement coincided with resolution of neuritic dystrophy, restoration of synaptic density surrounding deposits, and reduction of hyperactive mammalian target of rapamycin signaling. Computational modeling corroborated by in vivo microdialysis pointed to the reduction of soluble/exchangeable Aβ as the primary driver of cognitive recovery.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Angie C A Chiang
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | | | | | - Susan G Hilsenbeck
- Department of Medicine, Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center, Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Clare E Wallace
- Department of Neurology, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - John R Cirrito
- Department of Neurology, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Pritam Das
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL
| | - Joanna L Jankowsky
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX .,Departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Chiang ACA, Fowler SW, Reddy R, Pletnikova O, Troncoso JC, Sherman MA, Lesne SE, Jankowsky JL. Discrete Pools of Oligomeric Amyloid-β Track with Spatial Learning Deficits in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer Amyloidosis. Am J Pathol 2018; 188:739-756. [PMID: 29248459 PMCID: PMC5840490 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2017.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Revised: 10/24/2017] [Accepted: 11/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Despite increasing appreciation that oligomeric amyloid-β (Aβ) may contribute to cognitive decline of Alzheimer disease, defining the most critical forms has been thwarted by the changeable nature of these aggregates and the varying methods used for detection. Herein, using a broad approach, we quantified Aβ oligomers during the evolution of cognitive deficits in an aggressive model of Aβ amyloidosis. Amyloid precursor protein/tetracycline transactivator mice underwent behavioral testing at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of age to evaluate spatial learning and memory, followed by histologic assessment of amyloid burden and biochemical characterization of oligomeric Aβ species. Transgenic mice displayed progressive impairments in acquisition and immediate recall of the trained platform location. Biochemical analysis of cortical extracts from behaviorally tested mice revealed distinct age-dependent patterns of accumulation in multiple oligomeric species. Dot blot analysis demonstrated that nonfibrillar Aβ oligomers were highly soluble and extracted into a fraction enriched for extracellular proteins, whereas prefibrillar species required high-detergent conditions to retrieve, consistent with membrane localization. Low-detergent extracts tested by 82E1 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay confirmed the presence of bona fide Aβ oligomers, whereas immunoprecipitation-Western blotting using high-detergent extracts revealed a variety of SDS-stable low-n species. These findings show that different Aβ oligomers vary in solubility, consistent with distinct localization, and identify nonfibrillar Aβ oligomer-positive aggregates as tracking most closely with cognitive decline in this model.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Angie C A Chiang
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Stephanie W Fowler
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Rohit Reddy
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas; Department of Cognitive Science, Rice University, Houston, Texas
| | - Olga Pletnikova
- Division of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Juan C Troncoso
- Division of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Mathew A Sherman
- Department of Neuroscience, N. Bud Grossman Center for Memory Research and Care, Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Sylvain E Lesne
- Department of Neuroscience, N. Bud Grossman Center for Memory Research and Care, Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Joanna L Jankowsky
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Kim JY, Jang A, Reddy R, Yoon WH, Jankowsky JL. Neuronal overexpression of human VAPB slows motor impairment and neuromuscular denervation in a mouse model of ALS. Hum Mol Genet 2018; 25:4661-4673. [PMID: 28173107 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddw294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2016] [Revised: 08/21/2016] [Accepted: 08/25/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Four mutations in the VAMP/synaptobrevin-associated protein B (VAPB) gene have been linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) type 8. The mechanism by which VAPB mutations cause motor neuron disease is unclear, but studies of the most common P56S variant suggest both loss of function and dominant-negative sequestration of wild-type protein. Diminished levels of VAPB and its proteolytic cleavage fragment have also been reported in sporadic ALS cases, suggesting that VAPB loss of function may be a common mechanism of disease. Here, we tested whether neuronal overexpression of wild-type human VAPB would attenuate disease in a mouse model of familial ALS1. We used neonatal intraventricular viral injections to express VAPB or YFP throughout the brain and spinal cord of superoxide dismutase (SOD1) G93A transgenic mice. Lifelong elevation of neuronal VAPB slowed the decline of neurological impairment, delayed denervation of hindlimb muscles, and prolonged survival of spinal motor neurons. Collectively, these changes produced a slight but significant extension in lifespan, even in this highly aggressive model of disease. Our findings lend support for a protective role of VAPB in neuromuscular health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Yoen Kim
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX , USA
| | - Ava Jang
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX , USA.,Department of Psychology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX , USA
| | - Rohit Reddy
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX , USA.,Department of Cognitive Science, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Wan Hee Yoon
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Joanna L Jankowsky
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX , USA.,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is behaviorally identified by progressive memory impairment and pathologically characterized by the triad of β-amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and neurodegeneration. Genetic mutations and risk factors have been identified that are either causal or modify the disease progression. These genetic and pathological features serve as basis for the creation and validation of mouse models of AD. Efforts made in the past quarter-century have produced over 100 genetically engineered mouse lines that recapitulate some aspects of AD clinicopathology. These models have been valuable resources for understanding genetic interactions that contribute to disease and cellular reactions that are engaged in response. Here we focus on mouse models that have been widely used stalwarts of the field or that are recently developed bellwethers of the future. Rather than providing a summary of each model, we endeavor to compare and contrast the genetic approaches employed and to discuss their respective advantages and limitations. We offer a critical account of the variables which may contribute to inconsistent findings and the factors that should be considered when choosing a model and interpreting the results. We hope to present an insightful review of current AD mouse models and to provide a practical guide for selecting models best matched to the experimental question at hand.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joanna L Jankowsky
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. .,Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. .,Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. .,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. .,Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| | - Hui Zheng
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. .,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. .,Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. .,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Verbeeck C, Carrano A, Chakrabarty P, Jankowsky JL, Das P. Combination of Aβ Suppression and Innate Immune Activation in the Brain Significantly Attenuates Amyloid Plaque Deposition. Am J Pathol 2017; 187:2886-2894. [PMID: 28919107 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2017.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2017] [Revised: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Anti-Aβ clinical trials are currently under way to determine whether preventing amyloid deposition will be beneficial in arresting progression of Alzheimer disease. Both clinical and preclinical studies suggest that antiamyloid strategies are only effective if started at early stages of the disease process in a primary prevention strategy. Because this approach will be difficult to deploy, strategies for secondary prevention aimed at later stages of disease are also needed. In this study, we asked whether combining innate immune activation in the brain with concurrent Aβ suppression could enhance plaque clearance and could improve pathologic outcomes in mice with moderate amyloid pathologic disorder. Starting at 5 months of age, tet-off amyloid precursor protein transgenic mice were treated with doxycycline (dox) to suppress further amyloid precursor protein/Aβ production, and at the same time mice were intracranially injected with adeno-associated virus 1 expressing murine IL-6 (AAV1-mIL-6). Three months later, mice treated with the combination of Aβ suppression and AAV1-mIL-6 showed significantly less plaque pathologic disorder than dox or AAV1-mIL-6 only groups. The combination of AAV1-mIL-6 + dox treatment lowered total plaque burden by >60% versus untreated controls. Treatment with either dox or AAV1-mIL-6 alone was less effective than the combination. Our results suggest a synergistic mechanism by which the up-regulation of mIL-6 was able to improve plaque clearance in the setting of Aβ suppression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Verbeeck
