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Frey B, Holzinger D, Taylor K, Ehrnhoefer DE, Striebinger A, Biesinger S, Gasparini L, O'Neill MJ, Wegner F, Barghorn S, Höglinger GU, Heym RG. Tau seed amplification assay reveals relationship between seeding and pathological forms of tau in Alzheimer's disease brain. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2023; 11:181. [PMID: 37964332 PMCID: PMC10644662 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01676-w] [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: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau seed amplification assays (SAAs) directly measure the seeding activity of tau and would therefore be ideal biomarkers for clinical trials targeting seeding-competent tau in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the precise relationship between tau seeding measured by SAA and the levels of pathological forms of tau in the AD brain remains unknown. We developed a new tau SAA based on full-length 0N3R tau with sensitivity in the low fg/ml range and used it to characterize 103 brain samples from three independent cohorts. Tau seeding clearly discriminated between AD and control brain samples. Interestingly, seeding was absent in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) putamen, suggesting that our tau SAA did not amplify 4R tau aggregates from PSP brain. The specificity of our tau SAA for AD brain was further supported by analysis of matched hippocampus and cerebellum samples. While seeding was detected in hippocampus from Braak stages I-II, no seeding was present in AD cerebellum that is devoid of tau inclusions. Analysis of 40 middle frontal gyrus samples encompassing all Braak stages showed that tau SAA seeding activity gradually increased with Braak stage. This relationship between seeding activity and the presence of tau inclusions in AD brain was further supported by robust correlations between tau SAA results and the levels of phosphorylated tau212/214, phosphorylated tau181, aggregated tau, and sarkosyl-insoluble tau. Strikingly, we detected tau seeding in the middle frontal gyrus already at Braak stage II-III, suggesting that tau SAA can detect tau pathology earlier than conventional immunohistochemical staining. In conclusion, our data suggest a quantitative relationship between tau seeding activity and pathological forms of tau in the human brain and provides an important basis for further development of tau SAA for accessible human samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan Frey
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Research, Knollstrasse, 67061, Ludwigshafen, Germany.
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany.
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Hannover, Germany.
| | - David Holzinger
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Research, Knollstrasse, 67061, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Keenan Taylor
- AbbVie Bioresearch Center, Biotherapeutics and Genetic Medicine Technologies, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Dagmar E Ehrnhoefer
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Research, Knollstrasse, 67061, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Andreas Striebinger
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Research, Knollstrasse, 67061, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Sandra Biesinger
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Research, Knollstrasse, 67061, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Laura Gasparini
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Research, Knollstrasse, 67061, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Michael J O'Neill
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Research, Knollstrasse, 67061, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Florian Wegner
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Hannover, Germany
| | - Stefan Barghorn
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Research, Knollstrasse, 67061, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Günter U Höglinger
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Hannover, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases E.V. (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | - Roland G Heym
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Research, Knollstrasse, 67061, Ludwigshafen, Germany.
