ABSTRACT
Synapse loss correlates with cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease, and soluble oligomeric amyloid beta (Aß) is implicated in synaptic dysfunction and loss. An important knowledge gap is the lack of understanding of how Aß leads to synapse degeneration. In particular, there has been difficulty in determining whether there is a synaptic receptor that binds Aß and mediates toxicity. While many candidates have been observed in model systems, their relevance to human AD brain remains unknown. This is in part due to methodological limitations preventing visualization of Aß binding at individual synapses. To overcome this limitation, we combined two high resolution microscopy techniques: array tomography and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) to image over 1 million individual synaptic terminals in temporal cortex from AD (n = 11) and control cases (n = 9). Within presynapses and post-synaptic densities, oligomeric Aß generates a FRET signal with transmembrane protein 97. Further, Aß generates a FRET signal with cellular prion protein, and post-synaptic density 95 within post synapses. Transmembrane protein 97 is also present in a higher proportion of post synapses in Alzheimer's brain compared to controls. We inhibited Aß/transmembrane protein 97 interaction in a mouse model of amyloidopathy by treating with the allosteric modulator CT1812. CT1812 drug concentration correlated negatively with synaptic FRET signal between transmembrane protein 97 and Aß. In human-induced pluripotent stem cell derived neurons, transmembrane protein 97 is present in synapses and colocalizes with Aß when neurons are challenged with human Alzheimer's brain homogenate. Transcriptional changes are induced by Aß including changes in genes involved in neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation. CT1812 treatment of these neurons caused changes in gene sets involved in synaptic function. These data support a role for transmembrane protein 97 in the synaptic binding of Aß in human Alzheimer's disease brain where it may mediate synaptotoxicity.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease , Cognitive Dysfunction , Membrane Proteins , Animals , Humans , Mice , Amyloid beta-Peptides , Brain , Synapses , Membrane Proteins/metabolismABSTRACT
A key hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau in neurofibrillary tangles. This occurs alongside neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Pathological tau propagates through the AD brain in a defined manner, which correlates with neuron and synapse loss and cognitive decline. One proposed mechanism of tau spread is through synaptically connected brain structures. Apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) genotype is the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset AD and is associated with increased tau burden. Whether the apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype influences neurodegeneration via tau spread is currently unknown. Here, we demonstrate that virally expressed human tau (with the P301L mutation) injected into mouse entorhinal cortex at 5-6 months or 15-16 months of age spreads trans-synaptically to the hippocampus by 14 weeks post-injection. Injections of tau in mice expressing human APOE2, APOE3 or APOE4, as well as APOE knock-outs, showed that tau can spread trans-synaptically in all genotypes and that APOE genotype and age do not affect the spread of tau. These data suggest that APOE genotype is not directly linked to synaptic spread of tau in our model, but other mechanisms involving non-cell autonomous manners of tau spread are still possible.
