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Basheer N, Buee L, Brion JP, Smolek T, Muhammadi MK, Hritz J, Hromadka T, Dewachter I, Wegmann S, Landrieu I, Novak P, Mudher A, Zilka N. Shaping the future of preclinical development of successful disease-modifying drugs against Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review of tau propagation models. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2024; 12:52. [PMID: 38576010 PMCID: PMC10993623 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-024-01748-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The transcellular propagation of the aberrantly modified protein tau along the functional brain network is a key hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies. Inoculation-based tau propagation models can recapitulate the stereotypical spread of tau and reproduce various types of tau inclusions linked to specific tauopathy, albeit with varying degrees of fidelity. With this systematic review, we underscore the significance of judicious selection and meticulous functional, biochemical, and biophysical characterization of various tau inocula. Furthermore, we highlight the necessity of choosing suitable animal models and inoculation sites, along with the critical need for validation of fibrillary pathology using confirmatory staining, to accurately recapitulate disease-specific inclusions. As a practical guide, we put forth a framework for establishing a benchmark of inoculation-based tau propagation models that holds promise for use in preclinical testing of disease-modifying drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Basheer
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Luc Buee
- Inserm, CHU Lille, CNRS, LilNCog - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, University of Lille, 59000, Lille, France.
| | - Jean-Pierre Brion
- Faculty of Medicine, Laboratory of Histology, Alzheimer and Other Tauopathies Research Group (CP 620), ULB Neuroscience Institute (UNI), Université Libre de Bruxelles, 808, Route de Lennik, 1070, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Tomas Smolek
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Muhammad Khalid Muhammadi
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jozef Hritz
- CEITEC Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 62500, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomas Hromadka
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Ilse Dewachter
- Biomedical Research Institute, BIOMED, Hasselt University, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Susanne Wegmann
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Isabelle Landrieu
- CNRS EMR9002 - BSI - Integrative Structural Biology, 59000, Lille, France
- Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, University of Lille, 59000, Lille, France
| | - Petr Novak
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Amritpal Mudher
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Highfield Campus, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Norbert Zilka
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia.
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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Mate V, Smolek T, Kazmerova ZV, Jadhav S, Brezovakova V, Jurkanin B, Uhrinova I, Basheer N, Zilka N, Katina S, Novak P. Enriched environment ameliorates propagation of tau pathology and improves cognition in rat model of tauopathy. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:935973. [PMID: 35966785 PMCID: PMC9363241 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.935973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction The typical symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are cognitive impairment, disrupted spatial orientation, behavioral and psychiatric abnormalities, and later motor deficits. Neuropathologically, AD is characterized by deposits of pathological forms of endogenous proteins – amyloid-β, and neurofibrillary tau protein pathology. The latter closely correlates with brain atrophy and clinical impairment. Pharmacological therapies for these pathologies are largely absent, raising the question whether non-pharmacological interventions could be efficacious. Environmental factors can play a role in the manifestation of AD. It is unknown whether enriched environment (EE) can ameliorate the propagation of protein aggregates or their toxic components. Methods We injected insoluble tau extracts from human brains with AD (600 or 900 ng per animal) into hippocampi of SHR72 transgenic rats that express non-mutated truncated human tau 151-391/4R, but usually do not develop hippocampal tangles. The rats had either standard housing, or could access an EE 5×/week for 3 months. Behavioral analysis included the Morris Water Maze (MWM). Histological analysis was used to assess the propagation of tau pathology. Results Animals exposed to EE performed better in the MWM (spatial acquisition duration and total distance, probe test); unexposed animals improved over the course of acquisition trials, but their mean performance remained below that of the EE group. Enriched environment abrogated tau propagation and hippocampal tangle formation in the 600 ng group; in the 900 ng group, tangle formation was ∼10-fold of the 600 ng group, and unaffected by EE. Conclusion Even a small difference in the amount of injected human AD tau can cause a pronounced difference in the number of resulting tangles. EE leads to a noticeably better spatial navigation performance of tau-injected animals. Furthermore, EE seems to be able to slow down tau pathology progression, indicating the possible utility of similar interventions in early stages of AD where tangle loads are still low.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Mate
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Tomas Smolek
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Neuroimunology Institute, n.p.o., Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Zuzana Vince Kazmerova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Santosh Jadhav
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | | | | | - Ivana Uhrinova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Neha Basheer
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Norbert Zilka
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Stanislav Katina
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Institute of Mathematics and Statistics, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
- Axon Neuroscience CRM Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Petr Novak
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Axon Neuroscience CRM Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
- *Correspondence: Petr Novak,
