RESUMEN
Amyloid-ß oligomers may cause cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease by impairing neuronal NMDA-type glutamate receptors, whose function is regulated by the receptor tyrosine kinase EphB2. Here we show that amyloid-ß oligomers bind to the fibronectin repeats domain of EphB2 and trigger EphB2 degradation in the proteasome. To determine the pathogenic importance of EphB2 depletions in Alzheimer's disease and related models, we used lentiviral constructs to reduce or increase neuronal expression of EphB2 in memory centres of the mouse brain. In nontransgenic mice, knockdown of EphB2 mediated by short hairpin RNA reduced NMDA receptor currents and impaired long-term potentiation in the dentate gyrus, which are important for memory formation. Increasing EphB2 expression in the dentate gyrus of human amyloid precursor protein transgenic mice reversed deficits in NMDA receptor-dependent long-term potentiation and memory impairments. Thus, depletion of EphB2 is critical in amyloid-ß-induced neuronal dysfunction. Increasing EphB2 levels or function could be beneficial in Alzheimer's disease.
Asunto(s)
Enfermedad de Alzheimer/fisiopatología , Enfermedad de Alzheimer/terapia , Cognición/fisiología , Receptor EphB2/deficiencia , Receptor EphB2/metabolismo , Péptidos beta-Amiloides/metabolismo , Animales , Línea Celular , Células Cultivadas , Giro Dentado/metabolismo , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Humanos , Potenciación a Largo Plazo , Memoria/fisiología , Ratones , Ratones Transgénicos , Plasticidad Neuronal , Complejo de la Endopetidasa Proteasomal/metabolismo , Unión Proteica , Estructura Terciaria de Proteína , Ratas , Receptor EphB2/química , Receptor EphB2/genética , Receptores de N-Metil-D-Aspartato/metabolismo , Sinapsis/metabolismoRESUMEN
Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common neurodegenerative disorder, is a growing public health problem and still lacks effective treatments. Recent evidence suggests that microtubule-associated protein tau may mediate amyloid-ß peptide (Aß) toxicity by modulating the tyrosine kinase Fyn. We showed previously that tau reduction prevents, and Fyn overexpression exacerbates, cognitive deficits in human amyloid precursor protein (hAPP) transgenic mice overexpressing Aß. However, the mechanisms by which Aß, tau, and Fyn cooperate in AD-related pathogenesis remain to be fully elucidated. Here we examined the synaptic and network effects of this pathogenic triad. Tau reduction prevented cognitive decline induced by synergistic effects of Aß and Fyn. Tau reduction also prevented synaptic transmission and plasticity deficits in hAPP mice. Using electroencephalography to examine network effects, we found that tau reduction prevented spontaneous epileptiform activity in multiple lines of hAPP mice. Tau reduction also reduced the severity of spontaneous and chemically induced seizures in mice overexpressing both Aß and Fyn. To better understand these protective effects, we recorded whole-cell currents in acute hippocampal slices from hAPP mice with and without tau. hAPP mice with tau had increased spontaneous and evoked excitatory currents, reduced inhibitory currents, and NMDA receptor dysfunction. Tau reduction increased inhibitory currents and normalized excitation/inhibition balance and NMDA receptor-mediated currents in hAPP mice. Our results indicate that Aß, tau, and Fyn jointly impair synaptic and network function and suggest that disrupting the copathogenic relationship between these factors could be of therapeutic benefit.
Asunto(s)
Enfermedad de Alzheimer/fisiopatología , Enfermedad de Alzheimer/psicología , Péptidos beta-Amiloides/fisiología , Trastornos del Conocimiento/fisiopatología , Red Nerviosa/fisiología , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas c-fyn/fisiología , Sinapsis/fisiología , Proteínas tau/metabolismo , Enfermedad de Alzheimer/metabolismo , Esclerosis Amiotrófica Lateral/metabolismo , Esclerosis Amiotrófica Lateral/mortalidad , Animales , Trastornos del Conocimiento/metabolismo , Trastornos del Conocimiento/psicología , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Electroencefalografía , Femenino , Hipocampo/fisiopatología , Técnicas In Vitro , Masculino , Ratones , Ratones Mutantes , Plasticidad Neuronal , Convulsiones/metabolismo , Convulsiones/fisiopatología , Especificidad de la Especie , Transmisión Sináptica , Proteínas tau/genéticaRESUMEN
The microtubule-associated protein tau is expressed throughout the nervous system, most highly in neurons but also in glial cells. Its functions in adult and aging mammals remain to be defined. Previous studies in mouse models found either protective or detrimental effects of genetic tau ablation. Though tau ablation prevented synaptic, network, and cognitive dysfunctions in several models of Alzheimer's disease and made mice more resistant to epileptic seizures, a recent study described a parkinsonian phenotype in aging Tau knockout mice. Here we tested cognition and motor functions in Tau(+/+), Tau(+/-), and Tau(-/-) mice at approximately 1 and 2 years of age. Tau ablation did not impair cognition and caused only minor motor deficits that were much more subtle than those associated with the aging process. Tau ablation caused a mild increase in body weight, which correlated with and might have contributed to some of the motor deficits. However, tau ablation did not cause significant dopaminergic impairments, and dopamine treatment did not improve the motor deficits, suggesting that they do not reflect extrapyramidal dysfunction.
Asunto(s)
Envejecimiento/fisiología , Envejecimiento/psicología , Cognición/fisiología , Dopamina , Trastornos de la Destreza Motora/metabolismo , Proteínas tau/deficiencia , Animales , Dopamina/fisiología , Femenino , Masculino , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos C57BL , Ratones Noqueados , Trastornos de la Destreza Motora/genética , Proteínas tau/genéticaRESUMEN
The entorhinal cortex (EC) is one of the earliest affected, most vulnerable brain regions in Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is associated with amyloid-ß (Aß) accumulation in many brain areas. Selective overexpression of mutant amyloid precursor protein (APP) predominantly in layer II/III neurons of the EC caused cognitive and behavioral abnormalities characteristic of mouse models with widespread neuronal APP overexpression, including hyperactivity, disinhibition, and spatial learning and memory deficits. APP/Aß overexpression in the EC elicited abnormalities in synaptic functions and activity-related molecules in the dentate gyrus and CA1 and epileptiform activity in parietal cortex. Soluble Aß was observed in the dentate gyrus, and Aß deposits in the hippocampus were localized to perforant pathway terminal fields. Thus, APP/Aß expression in EC neurons causes transsynaptic deficits that could initiate the cortical-hippocampal network dysfunction in mouse models and human patients with AD.