1
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Chang CW, Evans MD, Yu X, Yu GQ, Mucke L. Tau reduction affects excitatory and inhibitory neurons differently, reduces excitation/inhibition ratios, and counteracts network hypersynchrony. Cell Rep 2021; 37:109855. [PMID: 34686344 PMCID: PMC8648275 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The protein tau has been implicated in many brain disorders. In animal models, tau reduction suppresses epileptogenesis of diverse causes and ameliorates synaptic and behavioral abnormalities in various conditions associated with excessive excitation-inhibition (E/I) ratios. However, the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Global genetic ablation of tau in mice reduces the action potential (AP) firing and E/I ratio of pyramidal cells in acute cortical slices without affecting the excitability of these cells. Tau ablation reduces the excitatory inputs to inhibitory neurons, increases the excitability of these cells, and structurally alters their axon initial segments (AISs). In primary neuronal cultures subjected to prolonged overstimulation, tau ablation diminishes the homeostatic response of AISs in inhibitory neurons, promotes inhibition, and suppresses hypersynchrony. Together, these differential alterations in excitatory and inhibitory neurons help explain how tau reduction prevents network hypersynchrony and counteracts brain disorders causing abnormally increased E/I ratios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Che-Wei Chang
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Mark D Evans
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Xinxing Yu
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Gui-Qiu Yu
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Lennart Mucke
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Neurology and Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
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2
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Shah EJ, Gurdziel K, Ruden DM. Sex-Differences in Traumatic Brain Injury in the Absence of Tau in Drosophila. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12060917. [PMID: 34198629 PMCID: PMC8232113 DOI: 10.3390/genes12060917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Traumatic brain injuries, a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, are caused by a severe impact to the head that impairs physiological and psychological function. In addition to severity, type and brain area affected, brain injury outcome is also influenced by the biological sex of the patient. Traumatic brain injury triggers accumulation of Tau protein and the subsequent development of Tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease and Chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Recent studies report differences in Tau network connections between healthy males and females, but the possible role of Tau in sex-dependent outcome to brain injury is unclear. Thus, we aimed to determine if Tau ablation would alleviate sex dependent outcomes in injured flies. We first assessed motor function and survival in tau knock-out flies and observed sex-differences in climbing ability, but no change in locomotor activity in either sex post-injury. Sex differences in survival time were also observed in injured tau deficient flies with a dramatically higher percent of female death within 24 h than males. Additionally, 3'mRNA-Seq studies in isolated fly brains found that tau deficient males show more gene transcript changes than females post-injury. Our results suggest that sex differences in TBI outcome and recovery are not dependent on the presence of Tau in Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekta J. Shah
- Department of Pharmacology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA;
| | - Katherine Gurdziel
- Office of the Vice President of Research, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA
- Correspondence: (K.G.); (D.M.R.)
| | - Douglas M. Ruden
- Department of Pharmacology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA;
- Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA
- Correspondence: (K.G.); (D.M.R.)
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Velazquez R, Ferreira E, Tran A, Turner EC, Belfiore R, Branca C, Oddo S. Acute tau knockdown in the hippocampus of adult mice causes learning and memory deficits. Aging Cell 2018; 17:e12775. [PMID: 29749079 PMCID: PMC6052471 DOI: 10.1111/acel.12775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Misfolded and hyperphosphorylated tau accumulates in several neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia with Parkinsonism, corticobasal degeneration, progressive supranuclear palsy, Down syndrome, and Pick's disease. Tau is a microtubule-binding protein, and its role in microtubule stabilization is well defined. In contrast, while growing evidence suggests that tau is also involved in synaptic physiology, a complete assessment of tau function in the adult brain has been hampered by robust developmental compensation of other microtubule-binding proteins in tau knockout mice. To circumvent these developmental compensations and assess the role of tau in the adult brain, we generated an adeno-associated virus (AAV) expressing a doxycycline-inducible short-hairpin (Sh) RNA targeted to tau, herein referred to as AAV-ShRNATau. We performed bilateral stereotaxic injections in 7-month-old C57Bl6/SJL wild-type mice with either the AAV-ShRNATau or a control AAV. We found that acute knockdown of tau in the adult hippocampus significantly impaired motor coordination and spatial memory. Blocking the expression of the AAV-ShRNATau, thereby allowing tau levels to return to control levels, restored motor coordination and spatial memory. Mechanistically, the reduced tau levels were associated with lower BDNF levels, reduced levels of synaptic proteins associated with learning, and decreased spine density. We provide compelling evidence that tau is necessary for motor and cognitive function in the adult brain, thereby firmly supporting that tau loss-of-function may contribute to the clinical manifestations of many tauopathies. These findings have profound clinical implications given that anti-tau therapies are in clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramon Velazquez
- Arizona State University‐Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign InstituteArizona State UniversityTempeAZUSA
| | - Eric Ferreira
- Arizona State University‐Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign InstituteArizona State UniversityTempeAZUSA
| | - An Tran
- Arizona State University‐Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign InstituteArizona State UniversityTempeAZUSA
| | - Emily C. Turner
- Arizona State University‐Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign InstituteArizona State UniversityTempeAZUSA
| | - Ramona Belfiore
- Arizona State University‐Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign InstituteArizona State UniversityTempeAZUSA
| | - Caterina Branca
- Arizona State University‐Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign InstituteArizona State UniversityTempeAZUSA
| | - Salvatore Oddo
- Arizona State University‐Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign InstituteArizona State UniversityTempeAZUSA
