Pathogenic Aß production by heterozygous PSEN1 mutations is intrinsic to the mutant protein and not mediated by conformational hindrance of wild-type PSEN1.

Presenilin-1 (PSEN1) is the catalytic subunit of the intramembrane protease γ-secretase and undergoes endoproteolysis during its maturation. Heterozygous mutations in the PSEN1 gene cause early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease (eFAD) and increase the proportion of longer aggregation-prone amyloid-ß peptides (Aß42 and/or Aß43). Previous studies had suggested that PSEN1 mutants might act in a dominant-negative fashion by functional impediment of wild-type PSEN1, but the exact mechanism by which PSEN1 mutants promote pathogenic Aß production remains controversial. Using dual recombinase-mediated cassette exchange (dRMCE), here we generated a panel of isogenic embryonic and neural stem cell lines with heterozygous, endogenous expression of PSEN1 mutations. When catalytically inactive PSEN1 was expressed alongside the wild-type protein, we found the mutant accumulated as a full-length protein, indicating that endoproteolytic cleavage occurred strictly as an intramolecular event. Heterozygous expression of eFAD-causing PSEN1 mutants increased the Aß42/Aß40 ratio. In contrast, catalytically inactive PSEN1 mutants were still incorporated into the γ-secretase complex but failed to change the Aß42/Aß40 ratio. Finally, interaction and enzyme activity assays demonstrated the binding of mutant PSEN1 to other γ-secretase subunits, but no interaction between mutant and wild-type PSEN1 was observed. These results establish that pathogenic Aß production is an intrinsic property of PSEN1 mutants and strongly argue against a dominant-negative effect in which PSEN1 mutants would compromise the catalytic activity of wild-type PSEN1 through conformational effects.

Amino-terminally elongated Aß peptides are generated by the secreted metalloprotease ADAMTS4 and deposit in a subset of Alzheimer's disease brains.

AIMS: The aggregation and deposition of amyloid-ß (Aß) peptides in the brain is thought to be the initial driver in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Aside from full-length Aß peptides starting with an aspartate residue in position 1, both N-terminally truncated and elongated Aß peptides are produced by various proteases from the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and have been detected in brain tissues and body fluids. Recently, we demonstrated that the particularly abundant N-terminally truncated Aß4-x peptides are generated by ADAMTS4, a secreted metalloprotease that is exclusively expressed in the oligodendrocyte cell population. In this study, we investigated whether ADAMTS4 might also be involved in the generation of N-terminally elongated Aß peptides. METHODS: We used cell-free and cell-based assays in combination with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) and electrochemiluminescence sandwich immunoassays to identify and quantify N-terminally elongated Aß peptide variants. Antibodies against these Aß variants were characterised by peptide microarrays and employed for the immunohistochemical analyses of human brain samples. RESULTS: In this study, we discovered additional ADAMTS4 cleavage sites in APP. These were located N-terminal to Asp-(1) in the Aß peptide sequence between residues Glu-(-7) and Ile-(-6) as well as Glu-(-4) and Val-(-3), resulting in the release of N-terminally elongated Aß-6-x and Aß-3-x peptides, of which the latter serve as a component in a promising Aß-based plasma biomarker. Aß-6/-3-40 peptides were detected in supernatants of various cell lines and in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and ADAMTS4 enzyme activity promoted the release of Aß-6/-3-x peptides. Furthermore, by immunohistochemistry, a subset of AD cases displayed evidence of extracellular and vascular localization of N-terminally elongated Aß-6/-3-x peptides. DISCUSSION: The current findings implicate ADAMTS4 in both the pathological process of Aß peptide aggregation and in the early detection of amyloid pathology in AD.

Long-term caffeine treatment of Alzheimer mouse models ameliorates behavioural deficits and neuron loss and promotes cellular and molecular markers of neurogenesis.

Epidemiological studies indicate that the consumption of caffeine, the most commonly ingested psychoactive substance found in coffee, tea or soft drinks, reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previous treatment studies with transgenic AD mouse models reported a reduced amyloid plaque load and an amelioration of behavioral deficits. It has been further shown that moderate doses of caffeine have the potential to attenuate the health burden in preclinical mouse models of a variety of brain disorders (reviewed in Cunha in J Neurochem 139:1019-1055, 2016). In the current study, we assessed whether long-term caffeine consumption affected hippocampal neuron loss and associated behavioral deficits in the Tg4-42 mouse model of AD. Treatment over a 4-month period reduced hippocampal neuron loss, rescued learning and memory deficits, and ameliorated impaired neurogenesis. Neuron-specific RNA sequencing analysis in the hippocampus revealed an altered expression profile distinguished by the up-regulation of genes linked to synaptic function and processes, and to neural progenitor proliferation. Treatment of 5xFAD mice, which develop prominent amyloid pathology, with the same paradigm also rescued behavioral deficits but did not affect extracellular amyloid-ß (Aß) levels or amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing. These findings challenge previous assumptions that caffeine is anti-amyloidogenic and indicate that the promotion of neurogenesis might play a role in its beneficial effects.