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Cente M, Smolek T, Zorad S, Fialova L, Paulenka Ivanovova N, Krskova K, Balazova L, Skrabana R, Filipcik P. Hypertension does not alter disturbances in leptin signalling observed in experimental model of tauopathy. Gen Physiol Biophys 2021; 40:577-584. [PMID: 34897029 DOI: 10.4149/gpb_2021037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Neurodegeneration is associated with hypertension and disturbance in fat metabolism. The complex interaction of neurodegenerative processes with both metabolic changes and blood pressure is still not fully elucidated. Here we demonstrate that the experimentally induced tauopathy in hypertensive transgenic animals causes significant downregulation of plasma leptin (53% of control), reduction of body weight by 11%, a 1.2-fold drop of adiposity index, and decrease in HDL cholesterol level, while the fasting glucose and insulin concentration remain unchanged. Despite of these alterations we found the leptin projection circuit including the arcuate nucleus, paraventricular nucleus in hypothalamus, and nucleus tractus solitarius in the brainstem not affected by neurofibrillary pathology. Furthermore, hypertension does not alter disturbances in leptin signalling. The presented data provide further insight into neurodegeneration-induced metabolic alterations relevant for human tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Cente
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
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Baciak L, Melichercik L, Mate V, Murgoci AN, Smolek T, Juranek I, Gogola D, Hudakova N, Cizek M, Cizkova D. Improved tissue integrity after alginate treatment in rat spinal cord injury: evidence from ex vivo diffusion tensor imaging. Gen Physiol Biophys 2021; 40:561-568. [PMID: 34897027 DOI: 10.4149/gpb_2021030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a magnetic resonance imaging technique used to characterize fibrous structures such as white matter in the central nervous system, including normal and spinal cord injury (SCI) conditions. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of alginate treatment in the rat SCI by DTI parametric measures. Ex vivo DTI data were collected by spin echo sequence with following parameters TR/TE: 2500 ms/32 ms and b-value of 1500 s/mm2. Main significant changes were found in fractional anisotropy (FA), and radial diffusivity (RD), between the saline- and alginatetreated group at the level of individual sections and whole spinal cord. Results indicate that ex vivo DTI can be used as a tool for tissue structure characterisation and both FA and RD as promising prognostic parameters of SCI treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ladislav Baciak
- Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Bratislava, Slovakia
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Csicsatkova N, Szalay P, Matyasova K, Mate V, Cente M, Smolek T, Brezovakova V, Kawecka L, Zilka N, Jadhav S. Transcriptomic signature of Alzheimer's disease tau seed-induced pathology. Gen Physiol Biophys 2021; 40:541-549. [PMID: 34897025 DOI: 10.4149/gpb_2021022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Spreading of tau pathology to anatomical distinct regions in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with progression of the disease. Studies in recent decade have strived to understand the processes involved in this characteristic spread. We recently showed that AD-derived insoluble tau seeds are able to initiate neurofibrillary pathology in transgenic rodent model of tauopathy. In the present study, we pursued to identify the molecular changes that govern the induction and propagation of tau pathology on the transcriptomic level. We first show that microglia in vicinity to AD-Tau-induced pathology has phagocytic morphology when compared to PBS-injected group. On transcriptomic level, we observed deregulation of 15 genes 3-month post AD-Tau seeds inoculation. Integrated bioinformatic analysis identified 31 significantly enriched pathways. Amongst these, the inflammatory signalling pathway mediated by cytokine and chemokine networks, along with, toll-like receptor and JAK-STAT signalling were the most dominant. Furthermore, the enriched signalling also involved the regulation of autophagy, mitophagy and endoplasmic reticulum stress pathways. To our best of knowledge, the study is the first to investigate the transcriptomic profile of AD-Tau seed-induced pathology in hippocampus of transgenic model of tauopathy.
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Vikartovska Z, Farbakova J, Smolek T, Hanes J, Zilka N, Hornakova L, Humenik F, Maloveska M, Hudakova N, Cizkova D. Novel Diagnostic Tools for Identifying Cognitive Impairment in Dogs: Behavior, Biomarkers, and Pathology. Front Vet Sci 2021; 7:551895. [PMID: 33521072 PMCID: PMC7843503 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.551895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CCDS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder in senior dogs that is mainly associated with decreased ability to learn and respond to stimuli. It is commonly under-diagnosed because behavioral changes are often attributed to the natural process of aging. In the present study, we used for the first time a comprehensive approach enabling early diagnosis of canine patients with mild cognitive disorders (MiCI). We included CAnine DEmentia Scale (CADES) questionnaires, biochemical parameters, and biomarkers in blood serum, and correlated them with post-mortem histopathological changes. The CADES questionnaires enabled us to identify MiCI dogs developing changes mainly in domains corresponding to social interaction and spatial orientation, which seems to be crucial for delineating early cognitive disorders. Biochemical analyses in these dogs showed slightly elevated liver enzyme parameters (AST and ALT) and significantly decreased sodium and chloride levels in blood serum. Furthermore, we describe for the first time a significant increase of neurofilament light chain (NFL) in blood serum of MiCI dogs, compared to normal aging seniors and young controls, but no changes in TAU protein and amyloid-β (Aβ42) peptide levels. In canine brains with cognitive impairment, amyloid plaques of mainly diffuse and dense types were detected. Furthermore, activated microglia with amoeboid body and dystrophic processes occurred, in some cases with spheroidal and bulbous swellings. On the other hand, no TAU pathology or neurofibrillary tangles were detected. These results suggest that a combination of CADES questionnaire mainly with CNS injury biomarker (NFL) and with biochemical parameters (ALT, AST, Na, and Cl) in blood serum may predict CCDS in senior dogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzana Vikartovska
- Center for Experimental and Clinical Regenerative Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Košice, Slovakia
| | - Jana Farbakova
- Center for Experimental and Clinical Regenerative Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Košice, Slovakia
| | - Tomas Smolek
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Neuroimunology Institute, n.p.o., Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jozef Hanes
