Loss of neprilysin alters protein expression in the brain of Alzheimer's disease model mice.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease displaying extracellular plaques formed by the neurotoxic amyloid ß-peptide (Aß), and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles consisting of protein tau. However, how these pathologies relate to the massive neuronal death that occurs in AD brains remain elusive. Neprilysin is the major Aß-degrading enzyme and a lack thereof increases Aß levels in the brain twofold. To identify altered protein expression levels induced by increased Aß levels, we performed a proteomic analysis of the brain of the AD mouse model APPsw and compared it to that of APPsw mice lacking neprilysin. To this end we established an LC-MS/MS method to analyze brain homogenate, using an (18) O-labeled internal standard to accurately quantify the protein levels. To distinguish between alterations in protein levels caused by increased Aß levels and those induced by neprilysin deficiency independently of Aß, the brain proteome of neprilysin deficient APPsw mice was also compared to that of neprilysin deficient mice. By this approach we identified approximately 600 proteins and the levels of 300 of these were quantified. Pathway analysis showed that many of the proteins with altered expression were involved in neurological disorders, and that tau, presenilin and APP were key regulators in the identified networks. The data have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange Consortium with identifiers PXD000968 and PXD001786 (http://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org/dataset/PXD000968 and (http://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org/dataset/PXD001786). Interestingly, the levels of several proteins, including some not previously reported to be linked to AD, were associated with increased Aß levels.

Angiopoietin-1 deficiency increases renal capillary rarefaction and tubulointerstitial fibrosis in mice.

Presence of tubulointerstitial fibrosis is predictive of progressive decline in kidney function, independent of its underlying cause. Injury to the renal microvasculature is a major factor in the progression of fibrosis and identification of factors that regulate endothelium in fibrosis is desirable as they might be candidate targets for treatment of kidney diseases. The current study investigates how loss of Angipoietin-1 (Angpt1), a ligand for endothelial tyrosine-kinase receptor Tek (also called Tie2), affects tubulointerstitial fibrosis and renal microvasculature. Inducible Angpt1 knockout mice were subjected to unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) to induce fibrosis, and kidneys were collected at different time points up to 10 days after obstruction. Staining for aSMA showed that Angpt1 deficient kidneys had significantly more fibrosis compared to wildtype mice 3, 6, and 10 days after UUO. Further investigation 3 days after UUO showed a significant increase of Col1a1 and vimentin in Angpt1 deficient mice, as well as increased gene expression of Tgfb1, Col1a1, Fn1, and CD44. Kidney injury molecule 1 (Kim1/Havcr1) was significantly more increased in Angpt1 deficient mice 1 and 3 days after UUO, suggesting a more severe injury early in the fibrotic process in Angpt1 deficient mice. Staining for endomucin showed that capillary rarefaction was evident 3 days after UUO and Angpt1 deficient mice had significantly less capillaries 6 and 10 days after UUO compared to UUO kidneys in wildtype mice. RNA sequencing revealed downregulation of several markers for endothelial cells 3 days after UUO, and that Angpt1 deficient mice had a further downregulation of Emcn, Plvap, Pecam1, Erg, and Tek. Our results suggest that loss of Angpt1 is central in capillary rarefaction and fibrogenesis and propose that manipulations to maintain Angpt1 levels may slow down fibrosis progression.

Aß secretion and plaque formation depend on autophagy.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease biochemically characterized by aberrant protein aggregation, including amyloid beta (Aß) peptide accumulation. Protein aggregates in the cell are cleared by autophagy, a mechanism impaired in AD. To investigate the role of autophagy in Aß pathology in vivo, we crossed amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgenic mice with mice lacking autophagy in excitatory forebrain neurons obtained by conditional knockout of autophagy-related protein 7. Remarkably, autophagy deficiency drastically reduced extracellular Aß plaque burden. This reduction of Aß plaque load was due to inhibition of Aß secretion, which led to aberrant intraneuronal Aß accumulation in the perinuclear region. Moreover, autophagy-deficiency-induced neurodegeneration was exacerbated by amyloidosis, which together severely impaired memory. Our results establish a function for autophagy in Aß metabolism: autophagy influences secretion of Aß to the extracellular space and thereby directly affects Aß plaque formation, a pathological hallmark of AD.