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Ishida K, Yamada K. Detection of Glymphatic Outflow of Tau from Brain to Cerebrospinal Fluid in Mice. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2754:351-359. [PMID: 38512676 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3629-9_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Glymphatic system denotes a brain-wide pathway that eliminates extracellular solutes from brain. It is driven by the flow of brain interstitial fluid (ISF) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) via perivascular spaces. Glymphatic convective flow is driven by cerebral arterial pulsation, which is facilitated by a water channel, aquaporin-4 (AQP4) expressed in astrocytic end-foot processes. Since its discovery, the glymphatic system receives a considerable scientific attention due to its pivotal role in clearing metabolic waste as well as neurotoxic substances such as amyloid b peptide. Tau is a microtubule binding protein, however it is also physiologically released into extracellular fluids. The presence of tau in the blood stream indicates that it is eventually cleared from the brain to the periphery, however, the detailed mechanisms that eliminate extracellular tau from the central nervous system remained to be elucidated. Recently, we and others have reported that extracellular tau is eliminated from the brain to CSF by an AQP4 dependent mechanism, suggesting the involvement of the glymphatic system. In this chapter, we describe the detailed protocol of how we can assess glymphatic outflow of tau protein from brain to CSF in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuhisa Ishida
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kaoru Yamada
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
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2
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Sun K, Patel T, Kang SG, Yarahmady A, Srinivasan M, Julien O, Heras J, Mok SA. Disease-Associated Mutations in Tau Encode for Changes in Aggregate Structure Conformation. ACS Chem Neurosci 2023; 14:4282-4297. [PMID: 38054595 PMCID: PMC10741665 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00422] [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: 06/17/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The accumulation of tau fibrils is associated with neurodegenerative diseases, which are collectively termed tauopathies. Cryo-EM studies have shown that the packed fibril core of tau adopts distinct structures in different tauopathies, such as Alzheimer's disease, corticobasal degeneration, and progressive supranuclear palsy. A subset of tauopathies are linked to missense mutations in the tau protein, but it is not clear whether these mutations impact the structure of tau fibrils. To answer this question, we developed a high-throughput protein purification platform and purified a panel of 37 tau variants using the full-length 0N4R splice isoform. Each of these variants was used to create fibrils in vitro, and their relative structures were studied using a high-throughput protease sensitivity platform. We find that a subset of the disease-associated mutations form fibrils that resemble wild-type tau, while others are strikingly different. The impact of mutations on tau structure was not clearly associated with either the location of the mutation or the relative kinetics of fibril assembly, suggesting that tau mutations alter the packed core structures through a complex molecular mechanism. Together, these studies show that single-point mutations can impact the assembly of tau into fibrils, providing insight into its association with pathology and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerry
T. Sun
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2H7
| | - Tark Patel
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2H7
| | - Sang-Gyun Kang
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2H7
| | - Allan Yarahmady
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2H7
| | - Mahalashmi Srinivasan
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2H7
| | - Olivier Julien
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2H7
| | - Jónathan Heras
- Department
of Mathematics and Computer Sciences, University
of La Rioja, Logroño, Spain 26004
| | - Sue-Ann Mok
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2H7
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3
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Schweighauser M, Murzin AG, Macdonald J, Lavenir I, Crowther RA, Scheres SHW, Goedert M. Cryo-EM structures of tau filaments from the brains of mice transgenic for human mutant P301S Tau. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2023; 11:160. [PMID: 37798679 PMCID: PMC10552433 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01658-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Mice transgenic for human mutant P301S tau are widely used as models for human tauopathies. They develop neurodegeneration and abundant filamentous inclusions made of human mutant four-repeat tau. Here we used electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) to determine the structures of tau filaments from the brains of Tg2541 and PS19 mice. Both lines express human P301S tau (0N4R for Tg2541 and 1N4R for PS19) on mixed genetic backgrounds and downstream of different promoters (murine Thy1 for Tg2541 and murine Prnp for PS19). The structures of tau filaments from Tg2541 and PS19 mice differ from each other and those of wild-type tau filaments from human brains. The structures of tau filaments from the brains of humans with mutations P301L, P301S or P301T in MAPT are not known. Filaments from the brains of Tg2541 and PS19 mice share a substructure at the junction of repeats 2 and 3, which comprises residues I297-V312 of tau and includes the P301S mutation. The filament core from the brainstem of Tg2541 mice consists of residues K274-H329 of tau and two disconnected protein densities. Two non-proteinaceous densities are also in evidence. The filament core from the cerebral cortex of line PS19 extends from residues G271-P364 of tau. One strong non-proteinaceous density is also present. Unlike the tau filaments from human brains, the sequences following repeat 4 are missing from the cores of tau filaments from the brains of Tg2541 and PS19 mice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alexey G Murzin
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Isabelle Lavenir
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Sjors H W Scheres
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Michel Goedert
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
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Hromadkova L, Kim C, Haldiman T, Peng L, Zhu X, Cohen M, de Silva R, Safar JG. Evolving prion-like tau conformers differentially alter postsynaptic proteins in neurons inoculated with distinct isolates of Alzheimer's disease tau. Cell Biosci 2023; 13:174. [PMID: 37723591 PMCID: PMC10507869 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-023-01133-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Although accumulation of misfolded tau species has been shown to predict cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies but with the remarkable diversity of clinical manifestations, neuropathology profiles, and time courses of disease progression remaining unexplained by current genetic data. We considered the diversity of misfolded tau conformers present in individual AD cases as an underlying driver of the phenotypic variations of AD and progressive loss of synapses. METHODS To model the mechanism of tau propagation and synaptic toxicity of distinct tau conformers, we inoculated wild-type primary mouse neurons with structurally characterized Sarkosyl-insoluble tau isolates from the frontal cortex of six AD cases and monitored the impact for fourteen days. We analyzed the accumulation rate, tau isoform ratio, and conformational characteristics of de novo-induced tau aggregates with conformationally sensitive immunoassays, and the dynamics of synapse formation, maintenance, and their loss using a panel of pre-and post-synaptic markers. RESULTS At the same concentrations of tau, the different AD tau isolates induced accumulation of misfolded predominantly 4-repeat tau aggregates at different rates in mature neurons, and demonstrated distinct conformational characteristics corresponding to the original AD brain tau. The time-course of the formation of misfolded tau aggregates and colocalization correlated with significant loss of synapses in tau-inoculated cell cultures and the reduction of synaptic connections implicated the disruption of postsynaptic compartment as an early event. CONCLUSIONS The data obtained with mature neurons expressing physiological levels and adult isoforms of tau protein demonstrate markedly different time courses of endogenous tau misfolding and differential patterns of post-synaptic alterations. These and previous biophysical data argue for an ensemble of various misfolded tau aggregates in individual AD brains and template propagation of their homologous conformations in neurons with different rates and primarily postsynaptic interactors. Modeling tau aggregation in mature differentiated neurons provides a platform for investigating divergent molecular mechanisms of tau strain propagation and for identifying common structural features of misfolded tau and critical interactors for new therapeutic targets and approaches in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lenka Hromadkova
- Departments of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Chae Kim
- Departments of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Tracy Haldiman
- Departments of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Lihua Peng
- Departments of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Xiongwei Zhu
- Departments of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Departments of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Mark Cohen
- Departments of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Rohan de Silva
- Reta Lila Weston Institute, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, WC1N 1PJ, UK
| | - Jiri G Safar
- Departments of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
- Departments of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
- Departments of Neuroscience, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
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Hromadkova L, Siddiqi MK, Liu H, Safar JG. Populations of Tau Conformers Drive Prion-like Strain Effects in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias. Cells 2022; 11:2997. [PMID: 36230957 PMCID: PMC9562632 DOI: 10.3390/cells11192997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent findings of diverse populations of prion-like conformers of misfolded tau protein expand the prion concept to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and monogenic frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD)-MAPT P301L, and suggest that distinct strains of misfolded proteins drive the phenotypes and progression rates in many neurodegenerative diseases. Notable progress in the previous decades has generated many lines of proof arguing that yeast, fungal, and mammalian prions determine heritable as well as infectious traits. The extraordinary phenotypic diversity of human prion diseases arises from structurally distinct prion strains that target, at different progression speeds, variable brain structures and cells. Although human prion research presents beneficial lessons and methods to study the mechanism of strain diversity of protein-only pathogens, the fundamental molecular mechanism by which tau conformers are formed and replicate in diverse tauopathies is still poorly understood. In this review, we summarize up to date advances in identification of diverse tau conformers through biophysical and cellular experimental paradigms, and the impact of heterogeneity of pathological tau strains on personalized structure- and strain-specific therapeutic approaches in major tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lenka Hromadkova
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | | | - He Liu
- Department of Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Jiri G. Safar
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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Shimada H, Sato Y, Sasaki T, Shimozawa A, Imaizumi K, Shindo T, Miyao S, Kiyama K, Kondo T, Shibata S, Ishii S, Kuromitsu J, Aoyagi H, Ito D, Okano H. A next-generation iPSC-derived forebrain organoid model of tauopathy with tau fibrils by AAV-mediated gene transfer. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2022; 2:100289. [PMID: 36160042 PMCID: PMC9499998 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2022.100289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
It is known that the human cellular models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and tauopathy can only recapitulate the very early stage of the disease. To overcome these limitations, we developed a technology to make forebrain organoids (FBOs) from feeder-free induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC)s by regulating a FGF2 concentration and applied this method to generate FBOs from patients with familial AD (fAD FBOs). The obtained fAD FBOs recapitulated the amyloid-β pathology and increased tau phosphorylation but not tau aggregates. To fully induce the tau pathology, FBOs were injected with adeno-associated virus (AAV)-expressing P301L mutant tau. In these Tau-P301L FBOs, tau fibrils were observed in the neuronal cell body and neurites with immunoelectron microscopy, in addition to the sarkosyl-insoluble and thioflavin S-positive phospho-tau aggregates. Collectively, this model can be used as a platform for investigating pathogenetic mechanisms and evaluation of target molecules for drug discovery for tauopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroko Shimada