- School of Life SciencesArizona State UniversityTempeAZUSA
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4
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Beauchamp LC, Chan J, Hung LW, Padman BS, Vella LJ, Liu XM, Coleman B, Bush AI, Lazarou M, Hill AF, Jacobson L, Barnham KJ. Ablation of tau causes an olfactory deficit in a murine model of Parkinson's disease. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2018; 6:57. [PMID: 29976255 PMCID: PMC6032546 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-018-0560-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Parkinson's disease is diagnosed upon the presentation of motor symptoms, resulting from substantial degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain. Prior to diagnosis, there is a lengthy prodromal stage in which non-motor symptoms, including olfactory deficits (hyposmia), develop. There is limited information about non-motor impairments and there is a need for directed research into these early pathogenic cellular pathways that precede extensive dopaminergic death in the midbrain. The protein tau has been identified as a genetic risk factor in the development of sporadic PD. Tau knockout mice have been reported as an age-dependent model of PD, and this study has demonstrated that they develop motor deficits at 15-months-old. We have shown that at 7-month-old tau knockout mice present with an overt hyposmic phenotype. This olfactory deficit correlates with an accumulation of α-synuclein, as well as autophagic impairment, in the olfactory bulb. This pathological feature becomes apparent in the striatum and substantia nigra of 15-month-old tau knockout mice, suggesting the potential for a spread of disease. Initial primary cell culture experiments have demonstrated that ablation of tau results in the release of α-synuclein enriched exosomes, providing a potential mechanism for disease spread. These alterations in α-synuclein level as well as a marked autophagy impairment in the tau knockout primary cells recapitulate results seen in the animal model. These data implicate a pathological role for tau in early Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah C. Beauchamp
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
- The Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
| | - Jacky Chan
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
| | - Lin W. Hung
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
| | - Benjamin S. Padman
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Laura J. Vella
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
| | - Xiang M. Liu
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
| | - Bradley Coleman
- The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
| | - Ashley I. Bush
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
| | - Michael Lazarou
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Andrew F. Hill
- The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
- The Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3083 Australia
| | - Laura Jacobson
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
- The Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
| | - Kevin J. Barnham
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
- The Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
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5
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Tang X, Jiao L, Zheng M, Yan Y, Nie Q, Wu T, Wan X, Zhang G, Li Y, Wu S, Jiang B, Cai H, Xu P, Duan J, Lin X. Tau Deficiency Down-Regulated Transcription Factor Orthodenticle Homeobox 2 Expression in the Dopaminergic Neurons in Ventral Tegmental Area and Caused No Obvious Motor Deficits in Mice. Neuroscience 2018; 373:52-59. [PMID: 29337233 PMCID: PMC5819331 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [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: 08/21/2017] [Revised: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 01/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Tau protein participates in microtubule stabilization, axonal transport, and protein trafficking. Loss of normal tau function will exert a negative effect. However, current knowledge on the impact of tau deficiency on the motor behavior and related neurobiological changes is controversial. In this study, we examined motor functions and analyzed several proteins implicated in the maintenance of midbrain dopaminergic (DA) neurons (mDANs) function of adult and aged tau+/+, tau+/-, tau-/- mice. We found tau deficiency could not induce significant motor disorders. However, we discovered lower expression levels of transcription factors Orthodenticle homeobox 2 (OTX2) of mDANs in older aged mice. Compared with age-matched tau+/+ mice, there were 54.1% lower (p = 0.0192) OTX2 protein (OTX2-fluorescence intensity) in VTA DA neurons of tau+/- mice and 43.6% lower (p = 0.0249) OTX2 protein in VTA DA neurons of tau-/- mice at 18 months old. Combined with the relevant reports, our results suggested that tau deficiency alone might not be enough to mimic the pathology of Parkinson's disease. However, OTX2 down-regulation indicates that mDANs of tau-deficient mice will be more sensitive to toxic damage from MPTP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolu Tang
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, #74, Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Luyan Jiao
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, #74, Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Meige Zheng
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, #74, Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Yan Yan
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, #74, Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Qi Nie
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, #74, Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Ting Wu
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, #74, Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Xiaomei Wan
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, #74, Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Guofeng Zhang
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, #74, Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Yonglin Li
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, #74, Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Song Wu
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, #74, Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Bin Jiang
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, #74, Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Huaibin Cai
- Transgenics Section, Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Pingyi Xu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong 510120, China.
| | - Jinhai Duan
- Department of Neurology & Guangdong Institute of Geriatrics, Guangdong General Hospital, #106, Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guanzhou 510080, China.
| | - Xian Lin
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, #74, Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guangzhou 510080, China; Department of Anatomy & Research Center for Neurobiology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, #74, Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guangzhou 510080, China.