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Jacksonville, Florida
| | - Anna Carrano
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Jacksonville, Florida
| | - Paramita Chakrabarty
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | | | - Pritam Das
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Jacksonville, Florida.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Zhao R, Grunke SD, Keralapurath MM, Yetman MJ, Lam A, Lee TC, Sousounis K, Jiang Y, Swing DA, Tessarollo L, Ji D, Jankowsky JL. Impaired Recall of Positional Memory following Chemogenetic Disruption of Place Field Stability. Cell Rep 2016; 16:793-804. [PMID: 27373150 PMCID: PMC4956499 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.06.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2015] [Revised: 03/03/2016] [Accepted: 06/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The neural network of the temporal lobe is thought to provide a cognitive map of our surroundings. Functional analysis of this network has been hampered by coarse tools that often result in collateral damage to other circuits. We developed a chemogenetic system to temporally control electrical input into the hippocampus. When entorhinal input to the perforant path was acutely silenced, hippocampal firing patterns became destabilized and underwent extensive remapping. We also found that spatial memory acquired prior to neural silencing was impaired by loss of input through the perforant path. Together, our experiments show that manipulation of entorhinal activity destabilizes spatial coding and disrupts spatial memory. Moreover, we introduce a chemogenetic model for non-invasive neuronal silencing that offers multiple advantages over existing strategies in this setting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rong Zhao
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Stacy D Grunke
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | | | - Michael J Yetman
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Alexander Lam
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Cognitive Science, Rice University, Houston, TX 77251, USA
| | - Tang-Cheng Lee
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | | | - Yongying Jiang
- Institute for Applied Cancer Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77054, USA
| | - Deborah A Swing
- Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Lino Tessarollo
- Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Daoyun Ji
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| | - Joanna L Jankowsky
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Yetman MJ, Fowler SW, Jankowsky JL. Humanized Tau Mice with Regionalized Amyloid Exhibit Behavioral Deficits but No Pathological Interaction. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0153724. [PMID: 27070146 PMCID: PMC4829202 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2016] [Accepted: 04/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) researchers have struggled for decades to draw a causal link between extracellular Aβ aggregation and intraneuronal accumulation of microtubule-associated protein tau. The amyloid cascade hypothesis posits that Aβ deposition promotes tau hyperphosphorylation, tangle formation, cell loss, vascular damage, and dementia. While the genetics of familial AD and the pathological staging of sporadic disease support this sequence of events, attempts to examine the molecular mechanism in transgenic animal models have largely relied on models of other inherited tauopathies as the basis for testing the interaction with Aβ. In an effort to more accurately model the relationship between Aβ and wild-type tau in AD, we intercrossed mice that overproduce human Aβ with a tau substitution model in which all 6 isoforms of the human protein are expressed in animals lacking murine tau. We selected an amyloid model in which pathology was biased towards the entorhinal region so that we could further examine whether the anticipated changes in tau phosphorylation occurred at the site of Aβ deposition or in synaptically connected regions. We found that Aβ and tau had independent effects on locomotion, learning, and memory, but found no behavioral evidence for an interaction between the two transgenes. Moreover, we saw no indication of amyloid-induced changes in the phosphorylation or aggregation of human tau either within the entorhinal area or elsewhere. These findings suggest that robust amyloid pathology within the medial temporal lobe has little effect on the metabolism of wild type human tau in this model.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Yetman
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Stephanie W. Fowler
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Joanna L. Jankowsky
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Abstract
The rapid pace of neuroscience research demands equally efficient and flexible methods for genetically manipulating and visualizing selected neurons within the rodent brain. The use of viral vectors for gene delivery saves the time and cost of traditional germline transgenesis and offers the versatility of readily available reagents that can be easily customized to meet individual experimental needs. Here, we present a protocol for widespread neuronal transduction based on intraventricular viral injection of the neonatal mouse brain. Injections can be done either free-hand or assisted by a stereotaxic device to produce lifelong expression of virally delivered transgenes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Yoen Kim
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Stacy D Grunke
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Joanna L Jankowsky
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA. .,Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Liu P, Reed MN, Kotilinek LA, Grant MKO, Forster CL, Qiang W, Shapiro SL, Reichl JH, Chiang ACA, Jankowsky JL, Wilmot CM, Cleary JP, Zahs KR, Ashe KH. Quaternary Structure Defines a Large Class of Amyloid-β Oligomers Neutralized by Sequestration. Cell Rep 2015; 11:1760-71. [PMID: 26051935 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2015] [Revised: 05/04/2015] [Accepted: 05/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) as amyloid fibrils and toxic oligomers is an important step in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, there are numerous potentially toxic oligomers and little is known about their neurological effects when generated in the living brain. Here we show that Aβ oligomers can be assigned to one of at least two classes (type 1 and type 2) based on their temporal, spatial, and structural relationships to amyloid fibrils. The type 2 oligomers are related to amyloid fibrils and represent the majority of oligomers generated in vivo, but they remain confined to the vicinity of amyloid plaques and do not impair cognition at levels relevant to AD. Type 1 oligomers are unrelated to amyloid fibrils and may have greater potential to cause global neural dysfunction in AD because they are dispersed. These results refine our understanding of the pathogenicity of Aβ oligomers in vivo.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peng Liu
- Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; N. Bud Grossman Center for Memory Research and Care, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Miranda N Reed
- Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; N. Bud Grossman Center for Memory Research and Care, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Linda A Kotilinek
- Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; N. Bud Grossman Center for Memory Research and Care, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Marianne K O Grant
- Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; N. Bud Grossman Center for Memory Research and Care, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Colleen L Forster
- N. Bud Grossman Center for Memory Research and Care, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; UMN Academic Health Center Biological Materials Procurement Network, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Wei Qiang
- Laboratory of Chemical Physics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Samantha L Shapiro
- Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; N. Bud Grossman Center for Memory Research and Care, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - John H Reichl
- Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; N. Bud Grossman Center for Memory Research and Care, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Angie C A Chiang
- Departments of Neuroscience, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Joanna L Jankowsky
- Departments of Neuroscience, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Carrie M Wilmot
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - James P Cleary
- Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; N. Bud Grossman Center for Memory Research and Care, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), VA Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN 55417, USA
| | - Kathleen R Zahs
- Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; N. Bud Grossman Center for Memory Research and Care, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Karen H Ashe
- Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; N. Bud Grossman Center for Memory Research and Care, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), VA Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN 55417, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Yetman MJ, Lillehaug S, Bjaalie JG, Leergaard TB, Jankowsky JL. Transgene expression in the Nop-tTA driver line is not inherently restricted to the entorhinal cortex. Brain Struct Funct 2015; 221:2231-49. [PMID: 25869275 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-015-1040-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2014] [Accepted: 04/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The entorhinal cortex (EC) plays a central role in episodic memory and is among the earliest sites of neurodegeneration and neurofibrillary tangle formation in Alzheimer's disease. Given its importance in memory and dementia, the ability to selectively modulate gene expression or neuronal function in the EC is of widespread interest. To this end, several recent studies have taken advantage of a transgenic line in which the tetracycline transactivator (tTA) was placed under control of the neuropsin (Nop) promoter to limit transgene expression within the medial EC and pre-/parasubiculum. Although the utility of this driver is contingent on its spatial specificity, no detailed neuroanatomical analysis of its expression has yet been conducted. We therefore undertook a systematic analysis of Nop-tTA expression using a lacZ reporter and have made the complete set of histological sections available through the Rodent Brain Workbench tTA atlas, www.rbwb.org . Our findings confirm that the highest density of tTA expression is found in the EC and pre-/parasubiculum, but also reveal considerable expression in several other cortical areas. Promiscuous transgene expression may account for the appearance of pathological protein aggregates outside of the EC in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease using this driver, as we find considerable overlap between sites of delayed amyloid deposition and regions with sparse β-galactosidase reporter labeling. While different tet-responsive lines can display individual expression characteristics, our results suggest caution when designing experiments that depend on precise localization of gene products controlled by the Nop-tTA or other spatially restrictive transgenic drivers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Yetman
- Departments of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, BCM295, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Sveinung Lillehaug
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jan G Bjaalie
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Trygve B Leergaard
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Joanna L Jankowsky
- Departments of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, BCM295, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. .,Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Lian H, Yang L, Cole A, Sun L, Chiang ACA, Fowler SW, Shim DJ, Rodriguez-Rivera J, Taglialatela G, Jankowsky JL, Lu HC, Zheng H. NFκB-activated astroglial release of complement C3 compromises neuronal morphology and function associated with Alzheimer's disease. Neuron 2014; 85:101-115. [PMID: 25533482 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2014.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 391] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Abnormal NFκB activation has been implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the signaling pathways governing NFκB regulation and function in the brain are poorly understood. We identify complement protein C3 as an astroglial target of NFκB and show that C3 release acts through neuronal C3aR to disrupt dendritic morphology and network function. Exposure to Aβ activates astroglial NFκB and C3 release, consistent with the high levels of C3 expression in brain tissue from AD patients and APP transgenic mice, where C3aR antagonist treatment rescues cognitive impairment. Therefore, dysregulation of neuron-glia interaction through NFκB/C3/C3aR signaling may contribute to synaptic dysfunction in AD, and C3aR antagonists may be therapeutically beneficial.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hong Lian
- Huffington Center on Aging, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Li Yang
- Huffington Center on Aging, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Allysa Cole
- Huffington Center on Aging, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Lu Sun
- Huffington Center on Aging, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Angie C-A Chiang
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Stephanie W Fowler
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - David J Shim
- Huffington Center on Aging, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | | | - Giulio Taglialatela
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Joanna L Jankowsky
- Huffington Center on Aging, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Hui-Chen Lu
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine and the Cain Foundation Laboratories, Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Hui Zheng
- Huffington Center on Aging, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Sun MY, Yetman MJ, Lee TC, Chen Y, Jankowsky JL. Specificity and efficiency of reporter expression in adult neural progenitors vary substantially among nestin-CreER(T2) lines. J Comp Neurol 2014; 522:1191-208. [PMID: 24519019 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2013] [Revised: 10/16/2013] [Accepted: 10/25/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Transgenic lines expressing a controllable form of Cre recombinase have become valuable tools for manipulating gene expression in adult neural progenitors and their progeny. Neural progenitors express several proteins that distinguish them from mature neurons, and the promoters for these genes have been co-opted to produce selective transgene expression within this population. To date, nine CreER(T2) transgenic lines have been designed using the nestin promoter; however, only a subset are capable of eliciting expression within both neurogenic zones of the adult brain. Here we compare three such nestin-CreER(T2) lines to evaluate specificity of expression and efficiency of recombination. Each line was examined by using three different Cre reporter strains that varied in sensitivity. We found that all three nestin-CreER(T2) strains induced reporter expression within the main neurogenic areas, albeit to varying degrees depending on the reporter. Unexpectedly, we found that two of the three lines induced substantial reporter expression outside of neurogenic areas. These lines produced strong labeling in cerebellar granule neurons, with additional expression in the cortex, hippocampus, striatum, and thalamus. Reporter expression in the third nestin-CreER(T2) line was considerably more specific, but was also less efficient, labeling a smaller percentage of the target population than the other two drivers. Our findings suggest that each nestin-CreER(T2) line may best serve different experimental needs, depending on whether specificity or efficiency is of greatest concern. Our study further demonstrates that each new pair of driver and responder lines should be evaluated independently, as both components can significantly influence the resulting expression pattern.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Min-Yu Sun
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, 77030
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
Kim JY, Grunke SD, Levites Y, Golde TE, Jankowsky JL. Intracerebroventricular viral injection of the neonatal mouse brain for persistent and widespread neuronal transduction. J Vis Exp 2014:51863. [PMID: 25286085 DOI: 10.3791/51863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