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Yuta Sato
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-8522, Japan
| | - Takashi Sasaki
- Center for Supercentenarian Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Aki Shimozawa
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
- Center for Integrated Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Kent Imaizumi
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Tomoko Shindo
- Electron Microscope Laboratory, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Sachiyo Miyao
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Kosuke Kiyama
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Takahiro Kondo
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Shinsuke Shibata
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
- Electron Microscope Laboratory, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Seiji Ishii
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Junro Kuromitsu
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
- Eisai-Keio innovation Laboratory for Dementia, hhc Data Creation Center, Eisai Co., Ltd., 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Aoyagi
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
- Eisai-Keio innovation Laboratory for Dementia, hhc Data Creation Center, Eisai Co., Ltd., 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Daisuke Ito
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Hideyuki Okano
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
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7
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Wu L, Wang Z, Lad S, Gilyazova N, Dougharty DT, Marcus M, Henderson F, Ray WK, Siedlak S, Li J, Helm RF, Zhu X, Bloom GS, Wang SHJ, Zou WQ, Xu B. Selective Detection of Misfolded Tau From Postmortem Alzheimer's Disease Brains. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:945875. [PMID: 35936779 PMCID: PMC9352240 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.945875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau aggregates are present in multiple neurodegenerative diseases known as "tauopathies," including Alzheimer's disease, Pick's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, and corticobasal degeneration. Such misfolded tau aggregates are therefore potential sources for selective detection and biomarker discovery. Six human tau isoforms present in brain tissues and both 3R and 4R isoforms have been observed in the neuronal inclusions. To develop selective markers for AD and related rare tauopathies, we first used an engineered tau protein fragment 4RCF as the substrate for ultrasensitive real-time quaking-induced conversion analyses (RT-QuIC). We showed that misfolded tau from diseased AD and other tauopathy brains were able to seed recombinant 4RCF substrate. We further expanded to use six individual recombinant tau isoforms as substrates to amplify misfolded tau seeds from AD brains. We demonstrated, for the first time to our knowledge, that misfolded tau from the postmortem AD brain tissues was able to specifically seed all six full-length human tau isoforms. Our results demonstrated that RT-QuIC analysis can discriminate AD and other tauopathies from non-AD normal controls. We further uncovered that 3R-tau isoforms displayed significantly faster aggregation kinetics than their 4R-tau counterparts under conditions of both no seeding and seeding with AD brain homogenates. In summary, our work offers potential new avenues of misfolded tau detection as potential biomarkers for diagnosis of AD and related tauopathies and provides new insights into isoform-specific human tau aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Wu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE), North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Zerui Wang
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Shradha Lad
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Nailya Gilyazova
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE), North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Darren T. Dougharty
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Madeleine Marcus
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Frances Henderson
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - W. Keith Ray
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Sandra Siedlak
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Jianyong Li
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Richard F. Helm
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Xiongwei Zhu
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - George S. Bloom
- Departments of Biology, Cell Biology, and Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Shih-Hsiu J. Wang
- Department of Pathology and Neurology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Wen-Quan Zou
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Bin Xu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE), North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
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8
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Xia Y, Prokop S, Bell BM, Gorion KMM, Croft CL, Nasif L, Xu G, Riffe CJ, Manaois AN, Strang KH, Quintin SS, Paterno G, Tansey MG, Borchelt DR, Golde TE, Giasson BI. Pathogenic tau recruits wild-type tau into brain inclusions and induces gut degeneration in transgenic SPAM mice. Commun Biol 2022; 5:446. [PMID: 35550593 PMCID: PMC9098443 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03373-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Pathological tau inclusions are neuropathologic hallmarks of many neurodegenerative diseases. We generated and characterized a transgenic mouse model expressing pathogenic human tau with S320F and P301S aggregating mutations (SPAM) at transgene levels below endogenous mouse tau protein levels. This mouse model develops a predictable temporal progression of tau pathology in the brain with biochemical and ultrastructural properties akin to authentic tau inclusions. Surprisingly, pathogenic human tau extensively recruited endogenous mouse tau into insoluble aggregates. Despite the early onset and rapid progressive nature of tau pathology, major neuroinflammatory and transcriptional changes were only detectable at later time points. Moreover, tau SPAM mice are the first model to develop loss of enteric neurons due to tau accumulation resulting in a lethal phenotype. With moderate transgene expression, rapidly progressing tau pathology, and a highly predictable lethal phenotype, the tau SPAM model reveals new associations of tau neurotoxicity in the brain and intestinal tract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxing Xia
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Stefan Prokop
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Brach M. Bell
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Kimberly-Marie M. Gorion
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Cara L. Croft
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Lith Nasif
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Guilian Xu
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Cara J. Riffe
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Alyssa N. Manaois
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Kevin H. Strang
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Stephan S. Quintin
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Giavanna Paterno
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Malú Gámez Tansey
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - David R. Borchelt
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Todd E. Golde
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
| | - Benoit I. Giasson
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA ,grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA
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9
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Ishida K, Yamada K, Nishiyama R, Hashimoto T, Nishida I, Abe Y, Yasui M, Iwatsubo T. Glymphatic system clears extracellular tau and protects from tau aggregation and neurodegeneration. J Exp Med 2022; 219:213037. [PMID: 35212707 PMCID: PMC8932543 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20211275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulation of tau has been implicated in various neurodegenerative diseases termed tauopathies. Tau is a microtubule-associated protein but is also actively released into the extracellular fluids including brain interstitial fluid and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). However, it remains elusive whether clearance of extracellular tau impacts tau-associated neurodegeneration. Here, we show that aquaporin-4 (AQP4), a major driver of the glymphatic clearance system, facilitates the elimination of extracellular tau from the brain to CSF and subsequently to deep cervical lymph nodes. Strikingly, deletion of AQP4 not only elevated tau in CSF but also markedly exacerbated phosphorylated tau deposition and the associated neurodegeneration in the brains of transgenic mice expressing P301S mutant tau. The current study identified the clearance pathway of extracellular tau in the central nervous system, suggesting that glymphatic clearance of extracellular tau is a novel regulatory mechanism whose impairment contributes to tau aggregation and neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuhisa Ishida
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kaoru Yamada
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Risa Nishiyama
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tadafumi Hashimoto
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Innovative Dementia Prevention, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Itaru Nishida
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoichiro Abe
- Department of Pharmacology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.,Keio University Global Research Institute, Center for Water Biology and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masato Yasui
- Department of Pharmacology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.,Keio University Global Research Institute, Center for Water Biology and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takeshi Iwatsubo
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan
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10
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De Luigi A, Colombo L, Russo L, Ricci C, Bastone A, Cimini S, Tagliavini F, Rossi G, Cantù L, Del Favero E, Salmona M. Biochemical and biophysical features of disease-associated tau mutants V363A and V363I. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2022; 1870:140755. [PMID: 34999006 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2022.140755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The comprehension of pathogenetic mechanisms in tauopathy-associated neurodegenerative diseases can be improved by the knowledge of the biochemical and biophysical features of mutated tau proteins. Here, we used the full-length, wild-type tau, the V363A and V363I mutated species, associated with pathology, and the P301L mutated tau as a benchmark. Using several techniques, including small-angle X-ray scattering, atomic force microscopy, thioflavin T binding, and electrophoretic separation, we compared their course from intrinsically disordered monomers in solution to early-stage recruitment in complexes and then aggregates of increasing size over long periods up to the asymptotic aggregative behavior of full-length tau proteins. We showed that diversity in the kinetics of recruitment and aggregate structure occurs from the beginning and spreads all over their pathway to very large objects. The different extents of conformational changes and types of molecular assemblies among the proteins were also reflected in their in vitro toxicity; this variation could correlate with physiopathology in humans, considering that the P301L mutation is more aggressive than V363A, especially V363I. This study identified the presence of aggregation intermediates and corroborated the oligomeric hypothesis of tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ada De Luigi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Mario Negri Institute of Pharmacological Research IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| | - Laura Colombo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Mario Negri Institute of Pharmacological Research IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| | - Luca Russo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Mario Negri Institute of Pharmacological Research IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| | - Caterina Ricci
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milano, Italy
| | - Antonio Bastone
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Mario Negri Institute of Pharmacological Research IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| | - Sara Cimini
- Unit of Neurology V and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Tagliavini
- Unit of Neurology V and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy
| | - Giacomina Rossi
- Unit of Neurology V and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy
| | - Laura Cantù
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milano, Italy
| | - Elena Del Favero
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milano, Italy.
| | - Mario Salmona
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Mario Negri Institute of Pharmacological Research IRCCS, Milano, Italy.