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6
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Yetman MJ, Fowler SW, Jankowsky JL. Humanized Tau Mice with Regionalized Amyloid Exhibit Behavioral Deficits but No Pathological Interaction. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0153724. [PMID: 27070146 PMCID: PMC4829202 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2016] [Accepted: 04/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) researchers have struggled for decades to draw a causal link between extracellular Aβ aggregation and intraneuronal accumulation of microtubule-associated protein tau. The amyloid cascade hypothesis posits that Aβ deposition promotes tau hyperphosphorylation, tangle formation, cell loss, vascular damage, and dementia. While the genetics of familial AD and the pathological staging of sporadic disease support this sequence of events, attempts to examine the molecular mechanism in transgenic animal models have largely relied on models of other inherited tauopathies as the basis for testing the interaction with Aβ. In an effort to more accurately model the relationship between Aβ and wild-type tau in AD, we intercrossed mice that overproduce human Aβ with a tau substitution model in which all 6 isoforms of the human protein are expressed in animals lacking murine tau. We selected an amyloid model in which pathology was biased towards the entorhinal region so that we could further examine whether the anticipated changes in tau phosphorylation occurred at the site of Aβ deposition or in synaptically connected regions. We found that Aβ and tau had independent effects on locomotion, learning, and memory, but found no behavioral evidence for an interaction between the two transgenes. Moreover, we saw no indication of amyloid-induced changes in the phosphorylation or aggregation of human tau either within the entorhinal area or elsewhere. These findings suggest that robust amyloid pathology within the medial temporal lobe has little effect on the metabolism of wild type human tau in this model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Yetman
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Stephanie W. Fowler
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Joanna L. Jankowsky
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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7
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Miller N, Feng Z, Edens BM, Yang B, Shi H, Sze CC, Hong BT, Su SC, Cantu JA, Topczewski J, Crawford TO, Ko CP, Sumner CJ, Ma L, Ma YC. Non-aggregating tau phosphorylation by cyclin-dependent kinase 5 contributes to motor neuron degeneration in spinal muscular atrophy. J Neurosci 2015; 35:6038-50. [PMID: 25878277 PMCID: PMC4397602 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3716-14.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [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: 08/21/2014] [Revised: 02/25/2015] [Accepted: 03/03/2015] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Mechanisms underlying motor neuron degeneration in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), the leading inherited cause of infant mortality, remain largely unknown. Many studies have established the importance of hyperphosphorylation of the microtubule-associated protein tau in various neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. However, tau phosphorylation in SMA pathogenesis has yet to be investigated. Here we show that tau phosphorylation on serine 202 (S202) and threonine 205 (T205) is increased significantly in SMA motor neurons using two SMA mouse models and human SMA patient spinal cord samples. Interestingly, phosphorylated tau does not form aggregates in motor neurons or neuromuscular junctions (NMJs), even at late stages of SMA disease, distinguishing it from other tauopathies. Hyperphosphorylation of tau on S202 and T205 is mediated by cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) in SMA disease condition, because tau phosphorylation at these sites is significantly reduced in Cdk5 knock-out mice; genetic knock-out of Cdk5 activating subunit p35 in an SMA mouse model also leads to reduced tau phosphorylation on S202 and T205 in the SMA;p35(-/-) compound mutant mice. In addition, expression of the phosphorylation-deficient tauS202A,T205A mutant alleviates motor neuron defects in a zebrafish SMA model in vivo and mouse motor neuron degeneration in culture, whereas expression of phosphorylation-mimetic tauS202E,T205E promotes motor neuron defects. More importantly, genetic knock-out of tau in SMA mice rescues synapse stripping on motor neurons, NMJ denervation, and motor neuron degeneration in vivo. Altogether, our findings suggest a novel mechanism for SMA pathogenesis in which hyperphosphorylation of non-aggregating tau by Cdk5 contributes to motor neuron degeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nimrod Miller
- Departments of Pediatrics, Neurology, and Physiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60611
| | - Zhihua Feng
- Section of Neurobiology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089
| | - Brittany M Edens
- Departments of Pediatrics, Neurology, and Physiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60611
| | - Ben Yang
- Departments of Pediatrics, Neurology, and Physiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60611
| | - Han Shi
- Departments of Pediatrics, Neurology, and Physiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60611
| | - Christie C Sze
- Departments of Pediatrics, Neurology, and Physiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60611
| | - Benjamin Taige Hong
- Departments of Pediatrics, Neurology, and Physiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60611, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410078, China
| | - Susan C Su
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, and
| | - Jorge A Cantu
- Departments of Pediatrics, Neurology, and Physiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60611
| | - Jacek Topczewski
- Departments of Pediatrics, Neurology, and Physiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60611
| | - Thomas O Crawford
- Departments of Neurology and Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
| | - Chien-Ping Ko
- Section of Neurobiology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089
| | - Charlotte J Sumner
- Departments of Neurology and Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