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Norbert Zilka
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Lubica Hornakova
- Center for Experimental and Clinical Regenerative Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Košice, Slovakia
| | - Filip Humenik
- Center for Experimental and Clinical Regenerative Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Košice, Slovakia
| | - Marcela Maloveska
- Center for Experimental and Clinical Regenerative Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Košice, Slovakia
| | - Nikola Hudakova
- Center for Experimental and Clinical Regenerative Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Košice, Slovakia
| | - Dasa Cizkova
- Center for Experimental and Clinical Regenerative Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Košice, Slovakia.,Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
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Cente M, Zorad S, Smolek T, Fialova L, Paulenka Ivanovova N, Krskova K, Balazova L, Skrabana R, Filipcik P. Plasma Leptin Reflects Progression of Neurofibrillary Pathology in Animal Model of Tauopathy. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2020; 42:125-136. [PMID: 32997211 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-020-00972-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The close relationship between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and obesity was recognized many years ago. However, complete understanding of the pathological mechanisms underlying the interactions between degeneration of CNS and fat metabolism is still missing. The leptin a key adipokine of white adipose tissue has been suggested as one of the major mediators linking the obesity and AD. Here we investigated the association between peripheral levels of leptin, general metabolic status and stage of the pathogenesis in rat transgenic model of AD. We demonstrate significantly decreased levels of plasma leptin in animals with experimentally induced progressive neurofibrillary pathology, which represents only 62.3% (P = 0.0015) of those observed in normal wild type control animals. More detailed analysis showed a strong and statistically significant inverse correlation between the load of neurofibrillary pathology and peripheral levels of leptin (r = - 0.7248, P = 0.0177). We also observed a loss of body weight during development of neurodegeneration (about 14% less than control animals, P = 0.0004) and decrease in several metabolic parameters such as glucose, insulin, triglycerides and VLDL in plasma of the transgenic animals. Our data suggest that plasma leptin could serve as a convenient peripheral biomarker for tauopathies and Alzheimer's disease. Decrease in gene expression of leptin in fat tissue and its plasma level was found as one of the consequences of experimentally induced neurodegeneration. Our data may help to design rational diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease or other forms of tauopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Cente
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Stefan Zorad
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Tomas Smolek
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Lubica Fialova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | | | - Katarina Krskova
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Lucia Balazova
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Rostislav Skrabana
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Peter Filipcik
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia. .,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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Vogels T, Leuzy A, Cicognola C, Ashton NJ, Smolek T, Novak M, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Hromadka T, Zilka N, Schöll M. Propagation of Tau Pathology: Integrating Insights From Postmortem and In Vivo Studies. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 87:808-818. [PMID: 31735253 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Revised: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Cellular accumulation of aggregated forms of the protein tau is a defining feature of so-called tauopathies such as Alzheimer's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. A growing body of literature suggests that conformational characteristics of tau filaments, along with regional vulnerability to tau pathology, account for the distinct histopathological morphologies, biochemical composition, and affected cell types seen across these disorders. In this review, we describe and discuss recent evidence from human postmortem and clinical biomarker studies addressing the differential vulnerability of brain areas to tau pathology, its cell-to-cell transmission, and characteristics of the different strains that tau aggregates can adopt. Cellular biosensor assays are increasingly used in human tissue to detect the earliest forms of tau pathology, before overt histopathological lesions (i.e., neurofibrillary tangles) are apparent. Animal models with localized tau expression are used to uncover the mechanisms that influence spreading of tau aggregates. Further, studies of human postmortem-derived tau filaments from different tauopathies injected in rodents have led to striking findings that recapitulate neuropathology-based staging of tau. Furthermore, the recent advent of tau positron emission tomography and novel fluid-based biomarkers render it possible to study the temporal progression of tau pathology in vivo. Ultimately, evidence from these approaches must be integrated to better understand the onset and progression of tau pathology across tauopathies. This will lead to improved methods for the detection and monitoring of disease progression and, hopefully, to the development and refinement of tau-based therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Vogels
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia; Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Antoine Leuzy
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Clinical Memory Research Unit, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Claudia Cicognola
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Nicholas J Ashton
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; Biomedical Research Unit for Dementia, NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tomas Smolek
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia; Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Michal Novak
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia; AXON Neuroscience SE, Larnaca, Cyprus
| | - Kaj Blennow
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, 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, Gothenburg, Sweden; Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden; Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom; UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tomas Hromadka