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11
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Manos JD, Preiss CN, Venkat N, Tamm J, Reinhardt P, Kwon T, Wu J, Winter AD, Jahn TR, Yanamandra K, Titterton K, Karran E, Langlois X. Uncovering specificity of endogenous TAU aggregation in a human iPSC-neuron TAU seeding model. iScience 2022; 25:103658. [PMID: 35072001 PMCID: PMC8761709 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau pathobiology has emerged as a key component underlying Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression; however, human neuronal in vitro models have struggled to recapitulate tau phenomena observed in vivo. Here, we aimed to define the minimal requirements to achieve endogenous tau aggregation in functional neurons utilizing human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) technology. Optimized hiPSC-derived cortical neurons seeded with AD brain-derived competent tau species or recombinant tau fibrils displayed increases in insoluble, endogenous tau aggregates. Importantly, MAPT-wild type and MAPT-mutant hiPSC-neurons exhibited unique propensities for aggregation dependent on the seed strain rather than the repeat domain identity, suggesting that successful templating of the recipient tau may be driven by the unique conformation of the seed. The in vitro model presented here represents the first successful demonstration of combining human neurons, endogenous tau expression, and AD brain-derived competent tau species, offering a more physiologically relevant platform to study tau pathobiology. Seeded tau aggregation in hiPSC-neurons does not require tau overexpression Tau aggregation is concentration, time, and maturation dependent Successful templating requires compatibility between neuronal tau and added seeds Endogenous tau aggregates exhibit properties consistent with pathological tau
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Affiliation(s)
- Justine D Manos
- Abbvie, Cambridge Research Center, 200 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Christina N Preiss
- Abbvie, Cambridge Research Center, 200 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Nandini Venkat
- Abbvie, Cambridge Research Center, 200 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Joseph Tamm
- Abbvie, Cambridge Research Center, 200 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Peter Reinhardt
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Research, Knollstrasse, 67061 Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Taekyung Kwon
- Abbvie, Cambridge Research Center, 200 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Jessica Wu
- Abbvie, Cambridge Research Center, 200 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Allison D Winter
- Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Thomas R Jahn
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Research, Knollstrasse, 67061 Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Kiran Yanamandra
- Abbvie, Cambridge Research Center, 200 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Katherine Titterton
- Abbvie, Cambridge Research Center, 200 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Eric Karran
- Abbvie, Cambridge Research Center, 200 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Xavier Langlois
- Abbvie, Cambridge Research Center, 200 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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12
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Montalbano M, Jaworski E, Garcia S, Ellsworth A, McAllen S, Routh A, Kayed R. Tau Modulates mRNA Transcription, Alternative Polyadenylation Profiles of hnRNPs, Chromatin Remodeling and Spliceosome Complexes. Front Mol Neurosci 2021; 14:742790. [PMID: 34924950 PMCID: PMC8678415 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2021.742790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau protein is a known contributor in several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). It is well-established that tau forms pathological aggregates and fibrils in these diseases. Tau has been observed within the nuclei of neurons, but there is a gap in understanding regarding the mechanism by which tau modulates transcription. We are interested in the P301L mutation of tau, which has been associated with FTD and increased tau aggregation. Our study utilized tau-inducible HEK (iHEK) cells to reveal that WT and P301L tau distinctively alter the transcription and alternative polyadenylation (APA) profiles of numerous nuclear precursors mRNAs, which then translate to form proteins involved in chromatin remodeling and splicing. We isolated total mRNA before and after over-expressing tau and then performed Poly(A)-ClickSeq (PAC-Seq) to characterize mRNA expression and APA profiles. We characterized changes in Gene Ontology (GO) pathways using EnrichR and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). We observed that P301L tau up-regulates genes associated with reactive oxygen species responsiveness as well as genes involved in dendrite, microtubule, and nuclear body/speckle formation. The number of genes regulated by WT tau is greater than the mutant form, which indicates that the P301L mutation causes loss-of-function at the transcriptional level. WT tau up-regulates genes contributing to cytoskeleton-dependent intracellular transport, microglial activation, microtubule and nuclear chromatin organization, formation of nuclear bodies and speckles. Interestingly, both WT and P301L tau commonly down-regulate genes responsible for ubiquitin-proteosome system. In addition, WT tau significantly down-regulates several genes implicated in chromatin remodeling and nucleosome organization. Although there are limitations inherent to the model systems used, this study will improve understanding regarding the nuclear impact of tau at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional level. This study also illustrates the potential impact of P301L tau on the human brain genome during early phases of pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Montalbano
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States.,Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Elizabeth Jaworski
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Stephanie Garcia
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States.,Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Anna Ellsworth
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States.,Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Salome McAllen
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States.,Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Andrew Routh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States.,Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Rakez Kayed
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States.,Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
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13
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Fernandes AR, Dujardin S, Maté de Gérando A, Hyman BT, Frosch MP. Impact of Sterilization Methods on the Seeding Ability of Human Tau Proteopathic Seeds. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2021; 80:912-921. [PMID: 34498073 DOI: 10.1093/jnen/nlab087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The protein tau, when misfolded in neurodegenerative diseases, has several prion-like properties including being able to spread by cell-to-cell transfer, induce templated seeding, and exist in distinct conformational strains. These properties of transmission may present health hazards when lesion-containing biospecimens are used in research and neuropathology laboratories. We evaluated the impact standard sterilization and cleaning methods have on the capacity of tau seeds to induce aggregation. We employed a previously developed, highly sensitive FRET-based biosensor assay to assess remnant tau seeding after exposure to these procedures. For tau species derived from human Alzheimer disease tissue (brain homogenate and sarkosyl-insoluble fibrils), both autoclaving and incubation in 90.6% formic acid were sufficient to reduce tau bioactivity. By contrast, boiling was not always effective in completely blocking bioactivity in the seeding assay. Notably, only formic acid incubation was able to produce a similar reduction in tissue from a P301L mutant tau mouse model of tauopathy. Our study highlights nuances in methods for inactivation of tau seeding which may support adapted tissue processing procedures, especially in research settings. These findings also highlight the importance of universal precautions when handling human neuropathological and research laboratory materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Analiese R Fernandes
- From the Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Simon Dujardin
- From the Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA (SD, AMdG, BTH, MPF)
| | - Anastasie Maté de Gérando
- From the Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA (SD, AMdG, BTH, MPF)
| | - Bradley T Hyman
- From the Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA (SD, AMdG, BTH, MPF).,C.S. Kubik Laboratory for Neuropathology, Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Matthew P Frosch
- From the Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA (SD, AMdG, BTH, MPF).,C.S. Kubik Laboratory for Neuropathology, Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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14
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Weismiller HA, Holub TJ, Krzesinski BJ, Margittai M. A thiol-based intramolecular redox switch in four-repeat tau controls fibril assembly and disassembly. J Biol Chem 2021; 297:101021. [PMID: 34339733 PMCID: PMC8387771 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 07/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of several tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease. The deposition of fibrillar inclusions made of tau protein is one of the pathological hallmarks of these disorders. Although it is becoming increasingly evident that the specific fibril structure may vary from one tauopathy to another and it is recognized that different types of isoforms (three-repeat and four-repeat tau) can be selectively deposited, little is known about the role oxidation may play in aggregation. Four-repeat tau contains two cysteines that can form an intramolecular disulfide bond, resulting in a structurally restrained compact monomer. There is discrepancy as to whether this monomer can aggregate or not. Using isolated four-repeat tau monomers (htau40) with intramolecular disulfide bonds, we demonstrate that these proteins form fibrils. The fibrils are less stable than fibrils formed under reducing conditions but are highly effective in seeding oxidized tau monomers. Conversely, a strong seeding barrier prevents incorporation of reduced tau monomers, tau mimics in which the cysteines have been replaced by alanines or serines, and three-repeat tau (htau23), a single-cysteine isoform. The barrier also holds true when seed and monomer types are reversed, indicating that oxidized and reduced tau are incompatible with each other. Surprisingly, fibrils composed of compact tau disaggregate upon reduction, highlighting the importance of the intramolecular disulfide bond for fibril stability. The findings uncover a novel binary redox switch that controls the aggregation and disaggregation of these fibrils and extend the conformational spectrum of tau aggregates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hilary A Weismiller
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Tyler J Holub
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Brad J Krzesinski
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Martin Margittai
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA.
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15
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Kamath TV, Klickstein N, Commins C, Fernandes AR, Oakley DH, Frosch MP, Hyman BT, Dujardin S. Kinetics of tau aggregation reveals patient-specific tau characteristics among Alzheimer's cases. Brain Commun 2021; 3:fcab096. [PMID: 34222869 PMCID: PMC8244646 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The accumulation of tau aggregates throughout the human brain is the hallmark of a number of neurodegenerative conditions classified as tauopathies. Increasing evidence shows that tau aggregation occurs in a 'prion-like' manner, in which a small amount of misfolded tau protein can induce other, naïve tau proteins to aggregate. Tau aggregates have been found to differ structurally among different tauopathies. Recently, however, we have suggested that tau oligomeric species may differ biochemically among individual patients with sporadic Alzheimer disease, and have also showed that the bioactivity of the tau species, measured using a cell-based bioassay, also varied among individuals. Here, we adopted a live-cell imaging approach to the standard cell-based bioassay to explore further whether the kinetics of aggregation also differentiated these patients. We found that aggregation can be observed to follow a consistent pattern in all cases, with a lag phase, a growth phase and a plateau phase, which each provide quantitative parameters by which we characterize the aggregation kinetics. The length of the lag phase and magnitude of the plateau phase are both dependent upon the concentration of seeding-competent tau, the relative enrichment of which differs among patients. The slope of the growth phase correlates with morphological differences in the tau aggregates, which may be reflective of underlying structural differences. This kinetic assay confirms and refines the concept of heterogeneity in the characteristics of tau proteopathic seeds among individuals with Alzheimer's disease and is a method by which future studies may characterize longitudinal changes in tau aggregation and the cellular processes which may influence these changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tarun V Kamath
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Naomi Klickstein
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Caitlin Commins
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Analiese R Fernandes
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Derek H Oakley
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- C.S. Kubik Laboratory for Neuropathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Matthew P Frosch
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- C.S. Kubik Laboratory for Neuropathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Bradley T Hyman
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Simon Dujardin
- Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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16
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Shimonaka S, Matsumoto SE, Elahi M, Ishiguro K, Hasegawa M, Hattori N, Motoi Y. Asparagine residue 368 is involved in Alzheimer's disease tau strain-specific aggregation. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:13996-14014. [PMID: 32759167 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.013271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In tauopathies, tau forms pathogenic fibrils with distinct conformations (termed "tau strains") and acts as an aggregation "seed" templating the conversion of normal tau into isomorphic fibrils. Previous research showed that the aggregation core of tau fibril covers the C-terminal region (243-406 amino acids (aa)) and differs among the diseases. However, the mechanisms by which distinct fibrous structures are formed and inherited via templated aggregation are still unknown. Here, we sought to identify the key sequences of seed-dependent aggregation. To identify sequences for which deletion reduces tau aggregation, SH-SY5Y cells expressing a series of 10 partial deletion (Del 1-10, covering 244-400 aa) mutants of tau-CTF24 (243-441 aa) were treated with tau seeds prepared from a different tauopathy patient's brain (Alzheimer's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, and corticobasal degeneration) or recombinant tau, and then seed-dependent tau aggregation was assessed biochemically. We found that the Del 8 mutant lacking 353-368 aa showed significantly decreased aggregation in both cellular and in vitro models. Furthermore, to identify the minimum sequence responsible for tau aggregation, we systematically repeated cellular tau aggregation assays for the delineation of shorter deletion sites and revealed that Asn-368 mutation suppressed tau aggregation triggered by an AD tau seed, but not using other tauopathy seeds. Our study suggested that 353-368 aa is a novel aggregation-responsible sequence other than PHF6 and PHF6*, and within this sequence, the Asn-368 residue plays a role in strain-specific tau aggregation in different tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shotaro Shimonaka
- Research Institute for Diseases of Old Age, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment of Dementia, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shin-Ei Matsumoto
- Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan
| | - Montasir Elahi
- Department of Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment of Dementia, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Neurology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Koichi Ishiguro
- Department of Neurology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masato Hasegawa
- Dementia Research Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nobutaka Hattori
- Research Institute for Diseases of Old Age, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Neurology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yumiko Motoi
- Department of Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment of Dementia, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan .,Department of Neurology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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17
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Kawasaki R, Tate SI. Impact of the Hereditary P301L Mutation on the Correlated Conformational Dynamics of Human Tau Protein Revealed by the Paramagnetic Relaxation Enhancement NMR Experiments. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21113920. [PMID: 32486218 PMCID: PMC7313075 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21113920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau forms intracellular insoluble aggregates as a neuropathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Tau is largely unstructured, which complicates the characterization of the tau aggregation process. Recent studies have demonstrated that tau samples two distinct conformational ensembles, each of which contains the soluble and aggregation-prone states of tau. A shift to populate the aggregation-prone ensemble may promote tau fibrillization. However, the mechanism of this ensemble transition remains elusive. In this study, we explored the conformational dynamics of a tau fragment by using paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) and interference (PRI) NMR experiments. The PRE correlation map showed that tau is composed of segments consisting of residues in correlated motions. Intriguingly, residues forming the β-structures in the heparin-induced tau filament coincide with residues in these segments, suggesting that each segment behaves as a structural unit in fibrillization. PRI data demonstrated that the P301L mutation exclusively alters the transiently formed tau structures by changing the short- and long-range correlated motions among residues. The transient conformations of P301L tau expose the amyloid motif PHF6 to promote tau self-aggregation. We propose the correlated motions among residues within tau determine the population sizes of the conformational ensembles, and perturbing the correlated motions populates the aggregation-prone form.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryosuke Kawasaki
- Department of Mathematical and Life Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan;
| | - Shin-ichi Tate
- Department of Mathematical and Life Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan;
- Department of Mathematical and Life Sciences, Graduate School of the Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
- Research Center for the Mathematics on Chromatin Live Dynamics (RcMcD), Hiroshima University, 1-3-1, Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +81-82-424-7387
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18
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Tian Y, Meng L, Zhang Z. What is strain in neurodegenerative diseases? Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 77:665-676. [PMID: 31531680 PMCID: PMC11105091 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-019-03298-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Revised: 08/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, are characterized by the aggregation of misfolded proteins, including Aβ, tau and α-synuclein. It is well recognized that these misfolded proteins are able to self-propagate and spread throughout the nervous system and cause neuronal injury in a way that resembles prion disease. These disease-specific misfolded proteins demonstrate unique features, including the seeding barrier, the conformational memory effect, strain selection and strain evolution, based on the presence of various strains. However, the accurate definition of the term strain remains to be clarified. Here, a clear interpretation is proposed by a retrospective of its history in prion research and the recent progress in neurodegeneration research. Furthermore, the causes contributing to the genesis of various strains are also summarized. Deeper insight into strains helps us to understand the phenomena we observe in this field and it also enlightens us on the elusive mechanisms and management of neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Tian
- Department of Neurology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, China
| | - Lanxia Meng
- Department of Neurology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, China
| | - Zhentao Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, China.
