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Sex-based differences in effector cells of the adaptive immune system during Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

ABSTRACT: Neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD) present with many challenges due to the heterogeneity of the related disease(s), making it difficult to develop effective treatments. Additionally, the progression of ADRD-related pathologies presents differently between men and women. With two-thirds of the population affected with ADRD being women, ADRD has presented itself with a bias toward the female population. However, studies of ADRD generally do not incorporate sex-based differences in investigating the development and progression of the disease, which is detrimental to understanding and treating dementia. Additionally, recent implications for the adaptive immune system in the development of ADRD bring in new factors to be considered as part of the disease, including sex-based differences in immune response(s) during ADRD development. Here, we review the sex-based differences of pathological hallmarks of ADRD presentation and progression, sex-based differences in the adaptive immune system and how it changes with ADRD, and the importance of precision medicine in the development of a more targeted and personalized treatment for this devastating and prevalent neurodegenerative condition.

SUBMITTER: Lutshumba J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10481581 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Sex-based differences in effector cells of the adaptive immune system during Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Lutshumba Jenny J Wilcock Donna M DM Monson Nancy L NL Stowe Ann M AM

Neurobiology of disease 20230615

Neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD) present with many challenges due to the heterogeneity of the related disease(s), making it difficult to develop effective treatments. Additionally, the progression of ADRD-related pathologies presents differently between men and women. With two-thirds of the population affected with ADRD being women, ADRD has presented itself with a bias toward the female population. However, studies of ADRD generally do not in ...[more]

PMID: 37330146

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Project description:BackgroundImmune responses to pediatric vaccinations have been reported to differ according to sex. Such sex-differential responses may become more pronounced during adolescence due to hormonal differences. We investigated whether the vaccine response following primary vaccination against meningococcal serogroup A (MenA), MenW and MenY and booster vaccination against MenC differed between girls and boys using data from two clinical studies.MethodsChildren aged 10, 12, and 15 years, who had been primed with MenC vaccination between 14 months and 6 years of age, received a booster MenC vaccination or MenACWY vaccination. Polysaccharide-specific IgG concentrations and functional antibody titers [determined with the serum bactericidal antibody (SBA) assay] were measured at baseline, 1 month, 1 year, and 3 years (only MenC group) after vaccination. We calculated geometric mean concentrations and titers (GMC and GMT) ratios for girls vs. boys adjusted for age group. Additionally, we compared the proportion protected individuals between girls and boys at all timepoints.ResultsThis study included 342 girls and 327 boys from two clinical trials. While MenAWY antibody levels did not differ consistently 1 month after vaccination, all GMC- and GMT-ratios were in favor of girls 1 year after vaccination [range: 1.31 (1.02-1.70) for MenA IgG to 1.54 (1.10-2.16) for MenW IgG]. Overall, MenC antibody levels were slightly higher in girls at all postvaccination timepoints (GMC- and GMT-ratios: 1.16/1.17 at 1 month, 1.16/1.22 at 1 year and 1.12/1.15 3 years postvaccination). Higher MenC antibody levels were observed in 12- and 15-year-old girls compared to boys of the same age, whereas 10-year-old boys and girls had similar antibody levels. The percentage of participants protected (SBA titer ≥ 8) was very high (95-100%) at all timepoints, and did not differ significantly between boys and girls.ConclusionAntibody responses were higher in girls than in boys for all serogroups at most timepoints after primary MenAWY vaccination and booster MenC vaccination. The differences in average titers were however small and the percentage participants with protective titers was very high for both sexes.

Project description:Currently, more than 55 million people around the world suffer from dementia, and Alzheimer's disease-related dementia (ADRD) accounts for nearly 60-70% of all those cases. The spread of AD pathology and progressive neurodegeneration in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex is strongly correlated with cognitive decline in AD patients; however, the molecular underpinning of the ADRD causality is still unclear. Studies of postmortem AD brains and animal models of AD suggest that elevated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress may have a role in ADRD pathology through altered neurocellular homeostasis in brain regions associated with learning and memory. To study the ER stress-associated neurocellular response and its effects on neurocellular homeostasis and neurogenesis, we modeled an ER stress challenge using Thapsigargin (TG), a specific inhibitor of sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA), in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neural stem cells (NSCs) of two individuals from our Mexican American Family Study (MAFS). High-content screening and transcriptomic analysis of the control and ER stress-challenged NSCs showed that NSC’s ER stress response resulted in a significant decline in NSC self-renewal and an increase in apoptosis and cellular oxidative stress. A total of 2300 genes were significantly (moderated t statistics FDR corrected p-value ≤ 0.05 and Fold Change absolute ≥ 2.0) differentially expressed (DE). Pathway enrichment and gene network analysis of DE genes suggests that all three unfolded protein response (UPR) pathways (PERK, IRE1, and ATF6) were significantly activated and cooperatively regulated the NSC’s transcriptional response to ER stress. Our results show that IRE1/XBP1 mediated transcriptional regulation of E2F1 and its downstream targets have a dominant role in inducing G1/S-phase cell cycle arrest in the ER stress-challenged NSCs. The ER stress-challenged NSCs also showed activation of CHOP-mediated apoptosis and dysregulation of synaptic plasticity and neurotransmitter homeostasis-associated genes. Overall, our results suggest that ER stress-associated attenuation of NSC self-renewal, increased apoptosis, and dysregulated synaptic plasticity and neurotransmitter homeostasis plausibly play a role in the causation of ADRD.

Project description:On March 12-14, 2024, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) together with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) led a workshop exploring clinically meaningful changes in the context of Alzheimer's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) clinical trials (https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/dbsr/workshops/clinically-meaningful-outcomes-ad-adrd-trials). The goals were to identify research gaps, opportunities, and tools to advance patient-centered, equitable assessment of clinically meaningful change focused on biomarker status, cognition, and everyday function. The workshop fostered robust, multidisciplinary discussion between lived experience experts, advocates, researchers, clinicians, funders, payers, and regulators. The workshop addressed the criteria used to assess whether an intervention has had a clinically meaningful impact, including consideration of both benefit and harm. Here, we report on (1) criteria to consider for development, testing, and selection of clinically meaningful outcomes in AD/ADRD clinical trials; (2) methods to validate and customize clinically meaningful outcomes that are fit-for-purpose; and (3) practices that will ensure that clinically meaningful outcomes are applicable to diverse populations.HighlightsPatient-Centered Outcomes: Inclusive AD/ADRD clinical trials incorporate assessments that reflect what matters most to those impacted by these diseases, including patient- and caregiver-reported outcome measures. Culturally Relevant Assessments: There is a need for culturally sensitive and equitable assessments to better serve diverse populations in AD/ADRD research. Framework for Clinically Meaningful Change: We present a framework for defining and evaluating clinically meaningful outcomes in AD/ADRD trials, tailored to diverse stages of disease progression. Interdisciplinary Approach: We draw on insights from a multidisciplinary workshop, fostering collaboration among researchers, clinicians, and lived experience experts to advance the field.

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Sex-based differences in effector cells of the adaptive immune system during Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Publications

Sex-based differences in effector cells of the adaptive immune system during Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

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