Aß1-6A2V(D) peptide, effective on Aß aggregation, inhibits tau misfolding and protects the brain after traumatic brain injury.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the leading cause of dementia in older adults, is a double proteinopathy characterized by amyloid-ß (Aß) and tau pathology. Despite enormous efforts that have been spent in the last decades to find effective therapies, late pharmacological interventions along the course of the disease, inaccurate clinical methodologies in the enrollment of patients, and inadequate biomarkers for evaluating drug efficacy have not allowed the development of an effective therapeutic strategy. The approaches followed so far for developing drugs or antibodies focused solely on targeting Aß or tau protein. This paper explores the potential therapeutic capacity of an all-D-isomer synthetic peptide limited to the first six amino acids of the N-terminal sequence of the A2V-mutated Aß, Aß1-6A2V(D), that was developed following the observation of a clinical case that provided the background for its development. We first performed an in-depth biochemical characterization documenting the capacity of Aß1-6A2V(D) to interfere with the aggregation and stability of tau protein. To tackle Aß1-6A2V(D) in vivo effects against a neurological decline in genetically predisposed or acquired high AD risk mice, we tested its effects in triple transgenic animals harboring human PS1(M146 V), APP(SW), and MAPT(P301L) transgenes and aged wild-type mice exposed to experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI), a recognized risk factor for AD. We found that Aß1-6A2V(D) treatment in TBI mice improved neurological outcomes and reduced blood markers of axonal damage. Exploiting the C. elegans model as a biosensor of amyloidogenic proteins' toxicity, we observed a rescue of locomotor defects in nematodes exposed to the brain homogenates from TBI mice treated with Aß1-6A2V(D) compared to TBI controls. By this integrated approach, we demonstrate that Aß1-6A2V(D) not only impedes tau aggregation but also favors its degradation by tissue proteases, confirming that this peptide interferes with both Aß and tau aggregation propensity and proteotoxicity.

GRN-/- iPSC-derived cortical neurons recapitulate the pathological findings of both frontotemporal lobar degeneration and neuronal ceroidolipofuscinosis.

Heterozygous mutations in the gene coding for progranulin (GRN) cause frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) while homozygous mutations are linked to neuronal ceroidolipofuscinosis (NCL). While both FTLD/NCL pathological hallmarks were mostly investigated in heterozygous GRN+/- brain tissue or induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons, data from homozygous GRN-/- condition are scarce, being limited to a postmortem brain tissue from a single case. Indeed, homozygous GRN-/- is an extremely rare condition reported in very few cases. Our aim was to investigate pathological phenotypes associated with FTLD and NCL in iPSC-derived cortical neurons from a GRN-/- patient affected by NCL. iPSCs were generated from peripheral blood of a GRN wt healthy donor and a GRN-/- patient and subsequently differentiated into cortical neurons. Several pathological changes were investigated, by means of immunocytochemical, biochemical and ultrastructural analyses. GRN-/- patient-derived cortical neurons displayed both TDP-43 and phospho-TDP-43 mislocalization, enlarged autofluorescent lysosomes and electron-dense vesicles containing storage material with granular, curvilinear and fingerprints profiles. In addition, different patterns in the expression of TDP-43, caspase 3 and cleaved caspase 3 were observed by biochemical analysis at different time points of cortical differentiation. At variance with previous findings, the present data highlight the existence of both FTLD- and NCL-linked pathological features in GRN-/- iPSC-derived cortical neurons from a NCL patient. They also suggest an evolution in the appearance of these features: firstly, FTLD-related TDP-43 alterations and initial NCL storage materials were detected; afterwards, mainly well-shaped NCL storage materials were present, while some FTLD features were not observed anymore.