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19
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Yao QQ, Hong L, Wu S, Perrett S. Distinct microscopic mechanisms for the accelerated aggregation of pathogenic Tau mutants revealed by kinetic analysis. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:7241-7249. [DOI: 10.1039/c9cp06083a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Relating chemical kinetics and physical properties to pathogenicity of disease-related Tau mutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiong-Qiong Yao
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules
- CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules
- Institute of Biophysics
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Chaoyang District
| | - Liu Hong
- Zhou Pei-Yuan Center for Applied Mathematics
- Tsinghua University
- Beijing 100084
- China
| | - Si Wu
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules
- CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules
- Institute of Biophysics
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Chaoyang District
| | - Sarah Perrett
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules
- CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules
- Institute of Biophysics
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Chaoyang District
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20
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Kurihara M, Mano T, Saito Y, Murayama S, Toda T, Iwata A. Colocalization of BRCA1 with Tau Aggregates in Human Tauopathies. Brain Sci 2019; 10:brainsci10010007. [PMID: 31861888 PMCID: PMC7016802 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10010007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 12/14/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanism of neuronal dysfunction via tau aggregation in tauopathy patients is controversial. In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), we previously reported mislocalization of the DNA repair nuclear protein BRCA1, its coaggregation with tau, and the possible importance of the subsequent DNA repair dysfunction. However, whether this dysfunction in BRCA1 also occurs in other tauopathies is unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether BRCA1 colocalizes with tau aggregates in the cytoplasm in the brains of the patients with tauopathy. We evaluated four AD, two Pick’s disease (PiD), three progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), three corticobasal degeneration (CBD), four normal control, and four disease control autopsy brains. Immunohistochemistry was performed using antibodies against BRCA1 and phosphorylated tau (AT8). Colocalization was confirmed by immunofluorescence double staining. Colocalization of BRCA1 with tau aggregates was observed in neurofibrillary tangles and neuropil threads in AD, pick bodies in PiD, and globose neurofibrillary tangles and glial coiled bodies in PSP. However, only partial colocalization was observed in tuft-shaped astrocytes in PSP, and no colocalization was observed in CBD. Mislocalization of BRCA1 was not observed in disease controls. BRCA1 was mislocalized to the cytoplasm and colocalized with tau aggregates in not only AD but also in PiD and PSP. Mislocalization of BRCA1 by tau aggregates may be involved in the pathogenesis of PiD and PSP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masanori Kurihara
- Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan; (M.K.)
- Research Fellow, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo 102-0083, Japan
| | - Tatsuo Mano
- Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan; (M.K.)
| | - Yuko Saito
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 187-8551, Japan
| | - Shigeo Murayama
- Department of Neurology and Neuropathology (the Brain Bank for Aging Research), Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan
| | - Tatsushi Toda
- Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan; (M.K.)
| | - Atsushi Iwata
- Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan; (M.K.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +81-3-5800-8672
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21
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Tanaka Y, Yamada K, Satake K, Nishida I, Heuberger M, Kuwahara T, Iwatsubo T. Seeding Activity-Based Detection Uncovers the Different Release Mechanisms of Seed-Competent Tau Versus Inert Tau via Lysosomal Exocytosis. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:1258. [PMID: 31824253 PMCID: PMC6881304 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The pathological aggregation of tau characterizes a set of neurodegenerative diseases collectively referred to as tauopathies. Recent studies using cellular and animal models have suggested that tau pathology progresses by trans-cellular propagation. The process of propagation is mediated by certain species of extracellular tau, which are taken up by recipient cells and serve as a seed for tau aggregation. Tau propagation is currently one of the most active areas of research in dementia. Previous efforts to identify the specific tau molecules involved in propagation have suggested that multiple forms of tau with different molecular weights derived from recombinant tau or brain lysates exert seeding activity. Nonetheless, the molecular characteristics of the “extracellular” seed-competent tau as well as its release mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Given that tau is physiologically released into the extracellular space, it is critical to distinguish seed-competent tau from normal monomeric tau. Utilizing biosensor cells expressing P301S mutant tau fused to CFP/YFP, here we discriminated between seed-competent tau and inert monomer tau released from HEK293 cells. By analyzing the size-exclusion fractions of the media, we found that seed-competent tau was enriched in high molecular weight fractions of >2,000 kDa, while the majority of soluble tau in the media positively detected by ELISA was in low molecular weight fractions. We also found that lysosomal stress not only increased Ca2+-dependent release of seed-competent tau but also altered its molecular size. Inhibiting lysosomal exocytosis specifically decreased release of seed-competent tau without influencing total tau. These data underscore the differential response of seed-competent tau and inert tau to lysosomal stress and indicates the presence of distinct release mechanisms via lysosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Tanaka
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kaoru Yamada
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kyoko Satake
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Itaru Nishida
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Matthias Heuberger
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Biology, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Tomoki Kuwahara
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takeshi Iwatsubo
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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22
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Macdonald JA, Bronner IF, Drynan L, Fan J, Curry A, Fraser G, Lavenir I, Goedert M. Assembly of transgenic human P301S Tau is necessary for neurodegeneration in murine spinal cord. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2019; 7:44. [PMID: 30885267 PMCID: PMC6421678 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-019-0695-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
A pathological pathway leading from soluble monomeric to insoluble filamentous Tau is characteristic of many human neurodegenerative diseases, which also exhibit dysfunction and death of brain cells. However, it is unknown how the assembly of Tau into filaments relates to cell loss. To study this, we first used a mouse line transgenic for full-length human mutant P301S Tau to investigate the temporal relationship between Tau assembly into filaments, assessed using anti-Tau antibody AT100, and motor neuron numbers, in the lumbar spinal cord. AT100 immunoreactivity preceded nerve cell loss. Murine Tau did not contribute significantly to either Tau aggregation or neurodegeneration. To further study the relevance of filament formation for neurodegeneration, we deleted hexapeptides 275VQIINK280 and 306VQIVYK311, either singly or in combination, from human 0N4R Tau with the P301S mutation. These hexapeptides are essential for the assembly of Tau into filaments. Homozygous mice transgenic for P301S Tau with the hexapeptide deletions, which expressed Tau at a similar level to the heterozygous line transgenic for P301S Tau, had a normal lifespan, unlike mice from the P301S Tau line. The latter had significant levels of sarkosyl-insoluble Tau in brain and spinal cord, and exhibited neurodegeneration. Mice transgenic for P301S Tau with the hexapeptide deletions failed to show significant levels of sarkosyl-insoluble Tau or neurodegeneration. Recombinant P301S Tau with the hexapeptide deletions failed to form β-sheet structure and filaments following incubation with heparin. Taken together, we conclude that β-sheet assembly of human P301S Tau is necessary for neurodegeneration in transgenic mice.
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23
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Prion and Prion-Like Protein Strains: Deciphering the Molecular Basis of Heterogeneity in Neurodegeneration. Viruses 2019; 11:v11030261. [PMID: 30875755 PMCID: PMC6466326 DOI: 10.3390/v11030261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that neurodegenerative disorders share a common pathogenic feature: the presence of deposits of misfolded proteins with altered physicochemical properties in the Central Nervous System. Despite a lack of infectivity, experimental data show that the replication and propagation of neurodegenerative disease-related proteins including amyloid-β (Aβ), tau, α-synuclein and the transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43) share a similar pathological mechanism with prions. These observations have led to the terminology of “prion-like” to distinguish between conditions with noninfectious characteristics but similarities with the prion replication and propagation process. Prions are considered to adapt their conformation to changes in the context of the environment of replication. This process is known as either prion selection or adaptation, where a distinct conformer present in the initial prion population with higher propensity to propagate in the new environment is able to prevail over the others during the replication process. In the last years, many studies have shown that prion-like proteins share not only the prion replication paradigm but also the specific ability to aggregate in different conformations, i.e., strains, with relevant clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic implications. This review focuses on the molecular basis of the strain phenomenon in prion and prion-like proteins.
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24
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Dujardin S, Hyman BT. Tau Prion-Like Propagation: State of the Art and Current Challenges. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1184:305-325. [PMID: 32096046 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-32-9358-8_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
It has been almost a decade since the hypothesis of active tau protein propagation in Alzheimer's disease and associated tauopathies was formally raised. We view tau propagation as a cascade of events, starting with early tau misfolding, followed by transfer to another, anatomically connected, cell, contaminating in corruption of endogenous tau in the recipient cell through a seeding mechanism of templated misfolding. These mechanisms are very similar to those of other proteinopathies and to ideas about how prion pathologies spread through the brain. Nonetheless, the specific mechanisms underlying each of these steps remains uncertain and is a fertile ground for new experimental approaches potentially requiring new experimental models. We review, here, the state of the art of the research on tau prion-like propagation and we highlight some key challenges to understanding the detailed mechanisms of cell to cell propagation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Dujardin
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Bradley T Hyman
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Charlestown, MA, USA.
