1
|
Li H, Xiang BL, Li X, Li C, Li Y, Miao Y, Ma GL, Ma YH, Chen JQ, Zhang QY, Lv LB, Zheng P, Bi R, Yao YG. Cognitive Deficits and Alzheimer's Disease-Like Pathologies in the Aged Chinese Tree Shrew. Mol Neurobiol 2024; 61:1892-1906. [PMID: 37814108 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03663-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common chronic progressive neurodegenerative disease in the elderly. It has an increasing prevalence and a growing health burden. One of the limitations in studying AD is the lack of animal models that show features of Alzheimer's pathogenesis. The tree shrew has a much closer genetic affinity to primates than to rodents and has great potential to be used for research into aging and AD. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether tree shrews naturally develop cognitive impairment and major AD-like pathologies with increasing age. Pole-board and novel object recognition tests were used to assess the cognitive performance of adult (about 1 year old) and aged (6 years old or older) tree shrews. The main AD-like pathologies were assessed by Western blotting, immunohistochemical staining, immunofluorescence staining, and Nissl staining. Our results showed that the aged tree shrews developed an impaired cognitive performance compared to the adult tree shrews. Moreover, the aged tree shrews exhibited several age-related phenotypes that are associated with AD, including increased levels of amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation and phosphorylated tau protein, synaptic and neuronal loss, and reactive gliosis in the cortex and the hippocampal tissues. Our study provides further evidence that the tree shrew is a promising model for the study of aging and AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hongli Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, and KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
| | - Bo-Lin Xiang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, and KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
| | - Xiao Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, and KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
| | - Cong Li
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
| | - Yu Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, and KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
| | - Ying Miao
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, and KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale, School of Life Science, Division of Life Science and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, China
| | - Guo-Lan Ma
- Kunming Biological Diversity Regional Center of Large Apparatus and Equipments, Public Technology Service Center, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
| | - Yu-Hua Ma
- National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650107, China
| | - Jia-Qi Chen
- National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650107, China
| | - Qing-Yu Zhang
- National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650107, China
| | - Long-Bao Lv
- National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650107, China
| | - Ping Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
- National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650107, China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
| | - Rui Bi
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, and KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China.
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China.
| | - Yong-Gang Yao
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, and KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China.
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China.
- National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650107, China.
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhong MZ, Peng T, Duarte ML, Wang M, Cai D. Updates on mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. Mol Neurodegener 2024; 19:23. [PMID: 38462606 PMCID: PMC10926682 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-024-00712-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease in the United States (US). Animal models, specifically mouse models have been developed to better elucidate disease mechanisms and test therapeutic strategies for AD. A large portion of effort in the field was focused on developing transgenic (Tg) mouse models through over-expression of genetic mutations associated with familial AD (FAD) patients. Newer generations of mouse models through knock-in (KI)/knock-out (KO) or CRISPR gene editing technologies, have been developed for both familial and sporadic AD risk genes with the hope to more accurately model proteinopathies without over-expression of human AD genes in mouse brains. In this review, we summarized the phenotypes of a few commonly used as well as newly developed mouse models in translational research laboratories including the presence or absence of key pathological features of AD such as amyloid and tau pathology, synaptic and neuronal degeneration as well as cognitive and behavior deficits. In addition, advantages and limitations of these AD mouse models have been elaborated along with discussions of any sex-specific features. More importantly, the omics data from available AD mouse models have been analyzed to categorize molecular signatures of each model reminiscent of human AD brain changes, with the hope to guide future selection of most suitable models for specific research questions to be addressed in the AD field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Z Zhong
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Science, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Thomas Peng
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Science Research Program, Scarsdale High School, New York, NY, 10583, USA
| | - Mariana Lemos Duarte
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Research & Development, James J Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA.
| | - Minghui Wang
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Icahn Institute for Data Science and Genomic Technology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
| | - Dongming Cai
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Research & Development, James J Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA.
- Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Department of Neurology, N. Bud Grossman Center for Memory Research and Care, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
- Geriatric Research Education & Clinical Center (GRECC), The Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, 55417, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Takase H, Hamanaka G, Hoshino T, Ohtomo R, Guo S, Mandeville ET, Lo EH, Arai K. Transcriptomic Profiling Reveals Neuroinflammation in the Corpus Callosum of a Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease. J Alzheimers Dis 2024; 97:1421-1433. [PMID: 38277298 DOI: 10.3233/jad-231049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a widespread neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cognitive decline, affecting a significant portion of the aging population. While the cerebral cortex and hippocampus have been the primary focus of AD research, accumulating evidence suggests that white matter lesions in the brain, particularly in the corpus callosum, play an important role in the pathogenesis of the disease. OBJECTIVE This study aims to investigate the gene expression changes in the corpus callosum of 5xFAD transgenic mice, a widely used AD mouse model. METHODS We conducted behavioral tests for spatial learning and memory in 5xFAD transgenic mice and performed RNA sequencing analyses on the corpus callosum to examine transcriptomic changes. RESULTS Our results show cognitive decline and demyelination in the corpus callosum of 5xFAD transgenic mice. Transcriptomic analysis reveals a predominance of upregulated genes in AD mice, particularly those associated with immune cells, including microglia. Conversely, downregulation of genes related to chaperone function and clock genes such as Per1, Per2, and Cry1 is also observed. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that activation of neuroinflammation, disruption of chaperone function, and circadian dysfunction are involved in the pathogenesis of white matter lesions in AD. The findings provide insights into potential therapeutic targets and highlight the importance of addressing white matter pathology and circadian dysfunction in AD treatment strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hajime Takase
- Departments of Radiology and Neurology, Neuroprotection Research Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
- YCU Center for Novel and Exploratory Clinical Trials (Y-NEXT), Yokohama City University Hospital, Yokohama, Japan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Gen Hamanaka
- Departments of Radiology and Neurology, Neuroprotection Research Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Tomonori Hoshino
- Departments of Radiology and Neurology, Neuroprotection Research Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Ryo Ohtomo
- Departments of Radiology and Neurology, Neuroprotection Research Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Shuzhen Guo
- Departments of Radiology and Neurology, Neuroprotection Research Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Emiri T Mandeville
- Departments of Radiology and Neurology, Neuroprotection Research Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Eng H Lo
- Departments of Radiology and Neurology, Neuroprotection Research Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Ken Arai
- Departments of Radiology and Neurology, Neuroprotection Research Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Chunchai T, Apaijai N, Janjek S, Arunsak B, Nipon C, Chattipakorn SC. Mitochondrial Fusion Promoter Given During Ischemia Has Greater Neuroprotective Efficacy Than When Given at Onset of Reperfusion in Rats with Cardiac Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury. J Alzheimers Dis 2024; 97:205-217. [PMID: 38043015 DOI: 10.3233/jad-230859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury has been shown to impose deleterious effects not only on the heart but also on the brain. Our previous study demonstrated that pretreatment with a mitochondrial fusion promoter (M1) provided central neuroprotective effects following cardiac I/R injury. OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of M1 given during the ischemic phase and M1 given at the beginning of reperfusion on brain pathologies following cardiac I/R. METHODS Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into either a sham operation (n = 6) or cardiac I/R injury (n = 18) group. Rats with cardiac I/R injury were then randomly divided into 3 subgroups: 1) Control, 2) M1 treatment during cardiac ischemia (2 mg/kg, intravenous (i.v.)), and 3) M1 treatment at the beginning of reperfusion (2 mg/kg, i.v.). After euthanasia, the brain of each rat was removed for further analysis. RESULTS Cardiac I/R injury caused brain mitochondrial dynamic imbalance, brain mitochondrial dysfunction, brain apoptosis, microglial dysmorphology, brain inflammation, tau hyperphosphorylation, and synaptic dysplasticity. M1 treatment at both time points effectively improved these parameters. M1 given during the ischemic phase had greater efficacy with regard to preventing brain mitochondrial dysfunction and suppressing brain inflammation, when compared to M1 given at the beginning of reperfusion. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that treatment with this mitochondrial fusion promoter prevents mitochondrial dynamic imbalance in the brain of rats with cardiac I/R injury, thereby attenuating brain pathologies. Interestingly, giving the mitochondrial fusion promoter during the ischemic phase exerted greater neuroprotection than if given at the beginning of reperfusion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Titikorn Chunchai