MAPT Q336H mutation: Intrafamilial phenotypic heterogeneity in a new Italian family.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Q336H is a rare MAPT mutation, previously found in a single patient with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia and tau pathology (Pick bodies). Here, we describe the clinical characteristics of two members of a new family carrying the Q336H MAPT mutation. METHODS: Clinical, genetic, and neuroradiological assessment and follow-up of the proband were made. RESULTS: At age 37 years, the proband developed naming and object recognition impairment, due to a lack of knowledge. After 3 years, he developed behavioral disorders. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography showed the involvement of the left temporal pole. A diagnosis of semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA) was made. At follow-up after 6 and 12 months, a rapid worsening of cognitive deficits occurred. His parent presented, at age 65 years, slowly progressive memory deficits without behavioral impairment, and, on MRI, evidence of mesial temporal atrophy, consistent with a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer disease (AD). CONCLUSIONS: This is the second family carrying the MAPT Q336H mutation reported so far. We showed that svPPA and AD-like phenotype can be associated with this mutation. A wide clinical variability exists at the intrafamilial level for Q336H MAPT mutation, pointing to genetic and/or environmental influencing factors on disease expression. We also confirmed that svPPA can be associated with MAPT mutations, suggesting that this gene should be analyzed also in patients with svPPA, especially with early onset. In addition, an AD-like phenotype may be associated with this mutation, suggesting its different effects on protein misfolding and aggregation.

SORL1 gene mutation and octapeptide repeat insertion in PRNP gene in a case presenting with rapidly progressive dementia and cerebral amyloid angiopathy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) has been associated with a variety of neurodegenerative disorders, included prion diseases and Alzheimer's disease; its pathophysiology is still largely unknown. We report the case of an 80-year-old man with rapidly progressive dementia and neuroimaging features consistent with CAA carrying two genetic defects in the PRNP and SORL1 genes. METHODS: Neurological examination, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electroencephalographic-electromyographic (EEG-EMG) polygraphy, and analysis of 14-3-3 and tau proteins, Aß40, and Aß42 in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were performed. The patient underwent a detailed genetic study by next generation sequencing analysis. RESULTS: The patient presented with progressive cognitive dysfunction, generalized myoclonus, and ataxia. Approximately 9 months after symptom onset, he was bed-bound, almost mute, and akinetic. Brain MRI was consistent with CAA. CSF analysis showed high levels of t-tau and p-tau, decreased Aß42, decreased Aß42/Aß40 ratio, and absence of 14.3.3 protein. EEG-EMG polygraphy demonstrated diffuse slowing, frontal theta activity, and generalized spike-waves related to upper limb myoclonus induced by intermittent photic stimulation. Genetic tests revealed the presence of the E270K variant in the SORL1 gene and the presence of a single octapeptide repeat insertion in the coding region of the PRNP gene. CONCLUSIONS: The specific pathogenic contribution of the two DNA variations is difficult to determine without neuropathology; among the possible explanations, we discuss the possibility of their link with CAA. Vascular and degenerative pathways actually interact in a synergistic way, and genetic studies may lead to more insight into pathophysiological mechanisms.

SLITRK2, an X-linked modifier of the age at onset in C9orf72 frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

The G4C2-repeat expansion in C9orf72 is the most common cause of frontotemporal dementia and of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The variability of age at onset and phenotypic presentations is a hallmark of C9orf72 disease. In this study, we aimed to identify modifying factors of disease onset in C9orf72 carriers using a family-based approach, in pairs of C9orf72 carrier relatives with concordant or discordant age at onset. Linkage and association analyses provided converging evidence for a locus on chromosome Xq27.3. The minor allele A of rs1009776 was associated with an earlier onset (P = 1 × 10-5). The association with onset of dementia was replicated in an independent cohort of unrelated C9orf72 patients (P = 0.009). The protective major allele delayed the onset of dementia from 5 to 13 years on average depending on the cohort considered. The same trend was observed in an independent cohort of C9orf72 patients with extreme deviation of the age at onset (P = 0.055). No association of rs1009776 was detected in GRN patients, suggesting that the effect of rs1009776 was restricted to the onset of dementia due to C9orf72. The minor allele A is associated with a higher SLITRK2 expression based on both expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) databases and in-house expression studies performed on C9orf72 brain tissues. SLITRK2 encodes for a post-synaptic adhesion protein. We further show that synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2 and synaptophysin, two synaptic vesicle proteins, were decreased in frontal cortex of C9orf72 patients carrying the minor allele. Upregulation of SLITRK2 might be associated with synaptic dysfunctions and drives adverse effects in C9orf72 patients that could be modulated in those carrying the protective allele. How the modulation of SLITRK2 expression affects synaptic functions and influences the disease onset of dementia in C9orf72 carriers will require further investigations. In summary, this study describes an original approach to detect modifier genes in rare diseases and reinforces rising links between C9orf72 and synaptic dysfunctions that might directly influence the occurrence of first symptoms.