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25
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Jiang S, Wen N, Li Z, Dube U, Del Aguila J, Budde J, Martinez R, Hsu S, Fernandez MV, Cairns NJ, Harari O, Cruchaga C, Karch CM. Integrative system biology analyses of CRISPR-edited iPSC-derived neurons and human brains reveal deficiencies of presynaptic signaling in FTLD and PSP. Transl Psychiatry 2018; 8:265. [PMID: 30546007 PMCID: PMC6293323 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-018-0319-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) gene cause autosomal dominant frontotemporal lobar degeneration with tau inclusions (FTLD-tau). MAPT p.R406W carriers present clinically with progressive memory loss and neuropathologically with neuronal and glial tauopathy. However, the pathogenic events triggered by the expression of the mutant tau protein remain poorly understood. To identify the genes and pathways that are dysregulated in FTLD-tau, we performed transcriptomic analyses in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons carrying MAPT p.R406W and CRISPR/Cas9-corrected isogenic controls. We found that the expression of the MAPT p.R406W mutation was sufficient to create a significantly different transcriptomic profile compared with that of the isogeneic controls and to cause the differential expression of 328 genes. Sixty-one of these genes were also differentially expressed in the same direction between MAPT p.R406W carriers and pathology-free human control brains. We found that genes differentially expressed in the stem cell models and human brains were enriched for pathways involving gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors and pre-synaptic function. The expression of GABA receptor genes, including GABRB2 and GABRG2, were consistently reduced in iPSC-derived neurons and brains from MAPT p.R406W carriers. Interestingly, we found that GABA receptor genes, including GABRB2 and GABRG2, are significantly lower in symptomatic mouse models of tauopathy, as well as in brains with progressive supranuclear palsy. Genome wide association analyses reveal that common variants within GABRB2 are associated with increased risk for frontotemporal dementia (P < 1 × 10-3). Thus, our systems biology approach, which leverages molecular data from stem cells, animal models, and human brain tissue can reveal novel disease mechanisms. Here, we demonstrate that MAPT p.R406W is sufficient to induce changes in GABA-mediated signaling and synaptic function, which may contribute to the pathogenesis of FTLD-tau and other primary tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Jiang
- 0000 0001 2355 7002grid.4367.6Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8134, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA ,0000 0001 2355 7002grid.4367.6Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8111, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA
| | - Natalie Wen
- 0000 0001 2355 7002grid.4367.6Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8134, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA ,0000 0001 2355 7002grid.4367.6Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8111, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA
| | - Zeran Li
- 0000 0001 2355 7002grid.4367.6Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8134, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA ,0000 0001 2355 7002grid.4367.6Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8111, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA
| | - Umber Dube
- 0000 0001 2355 7002grid.4367.6Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8134, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA ,0000 0001 2355 7002grid.4367.6Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8111, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA
| | - Jorge Del Aguila
- 0000 0001 2355 7002grid.4367.6Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8134, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA ,0000 0001 2355 7002grid.4367.6Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8111, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA
| | - John Budde
- 0000 0001 2355 7002grid.4367.6Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8134, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA ,0000 0001 2355 7002grid.4367.6Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8111, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA
| | - Rita Martinez
- 0000 0001 2355 7002grid.4367.6Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8134, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA ,0000 0001 2355 7002grid.4367.6Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8111, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA
| | - Simon Hsu
- 0000 0001 2355 7002grid.4367.6Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8134, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA ,0000 0001 2355 7002grid.4367.6Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8111, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA
| | - Maria V. Fernandez
- 0000 0001 2355 7002grid.4367.6Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8134, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA ,0000 0001 2355 7002grid.4367.6Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8111, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA
| | - Nigel J. Cairns
- 0000 0001 2355 7002grid.4367.6Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave, Campus Box 8118, Saint Louis, MO 63110 USA
| | | | | | - Oscar Harari
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8134, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA. .,Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8111, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
| | - Carlos Cruchaga
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8134, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA. .,Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8111, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
| | - Celeste M. Karch
- 0000 0001 2355 7002grid.4367.6Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8134, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA ,0000 0001 2355 7002grid.4367.6Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8111, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA
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Dujardin S, Bégard S, Caillierez R, Lachaud C, Carrier S, Lieger S, Gonzalez JA, Deramecourt V, Déglon N, Maurage CA, Frosch MP, Hyman BT, Colin M, Buée L. Different tau species lead to heterogeneous tau pathology propagation and misfolding. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2018; 6:132. [PMID: 30497516 PMCID: PMC6263555 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-018-0637-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 11/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Tauopathies are a heterogeneous group of pathologies characterized by tau aggregation inside neurons. Most of them are sporadic but certain tauopathies rely on tau gene (MAPT) mutations. They particularly differ from one to another by their different neuropathological signatures e.g. lesion shapes, regions affected and molecular composition of aggregates. Six isoforms of tau exist, but they do not all co-aggregate in each tauopathy but rather have a unique signature for each one. In some tauopathies such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), tau protein aggregation follows stereotypical anatomical stages. Recent data suggest that this progression is due to an active process of tau protein propagation from neuron-to-neuron. We wondered how tau isoforms or mutations could influence the process of tau aggregation and tau propagation. In human neuropathological material, we found that MAPT mutations induce a faster misfolding compared to tau found in sporadic AD patients. In the rat brain, we observed cell-to-cell transfer of non-pathological tau species irrespective of the tested isoform or presence of a mutation. By contrast, we found that the species of tau impact the propagation of tau pathology markers such as hyperphosphorylation and misfolding. Indeed, misfolding and hyperphosphorylated tau proteins do not spread at the same rate when tau is mutated, or the isoform composition is modified. These results clearly argue for the existence of specific folding properties of tau depending on isoforms or mutations impacting the behavior of pathological tau species.
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Weismiller HA, Murphy R, Wei G, Ma B, Nussinov R, Margittai M. Structural disorder in four-repeat Tau fibrils reveals a new mechanism for barriers to cross-seeding of Tau isoforms. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:17336-17348. [PMID: 30242125 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.005316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Revised: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The intracellular deposition of fibrils composed of the microtubule-associated protein Tau is a characteristic feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other fatal neurodegenerative disorders collectively known as tauopathies. Short Tau fibrils spread intracerebrally through transfer between interconnected neurons. Once taken up by a recipient cell, Tau fibrils recruit Tau monomers onto their ends. Based on the number of microtubule-binding repeats, there are two distinct groups of Tau isoforms: three-repeat (3R) Tau and four-repeat (4R) Tau. In AD, all Tau isoforms are deposited, whereas in other tauopathies, only 3R or 4R Tau isoforms are deposited. The molecular basis for these isoform-specific depositions is poorly understood, although conformation-based cross-seeding barriers are key. Here, we used sedimentation assays, EPR spectroscopy, and other structural readouts to better understand the cross-seeding barriers of 4R Tau fibrils. We observed that fibrils formed from truncated Tau (K18), but not full-length Tau (htau40), exhibit a barrier that inhibits 3R Tau recruitment. Investigating an array of differently sized fragments, we found that the Tau C terminus modulates the cross-seeding barrier and that the N terminus plays a synergistic role. Two disease-associated Tau variants, P301S and P301L, also established strong cross-seeding barriers. EPR analysis indicated that fibrils seeded with truncated and mutated Tau, but not htau40, are structurally disordered in the second half of repeat four and onward. These findings suggest that the disorder in this region diminishes the ability of 4R Tau fibrils to recruit 3R Tau monomers, revealing a new mechanism for Tau cross-seeding barriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hilary A Weismiller
- From the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado 80208
| | - Rachel Murphy
- From the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado 80208
| | - Guanghong Wei
- the Department of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Key Laboratory for Computational Physical Science, Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures (Nanjing), Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Buyong Ma
- the Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, NCI, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland 21702, and
| | - Ruth Nussinov
- the Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, NCI, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland 21702, and.,the Sackler Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Martin Margittai
- From the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado 80208,
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28
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Frontotemporal dementia with Parkinsonism linked to chromosome-17 mutations enhance tau oligomer formation. Neurobiol Aging 2018; 69:26-32. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2018.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2017] [Revised: 03/17/2018] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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29
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Nizynski B, Nieznanska H, Dec R, Boyko S, Dzwolak W, Nieznanski K. Amyloidogenic cross-seeding of Tau protein: Transient emergence of structural variants of fibrils. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0201182. [PMID: 30024984 PMCID: PMC6053212 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloid aggregates of Tau protein have been implicated in etiology of many neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease (AD). When amyloid growth is induced by seeding with preformed fibrils assembled from the same protein, structural characteristics of the seed are usually imprinted in daughter generations of fibrils. This so-called conformational memory effect may be compromised when the seeding involves proteins with non-identical sequences leading to the emergence of distinct structural variants of fibrils (amyloid ‘strains’). Here, we investigate cross-seeding of full-length human Tau (FL Tau) with fibrils assembled from K18 and K18ΔK280 fragments of Tau in the presence of poly-L-glutamate (poly-Glu) as an enhancer of Tau aggregation. To study cross-seeding between Tau polypeptides and the role of the conformational memory effect in induction of Tau amyloid polymorphism, kinetic assays, transmission electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and limited proteolysis have been employed. The fastest fibrillization was observed for FL Tau monomers seeded with preformed K18 amyloid yielding daughter fibrils with unique trypsin digestion patterns. Morphological features of daughter FL Tau fibrils induced by K18 and K18ΔK280 seeds were reminiscent of the mother fibrils (i.e. straight paired fibrils and paired helical filaments (PHFs), respectively) but disappeared in the following generations which became similar to unpaired FL Tau amyloid fibrils formed de novo. The structural evolution observed in our study was accompanied by disappearance of the unique proteolysis profile originated from K18. Our findings may have implications for understanding molecular mechanisms of the emergence and stability of Tau amyloid strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bartosz Nizynski
- College of Inter-Faculty Individual Studies in Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2C, Warsaw, Poland.,Faculty of Chemistry, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Hanna Nieznanska
- Department of Biochemistry, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Robert Dec
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Solomiia Boyko
- Department of Biochemistry, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Wojciech Dzwolak
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Nieznanski
- Department of Biochemistry, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
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30
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Ayers JI, Giasson BI, Borchelt DR. Prion-like Spreading in Tauopathies. Biol Psychiatry 2018; 83:337-346. [PMID: 28506438 PMCID: PMC5640465 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2017] [Revised: 03/31/2017] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein that functions in regulating cytoskeleton dynamics, especially in neurons. Misfolded and aggregated forms of tau produce pathological structures in a number of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and tauopathy dementias. These disorders can present with a sporadic etiology, such as in AD, or a familial etiology, such as in some cases of frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism. Notably, the pathological features of tau pathology in these diseases can be very distinct. For example, the tau pathology in corticobasal degeneration is distinct from that of an AD patient. A wealth of evidence has emerged within the last decade to suggest that the misfolded tau in tauopathies possesses prion-like features and that such features may explain the diverse characteristics of tauopathies. The prion-like concept for tauopathies arose initially from the observation that the progressive accumulation of tau pathology as the symptoms of AD progress seemed to follow anatomically linked pathways. Subsequent studies in cell and animal models revealed that misfolded tau can propagate from cell to cell and from region to region in the brain through direct neuroanatomical connections. Studies in these cell and mouse models have demonstrated that experimentally propagated forms of misfolded tau can exist as conformationally distinct "strains" with unique biochemical, morphological, and neuropathological characteristics. This review discusses the clinical, pathological, and genetic diversity of tauopathies and the discoveries underlying the emerging view that the unique features of clinically distinct tauopathies may be a reflection of the strain of misfolded tau that propagates in each disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob I Ayers
