Project description:Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an unremitting neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cerebral amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation and gradual decline in cognitive function. Changes in brain energy metabolism arise in the preclinical phase of AD, suggesting an important metabolic component of early AD pathology. Neurons and astrocytes function in close metabolic collaboration, which is essential for the recycling of neurotransmitters in the synapse. However, how this metabolic interplay may be affected during the early stages of AD development has not been sufficiently investigated. Here, we provide an integrative analysis of cellular metabolism during the early stages of Aβ accumulation in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of the 5xFAD mouse model of AD. Our electrophysiological examination revealed an increase in spontaneous excitatory signaling in hippocampal brain slices of 5xFAD mice. This hyperactive neuronal phenotype coincided with decreased hippocampal TCA cycle metabolism mapped by stable 13C isotope tracing. Particularly, reduced astrocyte TCA cycle activity led to decreased glutamine synthesis, in turn hampering neuronal GABA synthesis in the 5xFAD hippocampus. In contrast, cerebral cortical slices of 5xFAD mice displayed an elevated capacity for oxidative glucose metabolism suggesting a metabolic compensation. When we explored the brain proteome and metabolome of the 5xFAD mice, we found limited changes, supporting that the functional metabolic disturbances between neurons and astrocytes are early events in AD pathology. In addition, we show that synaptic mitochondrial and glycolytic function was impaired selectively in the 5xFAD hippocampus, whereas non-synaptic mitochondrial function was maintained. These findings were supported by ultrastructural analyses demonstrating disruptions in mitochondrial morphology, particularly in the 5xFAD hippocampus. Collectively, our study reveals complex region and cell specific metabolic adaptations, in the early stages of amyloid pathology, which may be fundamental for the progressing synaptic dysfunction in AD.

Project description:MAIT cells are multifunctional innate-like effector cells recognizing bacterial-derived vitamin B metabolites presented by the non-polymorphic MHC class I related-1 molecule (MR1). Activated MAIT cells can exert regulatory, pro-inflammatory, or cytotoxic responses that enable the direct killing of infected cells. While tremendous progress regarding the multifaceted roles of MAIT cells has been made in the last decade, our understanding of the MR1-mediated responses of MAIT cells upon their interaction with other immune cells is still incomplete. Here, we performed the first translatome study of primary human MAIT cells interacting with THP-1 monocytes in a bicellular system. We analyzed the interaction between MAIT and THP-1 cells in the presence of the activating 5-OP-RU or the inhibitory Ac-6-FP MR1-ligand. Using bio-orthogonal non-canonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT) we were able to enrich selectively those proteins that were newly translated during MR1-dependent cellular interaction. Subsequently, newly translated proteins were measured cell-type-specifically by ultrasensitive proteomics to decipher the coinciding immune responses in both cell types. This strategy identified over 2,000 MAIT and 3,000 THP-1 active protein translations following MR-1 ligand stimulations. Translation of both cell types was more efficiently induced by 5-OP-RU in comparison to Ac-6-FP, which correlated with higher conjugation frequencies and CD3 polarization at immunological synapses. In addition to known effector responses, protein translations uncovered type I and type II Interferon-driven protein expression profiles in both 5-OP-RU-stimulated MAIT and THP-1 cells. Interestingly, the translatome of THP-1 macrophages suggested that activated MAIT cells can impact M1/M2 polarization in these cells. Indeed, gene and surface expression of CXCL10, IL-1, CD80, and CD206 confirmed an M1-like phenotype of macrophages being induced in the presence of 5-OP-RU-activated MAIT cells. Furthermore, we validated that the Interferon-driven translatome was accompanied by the induction of an antiviral phenotype in THP-1 cells, which were found able to suppress viral replication following conjugation with MR1-activated MAIT cells. In conclusion, BONCAT translatomics extended our knowledge of MAIT cell immune responses at the protein level and discovered that MR1-activated MAIT cells are sufficient to induce M1 polarization and an anti-viral program of macrophages.

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The MR1/MAIT cell axis reduces dystrophic neurite development in Alzheimer’s disease

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