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia; Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Norbert Zilka
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia; Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Michael Schöll
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Clinical Memory Research Unit, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden; Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
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Smolek T, Cubinkova V, Brezovakova V, Valachova B, Szalay P, Zilka N, Jadhav S. Corrigendum: Genetic Background Influences the Propagation of Tau Pathology in Transgenic Rodent Models of Tauopathy. Front Aging Neurosci 2020; 12:30. [PMID: 32132920 PMCID: PMC7040485 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.00030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Smolek
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Veronika Cubinkova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | | | | | - Peter Szalay
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Norbert Zilka
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Santosh Jadhav
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
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10
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Smolek T, Cubinkova V, Brezovakova V, Valachova B, Szalay P, Zilka N, Jadhav S. Genetic Background Influences the Propagation of Tau Pathology in Transgenic Rodent Models of Tauopathy. Front Aging Neurosci 2019; 11:343. [PMID: 31920624 PMCID: PMC6917578 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2019.00343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common tauopathy, is an age-dependent, progressive neurodegenerative disease. Epidemiological studies implicate the role of genetic background in the onset and progression of AD. Despite mutations in familial AD, several risk factors have been implicated in sporadic AD, of which the onset is unknown. In AD, there is a sequential and hierarchical spread of tau pathology to other brain areas. Studies have strived to understand the factors that influence this characteristic spread. Using transgenic rat models with different genetic backgrounds, we reported that the genetic background may influence the manifestation of neurofibrillary pathology. In this study we investigated whether genetic background has an influence in the spread of tau pathology, using hippocampal inoculations of insoluble tau from AD brains in rodent models of tauopathy with either a spontaneously hypertensive (SHR72) or Wistar-Kyoto (WKY72) genetic background. We observed that insoluble tau from human AD induced AT8-positive neurofibrillary structures in the hippocampus of both lines. However, there was no significant difference in the amount of neurofibrillary structures, but the extent of spread was prominent in the W72 line. On the other hand, we observed significantly higher levels of AT8-positive structures in the parietal and frontal cortical areas in W72 when compared to SHR72. Interestingly, we also observed that the microglia in these brain areas in W72 were predominantly phagocytic in morphology (62.4% in parietal and 47.3% in frontal), while in SHR72 the microglia were either reactive or ramified (67.2% in parietal and 84.7% in frontal). The microglia in the hippocampus and occipital cortex in both lines were reactive or ramified structures. Factors such as gender or age are not responsible for the differences observed in these animals. Put together, our results, for the first time, show that the immune response modulating genetic variability is one of the factors that influences the propagation of tau neurofibrillary pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Smolek
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Veronika Cubinkova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | | | | | - Peter Szalay
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Norbert Zilka
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Santosh Jadhav
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
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11
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Murgoci AN, Baciak L, Cubinkova V, Smolek T, Tvrdik T, Juranek I, Kafka J, Cizkova D. Diffusion Tensor Imaging: Tool for Tracking Injured Spinal Cord Fibres in Rat. Neurochem Res 2019; 45:180-187. [PMID: 31055738 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-019-02801-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Revised: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe disorder of the CNS leading to tissue damage and disability. Because it is critical to understand the pathological processes, it is important to find efficient ways to diagnose the severity of injured spinal cord tracts in situ from beginning up to a certain level of recovery following therapeutic interventions. In the current study, we set-up the criteria for diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in order to capture changes of nerve fibre tracts in rat spinal cord compression injury. We tested four DTI parameters, such as fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity and radial diffusivity at the lesion site, in time course of 7 weeks. Afterwards, we compared DTI data with histological results and locomotor outcomes to examine their consistency and capability of reflecting the lesion development in time. Our data confirm that DTI is a valuable in vivo imaging tool capable to distinguish damaged white matter tracts after mild SCI in rat. Fractional anisotropy showed decreased values for injury site, while the mean diffusivity had higher values, with increased both axial and radial diffusivity in comparison to control subjects. Thus, the combination of DTI parameters can reflect the severity of lesion in time and may correlate with histological evaluation of spared tissue, but not with locomotor recovery following mild injury associated with spontaneous recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana-Natalia Murgoci
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Ladislav Baciak
- Central Laboratories, Slovak University of Technology, 812 37, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Veronika Cubinkova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Tomas Smolek
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Tomas Tvrdik
- Central Laboratories, Slovak University of Technology, 812 37, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Ivo Juranek
- Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, CEM of the SAS, 841 04, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jozef Kafka
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, Kosice, 041 81, Slovakia
| | - Dasa Cizkova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia. .,Department of Anatomy, Histology and Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, Kosice, 041 81, Slovakia.