ABSTRACT
In Alzheimer's disease, fibrillar tau pathology accumulates and spreads through the brain and synapses are lost. Evidence from mouse models indicates that tau spreads trans-synaptically from pre- to postsynapses and that oligomeric tau is synaptotoxic, but data on synaptic tau in human brain are scarce. Here we used sub-diffraction-limit microscopy to study synaptic tau accumulation in postmortem temporal and occipital cortices of human Alzheimer's and control donors. Oligomeric tau is present in pre- and postsynaptic terminals, even in areas without abundant fibrillar tau deposition. Furthermore, there is a higher proportion of oligomeric tau compared with phosphorylated or misfolded tau found at synaptic terminals. These data suggest that accumulation of oligomeric tau in synapses is an early event in pathogenesis and that tau pathology may progress through the brain via trans-synaptic spread in human disease. Thus, specifically reducing oligomeric tau at synapses may be a promising therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer's disease.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease , tau Proteins , Animals , Humans , Mice , Alzheimer Disease/metabolism , Alzheimer Disease/pathology , Amyloid beta-Peptides/metabolism , Brain/metabolism , Presynaptic Terminals/metabolism , Synapses/metabolism , tau Proteins/metabolismABSTRACT
In Alzheimer's disease, synapse loss causes memory and cognitive impairment. However, the mechanisms underlying synaptic degeneration in Alzheimer's disease are not well understood. In the hippocampus, alterations in the level of cysteine string protein alpha, a molecular co-chaperone at the pre-synaptic terminal, occur prior to reductions in synaptophysin, suggesting that it is a very sensitive marker of synapse degeneration in Alzheimer's. Here, we identify putative extracellular accumulations of cysteine string alpha protein, which are proximal to beta-amyloid deposits in post-mortem human Alzheimer's brain and in the brain of a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Cysteine string protein alpha, at least some of which is phosphorylated at serine 10, accumulates near the core of beta-amyloid deposits and does not co-localize with hyperphosphorylated tau, dystrophic neurites or glial cells. Using super-resolution microscopy and array tomography, cysteine string protein alpha was found to accumulate to a greater extent than other pre-synaptic proteins and at a comparatively great distance from the plaque core. This indicates that cysteine string protein alpha is most sensitive to being released from pre-synapses at low concentrations of beta-amyloid oligomers. Cysteine string protein alpha accumulations were also evident in other neurodegenerative diseases, including some fronto-temporal lobar dementias and Lewy body diseases, but only in the presence of amyloid plaques. Our findings are consistent with suggestions that pre-synapses are affected early in Alzheimer's disease, and they demonstrate that cysteine string protein alpha is a more sensitive marker for early pre-synaptic dysfunction than traditional synaptic markers. We suggest that cysteine string protein alpha should be used as a pathological marker for early synaptic disruption caused by beta-amyloid.
ABSTRACT
Synapse loss is associated with cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease, and owing to their plastic nature, synapses are an ideal target for therapeutic intervention. Oligomeric amyloid beta around amyloid plaques is known to contribute to synapse loss in mouse models and is associated with synapse loss in human Alzheimer's disease brain tissue, but the mechanisms leading from Aß to synapse loss remain unclear. Recent data suggest that the fast-activating and -inactivating voltage-gated potassium channel subtype 3.4 (Kv3.4) may play a role in Aß-mediated neurotoxicity. Here, we tested whether this channel could also be involved in Aß synaptotoxicity. Using adeno-associated virus and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats technology, we reduced Kv3.4 expression in neurons of the somatosensory cortex of APP/PS1 mice. These mice express human familial Alzheimer's disease-associated mutations in amyloid precursor protein and presenilin-1 and develop amyloid plaques and plaque-associated synapse loss similar to that observed in Alzheimer's disease brain. We observe that reducing Kv3.4 levels ameliorates dendritic spine loss and changes spine morphology compared to control virus. In support of translational relevance, Kv3.4 protein was observed in human Alzheimer's disease and control brain and is associated with synapses in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cortical neurons. We also noted morphological changes in induced pluripotent stem cell neurones challenged with human Alzheimer's disease-derived brain homogenate containing Aß but, in this in vitro model, total mRNA levels of Kv3.4 were found to be reduced, perhaps as an early compensatory mechanism for Aß-induced damage. Overall, our results suggest that approaches to reduce Kv3.4 expression and/or function in the Alzheimer's disease brain could be protective against Aß-induced synaptic alterations.