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Annadurai N, Hrubý J, Kubíčková A, Malina L, Hajdúch M, Das V. Time- and dose-dependent seeding tendency of exogenous tau R2 and R3 aggregates in cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2023; 653:102-105. [PMID: 36863211 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2023.02.057] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Tauopathies are a group of neurodegenerative diseases categorised into three types, 3R, 4R, or 3R+4R (mixed) tauopathies, based on the tau isoforms that make up the aberrant filaments. It is supposed that all six tau isoforms share functional characteristics. However, differences in the neuropathological features associated with different tauopathies offer the possibility that disease progression and tau accumulation may vary depending on the isoform composition. The presence or absence of repeat 2 (R2) in the microtubule-binding domain defines the type of isoform, which might influence tau pathology associated with a particular tau isoform. Therefore, our study aimed to identify the differences in the seeding propensities of R2 and repeat 3 (R3) aggregates using HEK293T biosensor cells. We show that the seeding induced by R2 was generally higher than by R3 aggregates, and lower concentrations of R2 aggregates are sufficient to induce seeding. Next, we found that both R2 and R3 aggregates dose-dependently increased triton-insoluble Ser262 phosphorylation of native tau, which is only visible in cells seeded with higher concentrations (12.5 nM or 100 nM) of R2 and R3 aggregates, despite the seeding by the lower concentrations of R2 aggregates after 72 h. However, the accumulation of triton-insoluble pSer262 tau was visible earlier in cells induced with R2 than in R3 aggregates. Our findings suggest that the R2 region may contribute to the early and enhanced induction of tau aggregation and define the difference in disease progression and neuropathology of 4R tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narendran Annadurai
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Hněvotínská 1333/5, 77900, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Hrubý
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Hněvotínská 1333/5, 77900, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Agáta Kubíčková
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Hněvotínská 1333/5, 77900, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Lukáš Malina
- Department of Medical Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University in Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Marián Hajdúch
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Hněvotínská 1333/5, 77900, Olomouc, Czech Republic; Czech Advanced Technologies and Research Institute (CATRIN), Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Palacký University Olomouc, Křížkovského 511/8, 77900, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Viswanath Das
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Hněvotínská 1333/5, 77900, Olomouc, Czech Republic; Czech Advanced Technologies and Research Institute (CATRIN), Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Palacký University Olomouc, Křížkovského 511/8, 77900, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
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Annadurai N, Malina L, Malohlava J, Hajdúch M, Das V. Tau R2 and R3 are essential regions for tau aggregation, seeding and propagation. Biochimie 2022; 200:79-86. [PMID: 35623497 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2022.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Tauopathies are characterised by intracellular deposits of fibrillar tau tangles. However, the interneuronal spread of pathological tau species precedes the development of major tau burdens. Two amyloid motifs, VQIINK in repeat 2 and VQIVYK in repeat 3, of tau repeat domain, assemble into β-sheet-rich fibrils on their own but alone do not form seed-competent fibrils. In contrast, the entire R3 region self-aggregates and forms seed-competent fibrils. Our study aimed to identify the minimal regions in the tau repeat domain that define seeding and its impact on intracellular tau phosphorylation and aggregation. Using peptides of individual repeats, we show that R2, like R3, forms seed-competent fibrils when assembled in the presence of heparin. However, R3, but not R2, forms seed-competent fibrils when assembled without heparin, even though both R2 and R3 have identical N-terminal hexapeptide and cysteine residue sequences. Moreover, cysteine to alanine substitution in R3 abrogates its self-aggregation and seeding potency. Tau RD P301S biosensor cells and Tau P301L (0N4R)-expressing HEK293 cells seeded with R2 and R3 fibrils show the induction of pathological phosphorylation of tau at Ser262/Ser396/Ser404 positions and oligomerisation of native tau. Protein fractions of biosensor cells seeded with R2 and R3 fibrils reseed endogenous tau aggregation when introduced into a fresh set of biosensor cells. Our findings suggest that R3 may be the minimal region for pathological seed generation under physiological conditions, whereas R2 might need polyanionic cofactors to generate pathogenic seeds. Lastly, R2 and R3 fibrils induce template-induced misfolding and pathological hyperphosphorylation of intracellular tau, making intracellular tau seed-competent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narendran Annadurai
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Hněvotínská 1333/5, 77900, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Lukáš Malina
- Department of Medical Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University in Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Malohlava
- Department of Medical Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University in Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Marián Hajdúch
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Hněvotínská 1333/5, 77900, Olomouc, Czech Republic; Czech Advanced Technologies and Research Institute (CATRIN), Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Palacký University Olomouc, Krizkovskeho 511/8, 77900, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Viswanath Das