With the pace of scientific advancement accelerating rapidly, new methods are needed for experimental neuroscience to quickly and easily manipulate gene expression in the mouse brain. Here we describe a technique first introduced by Passini and Wolfe for direct intracranial delivery of virally-encoded transgenes into the neonatal mouse brain. In its most basic form, the procedure requires only an ice bucket and a microliter syringe. However, the protocol can also be adapted for use with stereotaxic frames to improve consistency for researchers new to the technique. The method relies on the ability of adeno-associated virus (AAV) to move freely from the cerebral ventricles into the brain parenchyma while the ependymal lining is still immature during the first 12-24 hr after birth. Intraventricular injection of AAV at this age results in widespread transduction of neurons throughout the brain. Expression begins within days of injection and persists for the lifetime of the animal. Viral titer can be adjusted to control the density of transduced neurons, while co-expression of a fluorescent protein provides a vital label of transduced cells. With the rising availability of viral core facilities to provide both off-the-shelf, pre-packaged reagents and custom viral preparation, this approach offers a timely method for manipulating gene expression in the mouse brain that is fast, easy, and far less expensive than traditional germline engineering.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Yoen Kim
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine
| | | | - Yona Levites
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida
| | - Todd E Golde
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida
| | - Joanna L Jankowsky
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine; Department of Neurology and Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine;
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Zhao R, Fowler SW, Chiang ACA, Ji D, Jankowsky JL. Impairments in experience-dependent scaling and stability of hippocampal place fields limit spatial learning in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Hippocampus 2014; 24:963-78. [PMID: 24752989 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2014] [Accepted: 04/11/2014] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Impaired spatial memory characterizes many mouse models for Alzheimer's disease, but we understand little about how this trait arises. Here, we use a transgenic model of amyloidosis to examine the relationship between behavioral performance in tests of spatial navigation and the function of hippocampal place cells. We find that amyloid precursor protein (APP) mice require considerably more training than controls to reach the same level of performance in a water maze task, and recall the trained location less well 24 h later. At a single cell level, place fields from control mice become more stable and spatially restricted with repeated exposure to a new environment, while those in APP mice improve less over time, ultimately producing a spatial code of lower resolution, accuracy, and reliability than controls. The limited refinement of place fields in APP mice likely contributes to their delayed water maze acquisition, and provides evidence for circuit dysfunction underlying cognitive impairment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rong Zhao
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Chakrabarty P, Rosario A, Cruz P, Siemienski Z, Ceballos-Diaz C, Crosby K, Jansen K, Borchelt DR, Kim JY, Jankowsky JL, Golde TE, Levites Y. Capsid serotype and timing of injection determines AAV transduction in the neonatal mice brain. PLoS One 2013; 8:e67680. [PMID: 23825679 PMCID: PMC3692458 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2013] [Accepted: 05/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Adeno-associated virus (AAV) mediated gene expression is a powerful tool for gene therapy and preclinical studies. A comprehensive analysis of CNS cell type tropism, expression levels and biodistribution of different capsid serotypes has not yet been undertaken in neonatal rodents. Our previous studies show that intracerebroventricular injection with AAV2/1 on neonatal day P0 results in widespread CNS expression but the biodistribution is limited if injected beyond neonatal day P1. To extend these observations we explored the effect of timing of injection on tropism and biodistribution of six commonly used pseudotyped AAVs delivered in the cerebral ventricles of neonatal mice. We demonstrate that AAV2/8 and 2/9 resulted in the most widespread biodistribution in the brain. Most serotypes showed varying biodistribution depending on the day of injection. Injection on neonatal day P0 resulted in mostly neuronal transduction, whereas administration in later periods of development (24–84 hours postnatal) resulted in more non-neuronal transduction. AAV2/5 showed widespread transduction of astrocytes irrespective of the time of injection. None of the serotypes tested showed any microglial transduction. This study demonstrates that both capsid serotype and timing of injection influence the regional and cell-type distribution of AAV in neonatal rodents, and emphasizes the utility of pseudotyped AAV vectors for translational gene therapy paradigms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paramita Chakrabarty
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Awilda Rosario
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Pedro Cruz
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Zoe Siemienski
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Carolina Ceballos-Diaz
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Keith Crosby
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Karen Jansen
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, United States of America
| | - David R. Borchelt
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Ji-Yoen Kim
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Joanna L. Jankowsky
- Department of Neuroscience, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Todd E. Golde
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Yona Levites
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Kim JY, Ash RT, Ceballos-Diaz C, Levites Y, Golde TE, Smirnakis SM, Jankowsky JL. Viral transduction of the neonatal brain delivers controllable genetic mosaicism for visualising and manipulating neuronal circuits in vivo. Eur J Neurosci 2013; 37:1203-20. [PMID: 23347239 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2012] [Revised: 12/09/2012] [Accepted: 12/12/2012] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The neonatal intraventricular injection of adeno-associated virus has been shown to transduce neurons widely throughout the brain, but its full potential for experimental neuroscience has not been adequately explored. We report a detailed analysis of the method's versatility with an emphasis on experimental applications where tools for genetic manipulation are currently lacking. Viral injection into the neonatal mouse brain is fast, easy, and accesses regions of the brain including the cerebellum and brainstem that have been difficult to target with other techniques such as electroporation. We show that viral transduction produces an inherently mosaic expression pattern that can be exploited by varying the titer to transduce isolated neurons or densely-packed populations. We demonstrate that the expression of virally-encoded proteins is active much sooner than previously believed, allowing genetic perturbation during critical periods of neuronal plasticity, but is also long-lasting and stable, allowing chronic studies of aging. We harness these features to visualise and manipulate neurons in the hindbrain that have been recalcitrant to approaches commonly applied in the cortex. We show that viral labeling aids the analysis of postnatal dendritic maturation in cerebellar Purkinje neurons by allowing individual cells to be readily distinguished, and then demonstrate that the same sparse labeling allows live in vivo imaging of mature Purkinje neurons at a resolution sufficient for complete analytical reconstruction. Given the rising availability of viral constructs, packaging services, and genetically modified animals, these techniques should facilitate a wide range of experiments into brain development, function, and degeneration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Yoen Kim
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, BCM295, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Rodgers SP, Born HA, Das P, Jankowsky JL. Transgenic APP expression during postnatal development causes persistent locomotor hyperactivity in the adult. Mol Neurodegener 2012; 7:28. [PMID: 22709352 PMCID: PMC3457908 DOI: 10.1186/1750-1326-7-28] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2012] [Accepted: 06/06/2012] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Transgenic mice expressing disease-associated proteins have become standard tools for studying human neurological disorders. Transgenes are often expressed using promoters chosen to drive continuous high-level expression throughout life rather than temporal and spatial fidelity to the endogenous gene. This approach has allowed us to recapitulate diseases of aging within the two-year lifespan of the laboratory mouse, but has the potential for creating aberrant phenotypes by mechanisms unrelated to the human disorder. Results We show that overexpression of the Alzheimer’s-related amyloid precursor protein (APP) during early postnatal development leads to severe locomotor hyperactivity that can be significantly attenuated by delaying transgene onset until adulthood. Our data suggest that exposure to transgenic APP during maturation influences the development of neuronal circuits controlling motor activity. Both when matched for total duration of APP overexpression and when matched for cortical amyloid burden, animals exposed to transgenic APP as juveniles are more active in locomotor assays than animals in which APP overexpression was delayed until adulthood. In contrast to motor activity, the age of APP onset had no effect on thigmotaxis in the open field as a rough measure of anxiety, suggesting that the interaction between APP overexpression and brain development is not unilateral. Conclusions Our findings indicate that locomotor hyperactivity displayed by the tet-off APP transgenic mice and several other transgenic models of Alzheimer’s disease may result from overexpression of mutant APP during postnatal brain development. Our results serve as a reminder of the potential for unexpected interactions between foreign transgenes and brain development to cause long-lasting effects on neuronal function in the adult. The tet-off APP model provides an easy means of avoiding developmental confounds by allowing transgene expression to be delayed until the mice reach adulthood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shaefali P Rodgers