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12
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Novak P, Schmidt R, Kontsekova E, Kovacech B, Smolek T, Katina S, Fialova L, Prcina M, Parrak V, Dal-Bianco P, Brunner M, Staffen W, Rainer M, Ondrus M, Ropele S, Smisek M, Sivak R, Zilka N, Winblad B, Novak M. FUNDAMANT: an interventional 72-week phase 1 follow-up study of AADvac1, an active immunotherapy against tau protein pathology in Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimers Res Ther 2018; 10:108. [PMID: 30355322 PMCID: PMC6201586 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-018-0436-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Accepted: 09/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Background Neurofibrillary pathology composed of tau protein is closely correlated with severity and phenotype of cognitive impairment in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and non-Alzheimer’s tauopathies. Targeting pathological tau proteins via immunotherapy is a promising strategy for disease-modifying treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Previously, we reported a 24-week phase 1 trial on the active vaccine AADvac1 against pathological tau protein; here, we present the results of a further 72 weeks of follow-up on those patients. Methods We did a phase 1, 72-week, open-label study of AADvac1 in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease who had completed the preceding phase 1 study. Patients who were previously treated with six doses of AADvac1 at monthly intervals received two booster doses at 24-week intervals. Patients who were previously treated with only three doses received another three doses at monthly intervals, and subsequently two boosters at 24-week intervals. The primary objective was the assessment of long-term safety of AADvac1 treatment. Secondary objectives included assessment of antibody titres, antibody isotype profile, capacity of the antibodies to bind to AD tau and AADvac1, development of titres of AADvac1-induced antibodies over time, and effect of booster doses; cognitive assessment via 11-item Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale cognitive assessment (ADAS-Cog), Category Fluency Test and Controlled Oral Word Association Test; assessment of brain atrophy via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) volumetry; and assessment of lymphocyte populations via flow cytometry. Results The study was conducted between 18 March 2014 and 10 August 2016. Twenty-six patients who completed the previous study were enrolled. Five patients withdrew because of adverse events. One patient was withdrawn owing to noncompliance. The most common adverse events were injection site reactions (reported in 13 [50%] of vaccinated patients). No cases of meningoencephalitis or vasogenic oedema were observed. New micro-haemorrhages were observed only in one ApoE4 homozygote. All responders retained an immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody response against the tau peptide component of AADvac1 over 6 months without administration, with titres regressing to a median 15.8% of titres attained after the initial six-dose vaccination regimen. Booster doses restored previous IgG levels. Hippocampal atrophy rate was lower in patients with high IgG levels; a similar relationship was observed in cognitive assessment. Conclusions AADvac1 displayed a benign safety profile. The evolution of IgG titres over vaccination-free periods warrants a more frequent booster dose regimen. The tendency towards slower atrophy in MRI evaluation and less of a decline in cognitive assessment in patients with high titres is encouraging. Further trials are required to expand the safety database and to establish proof of clinical efficacy of AADvac1. Trial registration The studies are registered with the EU Clinical Trials Register and ClinicalTrials.gov: the preceding first-in-human study under EudraCT 2012-003916-29 and NCT01850238 (registered on 9 May 2013) and the follow-up study under EudraCT 2013-004499-36 and NCT02031198 (registered 9 Jan 2014), respectively. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13195-018-0436-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petr Novak
- Axon Neuroscience CRM Services SE, Dvorakovo nabrezie 11, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Reinhold Schmidt
- Clinical Division of Neurogeriatrics and Division of General Neurology, Department of Neurology, Medical University Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 2, 8036, Graz, Austria
| | - Eva Kontsekova
- Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvorakovo nabrezie 10, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Branislav Kovacech
- Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvorakovo nabrezie 10, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Tomas Smolek
- Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvorakovo nabrezie 10, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Stanislav Katina
- Axon Neuroscience CRM Services SE, Dvorakovo nabrezie 11, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Lubica Fialova
- Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvorakovo nabrezie 10, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Michal Prcina
- Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvorakovo nabrezie 10, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Vojtech Parrak
- Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvorakovo nabrezie 10, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Peter Dal-Bianco
- University Clinic of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Brunner
- University Clinic of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Staffen
- University Clinic of Neurology, Christian-Doppler-Clinic, Ignaz-Harrer-Straße 79, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Michael Rainer
- Social and Medical Centre East, Danube Hospital, Karl Landsteiner Institute for Memory and Alzheimer Research, Langobardenstraße 122, 1220, Vienna, Austria
| | - Matej Ondrus
- Axon Neuroscience CRM Services SE, Dvorakovo nabrezie 11, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Stefan Ropele
- Clinical Division of Neurogeriatrics and Division of General Neurology, Department of Neurology, Medical University Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 2, 8036, Graz, Austria
| | - Miroslav Smisek
- Axon Neuroscience CRM Services SE, Dvorakovo nabrezie 11, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Roman Sivak
- Axon Neuroscience CRM Services SE, Dvorakovo nabrezie 11, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Norbert Zilka
- Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvorakovo nabrezie 10, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Bengt Winblad
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department NVS Clinical Trial Unit, Karolinska Institute Alzheimer Disease Research Centre, Geriatric Clinic, Karolinska University Hospital, Hälsovägen 7, S-14157, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Michal Novak
- Axon Neuroscience SE, 4, Arch. Makariou & Kalogreon, Nicolaides Sea View City, 5th floor, office 506, 6016, Larnaca, Cyprus
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13
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Cubinkova V, Valachova B, Uhrinova I, Brezovakova V, Smolek T, Jadhav S, Zilka N. Alternative hypotheses related to Alzheimer's disease. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 119:210-216. [PMID: 29663818 DOI: 10.4149/bll_2018_039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease represents the most common form of dementia and belongs to the group of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by progressive loss of neurons in the central nervous system. In the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease several etiologic and pathogenic factors exist, which lead to the dysfunction of neurotransmitter systems and consequent cognitive decline. Last three decades have delivered a crucial progress leading to better understanding of Alzheimer's disease, however, the exact mechanisms of pathology remain unclear. In this review, we summarize some hypotheses such as amyloid and tau hypotheses, inflammatory processes, prion-like hypothesis, the hypothesis of oxidative stress, vascular and cholesterol hypothesis, the hypothesis of metal accumulation in the brain, cell cycle hypothesis, the hypothesis of impaired insulin signalization and another, which were proposed to explain the pathogenesis of this severe disorder (Ref. 115).