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Benoit I Giasson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - David R Borchelt
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
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Forrest SL, Kril JJ, Stevens CH, Kwok JB, Hallupp M, Kim WS, Huang Y, McGinley CV, Werka H, Kiernan MC, Götz J, Spillantini MG, Hodges JR, Ittner LM, Halliday GM. Retiring the term FTDP-17 as MAPT mutations are genetic forms of sporadic frontotemporal tauopathies. Brain 2018; 141:521-534. [PMID: 29253099 PMCID: PMC5888940 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awx328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Revised: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 10/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
See Josephs (doi:10.1093/brain/awx367) for a scientific commentary on this article.In many neurodegenerative disorders, familial forms have provided important insights into the pathogenesis of their corresponding sporadic forms. The first mutations associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) were found in the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) gene on chromosome 17 in families with frontotemporal degeneration and parkinsonism (FTDP-17). However, it was soon discovered that 50% of these families had a nearby mutation in progranulin. Regardless, the original FTDP-17 nomenclature has been retained for patients with MAPT mutations, with such patients currently classified independently from the different sporadic forms of FTLD with tau-immunoreactive inclusions (FTLD-tau). The separate classification of familial FTLD with MAPT mutations implies that familial forms cannot inform on the pathogenesis of the different sporadic forms of FTLD-tau. To test this assumption, this study pathologically assessed all FTLD-tau cases with a known MAPT mutation held by the Sydney and Cambridge Brain Banks, and compared them to four cases of four subtypes of sporadic FTLD-tau, in addition to published case reports. Ten FTLD-tau cases with a MAPT mutation (K257T, S305S, P301L, IVS10+16, R406W) were screened for the core differentiating neuropathological features used to diagnose the different sporadic FTLD-tau subtypes to determine whether the categorical separation of MAPT mutations from sporadic FTLD-tau is valid. Compared with sporadic cases, FTLD-tau cases with MAPT mutations had similar mean disease duration but were younger at age of symptom onset (55 ± 4 years versus 70 ± 6 years). Interestingly, FTLD-tau cases with MAPT mutations had similar patterns and severity of neuropathological features to sporadic FTLD-tau subtypes and could be classified into: Pick's disease (K257T), corticobasal degeneration (S305S, IVS10+16, R406W), progressive supranuclear palsy (S305S) or globular glial tauopathy (P301L, IVS10+16). The finding that the S305S mutation could be classified into two tauopathies suggests additional modifying factors. Assessment of our cases and previous reports suggests that distinct MAPT mutations result in particular FTLD-tau subtypes, supporting the concept that they are likely to inform on the varied cellular mechanisms involved in distinctive forms of sporadic FTLD-tau. As such, FTLD-tau cases with MAPT mutations should be considered familial forms of FTLD-tau subtypes rather than a separate FTDP-17 category, and continued research on the effects of different mutations more focused on modelling their impact to produce the very different sporadic FTLD-tau pathologies in animal and cellular models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelley L Forrest
- Charles Perkins Centre and Discipline of Pathology, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Australia
| | - Jillian J Kril
- Charles Perkins Centre and Discipline of Pathology, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Australia
| | - Claire H Stevens
- Dementia Research Unit, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Australia
| | - John B Kwok
- Brain and Mind Centre and Central Clinical School, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Australia
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Australia
| | - Marianne Hallupp
- Brain and Mind Centre and Central Clinical School, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Australia
| | - Woojin S Kim
- Brain and Mind Centre and Central Clinical School, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Australia
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Australia
| | - Yue Huang
- School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ciara V McGinley
- Charles Perkins Centre and Discipline of Pathology, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Australia
| | - Hellen Werka
- Charles Perkins Centre and Discipline of Pathology, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Australia
| | - Matthew C Kiernan
- Brain and Mind Centre and Central Clinical School, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Australia
| | - Jürgen Götz
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Australia
| | | | - John R Hodges
- Brain and Mind Centre and Central Clinical School, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Australia
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Australia
| | - Lars M Ittner
- Dementia Research Unit, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Australia
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia
| | - Glenda M Halliday
- Brain and Mind Centre and Central Clinical School, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Australia
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Australia
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Suzuki M, Sango K, Wada K, Nagai Y. Pathological role of lipid interaction with α-synuclein in Parkinson's disease. Neurochem Int 2018; 119:97-106. [PMID: 29305919 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2017.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2017] [Revised: 12/11/2017] [Accepted: 12/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Alpha-synuclein (αSyn) plays a central role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). In sporadic PD and DLB, normally harmless αSyn proteins without any mutations might gain toxic functions by unknown mechanisms. Thus, it is important to elucidate the factors promoting the toxic conversion of αSyn, towards understanding the pathogenesis of and developing disease-modifying therapies for PD and DLB. Accumulating biophysical and biochemical studies have demonstrated that αSyn interacts with lipid membrane, and the interaction influences αSyn oligomerization and aggregation. Furthermore, genetic and clinicopathological studies have revealed mutations in the glucocerebrosidase 1 (GBA1) gene, which encodes a degrading enzyme for the glycolipid glucosylceramide (GlcCer), as strong risk factors for PD and DLB, and we recently demonstrated that GlcCer promotes toxic conversion of αSyn. Moreover, pathological studies have shown the existence of αSyn pathology in lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) patient' brain, in which glycosphingolipids (GSLs) is found to be accumulated. In this review, we focus on the lipids as a key factor for inducing wild-type (WT) αSyn toxic conversion, we summarize the knowledge about the interaction between αSyn and lipid membrane, and propose our hypothesis that aberrantly accumulated GSLs might contribute to the toxic conversion of αSyn. Identifying the trigger for toxic conversion of αSyn would open a new therapeutic road to attenuate or prevent crucial events leading to the formation of toxic αSyn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mari Suzuki
- Department of Neurotherapeutics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan; Department of Degenerative Neurological Diseases, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira 187-8502, Japan; Diabetic Neuropathy Project, Department of Sensory and Motor Systems, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Setagaya, Tokyo, 156-8506, Japan.
| | - Kazunori Sango
- Diabetic Neuropathy Project, Department of Sensory and Motor Systems, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Setagaya, Tokyo, 156-8506, Japan
| | - Keiji Wada
- Department of Degenerative Neurological Diseases, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira 187-8502, Japan
| | - Yoshitaka Nagai
- Department of Neurotherapeutics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan; Department of Degenerative Neurological Diseases, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira 187-8502, Japan.
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Strang KH, Croft CL, Sorrentino ZA, Chakrabarty P, Golde TE, Giasson BI. Distinct differences in prion-like seeding and aggregation between Tau protein variants provide mechanistic insights into tauopathies. J Biol Chem 2017; 293:2408-2421. [PMID: 29259137 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m117.815357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Revised: 12/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The accumulation of aberrantly aggregated MAPT (microtubule-associated protein Tau) defines a spectrum of tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease. Mutations in the MAPT gene cause frontotemporal dementia with Parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17), characterized by neuronal pathological Tau inclusions in the form of neurofibrillary tangles and Pick bodies and in some cases glial Tau pathology. Increasing evidence points to the importance of prion-like seeding as a mechanism for the pathological spread in tauopathy and other neurodegenerative diseases. Herein, using a cell culture model, we examined a multitude of genetic FTDP-17 Tau variants for their ability to be seeded by exogenous Tau fibrils. Our findings revealed stark differences between FTDP-17 Tau variants in their ability to be seeded, with variants at Pro301 and Ser320 showing robust aggregation with seeding. Similarly, we elucidated the importance of certain Tau protein regions and unique residues, including the role of Pro301 in inhibiting Tau aggregation. We also revealed potential barriers in cross-seeding between three-repeat and four-repeat Tau isoforms. Overall, these differences alluded to potential mechanistic differences between wildtype and FTDP-17 Tau variants, as well as different Tau isoforms, in influencing Tau aggregation. Furthermore, by combining two FTDP-17 Tau variants (either P301L or P301S with S320F), we generated aggressive models of tauopathy that do not require exogenous seeding. These models will allow for rapid screening of potential therapeutics to alleviate Tau aggregation without the need for exogenous Tau fibrils. Together, these studies provide novel insights in the molecular determinants that modulate Tau aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin H Strang
- From the Department of Neuroscience.,the Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, and
| | - Cara L Croft
- From the Department of Neuroscience.,the Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, and
| | - Zachary A Sorrentino
- From the Department of Neuroscience.,the Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, and
| | - Paramita Chakrabarty
- From the Department of Neuroscience.,the Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, and.,the McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610
| | - Todd E Golde
- From the Department of Neuroscience.,the Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, and.,the McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610
| | - Benoit I Giasson
- From the Department of Neuroscience, .,the Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, and.,the McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610
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Nizynski B, Dzwolak W, Nieznanski K. Amyloidogenesis of Tau protein. Protein Sci 2017; 26:2126-2150. [PMID: 28833749 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Revised: 08/16/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The role of microtubule-associated protein Tau in neurodegeneration has been extensively investigated since the discovery of Tau amyloid aggregates in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The process of formation of amyloid fibrils is known as amyloidogenesis and attracts much attention as a potential target in the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative conditions linked to protein aggregation. Cerebral deposition of amyloid aggregates of Tau is observed not only in AD but also in numerous other tauopathies and prion diseases. Amyloidogenesis of intrinsically unstructured monomers of Tau can be triggered by mutations in the Tau gene, post-translational modifications, or interactions with polyanionic molecules and aggregation-prone proteins/peptides. The self-assembly of amyloid fibrils of Tau shares a number of characteristic features with amyloidogenesis of other proteins involved in neurodegenerative diseases. For example, in vitro experiments have demonstrated that the nucleation phase, which is the rate-limiting stage of Tau amyloidogenesis, is shortened in the presence of fragmented preformed Tau fibrils acting as aggregation templates ("seeds"). Accordingly, Tau aggregates released by tauopathy-affected neurons can spread the neurodegenerative process in the brain through a prion-like mechanism, originally described for the pathogenic form of prion protein. Moreover, Tau has been shown to form amyloid strains-structurally diverse self-propagating aggregates of potentially various pathological effects, resembling in this respect prion strains. Here, we review the current literature on Tau aggregation and discuss mechanisms of propagation of Tau amyloid in the light of the prion-like paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bartosz Nizynski
- College of Inter-Faculty Individual Studies in Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Warsaw, 2C Banacha Str, Warsaw, 02-097, Poland.,Faculty of Chemistry, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, 1 Pasteur Str, Warsaw, 02-093, Poland
| | - Wojciech Dzwolak
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, 1 Pasteur Str, Warsaw, 02-093, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Nieznanski
- Department of Biochemistry, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Str, Warsaw, 02-093, Poland
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Prion-like mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets in neurodegenerative disorders. Pharmacol Ther 2017; 172:22-33. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2016.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Götzl JK, Lang CM, Haass C, Capell A. Impaired protein degradation in FTLD and related disorders. Ageing Res Rev 2016; 32:122-139. [PMID: 27166223 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2016.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2015] [Revised: 03/21/2016] [Accepted: 04/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Impaired protein degradation has been discussed as a cause or consequence of various neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's disease. More recently, evidence accumulated that dysfunctional protein degradation may play a role in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Since in almost all neurodegenerative diseases, protein aggregates are disease-defining hallmarks, it is most likely that impaired protein degradation contributes to disease onset and progression. In the majority of FTD cases, the pathological protein aggregates contain either microtubuleassociated protein tau or TAR DNA-binding protein (TDP)-43. Aggregates are also positive for ubiquitin and p62/sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1) indicating that these aggregates are targeted for degradation. FTD-linked mutations in genes encoding three autophagy adaptor proteins, p62/SQSTM1, ubiquilin 2 and optineurin, indicate that impaired autophagy might cause FTD. Furthermore, the strongest evidence for lysosomal impairment in FTD is provided by the progranulin (GRN) gene, which is linked to FTD and neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis. In this review, we summarize the observations that have been made during the last years linking the accumulation of disease-associated proteins in FTD to impaired protein degradation pathways. In addition, we take resent findings for nucleocytoplasmic transport defects of TDP-43, as discussed for hexanucleotide repeat expansions in C9orf72 into account and provide a hypothesis how the interplay of altered nuclear transport and protein degradation leads to the accumulation of protein deposits.
