Project description:Several studies have indicated that the cannabinoid receptor 2(CB2) plays an important role in neuroinflammation associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progression. The present study examined the role of CB2 in microglia activation in vitro as well as characterizing the neuroinflammatory process in a transgenic mouse model ofAD (APP/PS1mice). We demonstrate that microglia harvested from CB2-/- mice were less responsive to pro-inflammatory stimuli than CB2+/+ microglia based on the cell surface expression of ICAM and CD40 and the release of chemokines and cytokines CCL2, IL-6, and TNFα. Transgenic APP/PS1 mice lacking CB2showed reduced percentages of microglia and infiltrating macrophages. Furthermore, they showed lowered expression levels of pro-inflammatory chemokines and cytokine in the brain, as well as diminished concentrations of soluble Aβ 40/42.The reduction in neuroinflammation did not affect spatial learning and memory in APP/PS1*CB2-/- mice. These data suggest a role for the CB2 in Alzheimer’s disease-associated neuroinflammation independent of influencing Aβ mediated pathology and cognitive impairment.
Project description:Neuroinflammation is a recognized complication of immunotherapeutic approaches such as immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment, chimeric antigen receptor therapy, and graft versus host disease (GVHD) occurring after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. While T cells and inflammatory cytokines play a role in this process, the precise interplay between the adaptive and innate arms of the immune system that propagates inflammation in the central nervous system remains incompletely understood. Using a murine model of GVHD, we demonstrate that type 2 cannabinoid receptor (CB2R) signaling plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of neuroinflammation. In these studies, we identify that CB2R expression on microglial cells induces an activated inflammatory phenotype which potentiates the accumulation of donor-derived proinflammatory T cells, regulates chemokine gene regulatory networks, and promotes neuronal cell death. Pharmacological targeting of this receptor with a brain penetrant CB2R inverse agonist/antagonist selectively reduced neuroinflammation without deleteriously affecting systemic GVHD severity. Thus, these findings delineate a therapeutically targetable neuroinflammatory pathway and has implications for the attenuation of neurotoxicity after GVHD and potentially other T cell-based immunotherapeutic approaches.
Project description:Neuroinflammation contributes to impaired cognitive function in brain aging and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, which is characterized by the aggregation of pathological tau. One major driver of both age- and tau-associated neuroinflammation is the NF-κB and NLRP3 signaling axis. However, current treatments targeting NF-κB or NLRP3 may have adverse/systemic effects, and most have not been clinically translatable. Here, we tested the efficacy of a novel, nucleic acid therapeutic (Nanoligomer) cocktail specifically targeting both NF-κB and NLRP3 in the brain for reducing neuroinflammation and improving cognitive function in old wildtype mice, and in a mouse model of tauopathy. We found that 4 weeks of NF-κB/NLRP3-targeting Nanoligomer treatment strongly reduced neuro-inflammatory cytokine profiles in the brain and improved cognitive-behavioral function in both old and tauopathy mice. These effects of NF-κB/NLRP3-targeting Nanoligomer treatment were associated with reduced glial cell activation in old wildtype mice, less pathology in tauopathy mice, favorable changes in transcriptome signatures of inflammation (reduced) and neuronal health (increased) in both mouse models, and no adverse systemic effects. Collectively, our results provide a basis for future translational studies targeting NF-κB/NLRP3 in the brain, perhaps using Nanoligomers, to inhibit neuroinflammation and improve cognitive function with aging and neurodegenerative disease.
Project description:Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in addition to neuroinflammation and changes in brain lipid metabolism. Recent findings have demonstrated that microglia are key drivers of neurodegeneration in tauopathy mouse models. A subset of microglia referred to as disease-associated microglia (DAM) display gene signatures signifying changes in proinflammatory signaling and lipid metabolism in mouse models of amyloid and tau pathology. Ch25h is a DAM gene encoding cholesterol 25- hydroxylase that produces 25-hydroxycholesterol (25HC), a known modulator of inflammation as well as lipid metabolism. However, whether Ch25h influences tau-mediated neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration is unknown. Here, we show that in the absence of Ch25h and the resultant reduction in 25HC there is strikingly reduced age-dependent neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation in the hippocampus and entorhinal/piriform cortex of PS19 mice, which express the P301S mutant human tau transgene. Transcriptomic analyses of bulk hippocampal tissue and single nuclei revealed that Ch25h deficiency in PS19 mice strongly suppressed proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine signaling in microglia and restored sterol synthesis. Our results suggest a key role for Ch25h/25HC in potentiating proinflammatory signaling to promote tau-mediated neurodegeneration. Ch25h may represent a novel therapeutic target for primary tauopathies, AD, and other neuroinflammatory diseases.