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
32
|
Cowin RM, Roscic A, Bui N, Graham D, Paganetti P, Jankowsky JL, Weiss A, Paylor R. Neuronal aggregates are associated with phenotypic onset in the R6/2 Huntington's disease transgenic mouse. Behav Brain Res 2012; 229:308-19. [PMID: 22306231 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.12.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2011] [Revised: 12/28/2011] [Accepted: 12/30/2011] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is caused by the expansion of the polyglutamine tract expressed in the huntingtin protein. Data from patients show a strong negative correlation between CAG repeat size and age of disease onset. Recent studies in mixed background C57×CBA R6/2 mice suggest the inverse correlation observed in the human disease may not be replicated in some animal models of HD. To further clarify the relationship between repeat length and age of onset, congenic C57BL6/J R6/2 transgenic mice expressing 110, 260 or 310 CAG were tested in a comprehensive behavioral battery at multiple ages. Data confirmed the findings of earlier studies and indicate that on a pure C57BL6/J genetic background, R6/2 mice with larger repeats exhibit a delay in phenotypic onset with increasing polyglutamine size (6 weeks in 110 CAG and 17 weeks in 310 CAG mice). Further analysis confirmed a decrease in transgene transcript expression in 310 CAG mice as well as differential aggregated protein localization in association with repeat length. Mice expressing 110 CAG developed aggregates that localized almost exclusively to the nucleus of neuronal cells in the striatum and cortex. In contrast, tissue from 310 CAG mice exhibited predominantly extranuclear inclusions. Novel mutant protein analysis obtained using time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) revealed that soluble protein levels decreased with disease onset in R6/2 mice while aggregated protein levels increased. We believe that these data suggest a role for aggregation and inclusion localization in HD pathogenesis and propose a mechanism for the age of onset delay observed in R6/2 mice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Randi-Michelle Cowin
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
33
|
Wang A, Das P, Switzer RC, Golde TE, Jankowsky JL. O4‐08‐05: Robust Amyloid Clearance in a Mouse Model of AD Provides Novel Insights into the Mechanism of Abeta Immunotherapy. Alzheimers Dement 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jalz.2010.08.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Allan Wang
- Baylor College of MedicineHouston TX USA
- Rice UniversityHouston TX USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Moss FJ, Imoukhuede PI, Scott K, Hu J, Jankowsky JL, Quick MW, Lester HA. GABA transporter function, oligomerization state, and anchoring: correlates with subcellularly resolved FRET. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 134:489-521. [PMID: 19948998 PMCID: PMC2806419 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.200910314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The mouse gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporter mGAT1 was expressed in neuroblastoma 2a cells. 19 mGAT1 designs incorporating fluorescent proteins were functionally characterized by [(3)H]GABA uptake in assays that responded to several experimental variables, including the mutations and pharmacological manipulation of the cytoskeleton. Oligomerization and subsequent trafficking of mGAT1 were studied in several subcellular regions of live cells using localized fluorescence, acceptor photobleach Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), and pixel-by-pixel analysis of normalized FRET (NFRET) images. Nine constructs were functionally indistinguishable from wild-type mGAT1 and provided information about normal mGAT1 assembly and trafficking. The remainder had compromised [(3)H]GABA uptake due to observable oligomerization and/or trafficking deficits; the data help to determine regions of mGAT1 sequence involved in these processes. Acceptor photobleach FRET detected mGAT1 oligomerization, but richer information was obtained from analyzing the distribution of all-pixel NFRET amplitudes. We also analyzed such distributions restricted to cellular subregions. Distributions were fit to either two or three Gaussian components. Two of the components, present for all mGAT1 constructs that oligomerized, may represent dimers and high-order oligomers (probably tetramers), respectively. Only wild-type functioning constructs displayed three components; the additional component apparently had the highest mean NFRET amplitude. Near the cell periphery, wild-type functioning constructs displayed the highest NFRET. In this subregion, the highest NFRET component represented approximately 30% of all pixels, similar to the percentage of mGAT1 from the acutely recycling pool resident in the plasma membrane in the basal state. Blocking the mGAT1 C terminus postsynaptic density 95/discs large/zona occludens 1 (PDZ)-interacting domain abolished the highest amplitude component from the NFRET distributions. Disrupting the actin cytoskeleton in cells expressing wild-type functioning transporters moved the highest amplitude component from the cell periphery to perinuclear regions. Thus, pixel-by-pixel NFRET analysis resolved three distinct forms of GAT1: dimers, high-order oligomers, and transporters associated via PDZ-mediated interactions with the actin cytoskeleton and/or with the exocyst.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fraser J Moss
- Division of Biology and 1,2 Program in Bioengineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
35
|
Badea A, Johnson GA, Jankowsky JL. Remote sites of structural atrophy predict later amyloid formation in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Neuroimage 2009; 50:416-27. [PMID: 20035883 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.12.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2009] [Revised: 12/05/2009] [Accepted: 12/15/2009] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can provide a longitudinal view of neurological disease through repeated imaging of patients at successive stages of impairment. Until recently, the difficulty of manual delineation has limited volumetric analyses of MR data sets to a few select regions and a small number of subjects. Increased throughput offered by faster imaging methods, automated segmentation, and deformation-based morphometry have recently been applied to overcome this limitation with mouse models of neurological conditions. We use automated analyses to produce an unbiased view of volumetric changes in a transgenic mouse model for Alzheimer's disease (AD) at two points in the progression of disease: immediately before and shortly after the onset of amyloid formation. In addition to the cortex and hippocampus, where atrophy has been well documented in AD patients, we identify volumetric losses in the pons and substantia nigra where neurodegeneration has not been carefully examined. We find that deficits in cortical volume precede amyloid formation in this mouse model, similar to presymptomatic atrophy seen in patients with familial AD. Unexpectedly, volumetric losses identified by MR outside of the forebrain predict locations of future amyloid formation, such as the inferior colliculus and spinal nuclei, which develop pathology at very late stages of disease. Our work provides proof-of-principle that MR microscopy can expand our view of AD by offering a complete and unbiased examination of volumetric changes that guide us in revisiting the canonical neuropathology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Badea
- Center for In Vivo Microscopy, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
36
|
Moss FJ, Imoukheude PI, Hu J, Jankowsky JL, Quick MW, Lester HA. Quantification Of Sensitized FRET From Fluorescent GAT1 γ-aminobutyric Acid Transporters Distinguishes Between Subsurface And Plasma Membrane Resident Oligomers And Predicts Function. Biophys J 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2008.12.1341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
