1
|
Costa T, Premi E, Borroni B, Manuello J, Cauda F, Duca S, Liloia D. Local functional connectivity abnormalities in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: A meta-analytic investigation using minimum Bayes factor activation likelihood estimation. Neuroimage 2024; 298:120798. [PMID: 39153521 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120798] [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] [Received: 04/24/2024] [Revised: 08/13/2024] [Accepted: 08/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging research employing regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis has uncovered aberrant local brain connectivity in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) in comparison with healthy controls. However, the precise localization, extent, and possible overlap of these aberrations are still not fully understood. To bridge this gap, we applied a novel meta-analytic and Bayesian method (minimum Bayes Factor Activation Likelihood Estimation, mBF-ALE) for a systematic exploration of local functional connectivity alterations in MCI and AD brains. We extracted ReHo data via a standardized MEDLINE database search, which included 35 peer-reviewed experiments, 1,256 individuals with AD or MCI, 1,118 healthy controls, and 205 x-y-z coordinates of ReHo variation. We then separated the data into two distinct datasets: one for MCI and the other for AD. Two mBF-ALE analyses were conducted, thresholded at "very strong evidence" (mBF ≥ 150), with a minimum cluster size of 200 mm³. We also assessed the spatial consistency and sensitivity of our Bayesian results using the canonical version of the ALE algorithm. For MCI, we observed two clusters of ReHo decrease and one of ReHo increase. Decreased local connectivity was notable in the left precuneus (Brodmann area - BA 7) and left inferior temporal gyrus (BA 20), while increased connectivity was evident in the right parahippocampal gyrus (BA 36). The canonical ALE confirmed these locations, except for the inferior temporal gyrus. In AD, one cluster each of ReHo decrease and increase were found, with decreased connectivity in the right posterior cingulate cortex (BA 30 extending to BA 23) and increased connectivity in the left posterior cingulate cortex (BA 31). These locations were confirmed by the canonical ALE. The identification of these distinct functional connectivity patterns sheds new light on the complex pathophysiology of MCI and AD, offering promising directions for future neuroimaging-based interventions. Additionally, the use of a Bayesian framework for statistical thresholding enhances the robustness of neuroimaging meta-analyses, broadening its applicability to small datasets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tommaso Costa
- GCS-fMRI, Koelliker Hospital and Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; Functional Neuroimaging and Complex Neural Systems (FOCUS) Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; Neuroscience Institute of Turin (NIT), Turin, Italy.
| | - Enrico Premi
- Stroke Unit, Department of Neurological and Vision Sciences, ASST Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy
| | - Barbara Borroni
- Cognitive and Behavioural Neurology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Italy
| | - Jordi Manuello
- GCS-fMRI, Koelliker Hospital and Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; Functional Neuroimaging and Complex Neural Systems (FOCUS) Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Franco Cauda
- GCS-fMRI, Koelliker Hospital and Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; Functional Neuroimaging and Complex Neural Systems (FOCUS) Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; Neuroscience Institute of Turin (NIT), Turin, Italy
| | - Sergio Duca
- GCS-fMRI, Koelliker Hospital and Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; Functional Neuroimaging and Complex Neural Systems (FOCUS) Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Donato Liloia
- GCS-fMRI, Koelliker Hospital and Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; Functional Neuroimaging and Complex Neural Systems (FOCUS) Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Edgerton-Fulton M, Abdul Y, Jamil S, Ergul A. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) contributes to senescence and phenotypic changes in brain pericytes in diabetes-mimicking conditions. Clin Sci (Lond) 2024; 138:1009-1022. [PMID: 39106080 DOI: 10.1042/cs20240328] [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: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 08/03/2024] [Accepted: 08/06/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
Diabetes mediates endothelial dysfunction and increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Diabetes also dysregulates the ET system. ET-1-mediated constriction of brain microvascular pericytes (BMVPCs) has been shown to contribute to brain hypoperfusion. Cellular senescence, a process that arrests the proliferation of harmful cells and instigates phenotypical changes and proinflammatory responses in endothelial cells that impact their survival and function. Thus, we hypothesized that ET-1 mediates BMVPC senescence and phenotypical changes in diabetes-like conditions. Human BMVPCs were incubated in diabetes-like conditions with or without ET-1 (1 µmol/L) for 3 and 7 days. Hydrogen peroxide (100 µmol/L H2O2) was used as a positive control for senescence and to mimic ischemic conditions. Cells were stained for senescence-associated β-galactosidase or processed for immunoblotting and quantitative real-time PCR analyses. In additional experiments, cells were stimulated with ET-1 in the presence or absence of ETA receptor antagonist BQ-123 (20 μmol/L) or ETB receptor antagonist BQ-788 (20 μmol/L). ET-1 stimulation increased β-galactosidase accumulation which was prevented by BQ-123. ET-1 also increased traditional senescence marker p16 protein and pericyte-specific senescence markers, TGFB1i1, PP1CA, and IGFBP7. Furthermore, ET-1 stimulated contractile protein α-SMA and microglial marker ostepontin in high glucose suggesting a shift toward an ensheathing or microglia-like phenotype. In conclusion, ET-1 triggers senescence, alters ETA and ETB receptors, and causes phenotypical changes in BMVPCs under diabetes-like conditions. These in vitro findings need to be further studied in vivo to establish the role of ETA receptors in the progression of pericyte senescence and phenotypical changes in VCID.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mia Edgerton-Fulton
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, U.S.A
| | - Yasir Abdul
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, U.S.A
| | - Sarah Jamil
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, U.S.A
| | - Adviye Ergul
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, U.S.A
- Ralph H Johnson VA Health Care System, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, U.S.A
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Zhou TD, Zhang Z, Balachandrasekaran A, Raji CA, Becker JT, Kuller LH, Ge Y, Lopez OL, Dai W, Gach HM. Prospective Longitudinal Perfusion in Probable Alzheimer's Disease Correlated with Atrophy in Temporal Lobe. Aging Dis 2024; 15:1855-1871. [PMID: 37196135 PMCID: PMC11272196 DOI: 10.14336/ad.2023.0430] [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: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Reduced cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the temporoparietal region and gray matter volumes (GMVs) in the temporal lobe were previously reported in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the temporal relationship between reductions in CBF and GMVs requires further investigation. This study sought to determine if reduced CBF is associated with reduced GMVs, or vice versa. Data came from 148 volunteers of the Cardiovascular Health Study Cognition Study (CHS-CS), including 58 normal controls (NC), 50 MCI, and 40 AD who had perfusion and structural MRIs during 2002-2003 (Time 2). Sixty-three of the 148 volunteers had follow-up perfusion and structural MRIs (Time 3). Forty out of the 63 volunteers received prior structural MRIs during 1997-1999 (Time 1). The relationships between GMVs and subsequent CBF changes, and between CBF and subsequent GMV changes were investigated. At Time 2, we observed smaller GMVs (p<0.05) in the temporal pole region in AD compared to NC and MCI. We also found associations between: (1) temporal pole GMVs at Time 2 and subsequent declines in CBF in this region (p=0.0014) and in the temporoparietal region (p=0.0032); (2) hippocampal GMVs at Time 2 and subsequent declines in CBF in the temporoparietal region (p=0.012); and (3) temporal pole CBF at Time 2 and subsequent changes in GMV in this region (p = 0.011). Therefore, hypoperfusion in the temporal pole may be an early event driving its atrophy. Perfusion declines in the temporoparietal and temporal pole follow atrophy in this temporal pole region.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tony D Zhou
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA.
| | - Zongpai Zhang
- Computer Science, State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA.
| | | | - Cyrus A Raji
- Departments of Radiology and Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA.
| | - James T Becker
- Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
| | - Lewis H Kuller
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
| | - Yulin Ge
- Department of Radiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
| | - Oscar L Lopez
- Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
| | - Weiying Dai
- Computer Science, State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA.
| | - H. Michael Gach
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA.
- Departments of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Tayler HM, Skrobot OA, Baron DH, Kehoe PG, Miners JS. Dysregulation of the renin-angiotensin system in vascular dementia. Brain Pathol 2024; 34:e13251. [PMID: 38454306 PMCID: PMC11189771 DOI: 10.1111/bpa.13251] [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: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) regulates systemic and cerebral blood flow and is dysregulated in dementia. The major aim of this study was to determine if RAS signalling is dysregulated in vascular dementia. We measured markers of RAS signalling in white matter underlying the frontal and occipital cortex in neuropathologically confirmed cases of vascular dementia (n = 42), Alzheimer's disease (n = 50), mixed AD/VaD (n = 50) and age-matched controls (n = 50). All cases were stratified according to small vessel disease (SVD) severity across both regions. ACE-1 and ACE-2 protein and activity was measured by ELISA and fluorogenic peptide assays respectively, and angiotensin peptide (Ang-II, Ang-III and Ang-(1-7)) levels were measured by ELISA. ACE-1 protein level and enzyme activity, and Ang-II and Ang-III, were elevated in the white matter in vascular dementia in relation to SVD severity. ACE-1 and Ang-II protein levels were inversely related to MAG:PLP1 ratio, a biochemical marker of brain tissue oxygenation that when reduced indicates cerebral hypoperfusion, in a subset of cases. ACE-2 level was elevated in frontal white matter in vascular dementia. Ang-(1-7) level was elevated across all dementia groups compared to age-matched controls but was not related to SVD severity. RAS signalling was not altered in the white matter in Alzheimer's disease. In the overlying frontal cortex, ACE-1 protein was reduced and ACE-2 protein increased in vascular dementia, whereas angiotensin peptide levels were unchanged. These data indicate that RAS signalling is dysregulated in the white matter in vascular dementia and may contribute to the pathogenesis of small vessel disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- H. M. Tayler
- Dementia Research Group, Bristol Medical SchoolUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | - O. A. Skrobot
- Dementia Research Group, Bristol Medical SchoolUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | - D. H. Baron
- Dementia Research Group, Bristol Medical SchoolUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | - P. G. Kehoe
- Dementia Research Group, Bristol Medical SchoolUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | - J. S. Miners
- Dementia Research Group, Bristol Medical SchoolUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Yang HS, Yau WYW, Carlyle BC, Trombetta BA, Zhang C, Shirzadi Z, Schultz AP, Pruzin JJ, Fitzpatrick CD, Kirn DR, Rabin JS, Buckley RF, Hohman TJ, Rentz DM, Tanzi RE, Johnson KA, Sperling RA, Arnold SE, Chhatwal JP. Plasma VEGFA and PGF impact longitudinal tau and cognition in preclinical Alzheimer's disease. Brain 2024; 147:2158-2168. [PMID: 38315899 PMCID: PMC11146430 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awae034] [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: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Vascular dysfunction is increasingly recognized as an important contributor to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Alterations in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathways have been implicated as potential mechanisms. However, the specific impact of VEGF proteins in preclinical Alzheimer's disease and their relationships with other Alzheimer's disease and vascular pathologies during this critical early period remain to be elucidated. We included 317 older adults from the Harvard Aging Brain Study, a cohort of individuals who were cognitively unimpaired at baseline and followed longitudinally for up to 12 years. Baseline VEGF family protein levels (VEGFA, VEGFC, VEGFD, PGF and FLT1) were measured in fasting plasma using high-sensitivity immunoassays. Using linear mixed effects models, we examined the interactive effects of baseline plasma VEGF proteins and amyloid PET burden (Pittsburgh Compound-B) on longitudinal cognition (Preclinical Alzheimer Cognitive Composite-5). We further investigated if effects on cognition were mediated by early neocortical tau accumulation (flortaucipir PET burden in the inferior temporal cortex) or hippocampal atrophy. Lastly, we examined the impact of adjusting for baseline cardiovascular risk score or white matter hyperintensity volume. Baseline plasma VEGFA and PGF each showed a significant interaction with amyloid burden on prospective cognitive decline. Specifically, low VEGFA and high PGF were associated with greater cognitive decline in individuals with elevated amyloid, i.e. those on the Alzheimer's disease continuum. Concordantly, low VEGFA and high PGF were associated with accelerated longitudinal tau accumulation in those with elevated amyloid. Moderated mediation analyses confirmed that accelerated tau accumulation fully mediated the effects of low VEGFA and partially mediated (31%) the effects of high PGF on faster amyloid-related cognitive decline. The effects of VEGFA and PGF on tau and cognition remained significant after adjusting for cardiovascular risk score or white matter hyperintensity volume. There were concordant but non-significant associations with longitudinal hippocampal atrophy. Together, our findings implicate low VEGFA and high PGF in accelerating early neocortical tau pathology and cognitive decline in preclinical Alzheimer's disease. Additionally, our results underscore the potential of these minimally-invasive plasma biomarkers to inform the risk of Alzheimer's disease progression in the preclinical population. Importantly, VEGFA and PGF appear to capture distinct effects from vascular risks and cerebrovascular injury. This highlights their potential as new therapeutic targets, in combination with anti-amyloid and traditional vascular risk reduction therapies, to slow the trajectory of preclinical Alzheimer's disease and delay or prevent the onset of cognitive decline.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hyun-Sik Yang
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Wai-Ying Wendy Yau
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Becky C Carlyle
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Alzheimer’s Clinical and Translational Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK
| | - Bianca A Trombetta
- Alzheimer’s Clinical and Translational Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Can Zhang
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Alzheimer’s Clinical and Translational Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Genetics and Aging Research Unit, McCance Center for Brain Health, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Zahra Shirzadi
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Aaron P Schultz
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Jeremy J Pruzin
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurology, Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, Phoenix, AZ 85006, USA
| | | | - Dylan R Kirn
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jennifer S Rabin
- Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation and Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1V7, Canada
| | - Rachel F Buckley
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Timothy J Hohman
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Dorene M Rentz
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Rudolph E Tanzi
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Genetics and Aging Research Unit, McCance Center for Brain Health, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Keith A Johnson
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Reisa A Sperling
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Steven E Arnold
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Alzheimer’s Clinical and Translational Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Jasmeer P Chhatwal
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Abyadeh M, Gupta V, Paulo JA, Mahmoudabad AG, Shadfar S, Mirshahvaladi S, Gupta V, Nguyen CTO, Finkelstein DI, You Y, Haynes PA, Salekdeh GH, Graham SL, Mirzaei M. Amyloid-beta and tau protein beyond Alzheimer's disease. Neural Regen Res 2024; 19:1262-1276. [PMID: 37905874 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.386406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT The aggregation of amyloid-beta peptide and tau protein dysregulation are implicated to play key roles in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis and are considered the main pathological hallmarks of this devastating disease. Physiologically, these two proteins are produced and expressed within the normal human body. However, under pathological conditions, abnormal expression, post-translational modifications, conformational changes, and truncation can make these proteins prone to aggregation, triggering specific disease-related cascades. Recent studies have indicated associations between aberrant behavior of amyloid-beta and tau proteins and various neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, as well as retinal neurodegenerative diseases like Glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. Additionally, these proteins have been linked to cardiovascular disease, cancer, traumatic brain injury, and diabetes, which are all leading causes of morbidity and mortality. In this comprehensive review, we provide an overview of the connections between amyloid-beta and tau proteins and a spectrum of disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Vivek Gupta
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Joao A Paulo
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Sina Shadfar
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Shahab Mirshahvaladi
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Veer Gupta
- School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Christine T O Nguyen
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - David I Finkelstein
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Yuyi You
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Paul A Haynes
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW, Australia
| | - Ghasem H Salekdeh
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW, Australia
| | - Stuart L Graham
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Mehdi Mirzaei
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Wu Y, Libby JB, Dumitrescu L, De Jager PL, Menon V, Schneider JA, Bennett DA, Hohman TJ. Association of 10 VEGF Family Genes with Alzheimer's Disease Endophenotypes at Single Cell Resolution. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.12.589221. [PMID: 38826287 PMCID: PMC11142115 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.12.589221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
The cell-type specific role of the vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is not well characterized. In this study, we utilized a single-nucleus RNA sequencing dataset from Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLFPC) of 424 donors from the Religious Orders Study and Memory and Aging Project (ROS/MAP) to investigate the effect of 10 VEGF genes ( VEGFA, VEGFB, VEGFC, VEGFD, PGF, FLT1, FLT4, KDR, NRP1 , and NRP2 ) on AD endophenotypes. Mean age of death was 89 years, among which 68% were females, and 52% has AD dementia. Negative binomial mixed models were used for differential expression analysis and for association analysis with β-amyloid load, PHF tau tangle density, and both cross-sectional and longitudinal global cognitive function. Intercellular VEGF-associated signaling was profiled using CellChat. We discovered prefrontal cortical FLT1 expression was upregulated in AD brains in both endothelial and microglial cells. Higher FLT1 expression was also associated with worse cross-sectional global cognitive function, longitudinal cognitive trajectories, and β-amyloid load. Similarly, higher endothelial FLT4 expression was associated with more β-amyloid load. In contrast to the receptors, VEGFB showed opposing effects on β-amyloid load whereby higher levels in oligodendrocytes was associated with high amyloid burden, while higher levels in inhibitory neurons was associated with lower amyloid burden. Finally, AD cells showed significant reduction in overall VEGF signaling comparing to those from cognitive normal participants. Our results highlight key changes in VEGF receptor expression in endothelial and microglial cells during AD, and the potential protective role of VEGFB in neurons.