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Hněvotínská 1333/5, 77900, Olomouc, Czech Republic; Czech Advanced Technologies and Research Institute (CATRIN), Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Palacký University Olomouc, Krizkovskeho 511/8, 77900, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
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Stopschinski BE, Del Tredici K, Estill-Terpack SJ, Ghebremdehin E, Yu FF, Braak H, Diamond MI. Anatomic survey of seeding in Alzheimer's disease brains reveals unexpected patterns. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2021; 9:164. [PMID: 34635189 PMCID: PMC8507321 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-021-01255-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Tauopathies are heterogeneous neurodegenerative diseases defined by progressive brain accumulation of tau aggregates. The most common tauopathy, sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (AD), involves progressive tau deposition that can be divided into specific stages of neurofibrillary tangle pathology. This classification is consistent with experimental data which suggests that network-based propagation is mediated by cell–cell transfer of tau “seeds”, or assemblies, that serve as templates for their own replication. Until now, seeding assays of AD brain have largely been limited to areas previously defined by NFT pathology. We now expand this work to additional regions. We selected 20 individuals with AD pathology of NFT stages I, III, and V. We stained and classified 25 brain regions in each using the anti-phospho-tau monoclonal antibody AT8. We measured tau seeding in each of the 500 samples using a cell-based tau “biosensor” assay in which induction of intracellular tau aggregation is mediated by exogenous tau assemblies. We observed a progressive increase in tau seeding according to NFT stage. Seeding frequently preceded NFT pathology, e.g., in the basolateral subnucleus of the amygdala and the substantia nigra, pars compacta. We observed seeding in brain regions not previously known to develop tau pathology, e.g., the globus pallidus and internal capsule, where AT8 staining revealed mainly axonal accumulation of tau. AT8 staining in brain regions identified because of tau seeding also revealed pathology in a previously undescribed cell type: Bergmann glia of the cerebellar cortex. We also detected tau seeding in brain regions not previously examined, e.g., the intermediate reticular zone, dorsal raphe nucleus, amygdala, basal nucleus of Meynert, and olfactory bulb. In conclusion, tau histopathology and seeding are complementary analytical tools. Tau seeding assays reveal pathology in the absence of AT8 signal in some instances, and previously unrecognized sites of tau deposition. The variation in sites of seeding between individuals could underlie differences in the clinical presentation and course of AD.
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Wallon D, Boluda S, Rovelet-Lecrux A, Thierry M, Lagarde J, Miguel L, Lecourtois M, Bonnevalle A, Sarazin M, Bottlaender M, Mula M, Marty S, Nakamura N, Schramm C, Sellal F, Jonveaux T, Heitz C, Le Ber I, Epelbaum S, Magnin E, Zarea A, Rousseau S, Quenez O, Hannequin D, Clavaguera F, Campion D, Duyckaerts C, Nicolas G. Clinical and neuropathological diversity of tauopathy in MAPT duplication carriers. Acta Neuropathol 2021; 142:259-278. [PMID: 34095977 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-021-02320-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Microduplications of the 17q21.31 chromosomal region encompassing the MAPT gene, which encodes the Tau protein, were identified in patients with a progressive disorder initially characterized by severe memory impairment with or without behavioral changes that can clinically mimic Alzheimer disease. The unique neuropathological report showed a primary tauopathy, which could not be unanimously classified in a given known subtype, showing both 4R- and 3R-tau inclusions, mainly within temporal cortical subregions and basal ganglia, without amyloid deposits. Recently, two subjects harboring the same duplication were reported with an atypical extrapyramidal syndrome and gait disorder. To decipher the phenotypic spectrum associated with MAPT duplications, we studied ten carriers from nine families, including two novel unrelated probands, gathering clinical (n = 10), cerebrospinal fluid (n = 6), MRI (n = 8), dopamine transporter scan (n = 4), functional (n = 5), amyloid (n = 3) and Tau-tracer (n = 2) PET imaging data as well as neuropathological examination (n = 4). Ages at onset ranged from 37 to 57 years, with prominent episodic memory impairment in 8/10 patients, associated with behavioral changes in four, while two patients showed atypical extrapyramidal syndrome with gait disorder at presentation, including one with associated cognitive deficits. Amyloid imaging was negative but Tau imaging showed significant deposits mainly in both mesiotemporal cortex. Dopaminergic denervation was found in 4/4 patients, including three without extrapyramidal symptoms. Neuropathological examination exclusively showed Tau-immunoreactive lesions. Distribution, aspect and 4R/3R tau aggregates composition suggested a spectrum from predominantly 3R, mainly cortical deposits well correlating with cognitive and behavioral changes, to predominantly 4R deposits, mainly in the basal ganglia and midbrain, in patients with prominent extrapyramidal syndrome. Finally, we performed in vitro seeding experiments in HEK-biosensor cells. Morphological features of aggregates induced by homogenates of three MAPT duplication carriers showed dense/granular ratios graduating between those induced by homogenates of a Pick disease and a progressive supranuclear palsy cases. These results suggest that MAPT duplication causes a primary tauopathy associated with diverse clinical and neuropathological features.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Wallon
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Inserm U1245, CHU Rouen, Department of Neurology and CNR-MAJ, F-76000, Rouen, France.
