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Malpetti M, Roemer SN, Harris S, Gross M, Gnörich J, Stephens A, Dewenter A, Steward A, Biel D, Dehsarvi A, Wagner F, Müller A, Koglin N, Weidinger E, Palleis C, Katzdobler S, Rupprecht R, Perneczky R, Rauchmann BS, Levin J, Höglinger GU, Brendel M, Franzmeier N. Neuroinflammation Parallels 18F-PI-2620 Positron Emission Tomography Patterns in Primary 4-Repeat Tauopathies. Mov Disord 2024. [PMID: 39022835 DOI: 10.1002/mds.29924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preclinical, postmortem, and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging studies have pointed to neuroinflammation as a key pathophysiological hallmark in primary 4-repeat (4R) tauopathies and its role in accelerating disease progression. OBJECTIVE We tested whether microglial activation (1) progresses in similar spatial patterns as the primary pathology tau spreads across interconnected brain regions, and (2) whether the degree of microglial activation parallels tau pathology spreading. METHODS We examined in vivo associations between tau aggregation and microglial activation in 31 patients with clinically diagnosed 4R tauopathies, using 18F-PI-2620 PET and 18F-GE180 (translocator protein [TSPO]) PET. We determined tau epicenters, defined as subcortical brain regions with highest tau PET signal, and assessed the connectivity of tau epicenters to cortical regions of interest using a 3-T resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging template derived from age-matched healthy elderly controls. RESULTS In 4R tauopathy patients, we found that higher regional tau PET covaries with elevated TSPO-PET across brain regions that are functionally connected to each other (β = 0.414, P < 0.001). Microglial activation follows similar distribution patterns as tau and distributes primarily across brain regions strongly connected to patient-specific tau epicenters (β = -0.594, P < 0.001). In these regions, microglial activation spatially parallels tau distribution detectable with 18F-PI-2620 PET. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that the spatial expansion of microglial activation parallels tau distribution across brain regions that are functionally connected to each other, suggesting that tau and inflammation are closely interrelated in patients with 4R tauopathies. The combination of in vivo tau and inflammatory biomarkers could therefore support the development of immunomodulatory strategies for disease-modifying treatments in these conditions. © 2024 The Author(s). Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maura Malpetti
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sebastian N Roemer
- Department of Neurology, LMU Hospital, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Stefanie Harris
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Mattes Gross
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Johannes Gnörich
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Anna Dewenter
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Anna Steward
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Davina Biel
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Amir Dehsarvi
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Fabian Wagner
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | | | - Endy Weidinger
- Department of Neurology, LMU Hospital, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Carla Palleis
- Department of Neurology, LMU Hospital, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sabrina Katzdobler
- Department of Neurology, LMU Hospital, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Rainer Rupprecht
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Robert Perneczky
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Aging Epidemiology Research Unit, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Boris-Stephan Rauchmann
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Neuroradiology, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Johannes Levin
- Department of Neurology, LMU Hospital, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Günter U Höglinger
- Department of Neurology, LMU Hospital, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Matthias Brendel
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Nicolai Franzmeier
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, The Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Jellinger KA. Pathomechanisms of cognitive and behavioral impairment in corticobasal degeneration. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2023; 130:1509-1522. [PMID: 37659990 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-023-02691-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
Corticobasal degeneration (CBD) is a rare, sporadic, late-onset progressive neurodegenerative disorder of unknown etiology, clinically characterized by an akinetic-rigid syndrome, behavior and personality disorders, language problems (aphasias), apraxia, executive and cognitive abnormalities and limb dystonia. The syndrome is not specific, as clinical features of pathologically proven CBD include several phenotypes. This 4-repeat (4R) tauopathy is morphologically featured by often asymmetric frontoparietal atrophy, ballooned/achromatic neurons containing filamentous 4R-tau aggregates in cortex and striatum, thread-like processes that are more widespread than in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), pathognomonic "astroglial plaques", and numerous inclusions in both astrocytes and oligodendroglia ("coiled bodies") in the white matter. Cognitive deficits in CBD are frequent initial presentations before onset of motor symptoms, depending on the phenotypic variant. They predominantly include executive and visuospatial dysfunction, sleep disorders and language deficits with usually preserved memory domains. Neuroimaging studies showed heterogenous locations of brain atrophy, particularly contralateral to the dominant symptoms, with disruption of striatal connections to prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia circuitry. Asymmetric hypometabolism, mainly involving frontal and parietal regions, is associated with brain cholinergic deficits, and dopaminergic nigrostriatal degeneration. Widespread alteration of cortical and subcortical structures causing heterogenous changes in various brain functional networks support the concept that CBD, similar to PSP, is a brain network disruption disorder. Putative pathogenic factors are hyperphosphorylated tau-pathology, neuroinflammation and oxidative injury, but the basic mechanisms of cognitive impairment in CBD, as in other degenerative movement disorders, are complex and deserve further elucidation as a basis for early diagnosis and adequate treatment of this fatal disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt A Jellinger
- Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, Alberichgasse 5/13, 1150, Vienna, Austria.