The metalloprotease ADAMTS4 generates N-truncated Aß4-x species and marks oligodendrocytes as a source of amyloidogenic peptides in Alzheimer's disease.

Brain accumulation and aggregation of amyloid-ß (Aß) peptides is a critical step in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Full-length Aß peptides (mainly Aß1-40 and Aß1-42) are produced through sequential proteolytic cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) by ß- and γ-secretases. However, studies of autopsy brain samples from AD patients have demonstrated that a large fraction of insoluble Aß peptides are truncated at the N-terminus, with Aß4-x peptides being particularly abundant. Aß4-x peptides are highly aggregation prone, but their origin and any proteases involved in their generation are unknown. We have identified a recognition site for the secreted metalloprotease ADAMTS4 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 4) in the Aß peptide sequence, which facilitates Aß4-x peptide generation. Inducible overexpression of ADAMTS4 in HEK293 cells resulted in the secretion of Aß4-40 but unchanged levels of Aß1-x peptides. In the 5xFAD mouse model of amyloidosis, Aß4-x peptides were present not only in amyloid plaque cores and vessel walls, but also in white matter structures co-localized with axonal APP. In the ADAMTS4-/- knockout background, Aß4-40 levels were reduced confirming a pivotal role of ADAMTS4 in vivo. Surprisingly, in the adult murine brain, ADAMTS4 was exclusively expressed in oligodendrocytes. Cultured oligodendrocytes secreted a variety of Aß species, but Aß4-40 peptides were absent in cultures derived from ADAMTS4-/- mice indicating that the enzyme was essential for Aß4-x production in this cell type. These findings establish an enzymatic mechanism for the generation of Aß4-x peptides. They further identify oligodendrocytes as a source of these highly amyloidogenic Aß peptides.

Over-expression of an FT-homologous gene of apple induces early flowering in annual and perennial plants.

The protein encoded by the FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) gene from Arabidopsis thaliana seems to be the long-searched florigen, and over-expression of FT orthologues resulted in accelerated flower development in annual and perennial plants. In the present study, we isolated two allelic mRNA sequences of an FT-homologous gene from apple, which was designated as MdFT1. Using a SSR motif this gene was mapped on LG 12 of apple. Over-expression of MdFT1 in Arabidopsis and the commercially important tree species poplar and apple itself using the CaMV 35S or the Arabidopsis Suc2 promoter resulted in significant accelerated flowering compared with wild-type plants. Transgenic T(0) plants of Arabidopsis flowered 4-6 days on average earlier than wild-type Arabidopsis under LD conditions. Under short-day conditions Suc2::MdFT1 plants of the T(1)-generation flowered after 66 ± 18 days, while wild-type plants flowered about 22 days later. All transgenic Arabidopsis plants showed a normal habit except for the early flowering phenotype. Early flowering was detected 6-10 months after transformation in transgenic polar clones containing MdFT1 driven by the CaMV 35S, whereas plants of the transgenic apple clone T780 set up its first flowers during in vitro cultivation. Based on our results we conclude that MdFT1 is responsible for inducing flowering and that the function of the apple FT1 gene is conserved in annual herbaceous species as well as perennial woody species. Furthermore, we discuss the role of MdFT1 in flower development with regard to the findings of genetic studies on apple.

Abnormal cortical network activation in human amnesia: A high-resolution evoked potential study.

Little is known about how human amnesia affects the activation of cortical networks during memory processing. In this study, we recorded high-density evoked potentials in 12 healthy control subjects and 11 amnesic patients with various types of brain damage affecting the medial temporal lobes, diencephalic structures, or both. Subjects performed a continuous recognition task composed of meaningful designs. Using whole-scalp spatiotemporal mapping techniques, we found that, during the first 200 ms following picture presentation, map configuration of amnesics and controls were indistinguishable. Beyond this period, processing significantly differed. Between 200 and 350 ms, amnesic patients expressed different topographical maps than controls in response to new and repeated pictures. From 350 to 550 ms, healthy subjects showed modulation of the same maps in response to new and repeated items. In amnesics, by contrast, presentation of repeated items induced different maps, indicating distinct cortical processing of new and old information. The study indicates that cortical mechanisms underlying memory formation and re-activation in amnesia fundamentally differ from normal memory processing.

Neural transition from short- to long-term memory and the medial temporal lobe: a human evoked-potential study.

Recent studies indicated that the human medial temporal lobe (MTL) may not only be important for long-term memory consolidation but also for certain forms of short-term memory. In this study, we explored the interplay between short- and long-term memory using high-density event-related potentials. We found that pictures immediately repeated after an unfilled interval were better recognized than pictures repeated after intervening items. After 30 min, however, the immediately repeated pictures were significantly less well recognized than pictures repeated after intervening items. This processing advantage at immediate repetition but disadvantage for long-term storage had an electrophysiological correlate: spatiotemporal analysis showed that immediate repetition induced a strikingly different electrocortical response after 200-300 ms, with inversed polarity, than new stimuli and delayed repetitions. Inverse solutions indicated that this difference reflected transient activity in the MTL. The findings demonstrate behavioral and electrophysiological dissociation between recognition during active maintenance and recognition after intervening items. Processing of novel information seems to immediately initiate a consolidation process, which remains vulnerable during active maintenance and increases its effectiveness during off-line processing.

