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Cerebrospinal fluid from Alzheimer's disease patients promotes tau aggregation in transgenic mice.

ABSTRACT: Tau is a microtubule stabilizing protein that forms aggregates in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Tau derived from AD patients' brains induces tau aggregation in a prion-like manner when injected into susceptible mouse models.Here we investigated whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collected from patients diagnosed with probable AD or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) likely due to AD harbors a prion-like tau seeding potential. CSF was injected intrahippocampally into young P301S tau transgenic mice. CSF obtained from AD or MCI patients increased hippocampal tau hyperphosphorylation and tau tangle formation in these mice at 4?months post-seeding. Tau pathology was also accentuated in the contralateral hippocampus, and in anterior and posterior directions, indicative of spreading.We provide first evidence for in vivo prion-like properties of AD patients' CSF, accelerating tau pathology in susceptible tau transgenic mice. This demonstrates that biologically active tau seeds reach the CSF compartment in AD. Further studies may help to evaluate strain specific properties of CSF derived tau bioseeds, and to assess their diagnostic potential.

SUBMITTER: Skachokova Z

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6503541 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Cerebrospinal fluid from Alzheimer's disease patients promotes tau aggregation in transgenic mice.

Skachokova Zhiva Z Martinisi Alfonso A Flach Martin M Sprenger Frederik F Naegelin Yvonne Y Steiner-Monard Viviane V Sollberger Marc M Monsch Andreas U AU Goedert Michel M Tolnay Markus M Winkler David T DT

Acta neuropathologica communications 20190507 1

Tau is a microtubule stabilizing protein that forms aggregates in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Tau derived from AD patients' brains induces tau aggregation in a prion-like manner when injected into susceptible mouse models.Here we investigated whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collected from patients diagnosed with probable AD or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) likely due to AD harbors a prion-like tau seeding potential. CSF was injected intrahippocampally into young P301S tau transgenic mice. CSF ...[more]

PMID: 31064413

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Project description:Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a complex and multifactorial disease. While large genome-wide association studies have had some success in identifying novel genetic risk factors for AD, case-control studies are less likely to uncover genetic factors that influence progression of disease. An alternative approach to identifying genetic risk for AD is the use of quantitative traits or endophenotypes. The use of endophenotypes has proven to be an effective strategy, implicating genetic risk factors in several diseases, including anemia, osteoporosis and heart disease. In this study we identify a genetic factor associated with the rate of decline in AD patients and present a methodology for identification of other such factors. We have used an established biomarker for AD, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tau phosphorylated at threonine 181 (ptau(181)) levels as an endophenotype for AD, identifying a SNP, rs1868402, in the gene encoding the regulatory sub-unit of protein phosphatase B, associated with CSF ptau(181) levels in two independent CSF series (P(combined) = 1.17 x 10(-05)). We show no association of rs1868402 with risk for AD or age at onset, but detected a very significant association with rate of progression of disease that is consistent in two independent series (P(combined) = 1.17 x 10(-05)). Our analyses suggest that genetic variants associated with CSF ptau(181) levels may have a greater impact on rate of progression, while genetic variants such as APOE4, that are associated with CSF A?(42) levels influence risk and onset but not the rate of progression. Our results also suggest that drugs that inhibit or decrease tau phosphorylation may slow cognitive decline in individuals with very mild dementia or delay the appearance of memory problems in elderly individuals with low CSF A?(42) levels. Finally, we believe genome-wide association studies of CSF tau/ptau(181) levels should identify novel genetic variants which will likely influence rate of progression of AD.

Dataset Information

Cerebrospinal fluid from Alzheimer's disease patients promotes tau aggregation in transgenic mice.

Publications

Cerebrospinal fluid from Alzheimer's disease patients promotes tau aggregation in transgenic mice.

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