- Neurophysiology Unit, Cardiac Electrophysiology Research and Training Center, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Cardiac Electrophysiology Research, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | - Nattayaporn Apaijai
- Neurophysiology Unit, Cardiac Electrophysiology Research and Training Center, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Cardiac Electrophysiology Research, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Cardiac Electrophysiology Unit, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | - Sornram Janjek
- Neurophysiology Unit, Cardiac Electrophysiology Research and Training Center, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Cardiac Electrophysiology Research, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | - Busarin Arunsak
- Neurophysiology Unit, Cardiac Electrophysiology Research and Training Center, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Cardiac Electrophysiology Research, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | - Chattipakorn Nipon
- Neurophysiology Unit, Cardiac Electrophysiology Research and Training Center, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Cardiac Electrophysiology Research, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Cardiac Electrophysiology Unit, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | - Siriporn C Chattipakorn
- Neurophysiology Unit, Cardiac Electrophysiology Research and Training Center, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Cardiac Electrophysiology Research, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Department of Oral Biology and Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Robles-Gómez ÁA, Ordaz B, Lorea-Hernández JJ, Peña-Ortega F. Deleterious and protective effects of epothilone-D alone and in the context of amyloid β- and tau-induced alterations. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1198299. [PMID: 37900942 PMCID: PMC10603193 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1198299] [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: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyloid-β (Aβ) and hyperphosphorylated tau (P-tau) are Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers that interact in a complex manner to induce most of the cognitive and brain alterations observed in this disease. Since the neuronal cytoskeleton is a common downstream pathological target of tau and Aβ, which mostly lead to augmented microtubule instability, the administration of microtubule stabilizing agents (MSAs) can protect against their pathological actions. However, the effectiveness of MSAs is still uncertain due to their state-dependent negative effects; thus, evaluating their specific actions in different pathological or physiological conditions is required. We evaluated whether epothilone-D (Epo-D), a clinically used MSA, rescues from the functional and behavioral alterations produced by intracerebroventricular injection of Aβ, the presence of P-tau, or their combination in rTg4510 mice. We also explored the side effects of Epo-D. To do so, we evaluated hippocampal-dependent spatial memory with the Hebb-Williams maze, hippocampal CA1 integrity and the intrinsic and synaptic properties of CA1 pyramidal neurons with the patch-clamp technique. Aβ and P-tau mildly impaired memory retrieval, but produced contrasting effects on intrinsic excitability. When Aβ and P-tau were combined, the alterations in excitability and spatial reversal learning (i.e., cognitive flexibility) were exacerbated. Interestingly, Epo-D prevented most of the impairments induced Aβ and P-tau alone and combined. However, Epo-D also exhibited some side effects depending on the prevailing pathological or physiological condition, which should be considered in future preclinical and translational studies. Although we did not perform extensive histopathological evaluations or measured microtubule stability, our findings show that MSAs can rescue the consequences of AD-like conditions but otherwise be harmful if administered at a prodromal stage of the disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ángel Abdiel Robles-Gómez
- Instituto de Neurobiología, UNAM Campus Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, UNAM, Ciudad Universitaria, México City, Mexico
| | - Benito Ordaz
- Instituto de Neurobiología, UNAM Campus Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico
| | | | | |
Collapse
|