| | - Long Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410078, China
| | - Yong-Chao Ma
- Departments of Pediatrics, Neurology, and Physiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60611,
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8
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Leroy K, Ando K, Laporte V, Dedecker R, Suain V, Authelet M, Héraud C, Pierrot N, Yilmaz Z, Octave JN, Brion JP. Lack of tau proteins rescues neuronal cell death and decreases amyloidogenic processing of APP in APP/PS1 mice. Am J Pathol 2012; 181:1928-40. [PMID: 23026200 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2012.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2012] [Revised: 07/04/2012] [Accepted: 08/09/2012] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Lack of tau expression has been reported to protect against excitotoxicity and to prevent memory deficits in mice expressing mutant amyloid precursor protein (APP) identified in familial Alzheimer disease. In APP mice, mutant presenilin 1 (PS1) enhances generation of Aβ42 and inhibits cell survival pathways. It is unknown whether the deficient phenotype induced by concomitant expression of mutant PS1 is rescued by absence of tau. In this study, we have analyzed the effect of tau deletion in mice expressing mutant APP and PS1. Although APP/PS1/tau(+/+) mice had a reduced survival, developed spatial memory deficits at 6 months and motor impairments at 12 months, these deficits were rescued in APP/PS1/tau(-/-) mice. Neuronal loss and synaptic loss in APP/PS1/tau(+/+) mice were rescued in the APP/PS1/tau(-/-) mice. The amyloid plaque burden was decreased by roughly 50% in the cortex and the spinal cord of the APP/PS1/tau(-/-) mice. The levels of soluble and insoluble Aβ40 and Aβ42, and the Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio were reduced in APP/PS1/tau(-/-) mice. Levels of phosphorylated APP, of β-C-terminal fragments (CTFs), and of β-secretase 1 (BACE1) were also reduced, suggesting that β-secretase cleavage of APP was reduced in APP/PS1/tau(-/-) mice. Our results indicate that tau deletion had a protective effect against amyloid induced toxicity even in the presence of mutant PS1 and reduced the production of Aβ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karelle Leroy
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy, and Neuropathology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 808 Route de Lennik, Brussels, Belgium
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9
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Morris M, Koyama A, Masliah E, Mucke L. Tau reduction does not prevent motor deficits in two mouse models of Parkinson's disease. PLoS One 2011; 6:e29257. [PMID: 22206005 PMCID: PMC3242771 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0029257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2011] [Accepted: 11/23/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Many neurodegenerative diseases are increasing in prevalence and cannot be prevented or cured. If they shared common pathogenic mechanisms, treatments targeting such mechanisms might be of benefit in multiple conditions. The tau protein has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diverse neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Tau reduction prevents cognitive deficits, behavioral abnormalities and other pathological changes in multiple AD mouse models. Here we examined whether tau reduction also prevents motor deficits and pathological alterations in two mouse models of PD, generated by unilateral striatal injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) or transgene-mediated neuronal expression of human wildtype α-synuclein. Both models were evaluated on Tau(+/+), Tau(+/-) and Tau(-/-) backgrounds in a variety of motor tests. Tau reduction did not prevent motor deficits caused by 6-OHDA and slightly worsened one of them. Tau reduction also did not prevent 6-OHDA-induced loss of dopaminergic terminals in the striatum. Similarly, tau reduction did not prevent motor deficits in α-synuclein transgenic mice. Our results suggest that tau has distinct roles in the pathogeneses of AD and PD and that tau reduction may not be of benefit in the latter condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meaghan Morris
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, Department of Biological Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Akihiko Koyama
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Eliezer Masliah
- Departments of Neuroscience and Pathology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Lennart Mucke
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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10
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Pehar M, O’Riordan KJ, Burns-Cusato M, Andrzejewski ME, del Alcazar CG, Burger C, Scrable H, Puglielli L. Altered longevity-assurance activity of p53:p44 in the mouse causes memory loss, neurodegeneration and premature death. Aging Cell 2010; 9:174-90. [PMID: 20409077 PMCID: PMC2848983 DOI: 10.1111/j.1474-9726.2010.00547.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The longevity-assurance activity of the tumor suppressor p53 depends on the levels of Δ40p53 (p44), a short and naturally occurring isoform of the p53 gene. As such, increased dosage of p44 in the mouse leads to accelerated aging and short lifespan. Here we show that mice homozygous for a transgene encoding p44 (p44+/+) display cognitive decline and synaptic impairment early in life. The synaptic deficits are attributed to hyperactivation of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) signaling and altered metabolism of the microtubule-binding protein tau. In fact, they were rescued by either Igf1r or Mapt haploinsufficiency. When expressing a human or a ‘humanized’ form of the amyloid precursor protein (APP), p44+/+ animals developed a selective degeneration of memory-forming and -retrieving areas of the brain, and died prematurely. Mechanistically, the neurodegeneration was caused by both paraptosis- and autophagy-like cell deaths. These results indicate that altered longevity-assurance activity of p53:p44 causes memory loss and neurodegeneration by affecting IGF-1R signaling. Importantly, Igf1r haploinsufficiency was also able to correct the synaptic deficits of APP695/swe mice, a model of Alzheimer’s disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Pehar
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison2500 Overlook Terrace, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Kenneth J O’Riordan