| | - Susana Boluda
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS U1127, Institut du Cerveau, ICM, Paris, France
- AP-HP, Hôpital de La Pitié-Salpêtrière, Laboratoire de Neuropathologie R. Escourolle, Paris, France
| | - Anne Rovelet-Lecrux
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Inserm U1245, CHU Rouen, Department of Genetics and CNR-MAJ, F-76000, Rouen, France
| | - Manon Thierry
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS U1127, Institut du Cerveau, ICM, Paris, France
- AP-HP, Hôpital de La Pitié-Salpêtrière, Laboratoire de Neuropathologie R. Escourolle, Paris, France
| | - Julien Lagarde
- Department of Neurology of Memory and Language, GHU Paris Psychiatrie & Neurosciences, Hôpital Sainte Anne, F-75014, Paris, France
- Université de Paris, 75006, Paris, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, BioMaps, Service Hospitalier Frederic Joliot, CEA, CNRS, Inserm, F-91401, Orsay, France
| | - Laetitia Miguel
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Inserm U1245, CHU Rouen, Department of Genetics and CNR-MAJ, F-76000, Rouen, France
| | - Magalie Lecourtois
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Inserm U1245, CHU Rouen, Department of Genetics and CNR-MAJ, F-76000, Rouen, France
| | - Antoine Bonnevalle
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Inserm U1245, CHU Rouen, Department of Neurology and CNR-MAJ, F-76000, Rouen, France
| | - Marie Sarazin
- Department of Neurology of Memory and Language, GHU Paris Psychiatrie & Neurosciences, Hôpital Sainte Anne, F-75014, Paris, France
- Université de Paris, 75006, Paris, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, BioMaps, Service Hospitalier Frederic Joliot, CEA, CNRS, Inserm, F-91401, Orsay, France
| | - Michel Bottlaender
- Université Paris-Saclay, BioMaps, Service Hospitalier Frederic Joliot, CEA, CNRS, Inserm, F-91401, Orsay, France
- UNIACT, Neurospin, CEA, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Mathieu Mula
- AP-HP, Hôpital de La Pitié-Salpêtrière, Laboratoire de Neuropathologie R. Escourolle, Paris, France
| | - Serge Marty
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS U1127, Institut du Cerveau, ICM, Paris, France
| | - Natsuko Nakamura
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS U1127, Institut du Cerveau, ICM, Paris, France
| | - Catherine Schramm
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Inserm U1245, CHU Rouen, Department of Genetics and CNR-MAJ, F-76000, Rouen, France
| | - François Sellal
- Department of Neurology, Hôpitaux Civils de Colmar and INSERM U-1118, School of Medicine, Strasbourg University, Strasbourg, France
| | - Thérèse Jonveaux
- CMRR Department of Neurology, Nancy University Hospital, Laboratoire Lorraine de Psychologie et de Neurosciences de la Dynamique des Comportements 2LPN EA7489 Lorraine University, Nancy, France
| | - Camille Heitz
- Neurology Department, Hôpital Universitaire de Nîmes, Nîmes, France
| | - Isabelle Le Ber
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Institut du Cerveau et la Moelle Epinière (ICM), AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
- Reference Centre for Rare or Early Dementias, IM2A, Département de Neurologie, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Stéphane Epelbaum
- Centre Mémoire Ressources et Recherche (CMRR), Centre Expert Parkinson (CEP), Service de Neurologie, CHRU Besançon, 25000, Besançon, France
- Neurosciences Intégratives et Cliniques UR481, Univ. Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 25000, Besançon, France
| | - Eloi Magnin
- Centre Mémoire Ressources et Recherche (CMRR), Centre Expert Parkinson (CEP), Service de Neurologie, CHRU Besançon, 25000, Besançon, France
- Neurosciences Intégratives et Cliniques UR481, Univ. Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 25000, Besançon, France
| | - Aline Zarea
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Inserm U1245, CHU Rouen, Department of Neurology and CNR-MAJ, F-76000, Rouen, France
| | - Stéphane Rousseau
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Inserm U1245, CHU Rouen, Department of Genetics and CNR-MAJ, F-76000, Rouen, France
| | - Olivier Quenez
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Inserm U1245, CHU Rouen, Department of Genetics and CNR-MAJ, F-76000, Rouen, France
| | - Didier Hannequin
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Inserm U1245, CHU Rouen, Department of Neurology and CNR-MAJ, F-76000, Rouen, France
| | - Florence Clavaguera
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS U1127, Institut du Cerveau, ICM, Paris, France
| | - Dominique Campion
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Inserm U1245, CHU Rouen, Department of Genetics and CNR-MAJ, F-76000, Rouen, France
| | - Charles Duyckaerts
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS U1127, Institut du Cerveau, ICM, Paris, France
- AP-HP, Hôpital de La Pitié-Salpêtrière, Laboratoire de Neuropathologie R. Escourolle, Paris, France