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Synapse degeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD) correlates strongly with cognitive decline. There is well-established excitatory synapse loss in AD with known contributions of pathological amyloid beta (Aß) to excitatory synapse dysfunction and loss. Despite clear changes in circuit excitability in AD and model systems, relatively little is known about pathology in inhibitory synapses. METHODS: Here human postmortem brain samples (n = 5 control, 10 AD cases) from temporal and occipital cortices were examined to investigate whether inhibitory synapses and neurons are lost in AD and whether Aß may contribute to inhibitory synapse degeneration. Inhibitory neurons were counted in all six cortical layers using stereology software, and array tomography was used to examine synapse density and the accumulation of Aß in synaptic terminals. RESULTS: Differing inhibitory neuron densities were observed in the different cortical layers. The highest inhibitory neuron density was observed in layer 4 in both brain regions and the visual cortex had a higher inhibitory neuron density than the temporal cortex. There was significantly lower inhibitory neuron density in AD than in control cases in all six cortical layers. High-resolution array tomography imaging revealed plaque-associated loss of inhibitory synapses and accumulation of Aß in a small subset of inhibitory presynaptic terminals with the most accumulation near amyloid plaques. CONCLUSIONS: Inhibitory neuron and synapse loss in AD may contribute to disrupted excitatory/inhibitory balance and cognitive decline. Future work is warranted to determine whether targeting inhibitory synapse loss could be a useful therapeutic strategy.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease , Amyloid beta-Peptides , Alzheimer Disease/pathology , Humans , Plaque, Amyloid/pathology , Presynaptic Terminals/pathology , Synapses/pathologyABSTRACT
The σ-2 receptor (S2R) complex has been implicated in CNS disorders ranging from anxiety and depression to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). The proteins comprising the S2R complex impact processes including autophagy, cholesterol synthesis, progesterone signaling, lipid membrane-bound protein trafficking, and receptor stabilization at the cell surface. While there has been much progress in understanding the role of S2R in cellular processes and its potential therapeutic value, a great deal remains unknown. The International Symposium on Sigma-2 Receptors is held in conjunction with the annual Society for Neuroscience (SfN) conference to promote collaboration and advance the field of S2R research. This review summarizes updates presented at the Fourth International Symposium on Sigma-2 Receptors: Role in Health and Disease, a Satellite Symposium held at the 2019 SfN conference. Interdisciplinary members of the S2R research community presented both previously published and preliminary results from ongoing studies of the role of S2R in cellular metabolism, the anatomic and cellular expression patterns of S2R, the relationship between S2R and amyloid ß (Aß) in AD, the role of S2R complex protein PGRMC1 in health and disease, and the efforts to design new S2R ligands for the purposes of research and drug development. The proceedings from this symposium are reported here as an update on the field of S2R research, as well as to highlight the value of the symposia that occur yearly in conjunction with the SfN conference.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease , Receptors, sigma , Amyloid beta-Peptides , Humans , Membrane Proteins , Progesterone , Receptors, ProgesteroneABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Synapse damage and loss are fundamental to the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and lead to reduced cognitive function. The goal of this review is to address the challenges of forging new clinical development approaches for AD therapeutics that can demonstrate reduction of synapse damage or loss. The key points of this review include the following: Synapse loss is a downstream effect of amyloidosis, tauopathy, inflammation, and other mechanisms occurring in AD.Synapse loss correlates most strongly with cognitive decline in AD