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3
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Cummings JL, Gonzalez MI, Pritchard MC, May PC, Toledo-Sherman LM, Harris GA. The therapeutic landscape of tauopathies: challenges and prospects. Alzheimers Res Ther 2023; 15:168. [PMID: 37803386 PMCID: PMC10557207 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-023-01321-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
Tauopathies are a group of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the aggregation of the microtubule-associated protein tau. Aggregates of misfolded tau protein are believed to be implicated in neuronal death, which leads to a range of symptoms including cognitive decline, behavioral change, dementia, and motor deficits. Currently, there are no effective treatments for tauopathies. There are four clinical candidates in phase III trials and 16 in phase II trials. While no effective treatments are currently approved, there is increasing evidence to suggest that various therapeutic approaches may slow the progression of tauopathies or improve symptoms. This review outlines the landscape of therapeutic drugs (indexed through February 28, 2023) that target tau pathology and describes drug candidates in clinical development as well as those in the discovery and preclinical phases. The review also contains information on notable therapeutic programs that are inactive or that have been discontinued from development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey L Cummings
- Chambers-Grundy Center for Transformative Neuroscience, Department of Brain Health, School of Integrated Health Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), Henderson, NV, USA
| | | | | | - Patrick C May
- ADvantage Neuroscience Consulting LLC, Fort Wayne, IN, USA
| | | | - Glenn A Harris
- Rainwater Charitable Foundation, 777 Main Street, Suite 2250, Fort Worth, TX, 76102, USA.
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Neylan KD, Miller BL. New Approaches to the Treatment of Frontotemporal Dementia. Neurotherapeutics 2023; 20:1055-1065. [PMID: 37157041 PMCID: PMC10457270 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-023-01380-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) comprises a diverse group of clinical neurodegenerative syndromes characterized by progressive changes in behavior, personality, executive function, language, and motor function. Approximately 20% of FTD cases have a known genetic cause. The three most common genetic mutations causing FTD are discussed. Frontotemporal lobar degeneration refers to the heterogeneous group of neuropathology underlying FTD clinical syndromes. While there are no current disease-modifying treatments for FTD, management includes off-label pharmacotherapy and non-pharmacological approaches to target symptoms. The utility of several different drug classes is discussed. Medications used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease have no benefit in FTD and can worsen neuropsychiatric symptoms. Non-pharmacological approaches to management include lifestyle modifications, speech-, occupational-, and physical therapy, peer and caregiver support, and safety considerations. Recent developments in the understanding of the genetics, pathophysiology, neuropathology, and neuroimmunology underlying FTD clinical syndromes have expanded possibilities for disease-modifying and symptom-targeted treatments. Different pathogenetic mechanisms are targeted in several active clinical trials, opening up exciting possibilities for breakthrough advances in treatment and management of FTD spectrum disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyra D Neylan
- University of California San Francisco Memory and Aging Center, San Francisco, USA.