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Audouard E, Houben S, Masaracchia C, Yilmaz Z, Suain V, Authelet M, De Decker R, Buée L, Boom A, Leroy K, Ando K, Brion JP. High-Molecular-Weight Paired Helical Filaments from Alzheimer Brain Induces Seeding of Wild-Type Mouse Tau into an Argyrophilic 4R Tau Pathology in Vivo. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2016; 186:2709-22. [PMID: 27497324 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2016.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2016] [Revised: 05/14/2016] [Accepted: 06/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In Alzheimer disease, the development of tau pathology follows neuroanatomically connected pathways, suggesting that abnormal tau species might recruit normal tau by passage from cell to cell. Herein, we analyzed the effect of stereotaxic brain injection of human Alzheimer high-molecular-weight paired helical filaments (PHFs) in the dentate gyrus of wild-type and mutant tau THY-Tau22 mice. After 3 months of incubation, wild-type and THY-Tau22 mice developed an atrophy of the dentate gyrus and a tau pathology characterized by Gallyas and tau-positive grain-like inclusions into granule cells that extended in the hippocampal hilus and eventually away into the alveus, and the fimbria. Gallyas-positive neuropil threads and oligodendroglial coiled bodies were also observed. These tau inclusions were composed only of mouse tau, and were immunoreactive with antibodies to 4R tau, phosphotau, misfolded tau, ubiquitin, and p62. Although local hyperphosphorylation of tau was increased in the dentate gyrus in THY-Tau22 mice, the development of neurofibrillary tangles made of mutant human tau was not accelerated in the hippocampus, indicating that wild-type human PHFs were inefficient in seeding tau aggregates made of G272V/P301S mutant human tau. Our results indicate thus that injection of human wild-type Alzheimer PHF seeded aggregation of wild-type murine tau into an argyrophilic 4R tau pathology, and constitutes an interesting model independent of expression of a mutant tau protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilie Audouard
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sarah Houben
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Caterina Masaracchia
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Zehra Yilmaz
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Valérie Suain
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Michèle Authelet
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Robert De Decker
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Luc Buée
- INSERM, U837, Université de Lille 2, Lille, France
| | - Alain Boom
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Karelle Leroy
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kunie Ando
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jean-Pierre Brion
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Brussels, Belgium.
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NMR Meets Tau: Insights into Its Function and Pathology. Biomolecules 2016; 6:biom6020028. [PMID: 27338491 PMCID: PMC4919923 DOI: 10.3390/biom6020028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2016] [Revised: 05/02/2016] [Accepted: 05/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In this review, we focus on what we have learned from Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) studies on the neuronal microtubule-associated protein Tau. We consider both the mechanistic details of Tau: the tubulin relationship and its aggregation process. Phosphorylation of Tau is intimately linked to both aspects. NMR spectroscopy has depicted accurate phosphorylation patterns by different kinases, and its non-destructive character has allowed functional assays with the same samples. Finally, we will discuss other post-translational modifications of Tau and its interaction with other cellular factors in relationship to its (dys)function.
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Hasegawa M. Molecular Mechanisms in the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and Tauopathies-Prion-Like Seeded Aggregation and Phosphorylation. Biomolecules 2016; 6:biom6020024. [PMID: 27136595 PMCID: PMC4919919 DOI: 10.3390/biom6020024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2016] [Revised: 04/19/2016] [Accepted: 04/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurofibrillary tau pathology (tangles and threads) and extracellular amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology are defining features of Alzheimer’s disease. For 25 years, most research has focused on the amyloid hypothesis of AD pathogenesis and progression. But, because of failures in clinical trials of Aβ-targeted therapies and the new concept of prion-like propagation of intracellular abnormal proteins, tau has come back into the spotlight as a candidate therapeutic target in AD. Tau pathologies are found in a range of neurodegenerative disorders, but extensive analyses of pathological tau in diseased brains has demonstrated that the abnormal tau protein in each disease is structurally distinct, supporting the idea that progression of the diverse but characteristic tau pathologies occurs through prion-like seed-dependent aggregation. Therefore, intervention in the conversion of normal tau to abnormal forms and in cell-to-cell transmission of tau may be the key to development of disease-modifying therapies for AD and other dementing disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masato Hasegawa
- Department of Dementia and Higher Brain Function, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science; Setagaya-ku 156-8506, Japan.
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Miyasaka T, Xie C, Yoshimura S, Shinzaki Y, Yoshina S, Kage-Nakadai E, Mitani S, Ihara Y. Curcumin improves tau-induced neuronal dysfunction of nematodes. Neurobiol Aging 2015; 39:69-81. [PMID: 26923403 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2015.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2014] [Revised: 11/09/2015] [Accepted: 11/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Tau is a key protein in the pathogenesis of various neurodegenerative diseases, which are categorized as tauopathies. Because the extent of tau pathologies is closely linked to that of neuronal loss and the clinical symptoms in Alzheimer's disease, anti-tau therapeutics, if any, could be beneficial to a broad spectrum of tauopathies. To learn more about tauopathy, we developed a novel transgenic nematode (Caenorhabditis elegans) model that expresses either wild-type or R406W tau in all the neurons. The wild-type tau-expressing worms exhibited uncoordinated movement (Unc) and neuritic abnormalities. Tau accumulated in abnormal neurites that lost microtubules. Similar abnormalities were found in the worms that expressed low levels of R406W-tau but were not in those expressing comparative levels of wild-type tau. Biochemical studies revealed that tau is aberrantly phosphorylated but forms no detergent-insoluble aggregates. Drug screening performed in these worms identified curcumin, a major phytochemical compound in turmeric, as a compound that reduces not only Unc but also the neuritic abnormalities in both wild-type and R406W tau-expressing worms. Our observations suggest that microtubule stabilization mediates the antitoxicity effect of curcumin. Curcumin is also effective in the worms expressing tau fragment, although it does not prevent the formation of tau-fragment dimers. These data indicate that curcumin improves the tau-induced neuronal dysfunction that is independent of insoluble aggregates of tau.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiro Miyasaka
- Faculty of Medical and Life Sciences, Department of Neuropathology, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe-shi, Kyoto, Japan.
| | - Ce Xie
- Faculty of Medical and Life Sciences, Department of Neuropathology, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe-shi, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Satomi Yoshimura
- Faculty of Medical and Life Sciences, Department of Neuropathology, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe-shi, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yuki Shinzaki
- Faculty of Medical and Life Sciences, Department of Neuropathology, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe-shi, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Sawako Yoshina
- Department of Physiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Eriko Kage-Nakadai
- Department of Physiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan; Advanced Research Institute for Natural Science and Technology, Osaka City University, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shohei Mitani
- Department of Physiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yasuo Ihara
- Faculty of Medical and Life Sciences, Department of Neuropathology, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe-shi, Kyoto, Japan; Laboratory for Cognition and Aging, Graduate School of Brain Sciences, Doshisha University, Kizugawa-shi, Kyoto, Japan
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Abstract
Our understanding of the molecular structures of amyloid fibrils that are associated with neurodegenerative diseases, of mechanisms by which disease-associated peptides and proteins aggregate into fibrils, and of structural properties of aggregation intermediates has advanced considerably in recent years. Detailed molecular structural models for certain fibrils and aggregation intermediates are now available. It is now well established that amyloid fibrils are generally polymorphic at the molecular level, with a given peptide or protein being capable of forming a variety of distinct, self-propagating fibril structures. Recent results from structural studies and from studies involving cell cultures, transgenic animals, and human tissue provide initial evidence that molecular structural variations in amyloid fibrils and related aggregates may correlate with or even produce variations in disease development. This article reviews our current knowledge of the structural and mechanistic aspects of amyloid formation, as well as current evidence for the biological relevance of structural variations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Tycko
- Laboratory of Chemical Physics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-0520, USA.