Collapse
|
8
|
Carey A, Parodi‐Rullan R, Vazquez‐Torres R, Canepa E, Fossati S. Homocysteine potentiates amyloid β -induced death receptor 4- and 5-mediated cerebral endothelial cell apoptosis, blood brain barrier dysfunction and angiogenic impairment. Aging Cell 2024; 23:e14106. [PMID: 38358083 PMCID: PMC11113365 DOI: 10.1111/acel.14106] [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: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Cerebrovascular dysfunction has been implicated as a major contributor to Alzheimer's Disease (AD) pathology, with cerebral endothelial cell (cEC) stress promoting ischemia, cerebral-blood flow impairments and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. Recent evidence suggests that cardiovascular (CV)/cerebrovascular risk factors, including hyperhomocysteinemia (Hhcy), exacerbate AD pathology and risk. Yet, the underlying molecular mechanisms for this interaction remain unclear. Our lab has demonstrated that amyloid beta 40 (Aβ40) species, and particularly Aβ40-E22Q (AβQ22; vasculotropic Dutch mutant), promote death receptor 4 and 5 (DR4/DR5)-mediated apoptosis in human cECs, barrier permeability, and angiogenic impairment. Previous studies show that Hhcy also induces EC dysfunction, but it remains unknown whether Aβ and homocysteine function through common molecular mechanisms. We tested the hypotheses that Hhcy exacerbates Aβ-induced cEC DR4/5-mediated apoptosis, barrier dysfunction, and angiogenesis defects. This study was the first to demonstrate that Hhcy specifically potentiates AβQ22-mediated activation of the DR4/5-mediated extrinsic apoptotic pathway in cECs, including DR4/5 expression, caspase 8/9/3 activation, cytochrome-c release and DNA fragmentation. Additionally, we revealed that Hhcy intensifies the deregulation of the same cEC junction proteins mediated by Aβ, precipitating BBB permeability. Furthermore, Hhcy and AβQ22, impairing VEGF-A/VEGFR2 signaling and VEGFR2 endosomal trafficking, additively decrease cEC angiogenic capabilities. Overall, these results show that the presence of the CV risk factor Hhcy exacerbates Aβ-induced cEC apoptosis, barrier dysfunction, and angiogenic impairment. This study reveals specific mechanisms through which amyloidosis and Hhcy jointly operate to produce brain EC dysfunction and death, highlighting new potential molecular targets against vascular pathology in comorbid AD/CAA and Hhcy conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ashley Carey
- Department of Neural Sciences, Alzheimer's Center at TempleTemple University Lewis Katz School of MedicinePhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Rebecca Parodi‐Rullan
- Department of Neural Sciences, Alzheimer's Center at TempleTemple University Lewis Katz School of MedicinePhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Rafael Vazquez‐Torres
- Department of Neural Sciences, Alzheimer's Center at TempleTemple University Lewis Katz School of MedicinePhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Elisa Canepa
- Department of Neural Sciences, Alzheimer's Center at TempleTemple University Lewis Katz School of MedicinePhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Silvia Fossati
- Department of Neural Sciences, Alzheimer's Center at TempleTemple University Lewis Katz School of MedicinePhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Tsartsalis S, Sleven H, Fancy N, Wessely F, Smith AM, Willumsen N, Cheung TKD, Rokicki MJ, Chau V, Ifie E, Khozoie C, Ansorge O, Yang X, Jenkyns MH, Davey K, McGarry A, Muirhead RCJ, Debette S, Jackson JS, Montagne A, Owen DR, Miners JS, Love S, Webber C, Cader MZ, Matthews PM. A single nuclear transcriptomic characterisation of mechanisms responsible for impaired angiogenesis and blood-brain barrier function in Alzheimer's disease. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2243. [PMID: 38472200 PMCID: PMC10933340 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46630-z] [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: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Brain perfusion and blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity are reduced early in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We performed single nucleus RNA sequencing of vascular cells isolated from AD and non-diseased control brains to characterise pathological transcriptional signatures responsible for this. We show that endothelial cells (EC) are enriched for expression of genes associated with susceptibility to AD. Increased β-amyloid is associated with BBB impairment and a dysfunctional angiogenic response related to a failure of increased pro-angiogenic HIF1A to increased VEGFA signalling to EC. This is associated with vascular inflammatory activation, EC senescence and apoptosis. Our genomic dissection of vascular cell risk gene enrichment provides evidence for a role of EC pathology in AD and suggests that reducing vascular inflammatory activation and restoring effective angiogenesis could reduce vascular dysfunction contributing to the genesis or progression of early AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stergios Tsartsalis
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Hannah Sleven
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Sherrington Road, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Nurun Fancy
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute Centre, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Frank Wessely
- UK Dementia Research Institute Centre, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Amy M Smith
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute Centre, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Centre for Brain Research and Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Nanet Willumsen
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute Centre, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - To Ka Dorcas Cheung
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute Centre, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Michal J Rokicki
- UK Dementia Research Institute Centre, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Vicky Chau
- UK Dementia Research Institute Centre, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Eseoghene Ifie
- Neuropathology Unit, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Combiz Khozoie
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute Centre, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Olaf Ansorge
- Neuropathology Unit, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Xin Yang
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
- St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Marion H Jenkyns
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Karen Davey
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute Centre, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Aisling McGarry
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute Centre, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Robert C J Muirhead
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute Centre, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Stephanie Debette
- University of Bordeaux, Inserm, Bordeaux Population Health Research Center, Team ELEANOR, UMR 1219, 33000, Bordeaux, France
| | - Johanna S Jackson
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute Centre, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Axel Montagne
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, and UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4SB, UK
| | - David R Owen
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - J Scott Miners
- Dementia Research Group, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Seth Love
- Dementia Research Group, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Caleb Webber
- UK Dementia Research Institute Centre, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - M Zameel Cader
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Sherrington Road, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Paul M Matthews
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK.
- UK Dementia Research Institute Centre, Imperial College London, London, UK.
- St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Ali M, Garcia P, Lunkes LP, Sciortino A, Thomas M, Heurtaux T, Grzyb K, Halder R, Coowar D, Skupin A, Buée L, Blum D, Buttini M, Glaab E. Single cell transcriptome analysis of the THY-Tau22 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease reveals sex-dependent dysregulations. Cell Death Discov 2024; 10:119. [PMID: 38453894 PMCID: PMC10920792 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-024-01885-9] [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: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression and pathology show pronounced sex differences, but the factors driving these remain poorly understood. To gain insights into early AD-associated molecular changes and their sex dependency for tau pathology in the cortex, we performed single-cell RNA-seq in the THY-Tau22 AD mouse model. By examining cell type-specific and cell type-agnostic AD-related gene activity changes and their sex-dimorphism for individual genes, pathways and cellular sub-networks, we identified both statistically significant alterations and interpreted the upstream mechanisms controlling them. Our results confirm several significant sex-dependent alterations in gene activity in the THY-Tau22 model mice compared to controls, with more pronounced alterations in females. Both changes shared across multiple cell types and cell type-specific changes were observed. The differential genes showed significant over-representation of known AD-relevant processes, such as pathways associated with neuronal differentiation, programmed cell death and inflammatory responses. Regulatory network analysis of these genes revealed upstream regulators that modulate many of the downstream targets with sex-dependent changes. Most key regulators have been previously implicated in AD, such as Egr1, Klf4, Chchd2, complement system genes, and myelin-associated glycoproteins. Comparing with similar data from the Tg2576 AD mouse model and human AD patients, we identified multiple genes with consistent, cell type-specific and sex-dependent alterations across all three datasets. These shared changes were particularly evident in the expression of myelin-associated genes such as Mbp and Plp1 in oligodendrocytes. In summary, we observed significant cell type-specific transcriptomic changes in the THY-Tau22 mouse model, with a strong over-representation of known AD-associated genes and processes. These include both sex-neutral and sex-specific patterns, characterized by consistent shifts in upstream master regulators and downstream target genes. Collectively, these findings provide insights into mechanisms influencing sex-specific susceptibility to AD and reveal key regulatory proteins that could be targeted for developing treatments addressing sex-dependent AD pathology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Ali
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 7 avenue des Hauts Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Pierre Garcia
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 7 avenue des Hauts Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Laetitia P Lunkes
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 7 avenue des Hauts Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Alessia Sciortino
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 7 avenue des Hauts Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Melanie Thomas
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 7 avenue des Hauts Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Tony Heurtaux
- Department of Life Sciences and Medicine (DLSM), University of Luxembourg, 8 avenue du Swing, L-4367, Belvaux, Luxembourg
- Luxembourg Center of Neuropathology, L-3555, Dudelange, Luxembourg
| | - Kamil Grzyb
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 7 avenue des Hauts Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Rashi Halder
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 7 avenue des Hauts Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Djalil Coowar
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 7 avenue des Hauts Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Alex Skupin
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 7 avenue des Hauts Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Luc Buée
- University of Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, UMR-S1172 Lille Neuroscience & Cognition (LilNCog), Lille, France
- Alzheimer and Tauopathies, LabEx DISTALZ, Lille, France
| | - David Blum
- University of Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, UMR-S1172 Lille Neuroscience & Cognition (LilNCog), Lille, France
- Alzheimer and Tauopathies, LabEx DISTALZ, Lille, France
| | - Manuel Buttini
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 7 avenue des Hauts Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Enrico Glaab
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 7 avenue des Hauts Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Ye Z, Zeng Q, Ning L, Huang W, Su Q. Systolic blood pressure is associated with abnormal alterations in brain cortical structure: Evidence from a Mendelian randomization study. Eur J Intern Med 2024; 120:92-98. [PMID: 37852841 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejim.2023.10.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Revised: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hypertension has been recognized as a significant risk factor for cerebrovascular diseases and cognitive decline. However, the specific impact of hypertension, systolic/diastolic blood pressure, pulse pressure (PP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) on brain cortical structure remains unclear. Mendelian randomization (MR) provides a robust approach to investigate the causal relationship between blood pressure components and brain cortical changes. METHODS In this MR study, data from large-scale genome-wide association studies for blood pressure components and neuroimaging were utilized to conduct our analyses. We leveraged genetic variants associated specifically with hypertension (122,620 cases and 332,683 controls), systolic (469,767 individuals), diastolic (490,469 individuals) blood pressure, PP (810,865 individuals) and MAP (over 1 million individuals) to evaluate their effects on brain cortex surficial area (51,665 individuals) and cortex thickness (51,665 individuals). RESULTS Our findings revealed a significant correlation between systolic blood pressure and abnormal reduction in brain cortex surficial area (β=-1330.69, 95% confident interval [CI]: -2655.35 to -6.02, p = 0.0489); however, no significant relationship was found between systolic blood pressure and brain cortex thickness (β=-0.0078, 95% CI: -0.0178 to 0.0022, p = 0.1287). Additionally, no significant associations were observed between hypertension (β=-200.05, p = 0.6884; β=-0.0051, p = 0.1179, respectively), diastolic blood pressure (β=-460.63, p = 0.5160; β=0.0047, p = 0.2448, respectively), PP (β=1041.84, p = 0.3725; β=-0.0112, p = 0.2212, respectively), MAP (β=-18.84, p = 0.8841; β=0.0002, p = 0.7654, respectively) and both brain cortex surficial area and brain cortex thickness. CONCLUSION Our MR study provides evidence supporting the hypothesis that systolic blood pressure, rather than diastolic blood pressure, PP or MAP, is associated with abnormal changes in brain cortical structure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ziliang Ye
- Department of Cardiology, Jiangbin Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, No. 85 Hedi Road, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
| | - Qing Zeng
- Department of Cardiology, Jiangbin Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, No. 85 Hedi Road, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
| | - Limeng Ning
- Department of Cardiology, Jiangbin Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, No. 85 Hedi Road, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
| | - Wanzhong Huang
- Department of Cardiology, Jiangbin Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, No. 85 Hedi Road, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
| | - Qiang Su