|
37
|
Verret L, Jankowsky JL, Xu GM, Borchelt DR, Rampon C. Alzheimer's-type amyloidosis in transgenic mice impairs survival of newborn neurons derived from adult hippocampal neurogenesis. J Neurosci 2007; 27:6771-80. [PMID: 17581964 PMCID: PMC4439193 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5564-06.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 177] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by severe neuronal loss in several brain regions important for learning and memory. Of the structures affected by AD, the hippocampus is unique in continuing to produce new neurons throughout life. Mounting evidence indicates that hippocampal neurogenesis contributes to the processing and storage of new information and that deficits in the production of new neurons may impair learning and memory. Here, we examine whether the overproduction of amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide in a mouse model for AD might be detrimental to newborn neurons in the hippocampus. We used transgenic mice overexpressing familial AD variants of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and/or presenilin-1 to test how the level (moderate or high) and the aggregation state (soluble or deposited) of Abeta impacts the proliferation and survival of new hippocampal neurons. Although proliferation and short-term survival of neural progenitors in the hippocampus was unaffected by APP/Abeta overproduction, survival of newborn cells 4 weeks later was dramatically diminished in transgenic mice with Alzheimer's-type amyloid pathology. Phenotypic analysis of the surviving population revealed a specific reduction in newborn neurons. Our data indicate that overproduction of Abeta and the consequent appearance of amyloid plaques cause an overall reduction in the number of adult-generated hippocampal neurons. Diminished capacity for hippocampal neuron replacement may contribute to the cognitive decline observed in these mice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laure Verret
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Université Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Joanna L. Jankowsky
- Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, and
| | - Guilian M. Xu
- Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610
| | - David R. Borchelt
- Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610
| | - Claire Rampon
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Université Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse, France
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Jankowsky JL, Younkin LH, Gonzales V, Fadale DJ, Slunt HH, Lester HA, Younkin SG, Borchelt DR. Rodent A beta modulates the solubility and distribution of amyloid deposits in transgenic mice. J Biol Chem 2007; 282:22707-20. [PMID: 17556372 PMCID: PMC4435736 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m611050200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The amino acid sequence of amyloid precursor protein (APP) is highly conserved, and age-related A beta aggregates have been described in a variety of vertebrate animals, with the notable exception of mice and rats. Three amino acid substitutions distinguish mouse and human A beta that might contribute to their differing properties in vivo. To examine the amyloidogenic potential of mouse A beta, we studied several lines of transgenic mice overexpressing wild-type mouse amyloid precursor protein (moAPP) either alone or in conjunction with mutant PS1 (PS1dE9). Neither overexpression of moAPP alone nor co-expression with PS1dE9 caused mice to develop Alzheimer-type amyloid pathology by 24 months of age. We further tested whether mouse A beta could accelerate the deposition of human A beta by crossing the moAPP transgenic mice to a bigenic line expressing human APPswe with PS1dE9. The triple transgenic animals (moAPP x APPswe/PS1dE9) produced 20% more A beta but formed amyloid deposits no faster and to no greater extent than APPswe/PS1dE9 siblings. Instead, the additional mouse A beta increased the detergent solubility of accumulated amyloid and exacerbated amyloid deposition in the vasculature. These findings suggest that, although mouse A beta does not influence the rate of amyloid formation, the incorporation of A beta peptides with differing sequences alters the solubility and localization of the resulting aggregates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joanna L. Jankowsky
- Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125
| | | | - Victoria Gonzales
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
| | | | - Hilda H. Slunt
- Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610
| | - Henry A. Lester
- Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125
| | | | - David R. Borchelt
- Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610
- To whom correspondence may be addressed: Dept. of Neuroscience, Mc-Knight Brain Institute, University of Florida, 100 Newell Drive, Rm. L1-100H, P. O. Box 100244, Gainesville, FL 32610-0244. Tel.: 352-294-010; Fax: 352-392-8347;
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Jankowsky JL, Melnikova T, Fadale DJ, Xu GM, Slunt HH, Gonzales V, Younkin LH, Younkin SG, Borchelt DR, Savonenko AV. Environmental enrichment mitigates cognitive deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. J Neurosci 2006; 25:5217-24. [PMID: 15917461 PMCID: PMC4440804 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5080-04.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 375] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Epidemiological studies suggest that individuals with greater education or more cognitively demanding occupations have diminished risk of developing dementia. We wanted to test whether this effect could be recapitulated in rodents using environmental enrichment, a paradigm well documented to attenuate behavioral deficits induced by various pathological insults. Here, we demonstrate that learning and memory deficits observed in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease can be ameliorated by enrichment. Female transgenic mice overexpressing amyloid precursor protein and/or presenilin-1 and nontransgenic controls were placed into enriched or standard cages at 2 months of age and tested for cognitive behavior after 6 months of differential housing. Enrichment significantly improved performance of all genotypes in the radial water maze and in the classic and repeated-reversal versions of the Morris water maze. However, enrichment did not benefit all genotypes equally. Mice overproducing amyloid-beta (Abeta), particularly those with amyloid deposits, showed weaker memory for the platform location in the classic Morris water maze and learned new platform positions in the repeated-reversals task less quickly than their nontransgenic cagemates. Nonetheless, enrichment normalized the performance of Abeta-overproducing mice to the level of standard-housed nontransgenic mice. Moreover, this functional preservation occurred despite increased neuritic plaque burden in the hippocampus of double-transgenic animals and elevated steady-state Abeta levels, because both endogenous and transgene-derived Abeta are increased in enriched animals. These results demonstrate that the generation of Abeta in vivo and its impact on the function of the nervous system can be strongly modulated by environmental factors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joanna L Jankowsky
- Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
40
|
Jankowsky JL, Slunt HH, Gonzales V, Savonenko AV, Wen JC, Jenkins NA, Copeland NG, Younkin LH, Lester HA, Younkin SG, Borchelt DR. Persistent amyloidosis following suppression of Abeta production in a transgenic model of Alzheimer disease. PLoS Med 2005; 2:e355. [PMID: 16279840 PMCID: PMC1283364 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0020355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2005] [Accepted: 08/22/2005] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The proteases (secretases) that cleave amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide from the amyloid precursor protein (APP) have been the focus of considerable investigation in the development of treatments for Alzheimer disease. The prediction has been that reducing Abeta production in the brain, even after the onset of clinical symptoms and the development of associated pathology, will facilitate the repair of damaged tissue and removal of amyloid lesions. However, no long-term studies using animal models of amyloid pathology have yet been performed to test this hypothesis. METHODS AND FINDINGS We have generated a transgenic mouse model that genetically mimics the arrest of Abeta production expected from treatment with secretase inhibitors. These mice overexpress mutant APP from a vector that can be regulated by doxycycline. Under normal conditions, high-level expression of APP quickly induces fulminant amyloid pathology. We show that doxycycline administration inhibits transgenic APP expression by greater than 95% and reduces Abeta production to levels found in nontransgenic mice. Suppression of transgenic Abeta synthesis in this model abruptly halts the progression of amyloid pathology. However, formation and disaggregation of amyloid deposits appear to be in disequilibrium as the plaques require far longer to disperse than to assemble. Mice in which APP synthesis was suppressed for as long as 6 mo after the formation of Abeta deposits retain a considerable amyloid load, with little sign of active clearance. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates that amyloid lesions in transgenic mice are highly stable structures in vivo that are slow to disaggregate. Our findings suggest that arresting Abeta production in patients with Alzheimer disease should halt the progression of pathology, but that early treatment may be imperative, as it appears that amyloid deposits, once formed, will require additional intervention to clear.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joanna L Jankowsky