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison2500 Overlook Terrace, Madison, WI 53705, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin-Madison1215 Linden Dr, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Melissa Burns-Cusato
- Department of Neuroscience, University of VirginiaBox 801392, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Matthew E Andrzejewski
- Rodent Models Core, Waisman Center, 1500 Highland Ave, University of Wisconsin-MadisonWI 53705, USA
| | - Carlos Gil del Alcazar
- Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin-Madison1215 Linden Dr, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Corinna Burger
- Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin-Madison1215 Linden Dr, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Heidi Scrable
- Department of Neuroscience, University of VirginiaBox 801392, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Luigi Puglielli
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison2500 Overlook Terrace, Madison, WI 53705, USA
- Geriatric Research Education Clinical Center, VA Medical Center2500 Overlook Terrace, Madison, WI 53705, USA
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11
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Abstract
Tau is an axonal microtubule-associated protein, whose dysfunction causes neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. Earlier studies have shown the interactions of tau with glycogen synthase kinase-3beta, 14-3-3zeta, protein phosphatase 1 and protein phosphatase 2A. In this study, we compared the amounts of these tau-interacting proteins in brain microtubule-enriched fractions from wild-type and tau-deficient mice. Contrary to our expectation, we detected no difference in the amount of these proteins between wild-type and tau-deficient mice. Our findings indicate that only a small portion of tau-interacting proteins are bound to tau in vivo, and suggest the existence of other scaffolding proteins. We propose that tau-deficient mice are an ideal system for confirming the function of tau-interacting proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katsunori Fujio
- Laboratory of Molecular Traffic, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Regulation, Gunma University, Japan
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12
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Abstract
Numerous evidences indicate that the phenotype of a neurodegenerative disease and its pathogenetic mechanism are only loosely linked. The phenotype is directly related to the topography of the lesions and is reproduced whatever the mechanism as soon as the same neurons are destroyed or deficient: the symptoms of Parkinson disease are mimicked by any destruction of the neurons of the substantia nigra, caused for instance by the toxin MPTP. This does not mean that idiopathic Parkinson disease is due to MPTP. In the same way, mouse lines such as Reeler, Weaver and Staggerer in which ataxia occurs spontaneously does not help to understand human ataxias: now that mutations responsible for these phenotypes have been identified, it appears that one is responsible for lissencephaly (mutation of the reelin gene) and the other two have no equivalent in man. Therapeutic attempts, however, rely on the understanding of the pathogenetic mechanisms. Introducing a mutated human transgene in the genome of an animal has, in many instances, significantly improved this understanding. Transgenic mice have proven useful in reproducing lesions seen in neurodegenerative disease such as the plaques of Alzheimer disease (in the APP mouse which has integrated the mutated gene of the amyloid protein precursor), the tau glial and neuronal accumulation (seen in cases of frontotemporal dementias due to tau mutation), the nuclear inclusions caused by CAG triplet expansion (seen in the mutation of Huntington disease and autosomal dominant spinocerebellar ataxias). These recent advances have fostered numerous therapeutic attempts. Transgenesis in drosophila and in the worm Caenorhabditis elegans have opened new possibilities in the screening of protein partners, modifier genes, and potential therapeutic molecules. However, it is also becoming clear that introducing a human mutated gene in an animal does not necessarily trigger pathogenetic cascades identical to those seen in the human disease. Human diseases have to be studied in parallel with their animal models to ensure that the model mimic at least a few original mechanisms, on which new therapeutics may be tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominique Langui
- Laboratoire de Neuropathologie Raymond Escourolle, Hôpital de la Salpêtrière, 47, boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75651 Paris Cedex 13, France
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13
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Josephs KA, Dickson DW. Hippocampal sclerosis in tau-negative frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Neurobiol Aging 2006; 28:1718-22. [PMID: 16930776 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2006.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2006] [Revised: 07/10/2006] [Accepted: 07/13/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Tau-negative frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) can be divided into those with motor neuron disease (FTLD-MND), and those without MND, but with ubiquitin-immunoreactive neuronal inclusions (FTLD-U). Some authors group FTLD-U and FTLD-MND together as tau-negative FTLD, but others separate them on the basis of clinical, pathologic and imaging differences. In 103 cases of pathologically confirmed, tau-negative FTLD (FTLD-MND and FTLD-U), we assessed the frequency of hippocampal sclerosis defined as neuronal loss in the subicular or CA1 regions of the hippocampus. The subjects in the FTLD-U group were older at death and had longer disease duration. After adjusting for age at death and disease duration, we found a significant difference in the frequency of hippocampal sclerosis in the FTLD-U group (79%) compared to FTLD-MND group (26%) (p=0.02). The difference in frequency of HpScl in FTLD-U compared to FTLD-MND is further evidence that they are separate clinicopathologic entities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith A Josephs
- Department of Neurology, Behavioral Neurology & Movement Disorders, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 5590, United States.