- Department of Cardiology, Jiangbin Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, No. 85 Hedi Road, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Ali M, Huarte OU, Heurtaux T, Garcia P, Rodriguez BP, Grzyb K, Halder R, Skupin A, Buttini M, Glaab E. Single-Cell Transcriptional Profiling and Gene Regulatory Network Modeling in Tg2576 Mice Reveal Gender-Dependent Molecular Features Preceding Alzheimer-Like Pathologies. Mol Neurobiol 2024; 61:541-566. [PMID: 35980567 PMCID: PMC10861719 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-022-02985-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) onset and progression is influenced by a complex interplay of several environmental and genetic factors, one of them gender. Pronounced gender differences have been observed both in the relative risk of developing AD and in clinical disease manifestations. A molecular level understanding of these gender disparities is still missing, but could provide important clues on cellular mechanisms modulating the disease and reveal new targets for gender-oriented disease-modifying precision therapies. We therefore present here a comprehensive single-cell analysis of disease-associated molecular gender differences in transcriptomics data from the neocortex, one of the brain regions most susceptible to AD, in one of the most widely used AD mouse models, the Tg2576 model. Cortical areas are also most commonly used in studies of post-mortem AD brains. To identify disease-linked molecular processes that occur before the onset of detectable neuropathology, we focused our analyses on an age with no detectable plaques and microgliosis. Cell-type specific alterations were investigated at the level of individual genes, pathways, and gene regulatory networks. The number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was not large enough to build context-specific gene regulatory networks for each individual cell type, and thus, we focused on the study of cell types with dominant changes and included analyses of changes across the combination of cell types. We observed significant disease-associated gender differences in cellular processes related to synapse organization and reactive oxygen species metabolism, and identified a limited set of transcription factors, including Egr1 and Klf6, as key regulators of many of the disease-associated and gender-dependent gene expression changes in the model. Overall, our analyses revealed significant cell-type specific gene expression changes in individual genes, pathways and sub-networks, including gender-specific and gender-dimorphic changes in both upstream transcription factors and their downstream targets, in the Tg2576 AD model before the onset of overt disease. This opens a window into molecular events that could determine gender-susceptibility to AD, and uncovers tractable target candidates for potential gender-specific precision medicine for AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Ali
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 7 avenue des Hauts Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
- School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNs), Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, 6200, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Oihane Uriarte Huarte
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 7 avenue des Hauts Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
- Luxembourg Center of Neuropathology (LCNP), L-3555, Dudelange, Luxembourg
| | - Tony Heurtaux
- Luxembourg Center of Neuropathology (LCNP), L-3555, Dudelange, Luxembourg
- Department of Life Sciences and Medicine (DLSM), University of Luxembourg, L‑4362, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Pierre Garcia
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 7 avenue des Hauts Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
- Luxembourg Center of Neuropathology (LCNP), L-3555, Dudelange, Luxembourg
| | - Beatriz Pardo Rodriguez
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 7 avenue des Hauts Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
- Luxembourg Center of Neuropathology (LCNP), L-3555, Dudelange, Luxembourg
- University of the Basque Country, Cell Biology and Histology Department, 48940, Leioa, Vizcaya, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Kamil Grzyb
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 7 avenue des Hauts Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Rashi Halder
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 7 avenue des Hauts Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Alexander Skupin
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 7 avenue des Hauts Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
- Department of Physics and Materials Science, University of Luxembourg, 162a av. de la Faïencerie, 1511, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
- Department of Neuroscience, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Manuel Buttini
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 7 avenue des Hauts Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
- Luxembourg Center of Neuropathology (LCNP), L-3555, Dudelange, Luxembourg
| | - Enrico Glaab
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 7 avenue des Hauts Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Zhang M, Zhang Z, Li H, Xia Y, Xing M, Xiao C, Cai W, Bu L, Li Y, Park TE, Tang Y, Ye X, Lin WJ. Blockage of VEGF function by bevacizumab alleviates early-stage cerebrovascular dysfunction and improves cognitive function in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Transl Neurodegener 2024; 13:1. [PMID: 38173017 PMCID: PMC10763201 DOI: 10.1186/s40035-023-00388-4] [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: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder and the predominant type of dementia worldwide. It is characterized by the progressive and irreversible decline of cognitive functions. In addition to the pathological beta-amyloid (Aβ) deposition, glial activation, and neuronal injury in the postmortem brains of AD patients, increasing evidence suggests that the often overlooked vascular dysfunction is an important early event in AD pathophysiology. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a critical role in regulating physiological functions and pathological changes in blood vessels, but whether VEGF is involved in the early stage of vascular pathology in AD remains unclear. METHODS We used an antiangiogenic agent for clinical cancer treatment, the humanized monoclonal anti-VEGF antibody bevacizumab, to block VEGF binding to its receptors in the 5×FAD mouse model at an early age. After treatment, memory performance was evaluated by a novel object recognition test, and cerebral vascular permeability and perfusion were examined by an Evans blue assay and blood flow scanning imaging analysis. Immunofluorescence staining was used to measure glial activation and Aβ deposits. VEGF and its receptors were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblotting. RNA sequencing was performed to elucidate bevacizumab-associated transcriptional signatures in the hippocampus of 5×FAD mice. RESULTS Bevacizumab treatment administered from 4 months of age dramatically improved cerebrovascular functions, reduced glial activation, and restored long-term memory in both sexes of 5×FAD mice. Notably, a sex-specific change in different VEGF receptors was identified in the cortex and hippocampus of 5×FAD mice. Soluble VEGFR1 was decreased in female mice, while full-length VEGFR2 was increased in male mice. Bevacizumab treatment reversed the altered expression of receptors to be comparable to the level in the wild-type mice. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis of transcriptomic changes revealed that bevacizumab effectively reversed the changes in the gene sets associated with blood-brain barrier integrity and vascular smooth muscle contraction in 5×FAD mice. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrated the mechanistic roles of VEGF at the early stage of amyloidopathy and the protective effects of bevacizumab on cerebrovascular function and memory performance in 5×FAD mice. These findings also suggest the therapeutic potential of bevacizumab for the early intervention of AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Min Zhang
- Brain Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Zhan Zhang
- Brain Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
- Department of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for RNA Medicine, Medical Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
- Nanhai Translational Innovation Center of Precision Immunology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Foshan, 528200, China
| | - Honghong Li
- Brain Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
- Department of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Yuting Xia
- Brain Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for RNA Medicine, Medical Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
- Nanhai Translational Innovation Center of Precision Immunology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Foshan, 528200, China
| | - Mengdan Xing
- Brain Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for RNA Medicine, Medical Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
- Nanhai Translational Innovation Center of Precision Immunology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Foshan, 528200, China
| | - Chuan Xiao
- Brain Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for RNA Medicine, Medical Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
- Nanhai Translational Innovation Center of Precision Immunology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Foshan, 528200, China
| | - Wenbao Cai
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Lulu Bu
- Brain Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
- Department of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Yi Li
- Brain Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
- Department of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Tae-Eun Park
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Information and Biotechnology, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Yamei Tang
- Brain Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
- Department of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for RNA Medicine, Medical Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
- Nanhai Translational Innovation Center of Precision Immunology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Foshan, 528200, China.
| | - Xiaojing Ye
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
| | - Wei-Jye Lin
- Brain Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for RNA Medicine, Medical Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
- Nanhai Translational Innovation Center of Precision Immunology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Foshan, 528200, China.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
de Gea P, Benkeder S, Bouvet P, Aimard M, Chounlamountri N, Honnorat J, Do LD, Meissirel C. VEGF controls microglial phagocytic response to amyloid-β. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1264402. [PMID: 38162003 PMCID: PMC10757340 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1264402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Microglial cells are well known to be implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), due to the impaired clearance of amyloid-β (Aβ) protein. In AD, Aβ accumulates in the brain parenchyma as soluble oligomers and protofibrils, and its aggregation process further give rise to amyloid plaques. Compelling evidence now indicate that Aβ oligomers (Aβo) are the most toxic forms responsible for neuronal and synaptic alterations. Recently, we showed that the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) counteracts Aβo-induced synaptic alterations and that a peptide derived from VEGF is able to inhibit Aβ aggregation process. Moreover, VEGF has been reported to promote microglial chemotaxis to Aβ brain deposits. We therefore investigated whether VEGF could influence microglial phagocytic response to Aβ, using in vitro and ex vivo models of amyloid accumulation. We report here that VEGF increases Aβo phagocytosis by microglial cells and further characterized the molecular basis of the VEGF effect. VEGF is able to control α-secretase activity in microglial cells, resulting in the increased cleavage of the Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid cells 2 (TREM2), a major microglial Aβ receptor. Consistently, the soluble form sTREM2 also increases Aβo phagocytosis by microglial cells. Taken together, these findings propose VEGF as a new regulator of Aβ clearance and suggest its potential role in rescuing compromised microglial function in AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Priscille de Gea
- Laboratory MeLIS, Institut Neuromyogène, Synaptopathies and Autoantibodies, INSERM U1314, CNRS UMR 5284, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Sarah Benkeder
- Laboratory MeLIS, Institut Neuromyogène, Synaptopathies and Autoantibodies, INSERM U1314, CNRS UMR 5284, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Pauline Bouvet
- Laboratory MeLIS, Institut Neuromyogène, Synaptopathies and Autoantibodies, INSERM U1314, CNRS UMR 5284, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Mélanie Aimard
- Laboratory MeLIS, Institut Neuromyogène, Synaptopathies and Autoantibodies, INSERM U1314, CNRS UMR 5284, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Naura Chounlamountri
- Laboratory MeLIS, Institut Neuromyogène, Synaptopathies and Autoantibodies, INSERM U1314, CNRS UMR 5284, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Jérôme Honnorat
- Laboratory MeLIS, Institut Neuromyogène, Synaptopathies and Autoantibodies, INSERM U1314, CNRS UMR 5284, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
- French Reference Center for Paraneoplastic Neurological Syndromes and Autoimmune Encephalitis, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Hôpital Neurologique Pierre Wertheimer, Bron, France
| | - Le Duy Do
- Laboratory MeLIS, Institut Neuromyogène, Synaptopathies and Autoantibodies, INSERM U1314, CNRS UMR 5284, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
- French Reference Center for Paraneoplastic Neurological Syndromes and Autoimmune Encephalitis, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Hôpital Neurologique Pierre Wertheimer, Bron, France
| | - Claire Meissirel
- Laboratory MeLIS, Institut Neuromyogène, Synaptopathies and Autoantibodies, INSERM U1314, CNRS UMR 5284, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Gouilly D, Rafiq M, Nogueira L, Salabert AS, Payoux P, Péran P, Pariente J. Beyond the amyloid cascade: An update of Alzheimer's disease pathophysiology. Rev Neurol (Paris) 2023; 179:812-830. [PMID: 36906457 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurol.2022.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 10/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multi-etiology disease. The biological system of AD is associated with multidomain genetic, molecular, cellular, and network brain dysfunctions, interacting with central and peripheral immunity. These dysfunctions have been primarily conceptualized according to the assumption that amyloid deposition in the brain, whether from a stochastic or a genetic accident, is the upstream pathological change. However, the arborescence of AD pathological changes suggests that a single amyloid pathway might be too restrictive or inconsistent with a cascading effect. In this review, we discuss the recent human studies of late-onset AD pathophysiology in an attempt to establish a general updated view focusing on the early stages. Several factors highlight heterogenous multi-cellular pathological changes in AD, which seem to work in a self-amplifying manner with amyloid and tau pathologies. Neuroinflammation has an increasing importance as a major pathological driver, and perhaps as a convergent biological basis of aging, genetic, lifestyle and environmental risk factors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D Gouilly
- Toulouse Neuroimaging Center, Toulouse, France.
| | - M Rafiq
- Toulouse Neuroimaging Center, Toulouse, France; Department of Cognitive Neurology, Epilepsy and Movement Disorders, CHU Toulouse Purpan, France
| | - L Nogueira
- Department of Cell Biology and Cytology, CHU Toulouse Purpan, France
| | - A-S Salabert
- Toulouse Neuroimaging Center, Toulouse, France; Department of Nuclear Medicine, CHU Toulouse Purpan, France
| | - P Payoux
- Toulouse Neuroimaging Center, Toulouse, France; Department of Nuclear Medicine, CHU Toulouse Purpan, France; Center of Clinical Investigation, CHU Toulouse Purpan (CIC1436), France
| | - P Péran
- Toulouse Neuroimaging Center, Toulouse, France
| | - J Pariente
- Toulouse Neuroimaging Center, Toulouse, France; Department of Cognitive Neurology, Epilepsy and Movement Disorders, CHU Toulouse Purpan, France; Center of Clinical Investigation, CHU Toulouse Purpan (CIC1436), France
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Pinky, Neha, Salman M, Kumar P, Khan MA, Jamal A, Parvez S. Age-related pathophysiological alterations in molecular stress markers and key modulators of hypoxia. Ageing Res Rev 2023; 90:102022. [PMID: 37490963 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2023.102022] [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] [Received: 04/09/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by an adverse cellular environment and pathological alterations in distinct brain regions. The development is triggered or facilitated by a condition such as hypoxia or ischemia, or inflammation and is associated with disruptions of fundamental cellular functions, including metabolic and ion homeostasis. Increasing evidence suggests that hypoxia may affect many pathological aspects of AD, including oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, ER stress, amyloidogenic processing of APP, and Aβ accumulation, which may collectively result in neurodegeneration. Further investigation into the relationship between hypoxia and AD may provide an avenue for the effective preservation and pharmacological treatment of this neurodegenerative disease. This review summarizes the effects of normoxia and hypoxia on AD pathogenesis and discusses the underlying mechanisms. Regulation of HIF-1α and the role of its key players, including P53, VEGF, and GLUT1, are also discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pinky
- Department of Toxicology, School of Chemical and Life Sciences, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi 110062, India.
| | - Neha
- Department of Toxicology, School of Chemical and Life Sciences, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi 110062, India.