because synaptic function underlies cognitive performance.Compounds that halt or reduce synapse damage or loss have a strong rationale as treatments of AD.Biomarkers that measure synapse degeneration or loss in patients will facilitate clinical development of such drugs.The ability of methods to sensitively measure synapse density in the brain of a living patient through synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, concentrations of synaptic proteins (e.g., neurogranin or synaptotagmin) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), or functional imaging techniques such as quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) provides a compelling case to use these types of measurements as biomarkers that quantify synapse damage or loss in clinical trials in AD. CONCLUSION: A number of emerging biomarkers are able to measure synapse injury and loss in the brain and may correlate with cognitive function in AD. These biomarkers hold promise both for use in diagnostics and in the measurement of therapeutic successes.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/cerebrospinal fluid , Alzheimer Disease/diagnostic imaging , Alzheimer Disease/pathology , Biomarkers/cerebrospinal fluid , Synapses/pathology , Electroencephalography/methods , Functional Neuroimaging/methods , Humans , Positron-Emission Tomography/methodsABSTRACT
Neurodegenerative diseases are an enormous public health problem, affecting tens of millions of people worldwide. Nearly all of these diseases are characterized by oligomerization and fibrillization of neuronal proteins, and there is great interest in therapeutic targeting of these aggregates. Here, we show that soluble aggregates of α-synuclein and tau bind to plate-immobilized PrP in vitro and on mouse cortical neurons, and that this binding requires at least one of the same N-terminal sites at which soluble Aß aggregates bind. Moreover, soluble aggregates of tau, α-synuclein and Aß cause both functional (impairment of LTP) and structural (neuritic dystrophy) compromise and these deficits are absent when PrP is ablated, knocked-down, or when neurons are pre-treated with anti-PrP blocking antibodies. Using an all-human experimental paradigm involving: (1) isogenic iPSC-derived neurons expressing or lacking PRNP, and (2) aqueous extracts from brains of individuals who died with Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and Pick's disease, we demonstrate that Aß, α-synuclein and tau are toxic to neurons in a manner that requires PrPC. These results indicate that PrP is likely to play an important role in a variety of late-life neurodegenerative diseases and that therapeutic targeting of PrP, rather than individual disease proteins, may have more benefit for conditions which involve the aggregation of more than one protein.
Subject(s)
Amyloid beta-Peptides/metabolism , Neurodegenerative Diseases/metabolism , Neurons/metabolism , Prions/metabolism , alpha-Synuclein/metabolism , tau Proteins/metabolism , Animals , Brain/metabolism , Humans , Mice , Protein BindingABSTRACT
Degeneration of synapses in Alzheimer's disease (AD) strongly correlates with cognitive decline, and synaptic pathology contributes to disease pathophysiology. We recently observed that the strongest genetic risk factor for sporadic AD, apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 (APOE4), is associated with exacerbated synapse loss and synaptic accumulation of oligomeric amyloid beta in human AD brain. To begin to understand the molecular cascades involved in synapse loss in AD and how this is mediated by APOE, and to generate a resource of knowledge of changes in the synaptic proteome in AD, we conducted a proteomic screen and systematic in silico analysis of synaptoneurosome preparations from temporal and occipital cortices of human AD and control subjects with known APOE gene status. We examined brain tissue from 33 subjects (7-10 per group). We pooled tissue from all subjects in each group for unbiased proteomic analyses followed by validation with individual case samples. Our analysis identified over 5500 proteins in human synaptoneurosomes and highlighted disease, brain region, and APOE-associated changes in multiple molecular pathways including a decreased abundance in AD of proteins important for synaptic and mitochondrial function and an increased abundance of proteins involved in neuroimmune interactions and intracellular signaling.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/metabolism , Apolipoproteins E/metabolism , Brain/metabolism , Neurons/metabolism , Proteome , Synapses/metabolism , Adult , Aged, 80 and over , Alzheimer Disease/pathology , Apolipoprotein E4/metabolism , Brain/pathology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Mitochondria/metabolism , Neurons/pathology , Proteomics , Synapses/pathologyABSTRACT