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14
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Baker M, Mackenzie IR, Pickering-Brown SM, Gass J, Rademakers R, Lindholm C, Snowden J, Adamson J, Sadovnick AD, Rollinson S, Cannon A, Dwosh E, Neary D, Melquist S, Richardson A, Dickson D, Berger Z, Eriksen J, Robinson T, Zehr C, Dickey CA, Crook R, McGowan E, Mann D, Boeve B, Feldman H, Hutton M. Mutations in progranulin cause tau-negative frontotemporal dementia linked to chromosome 17. Nature 2006; 442:916-9. [PMID: 16862116 DOI: 10.1038/nature05016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1467] [Impact Index Per Article: 81.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2006] [Accepted: 06/29/2006] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the second most common cause of dementia in people under the age of 65 years. A large proportion of FTD patients (35-50%) have a family history of dementia, consistent with a strong genetic component to the disease. In 1998, mutations in the gene encoding the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) were shown to cause familial FTD with parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17q21 (FTDP-17). The neuropathology of patients with defined MAPT mutations is characterized by cytoplasmic neurofibrillary inclusions composed of hyperphosphorylated tau. However, in multiple FTD families with significant evidence for linkage to the same region on chromosome 17q21 (D17S1787-D17S806), mutations in MAPT have not been found and the patients consistently lack tau-immunoreactive inclusion pathology. In contrast, these patients have ubiquitin (ub)-immunoreactive neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions and characteristic lentiform ub-immunoreactive neuronal intranuclear inclusions. Here we demonstrate that in these families, FTD is caused by mutations in progranulin (PGRN) that are likely to create null alleles. PGRN is located 1.7 Mb centromeric of MAPT on chromosome 17q21.31 and encodes a 68.5-kDa secreted growth factor involved in the regulation of multiple processes including development, wound repair and inflammation. PGRN has also been strongly linked to tumorigenesis. Moreover, PGRN expression is increased in activated microglia in many neurodegenerative diseases including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, motor neuron disease and Alzheimer's disease. Our results identify mutations in PGRN as a cause of neurodegenerative disease and indicate the importance of PGRN function for neuronal survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt Baker
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, Florida 32224, USA
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15
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Santa-María I, Pérez M, Hernández F, Muñoz V, Moreno FJ, Avila J. In vitro tau fibrillization: mapping protein regions. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2006; 1762:683-92. [PMID: 16891100 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2006.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2006] [Revised: 05/23/2006] [Accepted: 06/01/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
We have investigated the propensity to form fibrillar aggregates of a variety of fragments and variants of the tau protein under the influence of a tau fibrillization inducer: coenzyme Q(0). To better identify fibrillization hotspots, we compare the polymerization propensity of tau fragments containing the sequence of putative hotspots with that of tau variants with that same sequence deleted. We also investigate the effects of biologically occurring modifications such as phosphorylation and deamidation. We found that residues 305 to 335 are essential for in vitro tau fibrillization. Residues 306 to 311 facilitate in vitro assembly, but are not sufficient to mimic the in vivo fibrillization of tau. Furthermore, the propensity of the 306-311 sequence to form fibrils is highly decreased by chemical modifications of tyrosine 310 that are commonly found in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismael Santa-María
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" CSIC/UAM, Fac. Ciencias, Facultad de Ciencias, Campus de Cantoblanco, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
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16
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Rissman RA, Poon WW, Blurton-Jones M, Oddo S, Torp R, Vitek MP, LaFerla FM, Rohn TT, Cotman CW. Caspase-cleavage of tau is an early event in Alzheimer disease tangle pathology. J Clin Invest 2004; 114:121-30. [PMID: 15232619 PMCID: PMC437967 DOI: 10.1172/jci20640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 226] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2003] [Accepted: 05/07/2004] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) are composed of abnormal aggregates of the cytoskeletal protein tau. Together with amyloid beta (Abeta) plaques and neuronal and synaptic loss, NFTs constitute the primary pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer disease (AD). Recent evidence also suggests that caspases are activated early in the progression of AD and may play a role in neuronal loss and NFT pathology. Here we demonstrate that tau is cleaved at D421 (DeltaTau) by executioner caspases. Following caspase-cleavage, DeltaTau facilitates nucleation-dependent filament formation and readily adopts a conformational change recognized by the early pathological tau marker MC1. DeltaTau can be phosphorylated by glycogen synthase kinase-3beta and subsequently recognized by the NFT antibody PHF-1. In transgenic mice and AD brains, DeltaTau associates with both early and late markers of NFTs and is correlated with cognitive decline. Additionally, DeltaTau colocalizes with Abeta(1-42) and is induced by Abeta(1-42) in vitro. Collectively, our data imply that Abeta accumulation triggers caspase activation, leading to caspase-cleavage of tau, and that this is an early event that may precede hyperphosphorylation in the evolution of AD tangle pathology. These results suggest that therapeutics aimed at inhibiting tau caspase-cleavage may prove beneficial not only in preventing NFT formation, but also in slowing cognitive decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Rissman
- Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia, University of California, Irvine 92697, USA
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17
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Oyama F, Kotliarova S, Harada A, Ito M, Miyazaki H, Ueyama Y, Hirokawa N, Nukina N, Ihara Y. Gem GTPase and tau: morphological changes induced by gem GTPase in cho cells are antagonized by tau. J Biol Chem 2004; 279:27272-7. [PMID: 15087445 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m401634200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
A series of observations have indicated that tau, one of the major microtubule-associated proteins, is involved in neuronal cell morphogenesis and axonal maintenance. Tau is also the major component of paired helical filaments found in brains affected by Alzheimer's disease. To explore an as yet unidentified role of tau in vivo, approximately 11,000 mRNAs were profiled from tau-deficient mouse brains and compared with those from control brains at the same ages. The expression of Gem GTPase, a small GTP-binding protein of the ras superfamily, was significantly increased in the brains of tau-deficient mice at 8 weeks of age. Because Gem GTPase is a negative regulator of the Rho-Rho kinase pathway for cytoskeletal organization, this protein was transiently overexpressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells that do not express tau. Overexpression of Gem GTPase induced a marked elongation of Chinese hamster ovary cells, and simultaneous expression of tau eliminated this effect, although tau did not bind directly to Gem GTPase. This anti-elongation activity of tau was attributed to its microtubule-binding domain, and homologous domains of microtubule-associated proteins 2 and 4 exhibited similar antagonistic activities. Taken together, the present results indicate that the level of Gem GTPase and its cell elongation activity are modulated by tau and suggest that tau may be involved in a Gem GTPase-mediated signal transduction pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumitaka Oyama