| | - Bruce L Miller
- University of California San Francisco Memory and Aging Center, San Francisco, USA
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5
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Pathomechanisms of depression in progressive supranuclear palsy. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2023:10.1007/s00702-023-02621-w. [PMID: 36933007 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-023-02621-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023]
Abstract
Depression is one of the most frequent neuropsychiatric symptoms in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a four-repeat tauopathy and most common atypical parkinsonian disorder, but its pathophysiology and pathogenesis are poorly understood. Pubmed/Medline was systematically analyzed until January 2023, with focus on the prevalence, major clinical features, neuroimaging findings and treatment options of depression in PSP. The average prevalence of depression in PSP is around 50%; it does usually not correlate with most other clinical parameters. Depression is associated with multi-regional patterns of morphometric gray matter variations, e.g., reduced thickness of temporo-parieto-occipital cortices, and altered functional orbitofrontal and medial frontal circuits with disturbances of mood-related brain networks. Unfortunately, no specific neuropathological data about depression in PSP are available. Antidepressive and electroconvulsive therapies are effective in improving symptoms; the efficacy of transcranial stimulation needs further confirmation. Depression in PSP is a common symptom, related to multi-regional patterns of cerebral disturbances and complex pathogenic mechanisms that deserve further elucidation as a basis for adequate treatment to improve the quality of life in this fatal disease.
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6
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Pathomechanisms of cognitive impairment in progressive supranuclear palsy. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2023; 130:481-493. [PMID: 36862189 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-023-02613-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by early postural instability and falls, oculomotor dysfunction (vertical supranuclear gaze palsy), parkinsonism with poor response to levodopa, pseudobulbar palsy, and cognitive impairment. This four-repeat tauopathy is morphologically featured by accumulation of tau protein in neurons and glia causing neuronal loss and gliosis in the extrapyramidal system associated with cortical atrophy and white matter lesions. Cognitive impairment being frequent in PSP and more severe than in multiple system atrophy and Parkinson disease, is dominated by executive dysfunction, with milder difficulties in memory, and visuo-spatial and naming dysfunctions. Showing longitudinal decline, it has been related to a variety of pathogenic mechanisms associated with the underlying neurodegenerative process, such as involvement of cholinergic and muscarinergic dysfunctions, and striking tau pathology in frontal and temporal cortical regions associated with reduced synaptic density. Altered striatofrontal, fronto-cerebellar, parahippocampal, and multiple subcortical structures, as well as widespread white matter lesions causing extensive connectivity disruptions in cortico-subcortical and cortico-brainstem connections, support the concept that PSP is a brain network disruption disorder. The pathophysiology and pathogenesis of cognitive impairment in PSP, as in other degenerative movement disorders, are complex and deserve further elucidation as a basis for adequate treatment to improve the quality of life of patients with this fatal disease.