The cognitive phenotypes of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: comparison with secondary metabolic encephalopathy.

BACKGROUND: Rapidly progressive cognitive impairment is a diagnostic criterion in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), but the diagnosis is usually reached when an analysis of cognitive aspects is no longer possible. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to delineate the cognitive phenotypes preceding severe dementia in CJD compared to secondary metabolic encephalopathies (SME) with rapid cognitive impairment. METHODS: Patients with rapidly progressive neurological symptoms underwent neuropsychological evaluation, analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and codon 129 polymorphism of the prion protein gene (PRNP), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and single positron emission computed tomography (99mTcSPECT). CSF real-time quaking-induced conversion analysis was applied in CJD patients. Based on literature and clinical expertise, cognitive profiles were correlated with brain areas. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients were diagnosed with CJD (n = 17) or SME; 77 cases of CJD were extracted from the literature. In patients with CJD, verbal initiative, lexical search, long-term memory, attention, and abstract reasoning were the most frequently impaired abilities. Cognitive profiles were mainly related to dysfunction in fronto-temporal areas. Furthermore, they were consistent with areas of hypoperfusion detected by 99mTc SPECT in six patients and cortical and subcortical MRI hyperintensities in eight and 14 patients, respectively, and were similar to those described in the literature. In contrast, cognitive profiles were different from those in SME characterized by visuospatial and constructive deficits relating to posterior brain areas. CONCLUSION: In CJD, clinical and neuropsychological analyses outline a salient cognitive phenotype suggestive of fronto-temporal dysfunction preceding severe dementia. This phenotype is different from that observed in other rapidly progressive encephalopathies.

Pathological 25 kDa C-Terminal Fragments of TDP-43 Are Present in Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines and Extracellular Vesicles from Patients Affected by Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration and Neuronal Ceroidolipofuscinosis Carrying a GRN Mutation.

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is a complex disease, characterized by progressive degeneration of frontal and temporal lobes. Mutations in progranulin (GRN) gene have been found in up to 50% of patients with familial FTLD. Abnormal deposits of post-translationally-modified TAR DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43) represent one of the main hallmarks of the brain pathology. To investigate in peripheral cells the presence of the different TDP-43 forms, especially the toxic 25 kDa fragments, we analyzed lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) and the derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) from patients carrying a GRN mutation, together with wild-type (WT) healthy controls. After characterizing EV sizes and concentrations by nanoparticle tracking analysis, we investigated the levels of different forms of the TDP-43 protein in LCLs and respective EVs by Western blot. Our results showed a trend of concentration decreasing in EVs derived from GRN-mutated LCLs, although not reaching statistical significance. A general increase in p-TDP-43 levels in GRN-mutated LCLs and EVs was observed. In particular, the toxic 25 kDa fragments of p-TDP-43 were only present in GRN-mutated LCLs and were absent in the WT controls. Furthermore, these fragments appeared to be more concentrated in EVs than in LCLs, suggesting a relevant role of EVs in spreading pathological molecules between cells.

Plasma Small Extracellular Vesicle Cathepsin D Dysregulation in GRN/C9orf72 and Sporadic Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration.

Emerging data suggest the roles of endo-lysosomal dysfunctions in frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and in other dementias. Cathepsin D is one of the major lysosomal proteases, mediating the degradation of unfolded protein aggregates. In this retrospective study, we investigated cathepsin D levels in human plasma and in the plasma small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) of 161 subjects (40 sporadic FTLD, 33 intermediate/pathological C9orf72 expansion carriers, 45 heterozygous/homozygous GRN mutation carriers, and 43 controls). Cathepsin D was quantified by ELISA, and nanoparticle tracking analysis data (sEV concentration for the cathepsin D level normalization) were extracted from our previously published dataset or were newly generated. First, we revealed a positive correlation of the cathepsin D levels with the age of the patients and controls. Even if no significant differences were found in the cathepsin D plasma levels, we observed a progressive reduction in plasma cathepsin D moving from the intermediate to C9orf72 pathological expansion carriers. Observing the sEVs nano-compartment, we observed increased cathepsin D sEV cargo (ng/sEV) levels in genetic/sporadic FTLD. The diagnostic performance of this biomarker was fairly high (AUC = 0.85). Moreover, sEV and plasma cathepsin D levels were positively correlated with age at onset. In conclusion, our study further emphasizes the common occurrence of endo-lysosomal dysregulation in GRN/C9orf72 and sporadic FTLD.