- Department of Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
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18
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Hauw JJ, Hausser-Hauw C, Duyckaerts C. [Neuropathology of tauopathies and synucleinopathies, and neuroanatomy of sleep disorders: meeting the challenge]. Rev Neurol (Paris) 2003; 159:6S59-70. [PMID: 14646802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/27/2023]
Abstract
Abnormalities of tau and alpha-synuclein have been described in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases often associated with sleep disorders. Neuropathological descriptions concerning these diseases are rapidly expanding, and they become difficult to summarise. On the other hand, the human neuroanatomy of sleep remains an ill defined issue. Main tauopathies are Alzheimer's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, cortico-basal degeneration, argyrophilic grain disease, Pick disease and fronto-temporal degeneration with Parkinsonism associated with chromosome 17. In contrast to Alzheimer's disease, where abnormal tau containing cells are mainly neurones, in the other disorders, both neurones and glial cells are affected. The presynaptic protein alpha-synuclein is a major constituent of Lewy-type lesions in Parkinson disease and in dementia with Lewy bodies. Alpha-synuclein is also found in neurones and glia of Multi System Atrophy. This led to group these disorders into the still ill defined group of synucleinopathies. The lesions of tauopathies and synucleinopathies are presented, and their distribution in the most common disorders is described, distinguishing when possible neuronal loss and neuropathological markers. Recent data show that their extension is far larger than previously assumed and that they involve a variety of areas possibly involved in sleep regulation. Sleep disorders have been described in various tauopathies and synucleinopathies. However, no detailed clinico-pathological reports concerning the distribution of affected and spared areas in patients studied by polysomnography are available. Furthermore, the similarities of sleep disorders associated with different diseases, the interindividual variability, the frequently associated disorders, and the difficulties in quantifying neuronal loss make any clinicopathological correlation uncertain. The knowledge of sleep neuroanatomy is mainly based on animal studies. The few data concerning the structures of human brain areas involved in sleep organisation are recalled. Several systems known to be acting in sleep physiology are usually affected by tauopathies and synucleinopathies, but the pattern of their involvement in sleep pathology remains highly conjectural. The neuropathology of sleep disorders in tauopathies and synucleinopathies is a still uncultivated field.
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Affiliation(s)
- J-J Hauw
- Laboratoire de Neuropathologie Raymond Escourolle, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris.
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19
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Savioz A, Riederer BM, Heutink P, Rizzu P, Tolnay M, Kövari E, Probst A, Riederer IRM, Bouras C, Leuba G. Tau and neurofilaments in a family with frontotemporal dementia unlinked to chromosome 17q21-22. Neurobiol Dis 2003; 12:46-55. [PMID: 12609488 DOI: 10.1016/s0969-9961(02)00011-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
A Swiss frontotemporal dementia (FTD) kindred with extrapyramidal-like features and without motor neuron disease shows a brain pathology with ubiquitin-positive but tau-negative inclusions. Tau and neurofilament modifications are now studied here in three recently deceased family members. No major and specific decrease of tau was observed as described by others in, e.g., sporadic cases of FTD with absence of tau-positive inclusions. However, a slight decrease of tau, neurofilament, and synaptic proteins, resulting from frontal atrophy was detected. In parallel, polymorphic markers on chromosome 17q21-22, the centromeric region of chromosome 3 and chromosome 9, were tested. Haplotype analysis showed several recombination events for chromosomes 3 and 17, but patients shared a haplotype on chromosome 9q21-22. However as one of the patients exhibited Alzheimer and vascular dementia pathology with uncertain concomitant FTD, this locus is questionable. Altogether, these data indicate principally that the Swiss kindred is unlinked to locus 17q21-22, and that tau is not at the origin of FTD in this family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armand Savioz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva School of Medicine, 1225 Geneva, Switzerland
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20
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Bu B, Klunemann H, Suzuki K, Li J, Bird T, Jin LW, Vincent I. Niemann-Pick disease type C yields possible clue for why cerebellar neurons do not form neurofibrillary tangles. Neurobiol Dis 2002; 11:285-97. [PMID: 12505421 DOI: 10.1006/nbdi.2002.0551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
It is unknown why cerebellar neurons resist neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) formation. In Niemann-Pick disease Type C (NPC), NFT-mediated neurodegeneration occurs throughout brain, but the cerebellum degenerates conspicuously without NFT. To understand why, we have studied markers of NFT pathogenesis in cerebellum from 17 NPC cases, all having abundant NFT in forebrain. Remarkably, we found that NPC cerebella display several early markers of NFT formation, i.e., hyperphosphorylated tau and an array of cell cycle regulators, suggesting that cerebellar neurons in NPC undergo similar modifications as other neurons that develop NFT. However, cerebellar neurons are deficient in tau, the building block of NFT, and this may be one reason for their inability to form NFT. Even without NFT, cerebellar neurodegeneration may be triggered by the inappropriate activation of the cell cycle cdc2 kinase, and the npc-1 murine model provides an opportunity to test this hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bitao Bu
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, 98195, USA
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21
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Michotte A, Goldman S, Tugendhaft P, Zegers de Beyl D. Frontotemporal dementia: a clinical-pathological study. Acta Neurol Belg 2001; 101:224-9. [PMID: 11851030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
We report a 44-year-old female patient without any familial history of dementia presenting with increasing disturbances in behaviour and language followed by a progressive cognitive deterioration. Neuropsychological evaluation revealed a significant impairment on frontal lobe tests. A brain PET scan disclosed a severe frontal hypometabolism. The tentative diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia was made. Her condition rapidly worsened and she died 2 years after the beginning of her disease. Gross examination of the brain showed a selective symmetrical atrophy of both frontal and anterior part of the temporal lobes. Microscopical examination revealed severe neuronal loss in the frontal and anterior temporal cortex associated with gliosis and microvascular spongiosis in the superficial cortical layers in the absence of any specific neuronal or glial inclusions. These neuropathological findings were consistent with the diagnosis of dementia lacking distinctive histology. We discuss the nosology of the frontotemporal dementias, the diagnostic value of PET scan, the recent genetical developments which strongly support the pathogenic role of tau and we emphasize the importance of immunohistochemical examination for a definite neuropathological diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Michotte
- Department of Neurology and Pathology (Neuropathology), AZ-VUB, Brussels, Belgium.