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7
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Carlos AF, Tosakulwong N, Weigand SD, Buciuc M, Ali F, Clark HM, Botha H, Utianski RL, Machulda MM, Schwarz CG, Reid RI, Senjem ML, Jack CR, Ahlskog JE, Dickson DW, Josephs KA, Whitwell JL. OUP accepted manuscript. Brain Commun 2022; 4:fcac108. [PMID: 35663380 PMCID: PMC9155234 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcac108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary four-repeat tauopathies are characterized by depositions of the four-repeat isoform of the microtubule binding protein, tau. The two most common sporadic four-repeat tauopathies are progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration. Because tau PET tracers exhibit poor binding affinity to four-repeat pathology, determining how well in vivo MRI findings relate to underlying pathology is critical to evaluating their utility as surrogate markers to aid in diagnosis and as outcome measures for clinical trials. We studied the relationship of cross-sectional imaging findings, such as MRI volume loss and diffusion tensor imaging white matter tract abnormalities, to tau histopathology in four-repeat tauopathies. Forty-seven patients with antemortem 3 T MRI volumetric and diffusion tensor imaging scans plus post-mortem pathological diagnosis of a four-repeat tauopathy (28 progressive supranuclear palsy; 19 corticobasal degeneration) were included in the study. Tau lesion types (pretangles/neurofibrillary tangles, neuropil threads, coiled bodies, astrocytic lesions) were semiquantitatively graded in disease-specific cortical, subcortical and brainstem regions. Antemortem regional volumes, fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity were modelled using linear regression with post-mortem tau lesion scores considered separately, based on cellular type (neuronal versus glial), or summed (total tau). Results showed that greater total tau burden was associated with volume loss in the subthalamic nucleus (P = 0.001), midbrain (P < 0.001), substantia nigra (P = 0.03) and red nucleus (P = 0.004), with glial lesions substantially driving the associations. Decreased fractional anisotropy and increased mean diffusivity in the superior cerebellar peduncle correlated with glial tau in the cerebellar dentate (P = 0.04 and P = 0.02, respectively) and red nucleus (P < 0.001 for both). Total tau and glial pathology also correlated with increased mean diffusivity in the midbrain (P = 0.02 and P < 0.001, respectively). Finally, increased subcortical white matter mean diffusivity was associated with total tau in superior frontal and precentral cortices (each, P = 0.02). Overall, results showed clear relationships between antemortem MRI changes and pathology in four-repeat tauopathies. Our findings show that brain volume could be a useful surrogate marker of tau pathology in subcortical and brainstem regions, whereas white matter integrity could be a useful marker of tau pathology in cortical regions. Our findings also suggested an important role of glial tau lesions in the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration in four-repeat tauopathies. Thus, development of tau PET tracers selectively binding to glial tau lesions could potentially uncover mechanisms of disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arenn F. Carlos
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Nirubol Tosakulwong
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Stephen D. Weigand
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Marina Buciuc
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Farwa Ali
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | | | - Hugo Botha
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | | | - Mary M. Machulda
- Department of Psychology and Psychiatry, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | | | - Robert I. Reid
- Department of Psychology and Psychiatry, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Matthew L. Senjem
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
- Department of Information Technology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Clifford R. Jack
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - J. Eric Ahlskog
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Dennis W. Dickson
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | | | - Jennifer L. Whitwell
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
- Correspondence to: Jennifer L. Whitwell, PhD Professor of Radiology, Department of Radiology Mayo Clinic, 200 1st St SW Rochester, MN 55905, USA E-mail:
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8
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Shi Y, Zhang W, Yang Y, Murzin AG, Falcon B, Kotecha A, van Beers M, Tarutani A, Kametani F, Garringer HJ, Vidal R, Hallinan GI, Lashley T, Saito Y, Murayama S, Yoshida M, Tanaka H, Kakita A, Ikeuchi T, Robinson AC, Mann DMA, Kovacs GG, Revesz T, Ghetti B, Hasegawa M, Goedert M, Scheres SHW. Structure-based classification of tauopathies. Nature 2021; 598:359-363. [PMID: 34588692 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03911-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 404] [Impact Index Per Article: 134.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The ordered assembly of tau protein into filaments characterizes several neurodegenerative diseases, which are called tauopathies. It was previously reported that, by cryo-electron microscopy, the structures of tau filaments from Alzheimer's disease1,2, Pick's disease3, chronic traumatic encephalopathy4 and corticobasal degeneration5 are distinct. Here we show that the structures of tau filaments from progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) define a new three-layered fold. Moreover, the structures of tau filaments from globular glial tauopathy are similar to those from PSP. The tau filament fold of argyrophilic grain disease (AGD) differs, instead resembling the four-layered fold of corticobasal degeneration. The AGD fold is also observed in ageing-related tau astrogliopathy. Tau protofilament structures from inherited cases of mutations at positions +3 or +16 in intron 10 of MAPT (the microtubule-associated protein tau gene) are also identical to those from AGD, suggesting that relative overproduction of four-repeat tau can give rise to the AGD fold. Finally, the structures of tau filaments from cases of familial British dementia and familial Danish dementia are the same as those from cases of Alzheimer's disease and primary age-related tauopathy. These findings suggest a hierarchical classification of tauopathies on the basis of their filament folds, which complements clinical diagnosis and neuropathology and also allows the identification of new entities-as we show for a case diagnosed as PSP, but with filament structures that are intermediate between those of globular glial tauopathy and PSP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Shi