| | - Mohd Salman
- Department of Toxicology, School of Chemical and Life Sciences, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi 110062, India.
| | - Pratika Kumar
- Department of Toxicology, School of Chemical and Life Sciences, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi 110062, India.
| | - Mohammad Ahmed Khan
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India.
| | - Azfar Jamal
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Al-Zulfi-, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia; Health and Basic Science Research Centre, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Suhel Parvez
- Department of Toxicology, School of Chemical and Life Sciences, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi 110062, India.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Emmerson JT, Do Carmo S, Liu Y, Shalhoub A, Liu A, Bonomo Q, Malcolm JC, Breuillaud L, Cuello AC. Progressive human-like tauopathy with downstream neurodegeneration and neurovascular compromise in a transgenic rat model. Neurobiol Dis 2023; 184:106227. [PMID: 37454780 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Tauopathies, including frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), clinically present with progressive cognitive decline and the deposition of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in the brain. Neurovascular compromise is also prevalent in AD and FTD however the relationship between tau and the neurovascular unit is less understood relative to other degenerative phenotypes. Current animal models confer the ability to recapitulate aspects of the CNS tauopathies, however, existing models either display overaggressive phenotypes, or do not develop neuronal loss or genuine neurofibrillary lesions. In this report, we communicate the longitudinal characterization of brain tauopathy in a novel transgenic rat model, coded McGill-R955-hTau. The model expresses the longest isoform of human P301S tau. Homozygous R955-hTau rats displayed a robust, progressive accumulation of mutated human tau leading to the detection of tau hyperphosphorylation and cognitive deficits accelerating from 14 months of age. This model features extensive tau hyperphosphorylation with endogenous tau recruitment, authentic neurofibrillary lesions, and tau-associated neuronal loss, ventricular dilation, decreased brain volume, and gliosis in aged rats. Further, we demonstrate how neurovascular integrity becomes compromised at aged life stages using a combination of electron microscopy, injection of the tracer horseradish peroxidase and immunohistochemical approaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joshua T Emmerson
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal H3G1Y6, Canada
| | - Sonia Do Carmo
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal H3G1Y6, Canada
| | - Yingying Liu
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal H3G1Y6, Canada
| | - Ali Shalhoub
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal H3A 0C7, Canada
| | - Ai Liu
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Quentin Bonomo
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Janice C Malcolm
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montreal H3A 0C7, Canada
| | - Lionel Breuillaud
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal H3G1Y6, Canada
| | - A Claudio Cuello
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal H3G1Y6, Canada; Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal H3A 1A1, Canada; Department of Pharmacology, Oxford University, Oxford OX13QT, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Yang H, Fan X, Shen X, Liang L, Hu D, Zhang Y, Liu L, Qian H. Correlation of blood pressure levels at different time periods throughout the day with total CSVD burden and MRI imaging markers. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1200846. [PMID: 37576008 PMCID: PMC10415676 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1200846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose Hypertension is an important risk factor for atherosclerotic cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). Higher blood pressure is associated with a higher CSVD burden and the presence of relevant magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers. However, the effect of blood pressure level on CSVD burden and imaging markers including white matter hyperintensity (WHM), lacune, enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS), and cerebral microbleed (CMB) remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between blood pressure level and CSVD burden at different time periods throughout the day. Methods In total, 144 in-patients with CSVD (66.4 ± 9.8 years, 50% male) were enrolled and underwent brain MRI, and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure was assessed. Patients were categorized into five groups according to their MRI-evaluated total CSVD burden scores (0-4). Spearman's correlation analysis was performed to examine the correlation between blood pressure levels at different time periods and the total CSVD score or the markers of periventricular WMH, deep WMH, lacune, EPVS, and CMB. Results Of the 144 patients, 83.3% (120/144) harbored one or more CSVD markers of interest. The systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 24-h, daytime, nighttime, and morning differed significantly among the five groups. The SBP levels increased significantly with the total CSVD scores during 24 h (P = 0.018), daytime (P = 0.018), and nighttime (P = 0.035). Spearman's correlation analysis demonstrated that the SBP of 24 h, daytime, nighttime, and morning and the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 24 h and morning positively and significantly correlated with the total CSVD score (P < 0.05). A logistic regression analysis indicated that both morning SBP and DBP were independent risk factors for total CSVD burden (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.02-1.23, P = 0.015; OR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.06-1.33, P = 0.005). Spearman's correlation analysis indicated a significant positive correlation between morning SBP and higher deep WMH Fazekas score (r = 0.296, P < 0.001), EPVS grade in the basal ganglia (r = 0.247, P = 0.003), and the presence of lacune (r = 0.173, P = 0.038) and CMB (r = 0.326, P < 0.001). Morning DBP only correlated positively with the presence of CMB (r = 0.292, P < 0.001). Conclusion Higher SBP signficantly correlated with total CSVD burden in patients with atherosclerotic CSVD. Early morning blood pressure level is an important indicator to reflect the severity of CSVD patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hua Yang
- Department of Neurology, The Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
- Navy Clinical College, The Fifth School of Clinical Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Xueyi Fan
- Department of Neurology, The Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
- School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiangyi Shen
- School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Li Liang
- Department of Neurology, The Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
- Navy Clinical College, The Fifth School of Clinical Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Dongyang Hu
- Department of Neurology, The Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yimo Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Li Liu
- Department of General Practice, The Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Hairong Qian
- Department of Neurology, The Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
- Navy Clinical College, The Fifth School of Clinical Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
- School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Jullienne A, Szu JI, Quan R, Trinh MV, Norouzi T, Noarbe BP, Bedwell AA, Eldridge K, Persohn SC, Territo PR, Obenaus A. Cortical cerebrovascular and metabolic perturbations in the 5xFAD mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Front Aging Neurosci 2023; 15:1220036. [PMID: 37533765 PMCID: PMC10392850 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1220036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The 5xFAD mouse is a popular model of familial Alzheimer's disease (AD) that is characterized by early beta-amyloid (Aβ) deposition and cognitive decrements. Despite numerous studies, the 5xFAD mouse has not been comprehensively phenotyped for vascular and metabolic perturbations over its lifespan. Methods Male and female 5xFAD and wild type (WT) littermates underwent in vivo 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging at 4, 6, and 12 months of age to assess regional glucose metabolism. A separate cohort of mice (4, 8, 12 months) underwent "vessel painting" which labels all cerebral vessels and were analyzed for vascular characteristics such as vessel density, junction density, vessel length, network complexity, number of collaterals, and vessel diameter. Results With increasing age, vessels on the cortical surface in both 5xFAD and WT mice showed increased vessel length, vessel and junction densities. The number of collateral vessels between the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and the anterior and posterior cerebral arteries decreased with age but collateral diameters were significantly increased only in 5xFAD mice. MCA total vessel length and junction density were decreased in 5xFAD mice compared to WT at 4 months. Analysis of 18F-FDG cortical uptake revealed significant differences between WT and 5xFAD mice spanning 4-12 months. Broadly, 5xFAD males had significantly increased 18F-FDG uptake at 12 months compared to WT mice. In most cortical regions, female 5xFAD mice had reduced 18F-FDG uptake compared to WT across their lifespan. Discussion While the 5xFAD mouse exhibits AD-like cognitive deficits as early as 4 months of age that are associated with increasing Aβ deposition, we only found significant differences in cortical vascular features in males, not in females. Interestingly, 5xFAD male and female mice exhibited opposite effects in 18F-FDG uptake. The MCA supplies blood to large portions of the somatosensory cortex and portions of motor and visual cortex and increased vessel length alongside decreased collaterals which coincided with higher metabolic rates in 5xFAD mice. Thus, a potential mismatch between metabolic demand and vascular delivery of nutrients in the face of increasing Aβ deposition could contribute to the progressive cognitive deficits seen in the 5xFAD mouse model.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amandine Jullienne
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Jenny I. Szu
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Ryan Quan
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Michelle V. Trinh
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Tannoz Norouzi
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Brenda P. Noarbe
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Amanda A. Bedwell
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Kierra Eldridge
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Scott C. Persohn
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Paul R. Territo
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Andre Obenaus
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Alalwany RH, Hawtrey T, Morgan K, Morris JC, Donaldson LF, Bates DO. Vascular endothelial growth factor isoforms differentially protect neurons against neurotoxic events associated with Alzheimer's disease. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1181626. [PMID: 37456522 PMCID: PMC10349181 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1181626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, the chronic and progressive deterioration of memory and cognitive abilities. AD can be pathologically characterised by neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, formed by the aberrant aggregation of β-amyloid and tau proteins, respectively. We tested the hypothesis that VEGF isoforms VEGF-A165a and VEGF-A165b, produced by differential splice site selection in exon 8, could differentially protect neurons from neurotoxicities induced by β-amyloid and tau proteins, and that controlling expression of splicing factor kinase activity could have protective effects on AD-related neurotoxicity in vitro. Using oxidative stress, β-amyloid, and tau hyperphosphorylation models, we investigated the effect of VEGF-A splicing isoforms, previously established to be neurotrophic agents, as well as small molecule kinase inhibitors, which selectively inhibit SRPK1, the major regulator of VEGF splicing. While both VEGF-A165a and VEGF-A165b isoforms were protective against AD-related neurotoxicity, measured by increased metabolic activity and neurite outgrowth, VEGF-A165a was able to enhance neurite outgrowth but VEGF-A165b did not. In contrast, VEGF-A165b was more effective than VEGF-A165a in preventing neurite "dieback" in a tau hyperphosphorylation model. SRPK1 inhibition was found to significantly protect against neurite "dieback" through shifting AS of VEGFA towards the VEGF-A165b isoform. These results indicate that controlling the activities of the two different isoforms could have therapeutic potential in Alzheimer's disease, but their effect may depend on the predominant mechanism of the neurotoxicity-tau or β-amyloid.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roaa H. Alalwany
- Tumour and Vascular Biology Laboratories, Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, Centre for Cancer Sciences, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Tom Hawtrey
- School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Kevin Morgan
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan C. Morris
- School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Lucy F. Donaldson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - David O. Bates
- Tumour and Vascular Biology Laboratories, Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, Centre for Cancer Sciences, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Pan African Cancer Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Khan MA, Khan ZA, Shoeb F, Fatima G, Khan RH, Khan MM. Role of de novo lipogenesis in inflammation and insulin resistance in alzheimer's disease. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 242:124859. [PMID: 37187418 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) display both peripheral tissue and brain insulin resistance, the later could be a potential risk factor for cognitive dysfunction. While certain degree of inflammation is required for inducing insulin resistance, underlying mechanism(s) remains unclear. Evidence from diverse research domains suggest that elevated intracellular fatty acids of de novo pathway can induce insulin resistance even without triggering inflammation; however, the effect of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) could be detrimental due the development of proinflammatory cues. In this context, evidence suggest that while lipid/fatty acid accumulation is a characteristic feature of brain pathology in AD, dysregulated de novo lipogenesis could be a potential source for lipid/fatty acid accumulation. Therefore, therapies aimed at regulating de novo lipogenesis could be effective in improving insulin sensitivity and cognitive function in patients with AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mohsin Ali Khan
- Research and Development Unit, Era's Lucknow Medical College and Hospital, Aligarh, UP, India
| | - Zaw Ali Khan
- Research and Development Unit, Era's Lucknow Medical College and Hospital, Aligarh, UP, India
| | - Fouzia Shoeb
- Department of Personalized and Molecular Medicine, Aligarh, UP, India
| | - Ghizal Fatima
- Laboratory of Chronobiology, Department of Biotechnology, Aligarh, UP, India
| | - Rizwan Hasan Khan
- Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Life sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, UP, India
| | - Mohammad M Khan
- Laboratory of Chronobiology, Department of Biotechnology, Aligarh, UP, India; Laboratory of Translational Neurology and Molecular Psychiatry, Era's Lucknow Medical College and Hospital, Faculty of Science, Era University, Sarfarazganj, Lucknow, UP, India.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Wolska N, Celikag M, Failla AV, Tarafdar A, Renné T, Torti M, Canobbio I, Pula G. Human platelets release amyloid peptides β 1-40 and β 1-42 in response to haemostatic, immune, and hypoxic stimuli. Res Pract Thromb Haemost 2023; 7:100154. [PMID: 37222974 PMCID: PMC7614566 DOI: 10.1016/j.rpth.2023.100154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Platelets contain high levels of amyloid β (Aβ) peptides and have been suggested to participate in the deposition of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Objectives This study aimed to determine whether human platelets release pathogenic Aβ peptides Aβ1-42 and Aβ1-40 and to characterise the mechanisms regulating this phenomenon. Methods and Results Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) revealed that the haemostatic stimulus thrombin and the pro-inflammatory molecule lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induce platelet release of both Aβ1-42 and Aβ1-40. Notably, LPS preferentially induced the release of Aβ1-42, which was potentiated by the reduction of oxygen from atmospheric levels to physiological hypoxia. The selective β secretase (BACE) inhibitor LY2886721 showed no effect on the release of either Aβ1-40 or Aβ1-42 in our ELISA experiments. This suggested a store-and-release mechanism that was confirmed in immunostaining experiments showing co-localisation of cleaved Aβ peptides with platelet alpha granules. Conclusions Taken together, our data suggest that human platelets release pathogenic Aβ peptides as a result of a store-and-release mechanism rather than a de novo proteolytic event. Although further studies are required to fully characterise this phenomenon, we suggest the possibility of a role for platelets in the deposition of Aβ peptides and the formation of amyloid plaques. Interestingly, the combination of hypoxia and inflammation that we simulated in vitro with reduced oxygen tension and LPS may increase the release of fibrillogenic Aβ1-42 and, consequently, exacerbate amyloid plaque deposition in the brain of AD patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nina Wolska
- Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medical Center Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg (Germany)
| | - Meral Celikag
- UK Dementia Research Institute at University College London, London (UK)
| | | | - Anuradha Tarafdar
- Cancer Research Horizons, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge (UK)
- Institute of Biomedical & Clinical Science, University of Exeter Medical School (UEMS), Exeter (UK)
| | - Thomas Renné
- Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medical Center Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg (Germany)
- Irish Centre for Vascular Biology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin (Ireland)
- Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis (CTH), Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center, Mainz (Germany)
| | - Mauro Torti
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia (Italy)
| | - Ilaria Canobbio
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia (Italy)
| | - Giordano Pula
- Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medical Center Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg (Germany)
- Institute of Biomedical & Clinical Science, University of Exeter Medical School (UEMS), Exeter (UK)
- Biomedical Institute for Multimorbidity, Hull and York Medical School (HYMS), Hull (UK)
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Bunner W, Wang J, Cohen S, Bashtovyy D, Perry R, Shookster D, Landry T, Harris EM, Stackman R, Tran TD, Yasuda R, Szatmari EM. Behavioral and Transcriptome Profiling of Heterozygous Rab10 Knock-Out Mice. eNeuro 2023; 10:ENEURO.0459-22.2023. [PMID: 37156612 PMCID: PMC10208283 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0459-22.2023] [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: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023] Open
Abstract