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14
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Skrabana R, Kovacech B, Filipcik P, Zilka N, Jadhav S, Smolek T, Kontsekova E, Novak M. Neuronal Expression of Truncated Tau Efficiently Promotes Neurodegeneration in Animal Models: Pitfalls of Toxic Oligomer Analysis. J Alzheimers Dis 2018; 58:1017-1025. [PMID: 28527208 DOI: 10.3233/jad-161124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Animal models of neurodegeneration induced by neuronal expression of truncated tau protein emerge as an important tool for understanding the pathogenesis of human tauopathies and for therapy development. Here we highlight common features of truncated tau models and make a critical assessment of possible pitfalls in their analysis. Particularly, the amount of soluble tau oligomers, which are suspected to be neurotoxic agents participating on the spreading of pathology inside the brain, may be overestimated due to a post-lysis oxidative tau oligomerization. Using a mouse brain lysate spiked with recombinant truncated and full length tau forms, we show that tau oligomers might inadvertently be produced during the isolation procedure. This finding is further corroborated by the analysis of brain lysates originated from a mouse model expressing truncated tau variant. Our results underline the necessity of thiol-protecting conditions during the analysis of tau oligomers involved in the etiopathogenesis of various tauopathies including Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rostislav Skrabana
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Branislav Kovacech
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Peter Filipcik
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Norbert Zilka
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Santosh Jadhav
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Tomas Smolek
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Eva Kontsekova
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Michal Novak
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.,AXON Neuroscience SE, Larnaca, Cyprus
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15
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Smolek T, Jadhav S, Brezovakova V, Cubinkova V, Valachova B, Novak P, Zilka N. First-in-Rat Study of Human Alzheimer's Disease Tau Propagation. Mol Neurobiol 2018; 56:621-631. [PMID: 29770957 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-018-1102-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2017] [Accepted: 05/01/2018] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
One of the key features of misfolded tau in human neurodegenerative disorders is its propagation from one brain area into many others. In the last decade, in vivo tau spreading has been replicated in several mouse transgenic models expressing mutated human tau as well as in normal non-transgenic mice. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that insoluble tau isolated from human AD brain induces full-blown neurofibrillary pathology in a sporadic rat model of tauopathy expressing non-mutated truncated tau protein. By using specific monoclonal antibodies, we were able to monitor the spreading of tau isolated from human brain directly in the rat hippocampus. We found that exogenous human AD tau was able to spread from the area of injection and induce tau pathology. Interestingly, solubilisation of insoluble AD tau completely abolished the capability of tau protein to induce and spread of neurofibrillary pathology in the rat brain. Our results show that exogenous tau is able to induce and drive neurofibrillary pathology in rat model for human tauopathy in a similar way as it was described in various mouse transgenic models. Rat tau spreading model has many advantages over mouse and other organisms including size and complexity, and thus is highly suitable for identification of pathogenic mechanism of tau spreading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Smolek
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders, Dubravska 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvořákovo nábrežie 10, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Santosh Jadhav
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders, Dubravska 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvořákovo nábrežie 10, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Veronika Brezovakova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders, Dubravska 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Veronika Cubinkova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders, Dubravska 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvořákovo nábrežie 10, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Bernadeta Valachova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders, Dubravska 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Petr Novak
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders, Dubravska 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Axon Neuroscience CRM Services SE, Dvořákovo nábrežie 10, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Norbert Zilka
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders, Dubravska 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovak Republic. .,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvořákovo nábrežie 10, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
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16
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Valachova B, Brezovakova V, Bugos O, Jadhav S, Smolek T, Novak P, Zilka N. A comparative study on pathological features of transgenic rat lines expressing either three or four repeat misfolded tau. J Comp Neurol 2018; 526:1777-1789. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.24447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2017] [Revised: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 03/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bernadeta Valachova
- Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders; Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences; Bratislava Slovak Republic
- Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE; Bratislava Slovak Republic
| | - Veronika Brezovakova
- Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders; Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences; Bratislava Slovak Republic
| | - Ondrej Bugos
- Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders; Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences; Bratislava Slovak Republic
| | - Santosh Jadhav
- Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders; Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences; Bratislava Slovak Republic
- Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE; Bratislava Slovak Republic
| | - Tomas Smolek
- Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders; Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences; Bratislava Slovak Republic
- Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE; Bratislava Slovak Republic
| | - Petr Novak
- Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders; Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences; Bratislava Slovak Republic
| | - Norbert Zilka
- Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders; Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences; Bratislava Slovak Republic
- Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE; Bratislava Slovak Republic
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17
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Cizkova D, Cubinkova V, Smolek T, Murgoci AN, Danko J, Vdoviakova K, Humenik F, Cizek M, Quanico J, Fournier I, Salzet M. Localized Intrathecal Delivery of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Conditioned Medium Improves Functional Recovery in a Rat Model of Spinal Cord Injury. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19030870. [PMID: 29543759 PMCID: PMC5877731 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19030870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2018] [Revised: 03/04/2018] [Accepted: 03/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
It was recently shown that the conditioned medium (CM) of mesenchymal stem cells can enhance viability of neural and glial cell populations. In the present study, we have investigated a cell-free approach via CM from rat bone marrow stromal cells (MScCM) applied intrathecally (IT) for spinal cord injury (SCI) recovery in adult rats. Functional in vitro test on dorsal root ganglion (DRG) primary cultures confirmed biological properties of collected MScCM for production of neurosphere-like structures and axon outgrowth. Afterwards, rats underwent SCI and were treated with IT delivery of MScCM or vehicle at postsurgical Days 1, 5, 9, and 13, and left to survive 10 weeks. Rats that received MScCM showed significantly higher motor function recovery, increase in spared spinal cord tissue, enhanced GAP-43 expression and attenuated inflammation in comparison with vehicle-treated rats. Spared tissue around the lesion site was infiltrated with GAP-43-labeled axons at four weeks that gradually decreased at 10 weeks. Finally, a cytokine array performed on spinal cord extracts after MScCM treatment revealed decreased levels of IL-2, IL-6 and TNFα when compared to vehicle group. In conclusion, our results suggest that molecular cocktail found in MScCM is favorable for final neuroregeneration after SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dasa Cizkova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 10 Bratislava, Slovakia.
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia.
- Université de Lille, Inserm, U-1192-Laboratoire Protéomique, Réponse Inflammatoire et Spectrométrie de Masse-PRISM, F-59000 Lille, France.
| | - Veronika Cubinkova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 10 Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Tomas Smolek
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 10 Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Adriana-Natalia Murgoci
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 10 Bratislava, Slovakia.
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia.
- Université de Lille, Inserm, U-1192-Laboratoire Protéomique, Réponse Inflammatoire et Spectrométrie de Masse-PRISM, F-59000 Lille, France.
| | - Jan Danko
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia.
| | - Katarina Vdoviakova
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia.
| | - Filip Humenik
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia.
| | - Milan Cizek
- Department of Epizootology and Parasitology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia.
| | - Jusal Quanico
- Université de Lille, Inserm, U-1192-Laboratoire Protéomique, Réponse Inflammatoire et Spectrométrie de Masse-PRISM, F-59000 Lille, France.
| | - Isabelle Fournier
- Université de Lille, Inserm, U-1192-Laboratoire Protéomique, Réponse Inflammatoire et Spectrométrie de Masse-PRISM, F-59000 Lille, France.
| | - Michel Salzet
- Université de Lille, Inserm, U-1192-Laboratoire Protéomique, Réponse Inflammatoire et Spectrométrie de Masse-PRISM, F-59000 Lille, France.
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18
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Zimova I, Brezovakova V, Hromadka T, Weisova P, Cubinkova V, Valachova B, Filipcik P, Jadhav S, Smolek T, Novak M, Zilka N. Human Truncated Tau Induces Mature Neurofibrillary Pathology in a Mouse Model of Human Tauopathy. J Alzheimers Dis 2018; 54:831-43. [PMID: 27567836 DOI: 10.3233/jad-160347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) represents the most common neurodegenerative disorder. Several animal models have been developed in order to test pathophysiological mechanisms of the disease and to predict effects of pharmacological interventions. Here we examine the molecular and behavioral features of R3m/4 transgenic mice expressing human non-mutated truncated tau protein (3R tau, aa151-391) that were previously used for efficacy testing of passive tau vaccine. The mouse model reliably recapitulated crucial histopathological features of human AD, such as pre-tangles, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuropil threads. The pathology was predominantly located in the brain stem. Transgenic mice developed mature sarkosyl insoluble tau complexes consisting of mouse endogenous and human truncated and hyperphosphorylated forms of tau protein. The histopathological and biochemical features were accompanied by significant sensorimotor impairment and reduced lifespan. The sensorimotor impairment was monitored by a highly sensitive, fully-automated tool that allowed us to assess early deficit in gait and locomotion. We suggest that the novel transgenic mouse model can serve as a valuable tool for analysis of the therapeutic efficacy of tau vaccines for AD therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Zimova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, AD Centre, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Veronika Brezovakova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, AD Centre, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Tomas Hromadka
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, AD Centre, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | | | - Veronika Cubinkova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, AD Centre, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Bernadeta Valachova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, AD Centre, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Peter Filipcik
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, AD Centre, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Santosh Jadhav
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, AD Centre, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Tomas Smolek
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, AD Centre, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Michal Novak
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, AD Centre, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Axon Neuroscience SE, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Norbert Zilka
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, AD Centre, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