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Melis V, Zabke C, Stamer K, Magbagbeolu M, Schwab K, Marschall P, Veh RW, Bachmann S, Deiana S, Moreau PH, Davidson K, Harrington KA, Rickard JE, Horsley D, Garman R, Mazurkiewicz M, Niewiadomska G, Wischik CM, Harrington CR, Riedel G, Theuring F. Different pathways of molecular pathophysiology underlie cognitive and motor tauopathy phenotypes in transgenic models for Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Cell Mol Life Sci 2015; 72:2199-222. [PMID: 25523019 PMCID: PMC4427622 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-014-1804-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2014] [Revised: 11/22/2014] [Accepted: 12/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
A poorly understood feature of the tauopathies is their very different clinical presentations. The frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) spectrum is dominated by motor and emotional/psychiatric abnormalities, whereas cognitive and memory deficits are prominent in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We report two novel mouse models overexpressing different human tau protein constructs. One is a full-length tau carrying a double mutation [P301S/G335D; line 66 (L66)] and the second is a truncated 3-repeat tau fragment which constitutes the bulk of the PHF core in AD corresponding to residues 296-390 fused with a signal sequence targeting it to the endoplasmic reticulum membrane (line 1; L1). L66 has abundant tau pathology widely distributed throughout the brain, with particularly high counts of affected neurons in hippocampus and entorhinal cortex. The pathology is neuroanatomically static and declines with age. Behaviourally, the model is devoid of a higher cognitive phenotype but presents with sensorimotor impairments and motor learning phenotypes. L1 displays a much weaker histopathological phenotype, but shows evidence of neuroanatomical spread and amplification with age that resembles the Braak staging of AD. Behaviourally, the model has minimal motor deficits but shows severe cognitive impairments affecting particularly the rodent equivalent of episodic memory which progresses with advancing age. In both models, tau aggregation can be dissociated from abnormal phosphorylation. The two models make possible the demonstration of two distinct but nevertheless convergent pathways of tau molecular pathogenesis. L1 appears to be useful for modelling the cognitive impairment of AD, whereas L66 appears to be more useful for modelling the motor features of the FTLD spectrum. Differences in clinical presentation of AD-like and FTLD syndromes are therefore likely to be inherent to the respective underlying tauopathy, and are not dependent on presence or absence of concomitant APP pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- V. Melis
- School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
| | - C. Zabke
- CCR/Institut für Pharmakologie, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Pharmacology, Hessische Str. 3-4, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - K. Stamer
- CCR/Institut für Pharmakologie, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Pharmacology, Hessische Str. 3-4, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - M. Magbagbeolu
- CCR/Institut für Pharmakologie, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Pharmacology, Hessische Str. 3-4, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - K. Schwab
- CCR/Institut für Pharmakologie, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Pharmacology, Hessische Str. 3-4, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - P. Marschall
- CCR/Institut für Pharmakologie, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Pharmacology, Hessische Str. 3-4, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - R. W. Veh
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Anatomy, Berlin, Germany
| | - S. Bachmann
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Anatomy, Berlin, Germany
| | - S. Deiana
- School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
| | - P.-H. Moreau
- School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
| | - K. Davidson
- School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
| | - K. A. Harrington
- School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
| | - J. E. Rickard
- School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
| | - D. Horsley
- School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
| | - R. Garman
- Consultants in Veterinary Pathology Inc., Murrysville, PA USA
| | | | | | - C. M. Wischik
- School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
| | - C. R. Harrington
- School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
| | - G. Riedel
- School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, AB25 2ZD Scotland, UK
| | - F. Theuring
- CCR/Institut für Pharmakologie, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Pharmacology, Hessische Str. 3-4, 10115 Berlin, Germany
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A mechanistic model of tau amyloid aggregation based on direct observation of oligomers. Nat Commun 2015; 6:7025. [PMID: 25926130 PMCID: PMC4421837 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2015] [Accepted: 03/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation plays a key role in neurodegenerative disease, giving rise to small oligomers that may become cytotoxic to cells. The fundamental microscopic reactions taking place during aggregation, and their rate constants, have been difficult to determine due to lack of suitable methods to identify and follow the low concentration of oligomers over time. Here we use single-molecule fluorescence to study the aggregation of the repeat domain of tau (K18), and two mutant forms linked with familial frontotemporal dementia, the deletion mutant ΔK280 and the point mutant P301L. Our kinetic analysis reveals that aggregation proceeds via monomeric assembly into small oligomers, and a subsequent slow structural conversion step before fibril formation. Using this approach, we have been able to quantitatively determine how these mutations alter the aggregation energy landscape. Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the aggregation of the Abeta peptide and the tau protein. Here the authors track the formation of wild-type or mutant tau oligomers through to large aggregates and gain insights into the molecular basis of how tau mutations cause disease by altering the aggregation pathway.
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Sanders DW, Kaufman SK, DeVos SL, Sharma AM, Mirbaha H, Li A, Barker SJ, Foley AC, Thorpe JR, Serpell LC, Miller TM, Grinberg LT, Seeley WW, Diamond MI. Distinct tau prion strains propagate in cells and mice and define different tauopathies. Neuron 2014; 82:1271-88. [PMID: 24857020 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2014.04.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 693] [Impact Index Per Article: 69.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Prion-like propagation of tau aggregation might underlie the stereotyped progression of neurodegenerative tauopathies. True prions stably maintain unique conformations ("strains") in vivo that link structure to patterns of pathology. We now find that tau meets this criterion. Stably expressed tau repeat domain indefinitely propagates distinct amyloid conformations in a clonal fashion in culture. Reintroduction of tau from these lines into naive cells reestablishes identical clones. We produced two strains in vitro that induce distinct pathologies in vivo as determined by successive inoculations into three generations of transgenic mice. Immunopurified tau from these mice recreates the original strains in culture. We used the cell system to isolate tau strains from 29 patients with 5 different tauopathies, finding that different diseases are associated with different sets of strains. Tau thus demonstrates essential characteristics of a prion. This might explain the phenotypic diversity of tauopathies and could enable more effective diagnosis and therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W Sanders
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63105, USA
| | - Sarah K Kaufman
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63105, USA
| | - Sarah L DeVos
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63105, USA
| | - Apurwa M Sharma
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63105, USA
| | - Hilda Mirbaha
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63105, USA
| | - Aimin Li
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63105, USA
| | - Scarlett J Barker
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63105, USA
| | - Alex C Foley
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Julian R Thorpe
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Louise C Serpell
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Timothy M Miller
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63105, USA
| | - Lea T Grinberg
- Department of Neurology and Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - William W Seeley
- Department of Neurology and Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Marc I Diamond
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63105, USA.
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45
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Cell-to-cell transmission of pathogenic proteins in neurodegenerative diseases. Nat Med 2014; 20:130-8. [PMID: 24504409 DOI: 10.1038/nm.3457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 464] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2013] [Accepted: 12/19/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
A common feature of many neurodegenerative diseases is the deposition of β-sheet-rich amyloid aggregates formed by proteins specific to these diseases. These protein aggregates are thought to cause neuronal dysfunction, directly or indirectly. Recent studies have strongly implicated cell-to-cell transmission of misfolded proteins as a common mechanism for the onset and progression of various neurodegenerative disorders. Emerging evidence also suggests the presence of conformationally diverse 'strains' of each type of disease protein, which may be another shared feature of amyloid aggregates, accounting for the tremendous heterogeneity within each type of neurodegenerative disease. Although there are many more questions to be answered, these studies have opened up new avenues for therapeutic interventions in neurodegenerative disorders.
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Guo JL, Lee VMY. Neurofibrillary tangle-like tau pathology induced by synthetic tau fibrils in primary neurons over-expressing mutant tau. FEBS Lett 2013; 587:717-23. [PMID: 23395797 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2013.01.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2012] [Revised: 01/23/2013] [Accepted: 01/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Increasing evidence demonstrates the transmissibility of fibrillar species of tau protein, but this has never been directly tested in neurons, the cell type most affected by formation of tau inclusions in neurodegenerative tauopathies. Here we show that synthetic tau fibrils made from recombinant protein not only time-dependently recruit normal tau into neurofibrillary tangle-like insoluble aggregates in primary hippocampal neurons over-expressing human tau, but also induce neuritic tau pathology in non-transgenic neurons. This study provides highly compelling support for the protein-only hypothesis of pathological tau transmission in primary neurons and describes a useful neuronal model for studying the pathogenesis of tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing L Guo
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute on Aging and Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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Human P301L-mutant tau expression in mouse entorhinal-hippocampal network causes tau aggregation and presynaptic pathology but no cognitive deficits. PLoS One 2012; 7:e45881. [PMID: 23029293 PMCID: PMC3454317 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0045881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2012] [Accepted: 08/22/2012] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau in the entorhinal cortex (EC) is one of the earliest pathological hallmarks in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It can occur before significant Aβ deposition and appears to “spread” into anatomically connected brain regions. To determine whether this early-stage pathology is sufficient to cause disease progression and cognitive decline in experimental models, we overexpressed mutant human tau (hTauP301L) predominantly in layer II/III neurons of the mouse EC. Cognitive functions remained normal in mice at 4, 8, 12 and 16 months of age, despite early and extensive tau accumulation in the EC. Perforant path (PP) axon terminals within the dentate gyrus (DG) contained abnormal conformations of tau even in young EC-hTau mice, and phosphorylated tau increased with age in both the EC and PP. In old mice, ultrastructural alterations in presynaptic terminals were observed at PP-to-granule cell synapses. Phosphorylated tau was more abundant in presynaptic than postsynaptic elements. Human and pathological tau was also detected within hippocampal neurons of this mouse model. Thus, hTauP301L accumulation predominantly in the EC and related presynaptic pathology in hippocampal circuits was not sufficient to cause robust cognitive deficits within the age range analyzed here.
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48
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Abstract
We describe our efforts to combine in vitro enzymatic reactions with recombinant kinases to phosphorylate the neuronal tau protein, and NMR spectroscopy to unravel the resulting phosphorylation pattern in both qualitative and quantitative manners. This approach, followed by functional assays with the same samples, gives access to the complex phosphorylation code of tau. As a result, we propose a novel hypothesis for the link between tau (hyper)phosphorylation and aggregation.
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Siddiqua A, Luo Y, Meyer V, Swanson MA, Yu X, Wei G, Zheng J, Eaton GR, Ma B, Nussinov R, Eaton SS, Margittai M. Conformational basis for asymmetric seeding barrier in filaments of three- and four-repeat tau. J Am Chem Soc 2012; 134:10271-8. [PMID: 22656332 PMCID: PMC3381011 DOI: 10.1021/ja303498q] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Tau pathology in Alzheimer's disease is intimately linked to the deposition of proteinacious filaments, which akin to infectious prions, have been proposed to spread via seeded conversion. Here we use double electron-electron resonance (DEER) spectroscopy in combination with extensive computational analysis to show that filaments of three- (3R) and four-repeat (4R) tau are conformationally distinct. Distance measurements between spin labels in the third repeat, reveal tau amyloid filaments as ensembles of known β-strand-turn-β-strand U-turn motifs. Whereas filaments seeded with 3R tau are structurally homogeneous, filaments seeded with 4R tau are heterogeneous, composed of at least three distinct conformers. These findings establish a molecular basis for the seeding barrier between different tau isoforms and offer a new powerful approach for investigating the composition and dynamics of amyloid fibril ensembles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayisha Siddiqua
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado 80208, USA
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50
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Abstract
Intracellular filamentous inclusions composed of amyloid-like proteins are common neuropathological features of many neurodegenerative disorders. Although the extent of the abnormal protein pathologies is closely correlated with the disease progression, little attention has been given to the molecular mechanisms to explain how these pathological proteins spread. We developed a novel method for introducing amyloid seeds into cells, and presented experimental evidence of seed-dependent polymerization, leading to the formation of filamentous protein deposits and cell death. Overexpression of alpha-synuclein itself does not generate abnormal inclusions, but if fibril seeds are introduced, abundant alpha-synuclein inclusions positive for PSer129 and ubiquitin are developed, and the cells undergo cell death. This was also clearly demonstrated in cells expressing different tau isoforms by introducing the corresponding tau fibril seeds. These results obtained from biochemical analyses of abnormal proteins in patients strongly suggest that amyloid-like proteins, including tau, alpha-synuclein and TDP-43, propagate from cell to cell and this propagation is the cause of disease progression, analogously to metastasis of cancer cells to multiple different tissues in cancer progression. From this point of view, I have proposed as a hypothesis that neurodegenerative diseases with amyloid-like proteins can be regarded as "protein cancers".
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Affiliation(s)
- Masato Hasegawa
- Department of Neuropathology and Cell Biology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science
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