A central question in the field of aging research is to identify the cellular and molecular basis of neuroresilience. One potential candidate is the small GTPase, Rab10. Here, we used Rab10+/- mice to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying Rab10-mediated neuroresilience. Brain expression analysis of 880 genes involved in neurodegeneration showed that Rab10+/- mice have increased activation of pathways associated with neuronal metabolism, structural integrity, neurotransmission, and neuroplasticity compared with their Rab10+/+ littermates. Lower activation was observed for pathways involved in neuroinflammation and aging. We identified and validated several differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including Stx2, Stx1b, Vegfa, and Lrrc25 (downregulated) and Prkaa2, Syt4, and Grin2d (upregulated). Behavioral testing showed that Rab10+/- mice perform better in a hippocampal-dependent spatial task (object in place test), while their performance in a classical conditioning task (trace eyeblink classical conditioning, TECC) was significantly impaired. Therefore, our findings indicate that Rab10 differentially controls the brain circuitry of hippocampal-dependent spatial memory and higher-order behavior that requires intact cortex-hippocampal circuitry. Transcriptome and biochemical characterization of these mice suggest that glutamate ionotropic receptor NMDA type subunit 2D (GRIN2D or GluN2D) is affected by Rab10 signaling. Further work is needed to evaluate whether GRIN2D mediates the behavioral phenotypes of the Rab10+/- mice. We conclude that Rab10+/- mice described here can be a valuable tool to study the mechanisms of resilience in Alzheimer's disease (AD) model mice and to identify novel therapeutical targets to prevent cognitive decline associated with normal and pathologic aging.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wyatt Bunner
- Department of Physical Therapy, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834
| | - Jie Wang
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL 33458
| | - Sarah Cohen
- Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458
| | - Denys Bashtovyy
- Department of Physical Therapy, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834
| | - Rachel Perry
- Department of Physical Therapy, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834
| | | | - Taylor Landry
- Department of Kinesiology, East Carolina University, NC 27858
| | - Elizabeth M Harris
- Department of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858
| | - Robert Stackman
- Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458
| | - Tuan D Tran
- Department of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858
| | - Ryohei Yasuda
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL 33458
| | - Erzsebet M Szatmari
- Department of Physical Therapy, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Libby JB, Seto M, Khan OA, Liu D, Petyuk V, Oliver NC, Choi MJ, Whitaker M, Patterson KL, Arul AB, Gifford KA, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Dumitrescu L, Robinson RA, Jefferson AL, Hohman TJ. Whole blood transcript and protein abundance of the vascular endothelial growth factor family relate to cognitive performance. Neurobiol Aging 2023; 124:11-17. [PMID: 36680854 PMCID: PMC9957941 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2023.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family of genes has been implicated in the clinical development of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). A previous study identified associations between gene expression of VEGF family members in the prefrontal cortex and cognitive performance and AD pathology. This study explored if those associations were also observed in the blood. Consistent with previous observations in brain tissue, higher blood gene expression of placental growth factor (PGF) was associated with a faster rate of memory decline (p=0.04). Higher protein abundance of FMS-related receptor tyrosine kinase 4 (FLT4) in blood was associated with biomarker levels indicative of lower amyloid and tau pathology, opposite the direction observed in brain. Also, higher gene expression of VEGFB in blood was associated with better baseline memory (p=0.008). Notably, we observed that higher gene expression of VEGFB in blood was associated with lower expression of VEGFB in the brain (r=-0.19, p=0.02). Together, these results suggest that the VEGFB, FLT4, and PGF alterations in the AD brain may be detectable in the blood compartment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julia B Libby
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Mabel Seto
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Omair A Khan
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Dandan Liu
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Vlad Petyuk
- Biological Sciences Division and Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - Nekesa C Oliver
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Min Ji Choi
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | | | - Albert B Arul
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Katherine A Gifford
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Kaj Blennow
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden; Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden; Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden; Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK; UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, UK
| | - Logan Dumitrescu
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Renã As Robinson
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Angela L Jefferson
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Timothy J Hohman
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Ahmadi K, Pereira JB, Berron D, Vogel J, Ingala S, Strandberg OT, Janelidze S, Barkhof F, Pfeuffer J, Knutsson L, van Westen D, Palmqvist S, Mutsaerts HJ, Hansson O. Gray matter hypoperfusion is a late pathological event in the course of Alzheimer's disease. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2023; 43:565-580. [PMID: 36412244 PMCID: PMC10063832 DOI: 10.1177/0271678x221141139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Several studies have shown decreased cerebral blood flow (CBF) in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the role of hypoperfusion in the disease pathogenesis remains unclear. Combining arterial spin labeling MRI, PET, and CSF biomarkers, we investigated the associations between gray matter (GM)-CBF and the key mechanisms in AD including amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau pathology, synaptic and axonal degeneration. Further, we applied a disease progression modeling to characterize the temporal sequence of different AD biomarkers. Lower perfusion was observed in temporo-occipito-parietal cortex in the Aβ-positive cognitively impaired compared to both Aβ-negative and Aβ-positive cognitively unimpaired individuals. In participants along the AD spectrum, GM-CBF was associated with tau, synaptic and axonal dysfunction, but not Aβ in similar cortical regions. Axonal degeneration was further associated with hypoperfusion in cognitively unimpaired individuals. Disease progression modeling revealed that GM-CBF disruption Followed the abnormality of biomarkers of Aβ, tau and brain atrophy. These findings indicate that tau tangles and neurodegeneration are more closely connected with GM-CBF changes than Aβ pathology. Although subjected to the sensitivity of the employed neuroimaging techniques and the modeling approach, these findings suggest that hypoperfusion might not be an early event associated with the build-up of Aβ in preclinical phase of AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Khazar Ahmadi
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Joana B Pereira
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - David Berron
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Jacob Vogel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Silvia Ingala
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location VUmc, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Olof T Strandberg
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Shorena Janelidze
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Frederik Barkhof
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location VUmc, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,Queen's Square Institute of Neurology and Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London, UK
| | - Josef Pfeuffer
- Application Development, Siemens Healthcare, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Linda Knutsson
- Department of Medical Radiation Physics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Division of MR Research, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Danielle van Westen
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,Diagnostic Radiology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Sebastian Palmqvist
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,Department of Neurology, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
| | - Henk Jmm Mutsaerts
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location VUmc, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,Queen's Square Institute of Neurology and Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London, UK
| | - Oskar Hansson
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,Memory Clinic, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Tukacs V, Mittli D, Hunyadi-Gulyás É, Hlatky D, Medzihradszky KF, Darula Z, Nyitrai G, Czurkó A, Juhász G, Kardos J, Kékesi KA. Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion-Induced Disturbed Proteostasis of Mitochondria and MAM Is Reflected in the CSF of Rats by Proteomic Analysis. Mol Neurobiol 2023; 60:3158-3174. [PMID: 36808604 PMCID: PMC10122630 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03215-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
Declining cerebral blood flow leads to chronic cerebral hypoperfusion which can induce neurodegenerative disorders, such as vascular dementia. The reduced energy supply of the brain impairs mitochondrial functions that could trigger further damaging cellular processes. We carried out stepwise bilateral common carotid occlusions on rats and investigated long-term mitochondrial, mitochondria-associated membrane (MAM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteome changes. Samples were studied by gel-based and mass spectrometry-based proteomic analyses. We found 19, 35, and 12 significantly altered proteins in the mitochondria, MAM, and CSF, respectively. Most of the changed proteins were involved in protein turnover and import in all three sample types. We confirmed decreased levels of proteins involved in protein folding and amino acid catabolism, such as P4hb and Hibadh in the mitochondria by western blot. We detected reduced levels of several components of protein synthesis and degradation in the CSF as well as in the subcellular fractions, implying that hypoperfusion-induced altered protein turnover of brain tissue can be detected in the CSF by proteomic analysis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vanda Tukacs
- ELTE NAP Neuroimmunology Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.,Laboratory of Proteomics, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dániel Mittli
- ELTE NAP Neuroimmunology Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.,Laboratory of Proteomics, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Éva Hunyadi-Gulyás
- Laboratory of Proteomics Research, Biological Research Centre, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Dávid Hlatky
- Preclinical Imaging Center, Pharmacology and Drug Safety Research, Gedeon Richter Plc., Budapest, Hungary
| | - Katalin F Medzihradszky
- Laboratory of Proteomics Research, Biological Research Centre, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Zsuzsanna Darula
- Laboratory of Proteomics Research, Biological Research Centre, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Szeged, Hungary.,Single Cell Omics Advanced Core Facility, Hungarian Centre of Excellence for Molecular Medicine, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Gabriella Nyitrai
- Preclinical Imaging Center, Pharmacology and Drug Safety Research, Gedeon Richter Plc., Budapest, Hungary
| | - András Czurkó
- Preclinical Imaging Center, Pharmacology and Drug Safety Research, Gedeon Richter Plc., Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gábor Juhász
- ELTE NAP Neuroimmunology Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.,Laboratory of Proteomics, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.,InnoScience Ltd., Mátranovák, Hungary
| | - József Kardos
- ELTE NAP Neuroimmunology Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.,Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Katalin A Kékesi
- ELTE NAP Neuroimmunology Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary. .,Laboratory of Proteomics, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary. .,InnoScience Ltd., Mátranovák, Hungary. .,Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Zhang Y, Xiang J, Tang L, Yang J, Li J. PGAGP: Predicting pathogenic genes based on adaptive network embedding algorithm. Front Genet 2023; 13:1087784. [PMID: 36744177 PMCID: PMC9895109 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1087784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The study of disease-gene associations is an important topic in the field of computational biology. The accumulation of massive amounts of biomedical data provides new possibilities for exploring potential relations between diseases and genes through computational strategy, but how to extract valuable information from the data to predict pathogenic genes accurately and rapidly is currently a challenging and meaningful task. Therefore, we present a novel computational method called PGAGP for inferring potential pathogenic genes based on an adaptive network embedding algorithm. The PGAGP algorithm is to first extract initial features of nodes from a heterogeneous network of diseases and genes efficiently and effectively by Gaussian random projection and then optimize the features of nodes by an adaptive refining process. These low-dimensional features are used to improve the disease-gene heterogenous network, and we apply network propagation to the improved heterogenous network to predict pathogenic genes more effectively. By a series of experiments, we study the effect of PGAGP's parameters and integrated strategies on predictive performance and confirm that PGAGP is better than the state-of-the-art algorithms. Case studies show that many of the predicted candidate genes for specific diseases have been implied to be related to these diseases by literature verification and enrichment analysis, which further verifies the effectiveness of PGAGP. Overall, this work provides a useful solution for mining disease-gene heterogeneous network to predict pathogenic genes more effectively.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zhang
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, China
- School of Information Science and Engineering, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, China
- Academician Workstation, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, China
| | - Ju Xiang
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, China
- School of Information Science and Engineering, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, China
- Academician Workstation, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, China
- School of Computer and Communication Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha, China
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences and Neuroscience Research Center, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, China
| | - Liang Tang
- Academician Workstation, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, China
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences and Neuroscience Research Center, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, China
| | - Jialiang Yang
- Academician Workstation, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, China
- Qingdao Geneis Institute of Big Data Mining and Precision Medicine, Qingdao, China
- Geneis Beijing Co., Ltd, Beijing, China
| | - Jianming Li
- Academician Workstation, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, China
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences and Neuroscience Research Center, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, China
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Tayler HM, MacLachlan R, Güzel Ö, Miners JS, Love S. Elevated late-life blood pressure may maintain brain oxygenation and slow amyloid-β accumulation at the expense of cerebral vascular damage. Brain Commun 2023; 5:fcad112. [PMID: 37113314 PMCID: PMC10128877 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcad112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Hypertension in midlife contributes to cognitive decline and is a modifiable risk factor for dementia. The relationship between late-life hypertension and dementia is less clear. We have investigated the relationship of blood pressure and hypertensive status during late life (after 65 years) to post-mortem markers of Alzheimer's disease (amyloid-β and tau loads); arteriolosclerosis and cerebral amyloid angiopathy; and to biochemical measures of ante-mortem cerebral oxygenation (the myelin-associated glycoprotein:proteolipid protein-1 ratio, which is reduced in chronically hypoperfused brain tissue, and the level of vascular endothelial growth factor-A, which is upregulated by tissue hypoxia); blood-brain barrier damage (indicated by an increase in parenchymal fibrinogen); and pericyte content (platelet-derived growth factor receptor β, which declines with pericyte loss), in Alzheimer's disease (n = 75), vascular (n = 20) and mixed dementia (n = 31) cohorts. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements were obtained retrospectively from clinical records. Non-amyloid small vessel disease and cerebral amyloid angiopathy were scored semiquantitatively. Amyloid-β and tau loads were assessed by field fraction measurement in immunolabelled sections of frontal and parietal lobes. Homogenates of frozen tissue from the contralateral frontal and parietal lobes (cortex and white matter) were used to measure markers of vascular function by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Diastolic (but not systolic) blood pressure was associated with the preservation of cerebral oxygenation, correlating positively with the ratio of myelin-associated glycoprotein to proteolipid protein-1 and negatively with vascular endothelial growth factor-A in both the frontal and parietal cortices. Diastolic blood pressure correlated negatively with parenchymal amyloid-β in the parietal cortex. In dementia cases, elevated late-life diastolic blood pressure was associated with more severe arteriolosclerosis and cerebral amyloid angiopathy, and diastolic blood pressure correlated positively with parenchymal fibrinogen, indicating blood-brain barrier breakdown in both regions of the cortex. Systolic blood pressure was related to lower platelet-derived growth factor receptor β in controls in the frontal cortex and in dementia cases in the superficial white matter. We found no association between blood pressure and tau. Our findings demonstrate a complex relationship between late-life blood pressure, disease pathology and vascular function in dementia. We suggest that hypertension helps to reduce cerebral ischaemia (and may slow amyloid-β accumulation) in the face of increasing cerebral vascular resistance, but exacerbates vascular pathology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah M Tayler
- Dementia Research Group, Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS10 5NB, UK
| | - Robert MacLachlan
- Dementia Research Group, Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS10 5NB, UK
| | - Özge Güzel
- Dementia Research Group, Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS10 5NB, UK
| | - J Scott Miners
- Dementia Research Group, Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS10 5NB, UK
| | - Seth Love