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Yang Yang
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - Abhay Kotecha
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | | | - Airi Tarutani
- Department of Brain and Neurosciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Fuyuki Kametani
- Department of Brain and Neurosciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Holly J Garringer
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Ruben Vidal
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Grace I Hallinan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Tammaryn Lashley
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease and Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Yuko Saito
- Department of Neuropathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shigeo Murayama
- Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, University of Osaka, Osaka, Japan
| | - Mari Yoshida
- Institute for Medical Science of Aging, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Japan
| | - Hidetomo Tanaka
- Department of Pathology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Akiyoshi Kakita
- Department of Pathology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Takeshi Ikeuchi
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Andrew C Robinson
- Clinical Sciences Building, University of Manchester, Salford Royal Foundation Trust, Salford, UK
| | - David M A Mann
- Clinical Sciences Building, University of Manchester, Salford Royal Foundation Trust, Salford, UK
| | - Gabor G Kovacs
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology and Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Institute of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tamas Revesz
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease and Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Masato Hasegawa
- Department of Brain and Neurosciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
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Ehrenberg AJ, Leng K, Letourneau KN, Hernandez I, Lew C, Seeley WW, Spina S, Miller B, Heinsen H, Kampmann M, Kosik KS, Grinberg LT. Patterns of neuronal Rhes as a novel hallmark of tauopathies. Acta Neuropathol 2021; 141:651-666. [PMID: 33677647 PMCID: PMC8418783 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-021-02279-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The farnesyltransferase inhibitor, Lonafarnib, reduces tau inclusions and associated atrophy in familial tauopathy models through activation of autophagy, mediated by the inhibition of farnesylation of the Ras GTPase, Rhes. While hinting at a role of Rhes in tau aggregation, it is unclear how translatable these results are for sporadic forms of tauopathy. We examined histological slides of allocortex and neocortex from multiple postmortem cases in five different tauopathies, FTLD-TDP, and healthy controls using immunofluorescence for Rhes, several tau post-translational modifications, and phospho-TDP-43. Single nucleus RNA data suggest that Rhes is found in all cortical neuron subpopulations but not in glia. Histologic investigation showed that nearly all neurons in control brains display a pattern of diffuse cytoplasmic Rhes positivity. However, in the presence of abnormal tau, but not abnormal TDP-43, the patterns of neuronal cytoplasmic Rhes tend to present as either punctiform or entirely absent. This observation reinforces the relevance of findings that link Rhes changes and tau pathology from the in vivo and in vitro models of tauopathy. The results here support a potential clinical application of Lonafarnib to tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J Ehrenberg
- Memory and Aging Center, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Box 1207, San Francisco, 94158, CA, USA
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, USA
| | - Kun Leng
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, USA
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
| | - Kaitlyn N Letourneau
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, USA
| | - Israel Hernandez
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, USA
| | - Caroline Lew
- Memory and Aging Center, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Box 1207, San Francisco, 94158, CA, USA
| | - William W Seeley
- Memory and Aging Center, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Box 1207, San Francisco, 94158, CA, USA
| | - Salvatore Spina
- Memory and Aging Center, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Box 1207, San Francisco, 94158, CA, USA
| | - Bruce Miller
- Memory and Aging Center, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Box 1207, San Francisco, 94158, CA, USA
| | - Helmut Heinsen
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
| | - Martin Kampmann
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
| | - Kenneth S Kosik
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, USA
| | - Lea T Grinberg
- Memory and Aging Center, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Box 1207, San Francisco, 94158, CA, USA.
- Department of Pathology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, USA.
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