mTORC2 (Rictor) in Alzheimer's Disease and Reversal of Amyloid-ß Expression-Induced Insulin Resistance and Toxicity in Rat Primary Cortical Neurons.

Mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), a nutrient sensor and central controller of cell growth and proliferation, is altered in various models of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Even less studied or understood in AD is mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) that influences cellular metabolism, in part through the regulations of Akt/PKB and SGK. Dysregulation of insulin/PI3K/Akt signaling is another important feature of AD pathogenesis. We found that both total mTORC1 and C2 protein levels and individual C1 and C2 enzymatic activities were decreased in human AD brain samples. In two rodent AD models, mTORC1 and C2 activities were also decreased. In a neuronal culture model of AD characterized by accumulation of cellular amyloid-ß (Aß)42, mTORC1 activity was reduced. Autophagic vesicles and markers were correspondingly increased and new protein synthesis was inhibited, consistent with mTORC1 hypofunction. Interestingly, mTORC2 activity in neural culture seemed resistant to the effects of intracellular amyloid. In various cell lines, Aß expression provoked insulin resistance, characterized by inhibition of stimulated Akt phosphorylation, and an increase in negative mTORC1 regular, p-AMPK, itself a nutrient sensor. Rapamycin decreased phospho-mTOR and to lesser degree p-Rictor. This further suppression of mTORC1 activity protected cells from Aß-induced toxicity and insulin resistance. More striking, Rictor over-expression fully reversed the Aß-effects on primary neuronal cultures. Finally, using in vitro assay, Rictor protein addition completely overcame oligomeric Aß-induced inhibition of the PDK-Akt activation step. We conclude that striking a new balance by restoring mTORC2 abundance and/or inhibition of mTORC1 has therapeutic potential in AD.

Oleate prevents palmitate-induced mitochondrial dysfunction, insulin resistance and inflammatory signaling in neuronal cells.

Elevated circulating levels of saturated free fatty acids (sFFAs; e.g. palmitate) are known to provoke inflammatory responses and cause insulin resistance in peripheral tissue. By contrast, mono- or poly-unsaturated FFAs are protective against sFFAs. An excess of sFFAs in the brain circulation may also trigger neuroinflammation and insulin resistance, however the underlying signaling changes have not been clarified in neuronal cells. In the present study, we examined the effects of palmitate on mitochondrial function and viability as well as on intracellular insulin and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathways in Neuro-2a and primary rat cortical neurons. We next tested whether oleate preconditioning has a protective effect against palmitate-induced toxicity. Palmitate induced both mitochondrial dysfunction and insulin resistance while promoting the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65. Oleate pre-exposure and then removal was sufficient to completely block subsequent palmitate-induced intracellular signaling and metabolic derangements. Oleate also prevented ceramide-induced insulin resistance. Moreover, oleate stimulated ATP while decreasing mitochondrial superoxide productions. The latter were associated with increased levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α). Inhibition of protein kinase A (PKA) attenuated the protective effect of oleate against palmitate, implicating PKA in the mechanism of oleate action. Oleate increased triglyceride and blocked palmitate-induced diacylglycerol accumulations. Oleate preconditioning was superior to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or linoleate in the protection of neuronal cells against palmitate- or ceramide-induced cytotoxicity. We conclude that oleate has beneficial properties against sFFA and ceramide models of insulin resistance-associated damage to neuronal cells.

Parkin reverses intracellular beta-amyloid accumulation and its negative effects on proteasome function.

The significance of intracellular beta-amyloid (Abeta(42)) accumulation is increasingly recognized in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. Abeta removal mechanisms that have attracted attention include IDE/neprilysin degradation and antibody-mediated uptake by immune cells. However, the role of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) in the disposal of cellular Abeta has not been fully explored. The E3 ubiquitin ligase Parkin targets several proteins for UPS degradation, and Parkin mutations are the major cause of autosomal recessive Parkinson's disease. We tested whether Parkin has cross-function to target misfolded proteins in AD for proteasome-dependent clearance in SH-SY5Y and primary neuronal cells. Wild-type Parkin greatly decreased steady-state levels of intracellular Abeta(42), an action abrogated by proteasome inhibitors. Intracellular Abeta(42) accumulation decreased cell viability and proteasome activity. Accordingly, Parkin reversed both effects. Changes in mitochondrial ATP production from Abeta or Parkin did not account for their effects on the proteasome. Parkin knock-down led to accumulation of Abeta. In AD brain, Parkin was found to interact with Abeta and its levels were reduced. Thus, Parkin is cytoprotective, partially by increasing the removal of cellular Abeta through a proteasome-dependent pathway.

Parkin promotes intracellular Abeta1-42 clearance.

Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease are common neurodegenerative diseases that may share some underlying mechanisms of pathogenesis. Abeta(1-42) fragments are found intracellularly, and extracellularly as amyloid plaques, in Alzheimer's disease and in dementia with Lewy Bodies. Parkin is an E3-ubiquitin ligase involved in proteasomal degradation of intracellular proteins. Mutations in parkin, which result in loss of parkin function, lead to early onset Parkinsonism. Here we tested whether the ubiquitin ligase activity of parkin could lead to reduction in intracellular human Abeta(1-42). Lentiviral constructs encoding either human parkin or human Abeta(1-42) were used to infect M17 neuroblastoma cells. Parkin expression resulted in reduction of intracellular human Abeta(1-42) levels and protected against its toxicity in M17 cells. Co-injection of lentiviral constructs into control rat primary motor cortex demonstrated that parkin co-expression reduced human Abeta(1-42) levels and Abeta(1-42)-induced neuronal degeneration in vivo. Parkin increased proteasomal activity, and proteasomal inhibition blocked the effects of parkin on reducing Abeta(1-42) levels. Incubation of Abeta(1-42) cell lysates with ubiquitin, in the presence of parkin, demonstrated the generation of Abeta-ubiquitin complexes. These data indicate that parkin promotes ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of intracellular Abeta(1-42) and demonstrate a protective effect in neurodegenerative diseases with Abeta deposits.

The insulin/Akt signaling pathway is targeted by intracellular beta-amyloid.

Intraneuronal beta-amyloid (Abeta(i)) accumulates early in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and inclusion body myositis. Several organelles, receptor molecules, homeostatic processes, and signal transduction components have been identified as sensitive to Abeta. Although prior studies implicate the insulin-PI3K-Akt signaling cascade, a specific step within this or any essential metabolic or survival pathway has not emerged as a molecular target. We tested the effect of Abeta42 on each component of this cascade. In AD brain, the association between PDK and Akt, phospho-Akt levels and its activity were all decreased relative to control. In cell culture, Abeta(i) expression inhibited both insulin-induced Akt phosphorylation and activity. In vitro experiments identified that beta-amyloid (Abeta), especially oligomer preparations, specifically interrupted the PDK-dependent activation of Akt. Abeta(i) also blocked the association between PDK and Akt in cell-based and in vitro experiments. Importantly, Abeta did not interrupt Akt or PI3K activities (once stimulated) nor did it affect more proximal signal events. These results offer a novel therapeutic strategy to neutralize Abeta-induced energy failure and neuronal death.

CHIP and HSPs interact with beta-APP in a proteasome-dependent manner and influence Abeta metabolism.

The C-terminus Hsp70 interacting protein (CHIP) has dual function as both co-chaperone and ubiquitin ligase. CHIP is increasingly implicated in the biology of polyglutamine expansion disorders, Parkinson's disease and tau protein in Alzheimer's disease. We investigated the involvement of CHIP in the metabolism of the beta-amyloid precursor protein and its derivative beta-amyloid (Abeta). Using immunoprecipitation, fluorescence localization and crosslinking methods, endogenous CHIP and betaAPP interact in brain and cultured skeletal myotubes as well as when they are expressed in stable HEK cell lines. Their interaction is confined to Golgi and ER compartments. In the presence of the proteasome inhibitor with MG132, endogenous and expressed betaAPP levels are significantly increased and accordingly, the interaction with CHIP enhanced. Concurrently, levels of Hsp70 were most consistently induced by proteasome inhibition among the various heat shock proteins (HSPs) tested. Thus, complexes of CHIP, Hsp70 and holo-betaAPP (as well as C-terminal fragments) were stabilized by the action of MG132. Moreover, CHIP itself is shown to both increase cellular holo-betaAPP levels and protect it from oxidative stress and degradation. Interestingly, CHIP also promotes the association of ubiquitin with betaAPP, implying that a smaller pool of betaAPP is destined for proteasomal processing. In neuronal cultures, CHIP and Hsp70/90 expression reduce steady-state cellular Abeta levels and hasten its degradation in pulse-chase experiments. The functional significance of CHIP and HSP interactions, especially with Hsp70, was tested using siRNA and in neuronal cells where protection from Abeta-induced toxicity is shown. We conclude that CHIP, as a bimolecular switch, interacts with HSP to stabilize normal holo-betaAPP on the one hand while also assisting in the ubiquitination of a subpopulation of betaAPP molecules that are destined for proteasome degradation. CHIP also hastens the clearance of Abeta in a manner consistent with its known neuroprotective properties.

Differential effects of mitochondrial heat shock protein 60 and related molecular chaperones to prevent intracellular beta-amyloid-induced inhibition of complex IV and limit apoptosis.