- Correspondence to: Seth Love South West Dementia Brain Bank, University of Bristol Learning & Research Level 1, Southmead Hospital, Bristol, BS10 5NB, UK E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Mofrad RB, Del Campo M, Peeters CFW, Meeter LHH, Seelaar H, Koel-Simmelink M, Ramakers IHGB, Middelkoop HAM, De Deyn PP, Claassen JAHR, van Swieten JC, Bridel C, Hoozemans JJM, Scheltens P, van der Flier WM, Pijnenburg YAL, Teunissen CE. Plasma proteome profiling identifies changes associated to AD but not to FTD. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2022; 10:148. [PMID: 36273219 PMCID: PMC9587555 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-022-01458-w] [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: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is caused by frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), characterized mainly by inclusions of Tau (FTLD-Tau) or TAR DNA binding43 (FTLD-TDP) proteins. Plasma biomarkers are strongly needed for specific diagnosis and potential treatment monitoring of FTD. We aimed to identify specific FTD plasma biomarker profiles discriminating FTD from AD and controls, and between FTD pathological subtypes. In addition, we compared plasma results with results in post-mortem frontal cortex of FTD cases to understand the underlying process. METHODS Plasma proteins (n = 1303) from pathologically and/or genetically confirmed FTD patients (n = 56; FTLD-Tau n = 16; age = 58.2 ± 6.2; 44% female, FTLD-TDP n = 40; age = 59.8 ± 7.9; 45% female), AD patients (n = 57; age = 65.5 ± 8.0; 39% female), and non-demented controls (n = 148; 61.3 ± 7.9; 41% female) were measured using an aptamer-based proteomic technology (SomaScan). In addition, exploratory analysis in post-mortem frontal brain cortex of FTD (n = 10; FTLD-Tau n = 5; age = 56.2 ± 6.9, 60% female, and FTLD-TDP n = 5; age = 64.0 ± 7.7, 60% female) and non-demented controls (n = 4; age = 61.3 ± 8.1; 75% female) were also performed. Differentially regulated plasma and tissue proteins were identified by global testing adjusting for demographic variables and multiple testing. Logistic lasso regression was used to identify plasma protein panels discriminating FTD from non-demented controls and AD, or FTLD-Tau from FTLD-TDP. Performance of the discriminatory plasma protein panels was based on predictions obtained from bootstrapping with 1000 resampled analysis. RESULTS Overall plasma protein expression profiles differed between FTD, AD and controls (6 proteins; p = 0.005), but none of the plasma proteins was specifically associated to FTD. The overall tissue protein expression profile differed between FTD and controls (7-proteins; p = 0.003). There was no difference in overall plasma or tissue expression profile between FTD subtypes. Regression analysis revealed a panel of 12-plasma proteins discriminating FTD from AD with high accuracy (AUC: 0.99). No plasma protein panels discriminating FTD from controls or FTD pathological subtypes were identified. CONCLUSIONS We identified a promising plasma protein panel as a minimally-invasive tool to aid in the differential diagnosis of FTD from AD, which was primarily associated to AD pathophysiology. The lack of plasma profiles specifically associated to FTD or its pathological subtypes might be explained by FTD heterogeneity, calling for FTD studies using large and well-characterize cohorts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R Babapour Mofrad
- Neurochemistry Laboratory and Biobank, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, PO Box 7057, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Alzheimer Center and Department of Neurology Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - M Del Campo
- Neurochemistry Laboratory and Biobank, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, PO Box 7057, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Departamento de Ciencias Farmacéuticas y de la Salud, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, Madrid, Spain.,Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
| | - C F W Peeters
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Mathematical and Statistical Methods Group (Biometris), Wageningen University and Research Wageningen, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - L H H Meeter
- Alzheimer Center Erasmus MC and Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - H Seelaar
- Alzheimer Center Rotterdam and Department of Neurology, Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - M Koel-Simmelink
- Neurochemistry Laboratory and Biobank, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, PO Box 7057, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - I H G B Ramakers
- Alzheimer Center Limburg, Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - H A M Middelkoop
- Institute of Psychology, Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands.,Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - P P De Deyn
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry and Behavior, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute Born-Bunge, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.,Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Center, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - J A H R Claassen
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboudumc Alzheimer Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - J C van Swieten
- Alzheimer Center Erasmus MC and Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - C Bridel
- Neurochemistry Laboratory and Biobank, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, PO Box 7057, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - J J M Hoozemans
- Department of Pathology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers Location VUmc, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - P Scheltens
- Alzheimer Center and Department of Neurology Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - W M van der Flier
- Alzheimer Center and Department of Neurology Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Y A L Pijnenburg
- Alzheimer Center and Department of Neurology Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Charlotte E Teunissen
- Neurochemistry Laboratory and Biobank, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, PO Box 7057, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Amyloidogenesis and Neurotrophic Dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease: Do They have a Common Regulating Pathway? Cells 2022; 11:cells11203201. [PMID: 36291068 PMCID: PMC9600014 DOI: 10.3390/cells11203201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The amyloid cascade hypothesis has predominately been used to describe the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) for decades, as Aβ oligomers are thought to be the prime cause of AD. Meanwhile, the neurotrophic factor hypothesis has also been proposed for decades. Accumulating evidence states that the amyloidogenic process and neurotrophic dysfunction are mutually influenced and may coincidently cause the onset and progress of AD. Meanwhile, there are intracellular regulators participating both in the amyloidogenic process and neurotrophic pathways, which might be the common original causes of amyloidogenesis and neurotrophic dysfunction. In this review, the current understanding regarding the role of neurotrophic dysfunction and the amyloidogenic process in AD pathology is briefly summarized. The mutual influence of these two pathogenesis pathways and their potential common causal pathway are further discussed. Therapeutic strategies targeting the common pathways to simultaneously prevent amyloidogenesis and neurotrophic dysfunction might be anticipated for the disease-modifying treatment of AD.
Collapse
|
31
|
Jullienne A, Quan R, Szu JI, Trinh MV, Behringer EJ, Obenaus A. Progressive Vascular Abnormalities in the Aging 3xTg-AD Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10081967. [PMID: 36009514 PMCID: PMC9405684 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10081967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Vascular dysfunction and structural abnormalities in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are known to contribute to the progression of the pathology, and studies have tended to ignore the role of the vasculature in AD progression. We utilized the 3xTg-AD mouse model of AD to examine individual cerebral vessels and the cortical vascular network across the lifespan. Our vessel painting approach was used to label the entire cortical vasculature, followed by epifluorescence microscopy. The middle cerebral artery (MCA) tree was assessed with confocal microscopy, and a new method was developed to assess branching patterns as a measure of aging-related changes. We found that vascular remodeling was profoundly altered at 4–6 months of age, when the 3xTg-AD mouse is known to transition to cognitive impairment and Aβ deposition in both sexes. Analysis of vascular features (density, junctions, length) of the MCA territory highlighted sex-dependent differences across the 3xTg-AD mouse lifespan, with no alterations in branching patterns. Our current cerebrovascular angioarchitectural analyses demonstrate progressive alterations in individual cortical vessels, as well as in the vascular network of the cortex. These new findings advance our understanding of brain anatomy and physiology in the 3xTg-AD mouse, while potentially identifying unique diagnostic signatures of AD progression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amandine Jullienne
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Ryan Quan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Jenny I. Szu
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Michelle V. Trinh
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Erik J. Behringer
- Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA
| | - Andre Obenaus
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Abstract
Mice with insulin receptor (IR)-deficient astrocytes (GFAP-IR knockout [KO] mice) show blunted responses to insulin and reduced brain glucose uptake, whereas IR-deficient astrocytes show disturbed mitochondrial responses to glucose. While exploring the functional impact of disturbed mitochondrial function in astrocytes, we observed that GFAP-IR KO mice show uncoupling of brain blood flow with glucose uptake. Since IR-deficient astrocytes show higher levels of reactive oxidant species (ROS), this leads to stimulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and, consequently, of the vascular endothelial growth factor angiogenic pathway. Indeed, GFAP-IR KO mice show disturbed brain vascularity and blood flow that is normalized by treatment with the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC). NAC ameliorated high ROS levels, normalized angiogenic signaling and mitochondrial function in IR-deficient astrocytes, and normalized neurovascular coupling in GFAP-IR KO mice. Our results indicate that by modulating glucose uptake and angiogenesis, insulin receptors in astrocytes participate in neurovascular coupling.
Collapse
|
33
|
Karakaya E, Abdul Y, Chowdhury N, Wellslager B, Jamil S, Albayram O, Yilmaz Ö, Ergul A. Porphyromonas gingivalis infection upregulates the endothelin (ET) system in brain microvascular endothelial cells. Can J Physiol Pharmacol 2022; 100:679-688. [PMID: 35442801 PMCID: PMC9583200 DOI: 10.1139/cjpp-2022-0035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Endothelin-1 (ET-1), the most potent vasoconstrictor identified to date, contributes to cerebrovascular dysfunction and brain ET-1 levels were shown to be related to Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) progression. ET-1 also contributes to neuroinflammation, especially in infections of the central nervous system. Recent studies causally linked chronic periodontal infection with an opportunistic anaerobic bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis (Coykendall et al.) Shah & Collins to AD development. Thus, the goal of the study was to determine the impact of P. gingivalis infection on the ET system and cell senescence in brain microvascular endothelial cells. Cells were infected with a multiplicity of infection 50 P. gingivalis with and without extracellular ATP-induced oxidative stress for 24 h. Cell lysates were collected for analysis of endothelin A receptor (ETA)/endothelin B receptor (ETB) receptor as well as senescence markers. ET-1 levels in cell culture media were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. P. gingivalis infection increased ET-1 (pg/mL) secretion, as well as the ETA receptor expression, whereas decreased lamin A/C expression compared to control. Tight junction protein claudin-5 was also decreased under these conditions. ETA or ETB receptor blockade during infection did not affect ET-1 secretion or the expression of cell senescence markers. Current findings suggest that P. gingivalis infection may compromise endothelial integrity and activate the ET system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eda Karakaya
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina
- Department of Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Charleston, SC
| | - Yasir Abdul
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina
- Department of Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Charleston, SC
| | | | | | - Sarah Jamil
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina
- Department of Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Charleston, SC
| | - Onder Albayram
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina
| | - Özlem Yilmaz
- Department of Oral Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina
| | - Adviye Ergul
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Katsel P, Fam P, Tan W, Khan S, Gama-Sosa M, De Gasperi R, Roussos P, Robinson A, Cooper I, Schnaider-Beeri M, Haroutunian V. Engagement of vascular early response genes typifies mild cognitive impairment. Alzheimers Dement 2022; 18:1357-1369. [PMID: 34758195 PMCID: PMC10878080 DOI: 10.1002/alz.12481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Molecular responses in the brains of persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the earliest transitional state between normal aging and early Alzheimer's disease (AD), are poorly understood. METHODS We examined AD-related neuropathology and transcriptome changes in the neocortex of individuals with MCI relative to controls and temporal responses to the mild hypoxia in mouse brains. RESULTS Subsets of vascular early response to hypoxia genes were upregulated in MCI prior to the buildup of AD neuropathology. Early activation of pro-angiogenic hypoxia-inducible factor signaling in response to mild hypoxia was detected in mouse brains similar to those that were altered in MCI. Protracted responses to hypoxia were characterized by activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-protein kinase B (Akt)-the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathways in brain microvessel isolates. DISCUSSION These findings suggest that cerebrovascular remodeling is an important antecedent to the development of dementia and a component of the homeostatic response to reduced oxygen tension in aging prior to the onset of AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pavel Katsel
- Department of Psychiatry, The Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Peter Fam
- Department of Neuroscience, The Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Weilun Tan
- Department of Psychiatry, The Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Sonia Khan
- Department of Psychiatry, The Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Miguel Gama-Sosa
- Department of Psychiatry, The Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Rita De Gasperi
- Department of Psychiatry, The Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Panos Roussos
- Department of Psychiatry, The Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Genetics and Genomic Sciences, The Icahn School of Medicine
at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics and Friedman
Brain Institute, The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York,
USA
| | - Ari Robinson
- The Joseph Sagol Neuroscience Center Tel-Hashomer,
Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Itzik Cooper
- The Joseph Sagol Neuroscience Center Tel-Hashomer,
Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Michal Schnaider-Beeri
- Department of Psychiatry, The Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- The Joseph Sagol Neuroscience Center Tel-Hashomer,
Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Vahram Haroutunian
- Department of Psychiatry, The Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, The Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center
(MIRECC), James J Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Agrawal S, Schneider JA. Vascular pathology and pathogenesis of cognitive impairment and dementia in older adults. CEREBRAL CIRCULATION - COGNITION AND BEHAVIOR 2022; 3:100148. [PMID: 36324408 PMCID: PMC9616381 DOI: 10.1016/j.cccb.2022.100148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
It is well recognized that brains of older people often harbor cerebrovascular disease pathology including vessel disease and vascular-related tissue injuries and that this is associated with vascular cognitive impairment and contributes to dementia. Here we review vascular pathologies, cognitive impairment, and dementia. We highlight the importance of mixed co-morbid AD/non-AD neurodegenerative and vascular pathology that has been collected in multiple clinical pathologic studies, especially in community-based studies. We also provide an update of vascular pathologies from the Rush Memory and Aging Project and Religious Orders Study cohorts with special emphasis on the differences across age in persons with and without dementia. Finally, we discuss neuropathological perspectives on the interpretation of clinical-pathological studies and emerging data in community-based studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sonal Agrawal
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Jelke Building, 1750 W. Harrison Street, Chicago 60612, IL, USA
- Department of Pathology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Julie A. Schneider
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Jelke Building, 1750 W. Harrison Street, Chicago 60612, IL, USA
- Department of Pathology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Functionally linked potassium channel activity in cerebral endothelial and smooth muscle cells is compromised in Alzheimer's disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2204581119. [PMID: 35727988 PMCID: PMC9245656 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2204581119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Patients with Alzheimer’s disease show hypoperfusion of the brain and this may contribute to disease progression. To elucidate underlying mechanisms, we studied pial arteries from 18-mo-old mice with Alzheimer’s disease due to overexpression of amyloid precursor protein. We found enhanced pressure-induced constriction of arteries because of reduction in ryanodine receptor-mediated, local calcium-release events (“Ca2+ sparks”) in arterial smooth muscle cells and a consequent decrease in the activity of large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels. This phenotype was partially recapitulated by application of an amyloid-β peptide to healthy arteries. Our results will direct further research to restore cerebrovascular function, which is damaged in Alzheimer’s disease, leading to potentially new treatment options. The brain microcirculation is increasingly viewed as a potential target for disease-modifying drugs in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease patients, reflecting a growing appreciation of evidence that cerebral blood flow is compromised in such patients. However, the pathogenic mechanisms in brain resistance arteries underlying blood flow defects have not yet been elucidated. Here we probed the roles of principal vasodilatory pathways in cerebral arteries using the APP23 mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, in which amyloid precursor protein is increased approximately sevenfold, leading to neuritic plaques and cerebrovascular accumulation of amyloid-β similar to those in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Pial arteries from APP23 mice (18 mo old) exhibited enhanced pressure-induced (myogenic) constriction because of a profound reduction in ryanodine receptor-mediated, local calcium-release events (“Ca2+ sparks”) in arterial smooth muscle cells and a consequent decrease in the activity of large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels. The ability of the endothelial cell inward rectifier K+ (Kir2.1) channel to cause dilation was also compromised. Acute application of amyloid-β 1-40 peptide to cerebral arteries from wild-type mice partially recapitulated the BK dysfunction seen in APP23 mice but had no effect on Kir2.1 function. If mirrored in human Alzheimer’s disease, these tandem defects in K+ channel-mediated vasodilation could account for the clinical cerebrovascular presentation seen in patients: reduced blood flow and crippled functional hyperemia. These data direct future research toward approaches that reverse this dual vascular channel dysfunction, with the ultimate aim of restoring healthy cerebral blood flow and improving clinical outcomes.
