A cell autonomous regulator of neuronal excitability modulates tau in Alzheimer's disease vulnerable neurons.

Neurons from layer II of the entorhinal cortex (ECII) are the first to accumulate tau protein aggregates and degenerate during prodromal Alzheimer's disease. Gaining insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying this vulnerability will help reveal genes and pathways at play during incipient stages of the disease. Here, we use a data-driven functional genomics approach to model ECII neurons in silico and identify the proto-oncogene DEK as a regulator of tau pathology. We show that epigenetic changes caused by Dek silencing alter activity-induced transcription, with major effects on neuronal excitability. This is accompanied by the gradual accumulation of tau in the somatodendritic compartment of mouse ECII neurons in vivo, reactivity of surrounding microglia, and microglia-mediated neuron loss. These features are all characteristic of early Alzheimer's disease. The existence of a cell-autonomous mechanism linking Alzheimer's disease pathogenic mechanisms in the precise neuron type where the disease starts provides unique evidence that synaptic homeostasis dysregulation is of central importance in the onset of tau pathology in Alzheimer's disease.

Transient receptor potential canonical 5 mediates inflammatory mechanical and spontaneous pain in mice.

Tactile and spontaneous pains are poorly managed symptoms of inflammatory and neuropathic injury. Here, we found that transient receptor potential canonical 5 (TRPC5) is a chief contributor to both of these sensations in multiple rodent pain models. Use of TRPC5 knockout mice and inhibitors revealed that TRPC5 selectively contributes to the mechanical hypersensitivity associated with CFA injection, skin incision, chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy, sickle cell disease, and migraine, all of which were characterized by elevated concentrations of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC). Accordingly, exogenous application of LPC induced TRPC5-dependent behavioral mechanical allodynia, neuronal mechanical hypersensitivity, and spontaneous pain in naïve mice. Lastly, we found that 75% of human sensory neurons express TRPC5, the activity of which is directly modulated by LPC. On the basis of these results, TRPC5 inhibitors might effectively treat spontaneous and tactile pain in conditions characterized by elevated LPC.

Selective Neuronal Vulnerability in Alzheimer's Disease: A Network-Based Analysis.

A major obstacle to treating Alzheimer's disease (AD) is our lack of understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying selective neuronal vulnerability, a key characteristic of the disease. Here, we present a framework integrating high-quality neuron-type-specific molecular profiles across the lifetime of the healthy mouse, which we generated using bacTRAP, with postmortem human functional genomics and quantitative genetics data. We demonstrate human-mouse conservation of cellular taxonomy at the molecular level for neurons vulnerable and resistant in AD, identify specific genes and pathways associated with AD neuropathology, and pinpoint a specific functional gene module underlying selective vulnerability, enriched in processes associated with axonal remodeling, and affected by amyloid accumulation and aging. We have made all cell-type-specific profiles and functional networks available at http://alz.princeton.edu. Overall, our study provides a molecular framework for understanding the complex interplay between Aß, aging, and neurodegeneration within the most vulnerable neurons in AD.