Circulating Non-Coding RNA Levels Are Altered in Autosomal Dominant Frontotemporal Dementia.

Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) represents a highly heritable neurodegenerative disorder. Most of the heritability is caused by autosomal dominant mutations in the Microtubule-Associated Protein Tau (MAPT), Progranulin (GRN), and the pathologic exanucleotide expansion of C9ORF72 genes. At the pathological level, either the tau or the TAR DNA-binding protein (TDP-43) account for almost all cases of FTD. Pathogenic mechanisms are just arising, and the emerging role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), such as microRNAs (miRNA) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), have become increasingly evident. Using specific arrays, an exploratory analysis testing the expression levels of 84 miRNAs and 84 lncRNAs has been performed in a population consisting of 24 genetic FTD patients (eight GRN, eight C9ORF72, and eight MAPT mutation carriers), eight sporadic FTD patients, and eight healthy controls. The results showed a generalized ncRNA downregulation in patients carrying GRN and C9ORF72 when compared with the controls, with statistically significant results for the following miRNAs: miR-155-5p (Fold Change FC: 0.45, p = 0.037 FDR = 0.52), miR-15a-5p (FC: 0.13, p = 0.027, FDR = 1), miR-222-3p (FC: 0.13, p = 0.027, FDR = 0.778), miR-140-3p (FC: 0.096, p = 0.034, FRD = 0.593), miR-106b-5p (FC: 0.13, p = 0.02, FDR = 0.584) and an upregulation solely for miR-124-3p (FC: 2.1, p = 0.01, FDR = 0.893). Conversely, MAPT mutation carriers showed a generalized robust upregulation in several ncRNAs, specifically for miR-222-3p (FC: 22.3, p = 7 × 10-6, FDR = 0.117), miR-15a-5p (FC: 30.2, p = 0.008, FDR = 0.145), miR-27a-3p (FC: 27.8, p = 6 × 10-6, FDR = 0.0005), miR-223-3p (FC: 18.9, p = 0.005, FDR = 0.117), and miR-16-5p (FC: 10.9, p = 5.26 × 10-5, FDR = 0.001). These results suggest a clear, distinctive pattern of dysregulation among ncRNAs and specific enrichment gene pathways between mutations associated with the TDP-43 and tau pathologies. Nevertheless, these preliminary results need to be confirmed in a larger independent cohort.

The PINK1 p.Asn521Thr Variant Is Associated with Earlier Disease Onset in GRN/C9orf72 Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration.

Genetic frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is characterized by heterogeneous phenotypic expression, with a disease onset highly variable even in patients carrying the same mutation. Herein we investigated if variants in lysosomal genes modulate the age of onset both in FTLD due to GRN null mutations and C9orf72 expansion. In a total of 127 subjects (n = 74 GRN mutations and n = 53 C9orf72 expansion carriers), we performed targeted sequencing of the top 98 genes belonging to the lysosomal pathway, selected based on their high expression in multiple brain regions. We described an earlier disease onset in GRN/C9orf72 pedigrees in subjects carrying the p.Asn521Thr variant (rs1043424) in PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1), a gene that is already known to be involved in neurodegenerative diseases. We found that: (i) the PINK1 rs1043424 C allele is significantly associated with the age of onset; (ii) every risk C allele increases hazard by 2.11%; (iii) the estimated median age of onset in homozygous risk allele carriers is 10-12 years earlier than heterozygous/wild type homozygous subjects. A replication study in GRN/C9orf72 negative FTLD patients confirmed that the rs1043424 C allele was associated with earlier disease onset (-5.5 years in CC versus A carriers). Understanding the potential mechanisms behind the observed modulating effect of the PINK1 gene in FTLD might prove critical for identifying biomarkers and/or designing drugs to modify the age of onset, especially in GRN/C9orf72-driven disease.

Singular cases of Alzheimer's disease disclose new and old genetic "acquaintances".