- 1Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- 2Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
- *To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: (JLJ); E-mail: (DRB)
| | - Hilda H Slunt
- 1Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Victoria Gonzales
- 1Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Alena V Savonenko
- 1Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jason C Wen
- 3Department of Cell Biology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Nancy A Jenkins
- 4Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, National Cancer Institute Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Neal G Copeland
- 4Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, National Cancer Institute Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Linda H Younkin
- 5Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Henry A Lester
- 2Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
| | - Steven G Younkin
- 5Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida, United States of America
| | - David R Borchelt
- 1Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- 6Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- *To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: (JLJ); E-mail: (DRB)
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Jankowsky JL, Slunt HH, Gonzales V, Jenkins NA, Copeland NG, Borchelt DR. APP processing and amyloid deposition in mice haplo-insufficient for presenilin 1. Neurobiol Aging 2004; 25:885-92. [PMID: 15212842 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2003.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2003] [Revised: 07/29/2003] [Accepted: 09/24/2003] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
More than 70 different mutations in presenilin 1 (PS1) have been associated with inherited early onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). How all these different mutations cause disease has not been clearly delineated. Our laboratory has previously shown that co-expression of mutant PS1 in mice transgenic for amyloid precursor protein (APPswe) dramatically accelerates the rate of amyloid deposition in the brain. In our original animals mutant PS1 was substantially over-expressed, and the stabilized pool of mouse PS1 fragments was largely replaced by the human protein. In this setting the accelerated amyloid pathology in the double transgenic mice could have been due, in part, to decreased endogenous PS1 activity. To investigate this possibility, we generated APP transgenic mice with reduced levels of endogenous PS1. We find that mice harboring only one functional PS1 allele and co-expressing Mo/HuAPPswe do not develop amyloid deposits at ages comparable to mice expressing mutant PS1. We next tested whether hypo-expression of mutant PS1 could accelerate the rate of amyloid deposition using an unusual line of transgenic mice expressing PS1dE9 at low levels, finding no significant acceleration. Our findings demonstrate that the accelerated amyloid pathology, caused by so many different mutations in PS1, is clearly not a result of haplo-insufficiency that might result from inactivating mutations. Instead, our data are consistent with a gain of property mechanism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joanna L Jankowsky
- Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 558 Ross Research Building, 720 Rutland Ave., Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
42
|
Jankowsky JL, Xu G, Fromholt D, Gonzales V, Borchelt DR. Environmental Enrichment Exacerbates Amyloid Plaque Formation in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer Disease. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2003; 62:1220-7. [PMID: 14692698 DOI: 10.1093/jnen/62.12.1220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 164] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Epidemiological studies of Alzheimer patients from a wide variety of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds have identified education and occupation as environmental factors that can affect the risk of developing disease. A model of environmental manipulation in rodents uses enriched housing to provide cognitive and social stimulation. Previous studies have established elevations in synaptic number and function in rodents housed under enriched conditions. Recent experiments in hippocampal cultures have demonstrated that synaptic activity can influence the processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP). Here we examined whether changes in synaptic activity brought about by enriched housing might also influence the deposition of amyloid plaques in vivo using a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer disease (AD). Mice co-expressing mutant APP and presenilin 1 (PS1) were housed in either enriched or standard cages from 2 months of age and then killed for pathological evaluation several months later. We find that, as compared to littermates housed in standard cages, the enriched APP/PS1 transgenic mice develop a higher amyloid burden with commensurate increases in aggregated and total A beta. These results suggest that A beta deposition can be exacerbated by the neuronal changes associated with enrichment, and demonstrate a substantial, albeit paradoxical, environmental influence on the progression of pathology in a mouse model of AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joanna L Jankowsky
- Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Jankowsky JL, Fadale DJ, Anderson J, Xu GM, Gonzales V, Jenkins NA, Copeland NG, Lee MK, Younkin LH, Wagner SL, Younkin SG, Borchelt DR. Mutant presenilins specifically elevate the levels of the 42 residue beta-amyloid peptide in vivo: evidence for augmentation of a 42-specific gamma secretase. Hum Mol Genet 2003; 13:159-70. [PMID: 14645205 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddh019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1143] [Impact Index Per Article: 54.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is endoproteolytically processed by BACE1 and gamma-secretase to release amyloid peptides (Abeta40 and 42) that aggregate to form senile plaques in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The C-terminus of Abeta40/42 is generated by gamma-secretase, whose activity is dependent upon presenilin (PS 1 or 2). Missense mutations in PS1 (and PS2) occur in patients with early-onset familial AD (FAD), and previous studies in transgenic mice and cultured cell models demonstrated that FAD-PS1 variants shift the ratio of Abeta40 : 42 to favor Abeta42. One hypothesis to explain this outcome is that mutant PS alters the specificity of gamma-secretase to favor production of Abeta42 at the expense of Abeta40. To test this hypothesis in vivo, we studied Abeta40 and 42 levels in a series of transgenic mice that co-express the Swedish mutation of APP (APPswe) with two FAD-PS1 variants that differentially accelerate amyloid pathology in the brain. We demonstrate a direct correlation between the concentration of Abeta42 and the rate of amyloid deposition. We further show that the shift in Abeta42 : 40 ratios associated with the expression of FAD-PS1 variants is due to a specific elevation in the steady-state levels of Abeta42, while maintaining a constant level of Abeta40. These data suggest that PS1 variants do not simply alter the preferred cleavage site for gamma-secretase, but rather that they have more complex effects on the regulation of gamma-secretase and its access to substrates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joanna L Jankowsky
- Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
44
|
Jankowsky JL, Savonenko A, Schilling G, Wang J, Xu G, Borchelt DR. Transgenic mouse models of neurodegenerative disease: opportunities for therapeutic development. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2002; 2:457-64. [PMID: 12169227 DOI: 10.1007/s11910-002-0073-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases present an extraordinary challenge for medicine due to the grave nature of these illnesses, their prevalence, and their impact on individuals and caregivers. The most common of these age-associated chronic illnesses are Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD); other examples include the prion disorders, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and the trinucleotide (CAG) repeat diseases. All of these diseases are characterized by well-defined clinical syndromes with progressive courses that reflect the dysfunction and eventual loss of specific neuronal populations. Current therapies provide only symptomatic relief; none significantly alter the course of disease. We describe here how transgenic mice designed to model these diseases have substantially contributed to the identification and validation of many promising new therapies, and conversely how they have quickly and cost effectively eliminated several targets with unrealized expectations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joanna L Jankowsky