| | - Gaël Nicolas
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Inserm U1245, CHU Rouen, Department of Genetics and CNR-MAJ, F-76000, Rouen, France.
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Abstract
The propagation of pathological proteins throughout the brain is the primary physiological hallmark of the progression of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). A growing body of evidence indicates that hyperphosphorylated Tau proteins are spread transcellularly between neurons in a prionlike fashion, inducing misfolding and aggregation into neurofibrillary tangles which accumulate along specific connectivity pathways. Earlier transgenic rodent AD models did not capture this disease-relevant spread, and therefore, seeded Tau-propagation models have been developed. Here, mutant human Tau (as isolated protein or packaged into an adeno-associated virus (AAV) viral vector) is stereotaxically injected into select brain regions and its histopathological propagation to downstream neurons quantified. These models offer a faster and more direct mechanism to evaluate genetic components and therapeutic approaches which attenuate Tau spreading in vivo. Recently, these Tau-seeding models have revealed several new targets for AD drug discovery, including nSMase2, SIRT1, p300/CBP, LRP1, and TYROBP, as well as the potential therapeutics based on melatonin and chondroitinase ABC. Importantly, these Tau-propagation rodent models more closely phenocopy the progression of AD in humans and are therefore likely to improve preclinical studies and derisk future moves into clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J. Bell
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Medhinee M. Malvankar
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Carolyn Tallon
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Barbara S. Slusher
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
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Perez-Rando M, Dujardin S, Bennett RE, Commins C, Nibhanupudy T, Hyman BT. Synaptic and metabolic gene expression alterations in neurons that are recipients of proteopathic tau seeds. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2020; 8:168. [PMID: 33076986 PMCID: PMC7574323 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-020-01049-7] [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] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that misfolded tau molecules can be released, and taken up by adjacent neurons, propagating proteopathic seeds across neural systems. Yet critical to understanding whether tau propagation is relevant in pathophysiology of disease would be to learn if it alters neuronal properties. We utilized high resolution multi-color in situ hybridization technology, RNAScope, in a well-established tau transgenic animal, and found that a subset of neurons in the cortex do not appear to express the transgene, but do develop phospho-tau positive inclusions, consistent with having received tau seeds. Recipient neurons show decreases in their expression of synaptophysin, CAMKIIα, and mouse tau in both young and old animals. These results contrast with neurons that develop tau aggregates and also overexpress the transgene, which have few changes in expression of metabolic and synaptic markers. Taken together, these results strongly suggest that tau propagation impacts neuronal functional integrity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Perez-Rando
- grid.32224.350000 0004 0386 9924Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Building 114, Room 2009, Charlestown, MA 02129 USA ,grid.38142.3c000000041936754XHarvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
| | - Simon Dujardin
- grid.32224.350000 0004 0386 9924Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Building 114, Room 2009, Charlestown, MA 02129 USA ,grid.38142.3c000000041936754XHarvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
| | - Rachel E. Bennett
- grid.32224.350000 0004 0386 9924Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Building 114, Room 2009, Charlestown, MA 02129 USA ,grid.38142.3c000000041936754XHarvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
| | - Caitlin Commins
- grid.32224.350000 0004 0386 9924Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Building 114, Room 2009, Charlestown, MA 02129 USA
| | - Tara Nibhanupudy
- grid.32224.350000 0004 0386 9924Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Building 114, Room 2009, Charlestown, MA 02129 USA
| | - Bradley T. Hyman
- grid.32224.350000 0004 0386 9924Alzheimer Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Building 114, Room 2009, Charlestown, MA 02129 USA ,grid.38142.3c000000041936754XHarvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