A key knowledge gap blocking development of effective therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the lack of understanding of how amyloid beta (Aß) peptide and pathological forms of the tau protein cooperate in causing disease phenotypes. Within a mouse tau-deficient background, we probed the molecular, cellular, and behavioral disruption triggered by the influence of wild-type human tau on human Aß-induced pathology. We find that Aß and tau work cooperatively to cause a hyperactivity behavioral phenotype and to cause downregulation of transcription of genes involved in synaptic function. In both our mouse model and human postmortem tissue, we observe accumulation of pathological tau in synapses, supporting the potential importance of synaptic tau. Importantly, tau reduction in the mice initiated after behavioral deficits emerge corrects behavioral deficits, reduces synaptic tau levels, and substantially reverses transcriptional perturbations, suggesting that lowering synaptic tau levels may be beneficial in AD.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/metabolism , Amyloid beta-Peptides/metabolism , tau Proteins/metabolism , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Alzheimer Disease/pathology , Animals , Female , Humans , Male , Mice , Microglia/metabolism , Spatial Behavior , Synapses/metabolism , TranscriptomeABSTRACT
Soluble amyloid-ß (Aß) is considered to be a critical component in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Evidence suggests that these non-fibrillar Aß assemblies are implicated in synaptic dysfunction, neurodegeneration and cell death. However, characterization of these species comes mainly from studies in cellular or animal models, and there is little data in intact human samples due to the lack of adequate optical microscopic resolution to study these small structures. Here, to achieve super-resolution in all three dimensions, we applied Array Tomography (AT) and Stimulated Emission Depletion microscopy (STED), to characterize in postmortem human brain tissue non-fibrillar Aß structures in amyloid plaques of cases with autosomal dominant and sporadic AD. Ultrathin sections scanned with super-resolution STED microscopy allowed the detection of small Aß structures of the order of 100 nm. We reconstructed a whole human amyloid plaque and established that plaques are formed by a dense core of higher order Aß species (~0.022 µm3) and a peripheral halo of smaller Aß structures (~0.003 µm3). This work highlights the potential of AT-STED for human neuropathological studies.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/metabolism , Amyloid beta-Peptides/chemistry , Nanoparticles/chemistry , Plaque, Amyloid/chemistry , Age of Onset , Aged, 80 and over , Genes, Dominant , Humans , Middle AgedABSTRACT
A biomarker of synapse loss, an early event in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathophysiology that precedes neuronal death and symptom onset, would be a much-needed prognostic biomarker. With direct access to the brain interstitial fluid, the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a potential source of synapse-derived proteins. In this study, we aimed to identify and validate novel CSF biomarkers of synapse loss in AD. Discovery: Combining shotgun proteomics of the CSF with an exhaustive search of the literature and public databases, we identified 251 synaptic proteins, from which we selected 22 for further study. Verification: Twelve proteins were discarded because of poor detection by Selected Reaction Monitoring (SRM). We confirmed the specific expression of 9 of the remaining proteins (Calsynytenin-1, GluR2, GluR4, Neurexin-2A, Neurexin-3A, Neuroligin-2, Syntaxin-1B, Thy-1, Vamp-2) at the human synapse using Array Tomography microscopy and biochemical fractionation methods. Exploration: Using SRM, we monitored these 9 synaptic proteins (20 peptides) in a cohort of CSF from cognitively normal controls and subjects in the pre-clinical and clinical AD stages (n = 80). Compared with controls, peptides from 8 proteins were elevated 1.3 to 1.6-fold (p < 0.04) in prodromal AD patients. Validation: Elevated levels of a GluR4 peptide at the prodromal stage were replicated (1.3-fold, p = 0.04) in an independent cohort (n = 60). Moreover, 7 proteins were reduced at preclinical stage 1 (0.6 to 0.8-fold, p < 0.04), a finding that was replicated (0.7 to 0.8-fold, p < 0.05) for 6 proteins in a third cohort (n = 38). In a cross-cohort meta-analysis, 6 synaptic proteins (Calsyntenin-1, GluR4, Neurexin-2A, Neurexin-3A, Syntaxin-1B and Thy-1) were reduced 0.8-fold (p < 0.05) in preclinical AD, changes that precede clinical symptoms and CSF markers of neurodegeneration. Therefore, these proteins could have clinical value for assessing disease progression, especially in preclinical stages of AD.