Instinctive modulation of cognitive behavior: a human evoked potential study.

Successful adaptive behavior requires fast information processing. Behavioral switches may be necessary in response to threatening stimuli or when anticipated outcomes fail to occur. In this study, we explored the cortical processing of these two components using high-resolution evoked potentials. Subjects made a reversal learning task where they had to predict which one of two faces had a target stimulus on the nose. We found early electrocortical differences at 100-200 ms depending on whether the target stimulus was a spider or a disk. Source estimation indicated that this distinction was mediated by an anterior medial temporal region including the amygdala and adjacent cortex. When a switch to the alternate face was required, there was a discrete early electrocortical correlate after 200 ms, mediated by ventromedial prefrontal areas. Continued validity of stimulus-target associations was signaled at 400-520 ms, mediated by the parahippocampal region. The study indicates rapid serial processing of innate emotional quality, then cognitive-behavioral relevance of stimuli, mediated by limbic and paralimbic structures.

Electrophysiological correlates of deficient encoding in a case of post-anoxic amnesia.

Little is known about the initial stages of information processing in amnesia as compared to normal memory. In this study, we used electrical spatiotemporal mapping to compare cortical activation during encoding and recognition in a 56-year-old patient with severe, chronic post-anoxic amnesia and an age-matched control group. Event-related potentials were recorded as the subjects performed a continuous recognition task composed of meaningful designs. Activation in the control group rapidly progressed through eight different electrocortical configurations over 700 ms after onset of new stimuli. In contrast, activation in the amnesic patient was highly monotonous: it showed varying electrocortical patterns only during the first 150 ms but then remained abnormally stable for the remainder of the analysed time window. Electrical source localisation revealed that the patient failed to activate distributed cortical networks and that his processing was confined to visual areas. The present study suggests that the rapid activation of distributed cortical networks is critical for efficient encoding.

The role of multisensory memories in unisensory object discrimination.

Past multisensory experiences can influence current unisensory processing and memory performance. Repeated images are better discriminated if initially presented as auditory-visual pairs, rather than only visually. An experience's context thus plays a role in how well repetitions of certain aspects are later recognized. Here, we investigated factors during the initial multisensory experience that are essential for generating improved memory performance. Subjects discriminated repeated versus initial image presentations intermixed within a continuous recognition task. Half of initial presentations were multisensory, and all repetitions were only visual. Experiment 1 examined whether purely episodic multisensory information suffices for enhancing later discrimination performance by pairing visual objects with either tones or vibrations. We could therefore also assess whether effects can be elicited with different sensory pairings. Experiment 2 examined semantic context by manipulating the congruence between auditory and visual object stimuli within blocks of trials. Relative to images only encountered visually, accuracy in discriminating image repetitions was significantly impaired by auditory-visual, yet unaffected by somatosensory-visual multisensory memory traces. By contrast, this accuracy was selectively enhanced for visual stimuli with semantically congruent multisensory pasts and unchanged for those with semantically incongruent multisensory pasts. The collective results reveal opposing effects of purely episodic versus semantic information from auditory-visual multisensory events. Nonetheless, both types of multisensory memory traces are accessible for processing incoming stimuli and indeed result in distinct visual object processing, leading to either impaired or enhanced performance relative to unisensory memory traces. We discuss these results as supporting a model of object-based multisensory interactions.

The optimal mutagen dosage to induce point-mutations in Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 and its application to promote temperature tolerance.

Random mutagenesis is a useful tool to genetically modify organisms for various purposes, such as adaptation to cultivation conditions, the induction of tolerances, or increased yield of valuable substances. This is especially attractive for systems where it is not obvious which genes require modifications. Random mutagenesis has been extensively used to modify crop plants, but even with the renewed interest in microalgae and cyanobacteria for biofuel applications, there is relatively limited current research available on the application of random mutagenesis for these organisms, especially for cyanobacteria. In the presented work we characterized the lethality and rate of non-lethal point mutations for ultraviolet radiation and methyl methanesulphonate on the model cyanobacteria Synechocystis sp. PCC6803. Based on these results an optimal dosage of 10-50 J/m(2) for UV and either 0.1 or 1 v% for MMS was determined. A Synechocystis wildtype culture was then mutagenized and selected for increased temperature tolerance in vivo. During the second round of mutagenesis the viability of the culture was monitored on a cell by cell level from the treatment of the cells up to the growth at an increased temperature. After four distinct rounds of treatment (two with each mutagen) the temperature tolerance of the strain was effectively raised by about 2°C. Coupled with an appropriate in vivo screening, the described methods should be applicable to induce a variety of desirable characteristics in various strains. Coupling random mutagenesis with high-throughput screening methods would additionally allow to select for important characteristics for biofuel production, which do not yield a higher fitness and can not be selected for in vivo, such as fatty acid concentration. In a combined approach with full genome sequencing random mutagenesis could be used to determine suitable target-genes for more focused methods.