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Vergara C, Houben S, Suain V, Yilmaz Z, De Decker R, Vanden Dries V, Boom A, Mansour S, Leroy K, Ando K, Brion JP. Amyloid-β pathology enhances pathological fibrillary tau seeding induced by Alzheimer PHF in vivo. Acta Neuropathol 2019; 137:397-412. [PMID: 30599077 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-018-1953-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [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: 11/29/2018] [Revised: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Neuropathological analysis in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and experimental evidence in transgenic models overexpressing frontotemporal dementia with Parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17) mutant tau suggest that amyloid-β pathology enhances the development of tau pathology. In this work, we analyzed this interaction independently of the overexpression of an FTDP-17 mutant tau, by analyzing tau pathology in wild-type (WT), 5xFAD, APP-/- and tau-/- mice after stereotaxic injection in the somatosensory cortex of short-length native human AD-PHF. Gallyas and phosphotau-positive tau inclusions developed in WT, 5xFAD, and APP-/- but not in tau-/- mice. Ultrastructural analysis demonstrated their intracellular localization and that they were composed of straight filaments. These seeded tau inclusions were composed only of endogenous murine tau exhibiting a tau antigenic profile similar to tau aggregates in AD. Insoluble tau level was higher and ipsilateral anteroposterior and contralateral cortical spreading of tau inclusions was more important in AD-PHF-injected 5xFAD mice than in WT mice. The formation of large plaque-associated dystrophic neurites positive for oligomeric and phosphotau was observed in 5xFAD mice injected with AD-PHF but never in control-injected or in non-injected 5xFAD mice. An increased level of the p25 activator of CDK5 kinase was found in AD-PHF-injected 5xFAD mice. These data demonstrate in vivo that the presence of Aβ pathology enhances experimentally induced tau seeding of endogenous, wild-type tau expressed at physiological level, and demonstrate the fibrillar nature of heterotopically seeded endogenous tau. These observations further support the hypothesis that Aβ enhances tau pathology development in AD through increased pathological tau spreading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Vergara
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, UNI (ULB Neuroscience Institute), Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 808, route de Lennik, Bldg GE, 1070, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sarah Houben
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, UNI (ULB Neuroscience Institute), Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 808, route de Lennik, Bldg GE, 1070, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Valérie Suain
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, UNI (ULB Neuroscience Institute), Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 808, route de Lennik, Bldg GE, 1070, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Zehra Yilmaz
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, UNI (ULB Neuroscience Institute), Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 808, route de Lennik, Bldg GE, 1070, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Robert De Decker
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, UNI (ULB Neuroscience Institute), Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 808, route de Lennik, Bldg GE, 1070, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Virginie Vanden Dries
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, UNI (ULB Neuroscience Institute), Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 808, route de Lennik, Bldg GE, 1070, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Alain Boom
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, UNI (ULB Neuroscience Institute), Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 808, route de Lennik, Bldg GE, 1070, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Salwa Mansour
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, UNI (ULB Neuroscience Institute), Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 808, route de Lennik, Bldg GE, 1070, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Karelle Leroy
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, UNI (ULB Neuroscience Institute), Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 808, route de Lennik, Bldg GE, 1070, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kunie Ando
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, UNI (ULB Neuroscience Institute), Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 808, route de Lennik, Bldg GE, 1070, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jean-Pierre Brion
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, UNI (ULB Neuroscience Institute), Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 808, route de Lennik, Bldg GE, 1070, Brussels, Belgium.