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/cerebrospinal fluid , Biomarkers/cerebrospinal fluid , Proteomics/methods , Synapses/metabolism , Aged , Alzheimer Disease/metabolism , Autopsy , Biomarkers/metabolism , Calcium-Binding Proteins/cerebrospinal fluid , Calcium-Binding Proteins/metabolism , Early Diagnosis , Female , Humans , Male , Nerve Tissue Proteins/cerebrospinal fluid , Nerve Tissue Proteins/metabolism , Prodromal Symptoms , Prognosis , Receptors, AMPA/metabolism , Syntaxin 1/cerebrospinal fluid , Syntaxin 1/metabolism , Thy-1 Antigens/cerebrospinal fluid , Thy-1 Antigens/metabolismSubject(s)
Neurofibrillary Tangles , Tauopathies , Hippocampus , Humans , Inclusion Bodies , Pneumothorax , Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive , tau ProteinsABSTRACT
Dementia with Lewy bodies is characterized by the accumulation of Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites in the CNS, both of which are composed mainly of aggregated α-synuclein phosphorylated at Ser129. Although phosphorylated α-synuclein is believed to exert toxic effects at the synapse in dementia with Lewy bodies and other α-synucleinopathies, direct evidence for the precise synaptic localization has been difficult to achieve due to the lack of adequate optical microscopic resolution to study human synapses. In the present study we applied array tomography, a microscopy technique that combines ultrathin sectioning of tissue with immunofluorescence allowing precise identification of small structures, to quantitatively investigate the synaptic phosphorylated α-synuclein pathology in dementia with Lewy bodies. We performed array tomography on human brain samples from five patients with dementia with Lewy bodies, five patients with Alzheimer's disease and five healthy control subjects to analyse the presence of phosphorylated α-synuclein immunoreactivity at the synapse and their relationship with synapse size. Main analyses were performed in blocks from cingulate cortex and confirmed in blocks from the striatum of cases with dementia with Lewy bodies. A total of 1 318 700 single pre- or postsynaptic terminals were analysed. We found that phosphorylated α-synuclein is present exclusively in dementia with Lewy bodies cases, where it can be identified in the form of Lewy bodies, Lewy neurites and small aggregates (<0.16 µm3). Between 19% and 25% of phosphorylated α-synuclein deposits were found in presynaptic terminals mainly in the form of small aggregates. Synaptic terminals that co-localized with small aggregates of phosphorylated α-synuclein were significantly larger than those that did not. Finally, a gradient of phosphorylated α-synuclein aggregation in synapses (pre > pre + post > postsynaptic) was observed. These results indicate that phosphorylated α-synuclein is found at the presynaptic terminals of dementia with Lewy bodies cases mainly in the form of small phosphorylated α-synuclein aggregates that are associated with changes in synaptic morphology. Overall, our data support the notion that pathological phosphorylated α-synuclein may disrupt the structure and function of the synapse in dementia with Lewy bodies.
Subject(s)
Gyrus Cinguli/metabolism , Lewy Body Disease/metabolism , Neostriatum/metabolism , Phosphoproteins/metabolism , Synapses/metabolism , alpha-Synuclein/metabolism , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Alzheimer Disease/metabolism , Brain/metabolism , Case-Control Studies , Female , Fluorescent Antibody Technique , Humans , Image Processing, Computer-Assisted , Immunohistochemistry , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The innate immune system is known to be involved early in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative disorders. The inflammatory response in the central nervous system can be measured postmortem or through a series of inflammatory mediator surrogates. YKL-40 (also named Chitinase-3-like I) has been frequently investigated in body fluids as a surrogate marker of neuroinflammation in AD and other neurological disorders. However, the expression pattern of YKL-40 in the human brain with neurodegenerative pathology remains poorly investigated. Our aim was to study the cellular expression pattern of YKL-40 in the brain of patients with clinical and neuropathological criteria for AD (n = 11); three non-AD tauopathies: Pick's disease (PiD; n = 8), corticobasal degeneration (CBD; n = 8) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP; n = 9) and a group of neurologically healthy controls (n = 6). METHODS: Semiquantitative neuropathological evaluation and quantitative confocal triple immunofluorescence studies were performed. An in-house algorithm was used to detect and quantify pathology burden of random regions of interest on a full tissue-section scan. Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn's multiple comparison tests were performed for colocalization and quantification analyses. RESULTS: We found that brain YKL-40 immunoreactivity was observed in a subset of astrocytes in all four diseases and in controls. There was a strong colocalization between YKL-40 and the astroglial marker GFAP but not with neuronal nor microglial markers. Intriguingly, YKL-40-positive astrocytes were tau-negative in PSP, CBD and PiD. The number of YKL-40-positive astrocytes was increased in tauopathies compared with that in controls. A positive correlation was found between YKL-40 and tau immunoreactivities. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that YKL-40 is expressed by a subset of astrocytes in AD and other tauopathies. YKL-40 expression is elevated in several neurodegenerative conditions and correlates with tau pathology.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/enzymology , Astrocytes/enzymology , Brain/enzymology , Chitinase-3-Like Protein 1/biosynthesis , Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic , Tauopathies/enzymology , Alzheimer Disease/genetics , Alzheimer Disease/pathology , Astrocytes/pathology , Brain/pathology , Chitinase-3-Like Protein 1/genetics , Humans , Tauopathies/genetics , Tauopathies/pathologyABSTRACT
Lewy body disorders (LBD) are common neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the presence of aggregated α-synuclein in Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites in the central and peripheral nervous systems. The brains of patients with LBD often display other comorbid pathologies, i.e. insoluble tau, ß-amyloid aggregates, TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) deposits, and argyrophilic grain disease (AGD). The incidence and physiological relevance of these concurrent pathological findings remain controversial. We performed a semiquantitative detailed mapping of α-synuclein, tau, ß-amyloid (Aß), TDP-43, and AGD pathologies in 17 areas in 63 LBD cases (44 with Parkinson disease [PD], 28 with dementia, and 19 with dementia with Lewy bodies). APOE and MAPT genetic variants were also investigated. A majority of LBD cases had 2 or 3 concomitant findings, particularly Alzheimer disease-related pathology. Pathological stages of tau, ß-amyloid and α-synuclein pathologies were increased in cases with dementia. Aß score was the best correlate of the time to dementia in PD. In addition, ß-amyloid deposition correlated with α-synuclein load in all groups. MAPT H1 haplotype did not influence any assessed pathology in PD. These results highlight the common concurrence of pathologies in patients with LBD that may have an impact on the clinical expression of the diseases.
Subject(s)
Brain/metabolism , Brain/pathology , Lewy Bodies/metabolism , Lewy Bodies/pathology , Lewy Body Disease/metabolism , Lewy Body Disease/pathology , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Alzheimer Disease/genetics , Alzheimer Disease/metabolism , Alzheimer Disease/pathology , Female , Humans , Lewy Bodies/genetics , Lewy Body Disease/genetics , Male , alpha-Synuclein/genetics , alpha-Synuclein/metabolism , tau Proteins/genetics , tau Proteins/metabolismABSTRACT
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by memory loss, insidious cognitive decline, profound neurodegeneration, and the extracellular accumulation of amyloid-ß (Aß) peptide in senile plaques and intracellular accumulation of tau in neurofibrillary tangles. Loss and dysfunction of synapses are believed to underlie the devastating cognitive decline in AD. A large amount of evidence suggests that oligomeric forms of Aß associated with senile plaques are toxic to synapses, but the precise sub-synaptic localization of Aß and which forms are synaptotoxic remain unknown. Here, we characterize the sub-synaptic localization of Aß oligomers using three high-resolution imaging techniques, stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy, immunogold electron microscopy, and Förster resonance energy transfer in a plaque-bearing mouse model of AD. With all three techniques, we observe oligomeric Aß inside synaptic terminals. Further, we tested a panel of Aß antibodies using the relatively high-throughput array tomography technique to determine which forms are present in synapses. Our results show that different oligomeric Aß species are present in synapses and highlight the potential of array tomography for rapid testing of aggregation state specific Aß antibodies in brain tissue.