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common age-related dementia. Besides its typical presentation with amnestic syndrome at onset, atypical AD cases are being increasingly recognized, often in presenile age. OBJECTIVES: To provide an extensive clinical and genetic characterization of six AD patients carrying one or more singular features, including age of onset, atypical phenotype and disease progression rate. By reviewing the pertinent literature and accessing publicly available databases, we aimed to assess the frequency and the significance of the identified genetic variants. METHODS: Biomarkers of amyloid-ß deposition and neurodegeneration were used to establish the in vivo diagnosis of probable AD, in addition to neurological and neuropsychological evaluation, extensive laboratory assays and neuroradiological data. Considering the presenile onset of the majority of the cases, we hypothesized genetically determined AD and performed extensive genetic analyses by both Sanger sequencing and next generation sequencing (NGS). RESULTS: We disclosed two known missense variants, one in PSEN1 and the other in PSEN2, and a novel silent variant in PSEN2. Most notably, we identified several additional variants in other dementia-related genes by NGS. Some of them have never been reported in any control or disease databases, representing variants unique to our cases. CONCLUSIONS: This work underlines the difficulties in reaching a confident in vivo diagnosis in cases of atypical dementia. Moreover, a wider genetic analysis by NGS approach may prove to be useful in specific cases, especially when the study of the so-far known AD causative genes produces negative or conflicting results.

A C6orf10/LOC101929163 locus is associated with age of onset in C9orf72 carriers.

The G4C2-repeat expansion in C9orf72 is the most common known cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. The high phenotypic heterogeneity of C9orf72 patients includes a wide range in age of onset, modifiers of which are largely unknown. Age of onset could be influenced by environmental and genetic factors both of which may trigger DNA methylation changes at CpG sites. We tested the hypothesis that age of onset in C9orf72 patients is associated with some common single nucleotide polymorphisms causing a gain or loss of CpG sites and thus resulting in DNA methylation alterations. Combined analyses of epigenetic and genetic data have the advantage of detecting functional variants with reduced likelihood of false negative results due to excessive correction for multiple testing in genome-wide association studies. First, we estimated the association between age of onset in C9orf72 patients (n = 46) and the DNA methylation levels at all 7603 CpG sites available on the 450 k BeadChip that are mapped to common single nucleotide polymorphisms. This was followed by a genetic association study of the discovery (n = 144) and replication (n = 187) C9orf72 cohorts. We found that age of onset was reproducibly associated with polymorphisms within a 124.7 kb linkage disequilibrium block tagged by top-significant variation, rs9357140, and containing two overlapping genes (LOC101929163 and C6orf10). A meta-analysis of all 331 C9orf72 carriers revealed that every A-allele of rs9357140 reduced hazard by 30% (P = 0.0002); and the median age of onset in AA-carriers was 6 years later than GG-carriers. In addition, we investigated a cohort of C9orf72 negative patients (n = 2634) affected by frontotemporal dementia and/or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; and also found that the AA-genotype of rs9357140 was associated with a later age of onset (adjusted P = 0.007 for recessive model). Phenotype analyses detected significant association only in the largest subgroup of patients with frontotemporal dementia (n = 2142, adjusted P = 0.01 for recessive model). Gene expression studies of frontal cortex tissues from 25 autopsy cases affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis revealed that the G-allele of rs9357140 is associated with increased brain expression of LOC101929163 (a non-coding RNA) and HLA-DRB1 (involved in initiating immune responses), while the A-allele is associated with their reduced expression. Our findings suggest that carriers of the rs9357140 GG-genotype (linked to an earlier age of onset) might be more prone to be in a pro-inflammatory state (e.g. by microglia) than AA-carriers. Further, investigating the functional links within the C6orf10/LOC101929163/HLA-DRB1 pathway will be critical to better define age-dependent pathogenesis of frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

V363I and V363A mutated tau affect aggregation and neuronal dysfunction differently in C. elegans.