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Braak H, Del Tredici K. Top-Down Projections Direct the Gradual Progression of Alzheimer-Related Tau Pathology Throughout the Neocortex. Adv Exp Med Biol 2019; 1184:291-303. [PMID: 32096045 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-32-9358-8_22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In sporadic Alzheimer's disease (sAD), tau pathology gradually but relentlessly progresses from the transentorhinal region of the temporal lobe into both the allocortex and temporal high order association areas of the neocortex. From there, it ultimately reaches the primary sensory and motor fields of the neocortex. The brunt of the changes seen during neurofibrillary stages (NFT) I-VI is borne by top-down projection neurons that contribute to cortico-cortical connectivities between different neocortical fields. Very early changes develop in isolated pyramidal cells in layers III and V, and these cells are targets of top-down projections terminating in association areas of the first temporal gyrus or in peristriate regions of the occipital lobe. Neurofibrillary pathology in these regions is routinely associated with late NFT stages. Sequential changes occur in different cell compartments (dendritic, somatic, axonal) of these early-involved neurons. Tau pathology first develops in distal segments of basal dendrites, then in proximal dendrites, the soma, and, finally, in the axon of affected pyramidal neurons. This sequence of abnormal changes supports the concept that axons of cortico-cortical top-down neurons may carry and spread abnormal tau seeds in a focused manner (transsynaptically) into the distal dendritic segments of nerve cells directly following in the neuronal chain, thereby sustaining tau-seeded templating in sAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heiko Braak
- Clinical Neuroanatomy Section/Department of Neurology, Center for Biomedical Research, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Kelly Del Tredici
- Clinical Neuroanatomy Section/Department of Neurology, Center for Biomedical Research, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
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Rosenqvist N, Asuni AA, Andersson CR, Christensen S, Daechsel JA, Egebjerg J, Falsig J, Helboe L, Jul P, Kartberg F, Pedersen LØ, Sigurdsson EM, Sotty F, Skjødt K, Stavenhagen JB, Volbracht C, Pedersen JT. Highly specific and selective anti-pS396-tau antibody C10.2 targets seeding-competent tau. Alzheimers Dement (N Y) 2018; 4:521-534. [PMID: 30386817 PMCID: PMC6205114 DOI: 10.1016/j.trci.2018.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [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] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Introduction The abnormal hyperphosphorylation of the microtubule-associated protein tau plays a crucial role in neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies. Methods Highly specific and selective anti-pS396-tau antibodies have been generated using peptide immunization with screening against pathologic hyperphosphorylated tau from rTg4510 mouse and AD brains and selection in in vitro and in vivo tau seeding assays. Results The antibody C10.2 bound specifically to pS396-tau with an IC50 of 104 pM and detected preferentially hyperphosphorylated tau aggregates from AD brain with an IC50 of 1.2 nM. C10.2 significantly reduced tau seeding of P301L human tau in HEK293 cells, murine cortical neurons, and mice. AD brain extracts depleted with C10.2 were not able to seed tau in vitro and in vivo, demonstrating that C10.2 specifically recognized pathologic seeding-competent tau. Discussion Targeting pS396-tau with an antibody like C10.2 may provide therapeutic benefit in AD and other tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Pia Jul
- H. Lundbeck A/S, Valby, Denmark
| | | | | | - Einar M Sigurdsson
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Karsten Skjødt
- Department of Cancer and Inflammarion Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense C, Denmark
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