Project description:Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in addition to neuroinflammation and changes in brain lipid metabolism. Recent findings have demonstrated that microglia are key drivers of neurodegeneration in tauopathy mouse models. A subset of microglia referred to as disease-associated microglia (DAM) display gene signatures signifying changes in proinflammatory signaling and lipid metabolism in mouse models of amyloid and tau pathology. Ch25h is a DAM gene encoding cholesterol 25-hydroxylase that produces 25-hydroxycholesterol (25HC), a known modulator of inflammation as well as lipid metabolism. However, whether Ch25h influences tau-mediated neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration is unknown. Here, we show that in the absence of Ch25h and 25HC there is strikingly reduced age-dependent neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation in the hippocampus and entorhinal/piriform cortex of PS19 mice which express the P301S mutant human tau transgene. Transcriptomic analyses of bulk hippocampal tissue and single nuclei revealed that Ch25h deficiency in PS19 mice strongly suppressed proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine signaling in microglia and restored sterol synthesis. Our results suggest a key role for Ch25h/25HC in potentiating proinflammatory signaling to promote tau-mediated neurodegeneration. Ch25h may represent a novel therapeutic target for primary tauopathies, AD, and other neuroinflammatory diseases.
Project description:Cellular senescence has been associated with neurodegenerative disease and clearance of senescent cells using genetic or pharmaceutical strategies (senolytics) has demonstrated beneficial effects in mouse models investigating individual disease etiologies of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, it has remained unclear if senescent cell clearance in a mouse model exhibiting both plaque and tau pathologies modifies the disease state (3xTg). Here, we show that treatment with senolytics (ABT263 (navitoclax) or a combination of dasatinib and quercetin (D+Q)) or transgenic removal of p16-expressing cells (via INK-ATTAC) reduced microgliosis and ameliorated both amyloid and tau pathology in 3xTg mice. Using RNA sequencing, we found evidence that synaptic dysfunction and neuroinflammation was attenuated with senescent cell removal. Unfortunately, these beneficial effects were not seen with short-term senolytic treatment in mice with more advanced disease. Overall, our results further corroborate the beneficial effects senescent cell clearance could have on AD and highlight the importance of early intervention for treatment of this debilitating disease.
Project description:We evaluated cutaneous contact hypersensitivity (CHS) in Cnr1-/-/Cnr2-/- animals using the obligate contact allergen 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB), which generates a specific cutaneous T-cell mediated allergic response upon repeated allergen contact. Allergic contact dermatitis affects about 5% of men and 11% of women in industrialized countries and is one of the leading causes for occupational diseases. In an animal model for cutaneous contact hypersensitivity we show that mice lacking both known cannabinoid receptors display exacerbated allergic inflammation. In contrast, fatty acid amide hydrolase deficient mice, which have increased levels of the endocannabinoid anandamide, displayed reduced allergic responses in the skin. Cannabinoid receptor antagonists exacerbated whereas receptor agonists attenuated allergic inflammation. These results demonstrate a protective role of the endocannabinoid system in contact allergy in the skin, and suggest a novel target for therapeutic intervention. Keywords: Strain (Wt versus Ko) and disease state (DNFB treated versus control).
Project description:Late-onset Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. A rare hemizygous variant in a microglial-expressed gene, Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells 2 (TREM2), significantly increases risk for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. This variant is thought to cause loss of function, inducing TREM2 haploinsufficiency. The ramifications of TREM2 haploinsufficiency on microglial function and tau pathology are major gaps in the field. We find that in contrast to the protective effects of complete TREM2 deficiency, TREM2 haploinsufficiency exacerbates tau pathology, inflammation, and atrophy at a late stage of disease in a mouse model of tauopathy. The differential effects of partial and complete loss of TREM2 are important considerations for TREM2-targeted therapeutic strategies.