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 720 Rutland Avenue, Ross Building Room 558, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
45
|
Jankowsky JL, Slunt HH, Ratovitski T, Jenkins NA, Copeland NG, Borchelt DR. Co-expression of multiple transgenes in mouse CNS: a comparison of strategies. Biomol Eng 2001; 17:157-65. [PMID: 11337275 DOI: 10.1016/s1389-0344(01)00067-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 620] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The introduction of two transgenes into one animal is increasingly common as transgenic experiments become more sophisticated. In this study we examine two strategies for creating double transgenic founders from a single microinjection. In the first approach, two constructs, each with its own promoter element, were coinjected into the pronucleus. In the second approach, both transgenes were cloned into one vector, separated by an internal ribosomal entry site (IRES), and placed under control of a single promoter. Both strategies save time and increase the percentage of double transgenic offspring over the standard method of mating single transgenic lines. However, despite high transgene copy numbers, the bicistronic lines did not show robust expression of either protein. Copy number and protein expression correlated much better in the coinjected lines, with expression levels in one line approaching that observed in some of our best single transgenic controls. Thus we recommend coinjection of individual plasmids for the generation of multiply transgenic founders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J L Jankowsky
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 720 Rutland Ave., 558 Ross Research Building, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
46
|
Abstract
Although the neuropathological changes caused by severe or repeated seizures have been well characterized, many questions about the molecular mechanisms involved remain unanswered. Neuronal cell death, reactive gliosis, enhanced neurogenesis, and axonal sprouting are four of the best-studied sequelae of seizures. In vitro, each of these pathological processes can be substantially influenced by soluble protein factors, including neurotrophins, cytokines, and growth factors. Furthermore, many of these proteins and their receptors are expressed in the adult brain and are up-regulated in response to neuronal activity and injury. We review the evidence that these intercellular signaling proteins regulate seizure activity as well as subsequent pathology in vivo. As nerve growth factor and brain derived neurotrophic factor are the best-studied proteins of this class, we begin by discussing the evidence linking these neurotrophins to epilepsy and seizure. More than a dozen additional cytokines, growth factors, and neurotrophins that have been examined in the context of epilepsy models are then considered. We discuss the effect of seizure on expression of cytokines and growth factors, and explore the regulation of seizure development and aftermath by exogenous application or antagonist perturbation of these proteins. The experimental evidence supports a role for these factors in each aspect of seizure and pathology, and suggests potential targets for future therapeutics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J L Jankowsky
- Biology Division, California Institute of Technology, 216-76 Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
47
|
Jankowsky JL, Derrick BE, Patterson PH. Cytokine responses to LTP induction in the rat hippocampus: a comparison of in vitro and in vivo techniques. Learn Mem 2000; 7:400-12. [PMID: 11112799 PMCID: PMC311345 DOI: 10.1101/lm.32600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2000] [Accepted: 08/25/2000] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Because exogenous application of a number of cytokines and growth factors can alter synaptic properties, we sought to determine if endogenous cytokine expression is affected by neuronal activity. In addition, we examined whether cytokine expression is altered by the techniques used to stimulate and record from hippocampal neurons. Using semi-quantitative RNase protection and RT-PCR assays, we studied the expression of 18 cytokine, growth factor, and receptor genes in the hippocampus following the induction of Schaffer collateral-CA1 long-term potentiation (LTP). We found that various cytokines are dramatically induced following preparation of slices for in vitro recording and as a result of injury following acute electrode placement in vivo. These increases can be overcome in vivo, however, using permanent electrodes implanted three weeks prior to testing. Using this chronic preparation, we found that interleukin-6 (IL-6) mRNA was upregulated nearly 20-fold by LTP induction in vivo, marking the first demonstration of endogenous regulation of this cytokine in response to LTP. In situ hybridization for IL-6 revealed that upregulation is tightly localized near the site of stimulation and is detected only in non-neuronal cells, identified as GFAP+ astrocytes and GFAP- cells within proximal blood vessels. Coupled with previous results showing that exogenously applied IL-6 can prevent the induction of LTP, this finding suggests a mechanism by which the local release of a cytokine could regulate LTP at nearby sites.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J L Jankowsky
- Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
48
|
Jankowsky JL, Slunt HH, Borchelt DR. Tetracycline-controlled expression of presenilin-1 in transgenic mice. Neurobiol Aging 2000. [DOI: 10.1016/s0197-4580(00)82029-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
|
49
|
Jankowsky JL, Patterson PH. Cytokine and growth factor involvement in long-term potentiation. Mol Cell Neurosci 1999; 14:273-86. [PMID: 10656258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) is one of the best-studied models of learning and memory at the molecular level. While it has long been known that tetanic stimulation causes changes at the synapse within seconds to minutes, recent research has begun to focus on factors that may affect synaptic plasticity on a longer time scale. One group of factors with many of the characteristics predicted for both short- and long-term actions at the synapse is the cytokines and growth factors. In vitro, these proteins can alter neuronal morphology, gene expression, and proliferation, and many cytokines and their receptors are present in the adult CNS. Because brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is the best-studied synaptic modulator of this class, we begin by discussing the experimental evidence linking BDNF to LTP. Ten cytokines and growth factors that have been examined in the context of hippocampal LTP are then considered. We discuss the effects of LTP on the expression of the cytokines and explore the regulation of synaptic plasticity by exogenous application or antagonist perturbation of these proteins. The available evidence strongly supports a role for these factors in synaptic modulation and should prompt further exploration of their functions at the synapse.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J L Jankowsky
- Biology Division, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91125, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
50
|
Abstract
Hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) is one of the best-studied models of learning and memory at the molecular level. While it has long been known that tetanic stimulation causes changes at the synapse within seconds to minutes, recent research has begun to focus on factors that may affect synaptic plasticity on a longer time scale. One group of factors with many of the characteristics predicted for both short- and long-term actions at the synapse is the cytokines and growth factors. In vitro, these proteins can alter neuronal morphology, gene expression, and proliferation, and many cytokines and their receptors are present in the adult CNS. Because brainderived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is the best-studied synaptic modulator of this class, we begin by discussing the experimental evidence linking BDNF to LTP. Ten cytokines and growth factors that have been examined in the context of hippocampal LTP are then considered. We discuss the effects of LTP on the expression of the cytokines and explore the regulation of synaptic plasticity by exogenous application or antagonist perturbation of these proteins. The available evidence strongly supports a role for these factors in synaptic modulation and should prompt further exploration of their functions at the synapse.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J L Jankowsky
- Biology Division, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91125, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|