Collapse
|
37
|
Electroacupuncture Increases the Hippocampal Synaptic Transmission Efficiency and Long-Term Plasticity to Improve Vascular Cognitive Impairment. Mediators Inflamm 2022; 2022:5985143. [PMID: 35784174 PMCID: PMC9246579 DOI: 10.1155/2022/5985143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies have shown that electroacupuncture (EA) can effectively improve vascular cognitive impairment (VCI), but its mechanisms have not been clearly elucidated. This study is aimed at investigating the mechanisms underlying the effects of EA treatment on hippocampal synaptic transmission efficiency and plasticity in rats with VCI. Methods. Sprague–Dawley rats were subjected to VCI with bilateral common carotid occlusion (2VO). EA stimulation was applied to Baihui (GV20) and Shenting (GV24) acupoints for 30 min once a day, five times a week, for four weeks. Our study also included nonacupoint groups to confirm the specificity of EA therapy. The Morris water maze (MWM) was used to assess cognitive function. Electrophysiological techniques were used to detect the field characteristics of the hippocampal CA3–CA1 circuit in each group of rats, including input-output (I/O), paired-pulse facilitation ratios (PPR), field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP), and excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC). The expression of synapse- and calcium-mediated signal transduction associated proteins was detected through western blotting. Results. The MWM behavioural results showed that EA significantly improved cognitive function in VCI model rats. EA increased the I/O curve of VCI model rats from 20 to 90 μA. No significant differences were observed in hippocampal PPR. The fEPSP of the hippocampal CA3–CA1 circuit was significantly increased after EA treatment compared with that after nonacupuncture treatment. We found that EA led to an increase in the EPSC amplitude and frequency, especially in the decay and rise times. In addition, the protein expression and phosphorylation levels of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 2B, α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate receptor 1, and Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II increased to varying degrees in the hippocampus of VCI model rats. Conclusion. EA at GV20 and GV24 acupoints increased the basic synaptic transmission efficiency and synaptic plasticity of the hippocampal CA3–CA1 circuit, thereby improving learning and memory ability in rats with VCI.
Collapse
|
38
|
The amyloid peptide β disrupts intercellular junctions and increases endothelial permeability in a NADPH oxidase 1-dependent manner. Redox Biol 2022; 52:102287. [PMID: 35358850 PMCID: PMC8966210 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2022.102287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and is associated with the accumulation of amyloid peptide β in the brain parenchyma. Vascular damage and microvascular thrombosis contribute to the neuronal degeneration and the loss of brain function typical of this disease. In this study, we utilised a murine model of Alzheimer's disease to evaluate the neurovascular effects of this disease. Upon detection of an increase in the phosphorylation of the endothelial surface receptor VE-cadherin, we focused our attention on endothelial cells and utilised two types of human endothelial cells cultured in vitro: 1) human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and 2) human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hBMECs). Using an electrical current impedance system (ECIS) and FITC-albumin permeability assays, we discovered that the treatment of human endothelial cells with amyloid peptide β causes a loss in their barrier function, which is oxidative stress-dependent and similarly to our observation in mouse brain associates with VE-cadherin phosphorylation. The activation of the superoxide anion-generating enzyme NADPH oxidase 1 is responsible for the oxidative stress that leads to the disruption of barrier function in human endothelial cells in vitro. In summary, we have identified a novel molecular mechanism explaining how the accumulation of amyloid peptide β in the brain parenchyma may induce the loss of neurovascular barrier function, which has been observed in patients. Neurovascular leakiness plays an important role in brain inflammation and neuronal degeneration driving the progression of the Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, this study provides a novel and promising target for the development of a pharmacological treatment to protect neurovascular function and reduce the progression of the neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's patients. Amyloid peptide β induces oxidative changes in mouse hippocampus. The endothelial barrier function is impaired by amyloid peptide β. Oxidative stress is critical for the increase in endothelial monolayer permeability. NADPH oxidase 1 mediates the endothelial barrier damage caused by amyloid peptide β.
Collapse
|
39
|
Blood-brain barrier leakage in Alzheimer's disease: From discovery to clinical relevance. Pharmacol Ther 2022; 234:108119. [PMID: 35108575 PMCID: PMC9107516 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2022.108119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. AD brain pathology starts decades before the onset of clinical symptoms. One early pathological hallmark is blood-brain barrier dysfunction characterized by barrier leakage and associated with cognitive decline. In this review, we summarize the existing literature on the extent and clinical relevance of barrier leakage in AD. First, we focus on AD animal models and their susceptibility to barrier leakage based on age and genetic background. Second, we re-examine barrier dysfunction in clinical and postmortem studies, summarize changes that lead to barrier leakage in patients and highlight the clinical relevance of barrier leakage in AD. Third, we summarize signaling mechanisms that link barrier leakage to neurodegeneration and cognitive decline in AD. Finally, we discuss clinical relevance and potential therapeutic strategies and provide future perspectives on investigating barrier leakage in AD. Identifying mechanistic steps underlying barrier leakage has the potential to unravel new targets that can be used to develop novel therapeutic strategies to repair barrier leakage and slow cognitive decline in AD and AD-related dementias.
Collapse
|
40
|
Ouyang M, Zhang Q, Shu J, Wang Z, Fan J, Yu K, Lei L, Li Y, Wang Q. Capsaicin Ameliorates the Loosening of Mitochondria-Associated Endoplasmic Reticulum Membranes and Improves Cognitive Function in Rats With Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:822702. [PMID: 35370565 PMCID: PMC8968035 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.822702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Based on accumulating evidence, vascular factors contribute to cognitive decline and dementia. Mitochondrial dysfunction is the core pathophysiological mechanism. Mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes (MAMs) are subcellular structures that physically and biologically connect mitochondria with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and regulate multiple functions ranging from calcium transfer to mitochondrial dynamics and bioenergetics. MAMs dysfunction has been speculated to be a key factor contributing to the pathogenesis of cognitive disorders and a new therapeutic target. However, the alteration of MAMs in vascular cognitive impairment remains to be revealed. Capsaicin, a specific agonist known to activated the transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1), is involved in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory, but the detailed mechanism is still unclear. In this study, chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) model rats were created by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO), which is a widely used model to study vascular dementia. We observed that CCH rats showed obvious cognitive deficits, and ER-mitochondria contacts were loosener with lower expression of mitofusin2 (MFN2), a key protein connecting MAMs, in the hippocampal CA1 region, compared to the sham group. After capsaicin treatment for 12 weeks, we found that cognitive deficits induced by CCH were significantly alleviated and loosened ER-mitochondrial interactions were obviously improved. In conclusion, the findings of this study highlight that MAMs may contribute to the pathogenesis of cognitive impairment induced by CCH, and our new evidence that capsaicin improves cognitive function highlights a novel opportunity for drug discovery.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mengqi Ouyang
- Department of Neurology, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, Gaoping District People’s Hospital of Nanchong, Nanchong, China
| | - Jiahui Shu
- Department of Pharmacology, Yichang Yiling Hospital, Yichang, China
| | - Zhiqiang Wang
- Department of Neurology, Chengdu BOE Hospital, Chengdu, China
| | - Jin Fan
- Department of Neurology, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, China
| | - Ke Yu
- Department of Neurology, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, China
| | - Lei Lei
- Department of Neurology, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuxia Li
- Department of Neurology, Chengdu BOE Hospital, Chengdu, China
| | - Qingsong Wang
- Department of Neurology, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, China
- *Correspondence: Qingsong Wang,
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Fisher RA, Miners JS, Love S. Pathological changes within the cerebral vasculature in Alzheimer's disease: New perspectives. Brain Pathol 2022; 32:e13061. [PMID: 35289012 PMCID: PMC9616094 DOI: 10.1111/bpa.13061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cerebrovascular disease underpins vascular dementia (VaD), but structural and functional changes to the cerebral vasculature contribute to disease pathology and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this review, we discuss the contribution of cerebral amyloid angiopathy and non‐amyloid small vessel disease in AD, and the accompanying changes to the density, maintenance and remodelling of vessels (including alterations to the composition and function of the cerebrovascular basement membrane). We consider how abnormalities of the constituent cells of the neurovascular unit – particularly of endothelial cells and pericytes – and impairment of the blood‐brain barrier (BBB) impact on the pathogenesis of AD. We also discuss how changes to the cerebral vasculature are likely to impair Aβ clearance – both intra‐periarteriolar drainage (IPAD) and transport of Aβ peptides across the BBB, and how impaired neurovascular coupling and reduced blood flow in relation to metabolic demand increase amyloidogenic processing of APP and the production of Aβ. We review the vasoactive properties of Aβ peptides themselves, and the probable bi‐directional relationship between vascular dysfunction and Aβ accumulation in AD. Lastly, we discuss recent methodological advances in transcriptomics and imaging that have provided novel insights into vascular changes in AD, and recent advances in assessment of the retina that allow in vivo detection of vascular changes in the early stages of AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Fisher
- Dementia Research Group, University of Bristol Medical School, Bristol, UK
| | - J Scott Miners
- Dementia Research Group, University of Bristol Medical School, Bristol, UK
| | - Seth Love
- Dementia Research Group, University of Bristol Medical School, Bristol, UK
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Ali M, Falkenhain K, Njiru BN, Murtaza-Ali M, Ruiz-Uribe NE, Haft-Javaherian M, Catchers S, Nishimura N, Schaffer CB, Bracko O. VEGF signalling causes stalls in brain capillaries and reduces cerebral blood flow in Alzheimer's mice. Brain 2022; 145:1449-1463. [PMID: 35048960 PMCID: PMC9150081 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awab387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Increased incidence of stalled capillary blood flow caused by adhesion of
leucocytes to the brain microvascular endothelium leads to a 17%
reduction of cerebral blood flow and exacerbates short-term memory loss in
multiple mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. Here, we report that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signalling at the
luminal side of the brain microvasculature plays an integral role in the
capillary stalling phenomenon of the APP/PS1 mouse model. Administration of the anti-mouse VEGF-A164 antibody, an isoform that inhibits
blood–brain barrier hyperpermeability, reduced the number of stalled
capillaries within an hour of injection, leading to an immediate increase in
average capillary blood flow but not capillary diameter. VEGF-A inhibition also
reduced the overall endothelial nitric oxide synthase protein concentrations,
increased occludin levels and decreased the penetration of circulating Evans
Blue dye across the blood–brain barrier into the brain parenchyma,
suggesting increased blood–brain barrier integrity. Capillaries prone to
neutrophil adhesion after anti-VEGF-A treatment also had lower occludin
concentrations than flowing capillaries. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that VEGF-A signalling in APP/PS1 mice
contributes to aberrant endothelial nitric oxide synthase /occludin-associated
blood–brain barrier permeability, increases the incidence of capillary
stalls, and leads to reductions in cerebral blood flow. Reducing leucocyte
adhesion by inhibiting luminal VEGF signalling may provide a novel and
well-tolerated strategy for improving brain microvascular blood flow in
Alzheimer’s disease patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Ali
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA, 148532
| | - Kaja Falkenhain
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA, 148532
| | - Brendah N Njiru
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA, 148532
| | - Muhammad Murtaza-Ali
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA, 148532
| | - Nancy E Ruiz-Uribe
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA, 148532
| | | | | | - Nozomi Nishimura
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA, 148532
| | - Chris B Schaffer
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA, 148532
| | - Oliver Bracko
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA, 148532
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Myoraku A, Klein G, Landau S, Tosun D. Regional uptakes from early-frame amyloid PET and 18F-FDG PET scans are comparable independent of disease state. Eur J Hybrid Imaging 2022; 6:2. [PMID: 35039928 PMCID: PMC8763988 DOI: 10.1186/s41824-021-00123-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with amyloid-beta (Aβ) tracers and 2-[18F] fluoro-2-Deoxy-d-glucose (18F-FDG) is extensively employed in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) studies as biomarkers of AD pathology and neurodegeneration. To reduce cost and additional burdens to the patient, early-frame uptake during Aβ PET scanning has been proposed as a surrogate measure of regional glucose metabolism. Considering the disease state specific impact of AD on neurovascular coupling, we investigated to what extent the information captured in the early frames of an Aβ-PET (18F-florbetapir or 18F-florbetaben) scan is comparable to that of a 18F-FDG PET scan, independent of disease state. Method A partial correlation was performed on early-frame 18F-florbetapir and 18F-FDG regional data from 100 participants. In a secondary analysis, we compared 92 18F-florbetapir and 21 18F-florbetaben early-frame Aβ scans from cognitively unimpaired and mild cognitive impairment participants to ascertain if regional early-frame information was similar across different Aβ-PET radioligands. Results The partial correlation of early-frame 18F-florbetapir with 18F-FDG was significant in all 84 brain ROIs, with correlation values ranging from 0.61 to 0.94. There were no significant differences between early-frame 18F-florbetapir and 18F-florbetaben images. Conclusion Overall, we find that the regional uptake measurements from early-frame 18F-florbetapir are strongly correlated with regional glucose metabolism as measured in ground-truth 18F-FDG PET scans, regardless of disease state. Future studies should focus on longitudinal early-frame amyloid PET imaging studies to further assess the value of early-frame imaging as a marker of brain metabolic decline.
