ApoE4 markedly exacerbates tau-mediated neurodegeneration in a mouse model of tauopathy.

TitleApoE4 markedly exacerbates tau-mediated neurodegeneration in a mouse model of tauopathy.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2017
AuthorsShi Y, Yamada K, Liddelow SAntony, Smith ST, Zhao L, Luo W, Tsai RM, Spina S, Grinberg LT, Rojas JC, Gallardo G, Wang K, Roh J, Robinson G, Finn MBeth, Jiang H, Sullivan PM, Baufeld C, Wood MW, Sutphen C, McCue L, Xiong C, Del-Aguila JL, Morris JC, Cruchaga C, Fagan AM, Miller BL, Boxer AL, Seeley WW, Butovsky O, Barres BA, Paul SM, Holtzman DM
Corporate AuthorsAlzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
JournalNature
Volume549
Issue7673
Pagination523-527
Date Published2017 09 28
ISSN1476-4687
Abstract

APOE4 is the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer disease. ApoE4 increases brain amyloid-β pathology relative to other ApoE isoforms. However, whether APOE independently influences tau pathology, the other major proteinopathy of Alzheimer disease and other tauopathies, or tau-mediated neurodegeneration, is not clear. By generating P301S tau transgenic mice on either a human ApoE knock-in (KI) or ApoE knockout (KO) background, here we show that P301S/E4 mice have significantly higher tau levels in the brain and a greater extent of somatodendritic tau redistribution by three months of age compared with P301S/E2, P301S/E3, and P301S/EKO mice. By nine months of age, P301S mice with different ApoE genotypes display distinct phosphorylated tau protein (p-tau) staining patterns. P301S/E4 mice develop markedly more brain atrophy and neuroinflammation than P301S/E2 and P301S/E3 mice, whereas P301S/EKO mice are largely protected from these changes. In vitro, E4-expressing microglia exhibit higher innate immune reactivity after lipopolysaccharide treatment. Co-culturing P301S tau-expressing neurons with E4-expressing mixed glia results in a significantly higher level of tumour-necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) secretion and markedly reduced neuronal viability compared with neuron/E2 and neuron/E3 co-cultures. Neurons co-cultured with EKO glia showed the greatest viability with the lowest level of secreted TNF-α. Treatment of P301S neurons with recombinant ApoE (E2, E3, E4) also leads to some neuronal damage and death compared with the absence of ApoE, with ApoE4 exacerbating the effect. In individuals with a sporadic primary tauopathy, the presence of an ε4 allele is associated with more severe regional neurodegeneration. In individuals who are positive for amyloid-β pathology with symptomatic Alzheimer disease who usually have tau pathology, ε4-carriers demonstrate greater rates of disease progression. Our results demonstrate that ApoE affects tau pathogenesis, neuroinflammation, and tau-mediated neurodegeneration independently of amyloid-β pathology. ApoE4 exerts a 'toxic' gain of function whereas the absence of ApoE is protective.

DOI10.1038/nature24016
Alternate JournalNature
PubMed ID28959956
PubMed Central IDPMC5641217
Grant ListP50 AG023501 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
R01 NS090934 / NS / NINDS NIH HHS / United States
R01 NS088137 / NS / NINDS NIH HHS / United States
P01 AG003991 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
P50 AG005681 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
P01 AG026276 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
P01 AG019724 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
K01 NS096719 / NS / NINDS NIH HHS / United States
K08 AG052648 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
R01 AG051812 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
U01 AG024904 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States