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22
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Abstract
Tau and MAP1B are the main members of neuronal microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs), the functions of which have remained obscure because of a putative functional redundancy (Harada, A., K. Oguchi, S. Okabe, J. Kuno, S. Terada, T. Ohshima, R. Sato-Yoshitake, Y. Takei, T. Noda, and N. Hirokawa. 1994. Nature. 369:488-491; Takei, Y., S. Kondo, A. Harada, S. Inomata, T. Noda, and N. Hirokawa. 1997. J. Cell Biol. 137:1615-1626). To unmask the role of these proteins, we generated double-knockout mice with disrupted tau and map1b genes and compared their phenotypes with those of single-knockout mice. In the analysis of mice with a genetic background of predominantly C57Bl/6J, a hypoplastic commissural axon tract and disorganized neuronal layering were observed in the brains of the tau+/+map1b-/- mice. These phenotypes are markedly more severe in tau-/-map1b-/- double mutants, indicating that tau and MAP1B act in a synergistic fashion. Primary cultures of hippocampal neurons from tau-/-map1b-/- mice showed inhibited axonal elongation. In these cells, a generation of new axons via bundling of microtubules at the neck of the growth cones appeared to be disturbed. Cultured cerebellar neurons from tau-/-map1b-/- mice showed delayed neuronal migration concomitant with suppressed neurite elongation. These findings indicate the cooperative functions of tau and MAP1B in vivo in axonal elongation and neuronal migration as regulators of microtubule organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yosuke Takei
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Junlin Teng
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Akihiro Harada
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Nobutaka Hirokawa
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
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23
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Abstract
Tau, one of the major neuronal microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs), is important for neuronal cell morphogenesis and axonal maintenance. Tau is also known to be a component of the paired helical filaments (PHFs) in Alzheimer's disease patients. Recently, mutations in the tau gene were found in a hereditary neurodegenerative disease called frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17) which exhibits various neurological and neuropathological characteristics including PHF-like intracellular tau deposit formation. Currently, the phenotype of the disease is thought to be due to: (1) the toxicity of mutant tau molecules and and/or; (2) the loss of function of normal tau molecules in patients' brains. To test the latter hypothesis, we performed behavioral and neurological tests on tau-deficient mice. Tau-deficient mice showed muscle weakness in the wire-hanging test, hyperactivity in a novel environment, and impairment in the contextual fear conditioning. They also had a tendency to fall more easily in the rod-walking test. These phenotypes parallel some signs and symptoms of FTDP-17 patients. Our results show that the loss of tau protein may itself lead to some of the neurological characteristics observed in FTDP-17 patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Ikegami
- Mitsubishi Kasei Institute of Life Sciences, Tokyo, Japan
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24
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Harada A, Oguchi K, Okabe S, Kuno J, Terada S, Ohshima T, Sato-Yoshitake R, Takei Y, Noda T, Hirokawa N. Altered microtubule organization in small-calibre axons of mice lacking tau protein. Nature 1994; 369:488-91. [PMID: 8202139 DOI: 10.1038/369488a0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 530] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The tau gene encodes a protein (Tau) that is a major neuronal microtubule-associated protein localized mostly in axons. It has microtubule-binding and tubulin-polymerizing activity in vitro and is thought to make short crossbridges between axonal microtubules. Further, tau-transfected non-neuronal cells extend long axon-like processes in which microtubule bundles resembling those in axons are formed. In contrast, tau antisense oligonucleotides selectively suppress axonal elongation in cultured neurons. Thus tau is thought to be essential for neuronal cell morphogenesis, especially axonal elongation and maintenance. To test this hypothesis, we used gene targeting to produce mice lacking the tau gene. We show that the nervous system of tau-deficient mice appears to be normal immunohistologically. Furthermore, axonal elongation is not affected in cultured neurons. But in some small-calibre axons, microtubule stability is decreased and microtubule organization is significantly changed. We observed an increase in microtubule-associated protein 1A which may compensate for the functions of tau in large-calibre axons. Our results argue against the suggested role of tau in axonal elongation but confirm that it is crucial in the stabilization and organization of axonal microtubules in a certain type of axon.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Harada
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan
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