Defects in mitochondrial oxidative metabolism, in particular decreased activity of cytochrome c oxidase, have been reported in Alzheimer disease tissue and in cultured cells that overexpress amyloid precursor protein. Mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to neurodegeneration in Alzheimer disease partly through formation of reactive oxygen species and the release of sequestered molecules that initiate programmed cell death pathways. The heat shock proteins (HSP) are cytoprotective against a number of stressors, including accumulations of misfolded proteins and reactive oxygen species. We reported on the property of Hsp70 to protect cultured neurons from cell death caused by intraneuronal beta-amyloid. Here we demonstrate that Hsp60, Hsp70, and Hsp90 both alone and in combination provide differential protection against intracellular beta-amyloid stress through the maintenance of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and functionality of tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes. Notably, beta-amyloid was found to selectively inhibit complex IV activity, an effect selectively neutralized by Hsp60. The combined effect of HSPs was to reduce the free radical burden, preserve ATP generation, decrease cytochrome c release, and prevent caspase-9 activation, all important mediators of beta-amyloid-induced neuronal dysfunction and death.

Dissociation of ERK and Akt signaling in endothelial cell angiogenic responses to beta-amyloid.

Cerebrovascular deposits of beta-amyloid (Abeta) peptides are found in Alzheimer's disease and cerebral amyloid angiopathy with stroke or dementia. Dysregulations of angiogenesis, the blood-brain barrier and other critical endothelial cell (EC) functions have been implicated in aggravating chronic hypoperfusion in AD brain. We have used cultured ECs to model the effects of beta-amyloid on the activated phosphorylation states of multifunctional serine/threonine kinases since these are differentially involved in the survival, proliferation and migration aspects of angiogenesis. Serum-starved EC cultures containing amyloid-beta peptides underwent a 2- to 3-fold increase in nuclear pyknosis. Under growth conditions with sublethal doses of beta-amyloid, loss of cell membrane integrity and inhibition of cell proliferation were observed. By contrast, cell migration was the most sensitive to Abeta since inhibition was significant already at 1 muM (P = 0.01, migration vs. proliferation). In previous work, intracellular Abeta accumulation was shown toxic to ECs and Akt function. Here, extracellular Abeta peptides do not alter Akt activation, resulting instead in proportionate decreases in the phosphorylations of the MAPKs: ERK1/2 and p38 (starting at 1 microM). This inhibitory action occurs proximal to MEK1/2 activation, possibly through interference with growth factor receptor coupling. Levels of phospho-JNK remained unchanged. Addition of PD98059, but not LY294002, resulted in a similar decrease in activated ERK1/2 levels and inhibition of EC migration. Transfection of ERK1/2 into Abeta-poisoned ECs functionally rescued migration. The marked effect of extracellular Abeta on the migration component of angiogenesis is associated with inhibition of MAPK signaling, while Akt-dependent cell survival appears more affected by cellular Abeta.

Intraneuronal beta-amyloid expression downregulates the Akt survival pathway and blunts the stress response.

Early events in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis implicate the accumulation of beta-amyloid (Abeta) peptide inside neurons in vulnerable brain regions. However, little is known about the consequences of intraneuronal Abeta on signaling mechanisms. Here, we demonstrate, using an inducible viral vector system to drive intracellular expression of Abeta42 peptide in primary neuronal cultures, that this accumulation results in the inhibition of the Akt survival signaling pathway. Induction of intraneuronal Abeta42 expression leads to a sequential decrease in levels of phospho-Akt, increase in activation of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta, and apoptosis. Downregulation of Akt also paralleled intracellular Abeta accumulation in vivo in the Tg2576 AD mouse model. Overexpression of constitutively active Akt reversed the toxic effects of Abeta through a mechanism involving the induction of heat shock proteins (Hsps). We used a small-interfering RNA approach to explore the possibility of a link between Akt activity and Hsp70 expression and concluded that neuroprotection by Akt could be mediated through downstream induction of Hsp70 expression. These results suggest that the early dysfunction associated with intraneuronal Abeta accumulation in AD involve the associated impairments of Akt signaling and suppression of the stress response.

Heat shock protein 70 participates in the neuroprotective response to intracellularly expressed beta-amyloid in neurons.

Intracellular beta-amyloid 42 (Abeta42) accumulation is increasingly recognized as an early event in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We have developed a doxycycline-inducible adenoviral-based system that directs intracellular Abeta42 expression and accumulation into the endoplasmic reticulum of primary neuronal cultures in a regulated manner. Abeta42 exhibited a perinuclear distribution in cell bodies and an association with vesicular compartments. Virally expressed intracellular Abeta42 was toxic to neuronal cultures 24 hr after induction in a dose-dependent manner. Abeta42 expression prompted the rapid induction of stress-inducible Hsp70 protein in neurons, and virally mediated Hsp70 overexpression rescued neurons from the toxic effects of intracellular Abeta accumulation. Together, these results implicate the cellular stress response as a possible modulator of Abeta-induced toxicity in neuronal cultures.