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Madari A, Farbakova J, Katina S, Smolek T, Novak P, Weissova T, Novak M, Zilka N. Assessment of severity and progression of canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome using the CAnine DEmentia Scale (CADES). Appl Anim Behav Sci 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2015.08.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Smolek T, Madari A, Farbakova J, Kandrac O, Jadhav S, Cente M, Brezovakova V, Novak M, Zilka N. Tau hyperphosphorylation in synaptosomes and neuroinflammation are associated with canine cognitive impairment. J Comp Neurol 2015; 524:874-95. [PMID: 26239295 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2015] [Revised: 07/28/2015] [Accepted: 07/30/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Canine cognitive impairment syndrome (CDS) represents a group of symptoms related to the aging of the canine brain. These changes ultimately lead to a decline of memory function and learning abilities, alteration of social interaction, impairment of normal housetraining, and changes in sleep-wake cycle and general activity. We have clinically examined 215 dogs, 28 of which underwent autopsy. With canine brains, we performed extensive analysis of pathological abnormalities characteristic of human Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration, including β-amyloid senile plaques, tau neurofibrillary tangles, and fused in sarcoma (FUS) and TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP43) inclusions. Most demented dogs displayed senile plaques, mainly in the frontal and temporal cortex. Tau neurofibrillary inclusions were found in only one dog. They were identified with antibodies used to detect tau neurofibrillary lesions in the human brain. The inclusions were also positive for Gallyas silver staining. As in humans, they were distributed mainly in the entorhinal cortex, hippocampus, and temporal cortex. On the other hand, FUS and TDP43 aggregates were not present in any of the examined brain samples. We also found that CDS was characterized by the presence of reactive and senescent microglial cells in the frontal cortex. Our transcriptomic study revealed a significant dysregulation of genes involved in neuroinflammation. Finally, we analyzed tau phosphoproteome in the synaptosomes. Proteomic studies revealed a significant increase of hyperphosphorylated tau in synaptosomes of demented dogs compared with nondemented dogs. This study suggests that cognitive decline in dogs is related to the tau synaptic impairment and neuroinflammation. J. Comp. Neurol. 524:874-895, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Smolek
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Aladar Madari
- University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, 040 01, Kosice, Slovak Republic
| | - Jana Farbakova
- University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, 040 01, Kosice, Slovak Republic
| | - Ondrej Kandrac
- University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, 040 01, Kosice, Slovak Republic
| | - Santosh Jadhav
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Martin Cente
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Axon Neuroscience SE, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Veronika Brezovakova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Michal Novak
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Axon Neuroscience SE, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Norbert Zilka
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Axon Neuroscience SE, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Institute of Neuroimmunology, n.o., 811 02, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
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Filipcik P, Cente M, Zilka N, Smolek T, Hanes J, Kucerak J, Opattova A, Kovacech B, Novak M. Intraneuronal accumulation of misfolded tau protein induces overexpression of Hsp27 in activated astrocytes. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2015; 1852:1219-29. [PMID: 25772164 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2015.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2015] [Revised: 02/13/2015] [Accepted: 03/06/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Accumulation of misfolded forms of microtubule associated, neuronal protein tau causes neurofibrillary degeneration typical of Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. This process is accompanied by elevated cellular stress and concomitant deregulation of heat-shock proteins. We used a transgenic rat model of tauopathy to study involvement of heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) in the process of neurofibrillary degeneration, its cell type specific expression and correlation with the amount of insoluble tau protein aggregates. The expression of Hsp27-mRNA is more than doubled and levels of Hsp27 protein tripled in aged transgenic animals with tau pathology. The data revealed a strong positive and highly significant correlation between Hsp27-mRNA and amount of sarkosyl insoluble tau. Interestingly, intracellular accumulation of insoluble misfolded tau protein in neurons was associated with overexpression of Hsp27 almost exclusively in reactive astrocytes, not in neurons. The topological dissociation of neuronally expressed pathological tau and the induction of astrocytic Hsp27, GFAP, and Vimentin along with up-regulation of microglia specific markers such as CD18, CD68 and C3 point to cooperation of astrocytes, microglia and neurons in response to intra-neuronal accumulation of insoluble tau. Our data suggest that over expression of Hsp27 represents a part of microglia-mediated astrocytic response mechanism in the process of neurofibrillary degeneration, which is not necessarily associated with neuroprotection and which in contrary may accelerate neurodegeneration in late stage of the disease. This phenomenon should be considered during development of disease modifying strategies for treatment of tauopathies and AD via regulation of activity of Hsp27.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Filipcik
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84510 Bratislava, Slovakia; Axon Neuroscience SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Martin Cente
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84510 Bratislava, Slovakia; Axon Neuroscience SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Norbert Zilka
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84510 Bratislava, Slovakia; Axon Neuroscience SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Tomas Smolek
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84510 Bratislava, Slovakia; Axon Neuroscience SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | | | - Juraj Kucerak
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84510 Bratislava, Slovakia; Axon Neuroscience SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Alena Opattova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84510 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Branislav Kovacech
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84510 Bratislava, Slovakia; Axon Neuroscience SE, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Michal Novak
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84510 Bratislava, Slovakia; Axon Neuroscience SE, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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