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41824-021-00123-0.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alison Myoraku
- Northern California Institute for Research and Education, VA Medical Center, 4150 Clement Street, 114M, San Francisco, CA, 94121, USA. .,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
| | - Gregory Klein
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Susan Landau
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3190, USA
| | - Duygu Tosun
- Northern California Institute for Research and Education, VA Medical Center, 4150 Clement Street, 114M, San Francisco, CA, 94121, USA.,Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
44
|
Ali M, Bracko O. VEGF Paradoxically Reduces Cerebral Blood Flow in Alzheimer’s Disease Mice. Neurosci Insights 2022; 17:26331055221109254. [PMID: 35873789 PMCID: PMC9298729 DOI: 10.1177/26331055221109254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Vascular dysfunction plays a critical role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Cerebral blood flow reductions of 10% to 25% present early in disease pathogenesis. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A (VEGF-A) drives angiogenesis, which typically addresses blood flow reductions and global hypoxia. However, recent evidence suggests aberrant VEGF-A signaling in Alzheimer’s disease may undermine its physiological angiogenic function. Instead of improving cerebral blood flow, VEGF-A contributes to brain capillary stalls and blood flow reductions, likely accelerating cognitive decline. In this commentary, we explore the evidence for pathological VEGF signaling in Alzheimer’s disease, and discuss its implications for disease therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Ali
- Department of Neurosurgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Oliver Bracko
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Lin CY, Jhan SR, Lee WJ, Chen PL, Chen JP, Chen HC, Chen TB. Imaging Markers of Subcortical Vascular Dementia in Patients With Multiple-Lobar Cerebral Microbleeds. Front Neurol 2021; 12:747536. [PMID: 34867731 PMCID: PMC8636110 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.747536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Background and Purpose: Small vessel disease (SVD) imaging markers are related to ischemic and hemorrhage stroke and to cognitive dysfunction. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between SVD imaging markers and subcortical vascular dementia in severe SVD burden. Methods: A total of 57 subjects with multiple lobar cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) and four established SVD imaging markers were enrolled from the dementia and stroke registries of a single center. Visual rating scales that are used to semi-quantify SVD imaging changes were analyzed individually and compositely to make correlations with cognitive domains and subcortical vascular dementia. Results: Dementia group had higher subcortical and total white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) and SVD composite scores than non-dementia group. Individual imaging markers correlated differently with one another and had distinct cognitive correlations. After adjusting for demographic factors, multivariate logistic regression indicated associations of subcortical WMHs (odds ratio [OR] 2.03, CI 1.24–3.32), total WMHs (OR 1.43, CI 1.09–1.89), lacunes (OR 1.18, CI 1.02–1.35), cerebral amyloid angiopathy-SVD scores (OR 2.33, CI 1.01–5.40), C1 scores (imaging composite scores of CMB and WMH) (OR 1.41, CI 1.09–1.83), and C2 scores (imaging composite scores of CMB, WMH, perivascular space, and lacune) (OR 1.38, CI 1.08–1.76) with dementia. Conclusions: SVD imaging markers might have differing associations with cognitive domains and dementia. They may provide valuable complementary information in support of personalized treatment planning against cognitive impairment, particularly in patients with a heavy SVD load.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Yen Lin
- Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Song-Ru Jhan
- Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Ju Lee
- Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.,Dementia Center, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.,School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Po-Lin Chen
- Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.,School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jun-Peng Chen
- Biostatistics Task Force of Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Chieh Chen
- Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.,School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ting-Bin Chen
- Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.,Dementia Center, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.,Department of Applied Cosmetology, Hungkuang University, Taichung, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Chum PP, Hakim MA, Behringer EJ. Cerebrovascular microRNA Expression Profile During Early Development of Alzheimer's Disease in a Mouse Model. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 85:91-113. [PMID: 34776451 DOI: 10.3233/jad-215223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Emerging evidence demonstrates association of Alzheimer's disease (AD) with impaired delivery of blood oxygen and nutrients to and throughout the brain. The cerebral circulation plays multiple roles underscoring optimal brain perfusion and cognition entailing moment-to-moment blood flow control, vascular permeability, and angiogenesis. With currently no effective treatment to prevent or delay the progression of AD, cerebrovascular microRNA (miRNA) markers corresponding to post-transcriptional regulation may distinguish phases of AD. OBJECTIVE We tested the hypothesis that cerebrovascular miRNA expression profiles indicate developmental stages of AD pathology. METHODS Total RNA was isolated from total brain vessel segments of male and female 3xTg-AD mice [young, 1-2 mo; cognitive impairment (CI), 4-5 mo; extracellular amyloid-β plaques (Aβ), 6-8 mo; plaques+neurofibrillary tangles (AβT), 12-15 mo]. NanoString technology nCounter miRNA Expression panel for mouse was used to screen for 599 miRNAs. RESULTS Significant (p < 0.05) downregulation of various miRNAs indicated transitions from young to CI (e.g., let-7g & miR-1944, males; miR-133a & miR-2140, females) and CI to Aβ (e.g., miR-99a, males) but not from Aβ to AβT. In addition, altered expression of select miRNAs from overall Pre-AD (young + CI) versus AD (Aβ+ AβT) were detected in both males (let-7d, let-7i, miR-23a, miR-34b-3p, miR-99a, miR-126-3p, miR-132, miR-150, miR-151-5p, miR-181a) and females (miR-150, miR-539). Altogether, at least 20 cerebrovascular miRNAs effectively delineate AD versus Pre-AD pathology. CONCLUSION Using the 3xTg-AD mouse model, these data demonstrate that cerebrovascular miRNAs pertaining to endothelial function, vascular permeability, angiogenesis, inflammation, and Aβ/tau metabolism can track early development of AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Phoebe P Chum
- Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA
| | - Md A Hakim
- Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
47
|
Shapira R, Gdalyahu A, Gottfried I, Sasson E, Hadanny A, Efrati S, Blinder P, Ashery U. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy alleviates vascular dysfunction and amyloid burden in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model and in elderly patients. Aging (Albany NY) 2021; 13:20935-20961. [PMID: 34499614 PMCID: PMC8457592 DOI: 10.18632/aging.203485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 04/21/2023]
Abstract
Vascular dysfunction is entwined with aging and in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and contributes to reduced cerebral blood flow (CBF) and consequently, hypoxia. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is in clinical use for a wide range of medical conditions. In the current study, we exposed 5XFAD mice, a well-studied AD model that presents impaired cognitive abilities, to HBOT and then investigated the therapeutical effects using two-photon live animal imaging, behavioral tasks, and biochemical and histological analysis. HBOT increased arteriolar luminal diameter and elevated CBF, thus contributing to reduced hypoxia. Furthermore, HBOT reduced amyloid burden by reducing the volume of pre-existing plaques and attenuating the formation of new ones. This was associated with changes in amyloid precursor protein processing, elevated degradation and clearance of Aß protein and improved behavior of 5XFAD mice. Hence, our findings are consistent with the effects of HBOT being mediated partially through a persistent structural change in blood vessels that reduces brain hypoxia. Motivated by these findings, we exposed elderly patients with significant memory loss at baseline to HBOT and observed an increase in CBF and improvement in cognitive performances. This study demonstrates HBOT efficacy in hypoxia-related neurological conditions, particularly in AD and aging.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ronit Shapira
- School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Amos Gdalyahu
- School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Irit Gottfried
- School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Efrat Sasson
- Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Be’er Ya’akov, Israel
| | - Amir Hadanny
- Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Be’er Ya’akov, Israel
| | - Shai Efrati
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Be’er Ya’akov, Israel
| | - Pablo Blinder
- School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Uri Ashery
- School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Asby D, Boche D, Allan S, Love S, Miners JS. Systemic infection exacerbates cerebrovascular dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease. Brain 2021; 144:1869-1883. [PMID: 33723589 PMCID: PMC8320299 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awab094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We studied the effects of systemic infection on brain cytokine level and cerebral vascular function in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, in superior temporal cortex (Brodmann area 22) from Alzheimer's disease patients (n = 75), vascular dementia patients (n = 22) and age-matched control subjects (n = 46), stratified according to the presence or absence of terminal systemic infection. Brain cytokine levels were measured using Mesoscale Discovery Multiplex Assays and markers of cerebrovascular function were assessed by ELISA. Multiple brain cytokines were elevated in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia: IL-15 and IL-17A were maximally elevated in end-stage Alzheimer's disease (Braak tangle stage V-VI) whereas IL-2, IL-5, IL12p40 and IL-16 were highest in intermediate Braak tangle stage III-IV disease. Several cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-8 and IL-15) were further raised in Alzheimer's disease with systemic infection. Cerebral hypoperfusion-indicated by decreased MAG:PLP1 and increased vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF)-and blood-brain barrier leakiness, indicated by raised levels of fibrinogen, were exacerbated in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia patients, and also in non-dementia controls, with systemic infection. Amyloid-β42 level did not vary with infection or in association with brain cytokine levels. In controls, cortical perfusion declined with increasing IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-13 and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) but these relationships were lost with progression of Alzheimer's disease, and with infection (even in Braak stage 0-II brains). Cortical platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β (PDGFRβ), a pericyte marker, was reduced, and endothelin-1 (EDN1) level was increased in Alzheimer's disease; these were related to amyloid-β level and disease progression and only modestly affected by systemic infection. Our findings indicate that systemic infection alters brain cytokine levels and exacerbates cerebral hypoperfusion and blood-brain barrier leakiness associated with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, independently of the level of insoluble amyloid-β, and highlight systemic infection as an important contributor to dementia, requiring early identification and treatment in the elderly population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Asby
- Dementia Research Group, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS2 8DZ, UK
| | - Delphine Boche
- Clinical Neurosciences, Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton S017 1BJ, UK
| | - Stuart Allan
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, AV Hill Building, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
- Geoffrey Jefferson Brain Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Northern Care Alliance NHS Group and University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Seth Love
- Dementia Research Group, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS2 8DZ, UK
| | - J Scott Miners
- Dementia Research Group, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS2 8DZ, UK
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Bracko O, Cruz Hernández JC, Park L, Nishimura N, Schaffer CB. Causes and consequences of baseline cerebral blood flow reductions in Alzheimer's disease. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2021; 41:1501-1516. [PMID: 33444096 PMCID: PMC8221770 DOI: 10.1177/0271678x20982383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Reductions of baseline cerebral blood flow (CBF) of ∼10-20% are a common symptom of Alzheimer's disease (AD) that appear early in disease progression and correlate with the severity of cognitive impairment. These CBF deficits are replicated in mouse models of AD and recent work shows that increasing baseline CBF can rapidly improve the performance of AD mice on short term memory tasks. Despite the potential role these data suggest for CBF reductions in causing cognitive symptoms and contributing to brain pathology in AD, there remains a poor understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms causing them. This review compiles data on CBF reductions and on the correlation of AD-related CBF deficits with disease comorbidities (e.g. cardiovascular and genetic risk factors) and outcomes (e.g. cognitive performance and brain pathology) from studies in both patients and mouse models, and discusses several potential mechanisms proposed to contribute to CBF reductions, based primarily on work in AD mouse models. Future research aimed at improving our understanding of the importance of and interplay between different mechanisms for CBF reduction, as well as at determining the role these mechanisms play in AD patients could guide the development of future therapies that target CBF reductions in AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Bracko
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Jean C Cruz Hernández
- Center for Systems Biology and Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Laibaik Park
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nozomi Nishimura
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Chris B Schaffer
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Chang SK, Kim J, Lee D, Yoo CH, Jin S, Rhee HY, Ryu CW, Lee JK, Cho H, Jahng GH. Mapping of microvascular architecture in the brain of an Alzheimer's disease mouse model using MRI. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2021; 34:e4481. [PMID: 33590547 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.4481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2020] [Revised: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that alterations in cerebral microvasculature play a critical role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The objective of this study was to characterize and evaluate the cerebral microvascular architecture of AD transgenic (Tg) mice and compare it with that of non-Tg mice using brain microvascular indices obtained by MRI. Seven non-Tg mice and 10 5xFAD Tg mice were scanned using a 7-T animal MRI system to measure the transverse relaxation rates of R2 and R2* before and after the injection of the monocrystalline iron oxide nanoparticle contrast agent. After calculating ΔR2* and ΔR2, the vessel size index (VSI), mean vessel diameter (mVD), mean vessel density, mean vessel-weighted image (MvWI) and blood volume fraction (BVf) were mapped. Voxel-based analyses and region of interest (ROI)-based analyses were performed to compare the indices of the non-Tg and Tg groups. Voxel comparisons showed that BVf, mVD, VSI and MvWI were greater in the Tg group than in the non-Tg group. Additionally, the ROI-based analysis showed that ΔR2*, BVf, mVD, MvWI and VSI increased in several brain regions of the Tg group compared with those in the non-Tg group. VSI and mVD increased in Tg mice; these findings indicated microvascular disruption in the brain that could be related to damage to the neurovascular unit in AD caused by cerebral amyloid angiopathy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Suk-Ki Chang
- Hallym University Medical Center, Hwasung, Republic of Korea
| | - JeongYeong Kim
- Department of Physics, Undergraduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - DongKyu Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang Hyun Yoo
- Department of Physics, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Seokha Jin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Hak Young Rhee
- Department of Neurology, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang-Woo Ryu
- Department of Radiology, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong Kil Lee
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - HyungJoon Cho
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Geon-Ho Jahng
- Department of Radiology, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|