Mutations in the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) gene have been linked to a heterogeneous group of progressive neurodegenerative disorders commonly called tauopathies. From patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration with distinct atypical clinical phenotypes, we recently identified two new mutations on the same codon, in position 363 of the MAPT gene, which resulted in the production of Val-to-Ala (tauV363A) or Val-to-Ile (tauV363I) mutated tau. These substitutions specifically affected microtubule polymerization and propensity of tau to aggregate in vitro suggesting that single amino acid modification may dictate the fate of the neuropathology. To clarify whether tauV363A and tauV363I affect protein misfolding differently in vivo driving certain phenotypes, we generated new transgenic C. elegans strains. Human 2N4R tau carrying the mutation was expressed in all the neurons of worms. The behavioral defects, misfolding and proteotoxicity caused by the tauV363A and tauV363I mutated proteins were compared to that induced by the expression of wild-type tau (tauwt). Pan-neuronal expression of human 2N4R tauWT in worms resulted in a neuromuscular defect with characteristics of a neurodegenerative phenotype. This defect was worsened by the expression of mutated proteins which drive distinct neuronal dysfunctions and synaptic impairments involving, in transgenic worms expressing tauV363A (V363A) also a pharyngeal defect never linked before to other mutations. The two mutations differently affected the tau phosphorylation and misfolding propensities: tauV363I was highly phosphorylated on epitopes corresponding to Thr231 and Ser202/Thr205, and accumulated as insoluble tau assemblies whereas tauV363A showed a greater propensity to form soluble oligomeric assemblies. These findings uphold the role of a single amino acid substitution in specifically affecting the ability of tau to form soluble and insoluble assemblies, opening up new perspectives in the pathogenic mechanism underlying tauopathies.

Strikingly different clinicopathological phenotypes determined by progranulin-mutation dosage.

We performed hypothesis-free linkage analysis and exome sequencing in a family with two siblings who had neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL). Two linkage peaks with maximum LOD scores of 3.07 and 2.97 were found on chromosomes 7 and 17, respectively. Unexpectedly, we found these siblings to be homozygous for a c.813_816del (p.Thr272Serfs∗10) mutation in the progranulin gene (GRN, granulin precursor) in the latter peak. Heterozygous mutations in GRN are a major cause of frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP-43 inclusions (FTLD-TDP), the second most common early-onset dementia. Reexamination of progranulin-deficient mice revealed rectilinear profiles typical of NCL. The age-at-onset and neuropathology of FTLD-TDP and NCL are markedly different. Our findings reveal an unanticipated link between a rare and a common neurological disorder and illustrate pleiotropic effects of a mutation in the heterozygous or homozygous states.

NO-donor thiacarbocyanines as multifunctional agents for Alzheimer's disease.

Some symmetrical and unsymmetrical thiacarbocyanines bearing NO-donor nitrooxy and furoxan moieties were synthesized and studied as candidate anti-Alzheimer's drugs. All products activated soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) in a dose-dependent manner, depending on the presence in their structures of NO-donor groups. None displayed toxicity when tested at concentrations below 10 µM on human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hCMEC/D3). Some products were capable of inhibiting amyloid ß-protein (Aß) aggregation, with a potency in the low µM concentration range, and of inhibiting aggregation of human recombinant tau protein in amyloid fibrils when incubated with the protein at 1 µM concentration. Nitrooxy derivative 21 and furoxan derivative 22 were selected to investigate synaptic plasticity. Both products, tested at 2 µM concentration, counteracted the inhibition of long-term potentiation (LTP) induced by Aß42 in hippocampal brain slices.

Mutations in MAPT give rise to aneuploidy in animal models of tauopathy.

Tau is a major microtubule-associated protein in brain neurons. Its misfolding and accumulation cause neurodegenerative diseases characterized by brain atrophy and dementia, named tauopathies. Genetic forms are caused by mutations of microtubule-associated protein tau gene (MAPT). Tau is expressed also in nonneural tissues such as lymphocytes. Tau has been recently recognized as a multifunctional protein, and in particular, some findings supported a role in genome stability. In fact, peripheral cells of patients affected by frontotemporal dementia carrying different MAPT mutations showed structural and numerical chromosome aberrations. The aim of this study was to assess chromosome stability in peripheral cell from two animal models of genetic tauopathy, JNPL3 and PS19 mouse strains expressing the human tau carrying the P301L and P301S mutations, respectively, to confirm the previous data on humans. After demonstrating the presence of mutated tau in spleen, we performed standard cytogenetic analysis of splenic lymphocytes from homozygous and hemizygous JNPL3, hemizygous PS19, and relevant controls. Losses and gains of chromosomes (aneuploidy) were evaluated. We detected a significantly higher level of aneuploidy in JNPL3 and PS19 than in control mice. Moreover, in JNPL3, the aneuploidy was higher in homozygotes than in hemizygotes, demonstrating a gene dose effect, which appeared also to be age independent. Our results show that mutated tau is associated with chromosome instability. It is conceivable to hypothesize that in genetic tauopathies the aneuploidy may be present also in central nervous system, possibly contributing to neurodegeneration.