Inflamation and oxidative stress : The molecular connectivity between insulin resistance, obesity and Alzheimer\u27s disease

Type 2 diabetes (T 2 DM), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and insulin resistance are age-related conditions and increased prevalence is of public concern. Recent research has provided evidence that insulin resistance and impaired insulin signalling may be a contributory factor to the progression of diabetes, dementia, and other neurological disorders. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common subtype of dementia. Reduced release (for T 2 DM) and decreased action of insulin are central to the development and progression of both T 2 DM and AD. A literature search was conducted to identify molecular commonalities between obesity, diabetes, and AD. Insulin resistance affects many tissues and organs, either through impaired insulin signalling or through aberrant changes in both glucose and lipid (cholesterol and triacylglycerol) metabolism and concentrations in the blood. Although epidemiological and biological evidence has highlighted an increased incidence of cognitive decline and AD in patients with T 2 DM, the common molecular basis of cell and tissue dysfunction is rapidly gaining recognition. As a cause or consequence, the chronic in flammatory response and oxidative stress associated with T 2 DM, amyloid- ! (A ! ) protein accumulation, and mitochondrial dysfunction link T 2 DM and AD

Efficient production of a mature and functional gamma secretase protease

Baculoviral protein expression in insect cells has been previously used to generate large quantities of a protein of interest for subsequent use in biochemical and structural analyses. The MultiBac baculovirus protein expression system has enabled, the use of a single baculovirus to reconstitute a protein complex of interest, resulting in a larger protein yield. Using this system, we aimed to reconstruct the gamma (γ)-secretase complex, a multiprotein enzyme complex essential for the production of amyloid-β (Aβ) protein. A MultiBac vector containing all components of the γ-secretase complex was generated and expression was observed for all components. The complex was active in processing APP and Notch derived γ-secretase substrates and proteolysis could be inhibited with γ-secretase inhibitors, confirming specificity of the recombinant γ-secretase enzyme. Finally, affinity purification was used to purify an active recombinant γ-secretase complex. In this study we demonstrated that the MultiBac protein expression system can be used to generate an active γ-secretase complex and provides a new tool to study γ-secretase enzyme and its variants

Efficient production of a mature and functional gamma secretase protease

Baculoviral protein expression in insect cells has been previously used to generate large quantities of a protein of interest for subsequent use in biochemical and structural analyses. The MultiBac baculovirus protein expression system has enabled, the use of a single baculovirus to reconstitute a protein complex of interest, resulting in a larger protein yield. Using this system, we aimed to reconstruct the gamma (γ)-secretase complex, a multiprotein enzyme complex essential for the production of amyloid-β (Aβ) protein. A MultiBac vector containing all components of the γ-secretase complex was generated and expression was observed for all components. The complex was active in processing APP and Notch derived γ-secretase substrates and proteolysis could be inhibited with γ-secretase inhibitors, confirming specificity of the recombinant γ-secretase enzyme. Finally, affinity purification was used to purify an active recombinant γ-secretase complex. In this study we demonstrated that the MultiBac protein expression system can be used to generate an active γ-secretase complex and provides a new tool to study γ-secretase enzyme and its variants

Relevance of a truncated PRESENILIN 2 transcript to Alzheimer\u27s disease and neurodegeneration

Background: The PRESENILIN genes (PSEN1, PSEN2) encoding for their respective proteins have critical roles in many aspects of Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) pathogenesis. The PS2V transcript of PSEN2 encodes a truncated protein and is upregulated in AD brains; however, its relevance to AD and disease progression remains to be determined. Objective: Assess transcript levels in postmortem AD and non-AD brain tissue and in lymphocytes collected under the Australian Imaging Biomarker and Lifestyle (AIBL) study. Methods: Full length PSEN2 and PS2V transcript levels were assessed by quantitative digital PCR in postmortem brain tissue (frontal cortex and hippocampus) from control, AD, frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and Lewy body dementia (LBD). Transcript levels were also assessed in lymphocytes obtained from the Perth subset of the AIBL study (n=160). Linear regression analysis was used to assess correlations between transcript copy number and brain volume and neocortical amyloid load. Results: PS2V levels increased in AD postmortem brain but PS2V was also present at significant levels in FTD and LBD brains. PS2V transcript was detected in lymphocytes and PS2V/PSEN2 ratios were increased in mild cognitive impairment (p=0.024) and AD (p=0.019) groups compared to control group. Increased ratios were significantly correlated with hippocampal volumes only (n=62, β=-0.269, p=0.03). Conclusion: Taken together, these results suggest that PS2V may be a marker of overall neurodegeneration

Onset of hippocampal network aberration and memory deficits in P301S tau mice are associated with an early gene signature

© The Author(s) (2020). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: [email protected]. Hyperphosphorylation and deposition of tau in the brain characterizes frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer\u27s disease. Disease-associated mutations in the tau-encoding MAPT gene have enabled the generation of transgenic mouse models that recapitulate aspects of human neurodegenerative diseases, including tau hyperphosphorylation and neurofibrillary tangle formation. Here, we characterized the effects of transgenic P301S mutant human tau expression on neuronal network function in the murine hippocampus. Onset of progressive spatial learning deficits in P301S tau transgenic TAU58/2 mice were paralleled by long-term potentiation deficits and neuronal network aberrations during electrophysiological and EEG recordings. Gene-expression profiling just prior to onset of apparent deficits in TAU58/2 mice revealed a signature of immediate early genes that is consistent with neuronal network hypersynchronicity. We found that the increased immediate early gene activity was confined to neurons harbouring tau pathology, providing a cellular link between aberrant tau and network dysfunction. Taken together, our data suggest that tau pathology drives neuronal network dysfunction through hyperexcitation of individual, pathology-harbouring neurons, thereby contributing to memory deficits

Onset of hippocampal network aberration and memory deficits in P301S tau mice are associated with an early gene signature

Hyperphosphorylation and deposition of tau in the brain characterizes frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Disease-associated mutations in the tau-encoding MAPT gene have enabled the generation of transgenic mouse models that recapitulate aspects of human neurodegenerative diseases, including tau hyperphosphorylation and neurofibrillary tangle formation. Here, we characterized the effects of transgenic P301S mutant human tau expression on neuronal network function in the murine hippocampus. Onset of progressive spatial learning deficits in P301S tau transgenic TAU58/2 mice were paralleled by long-term potentiation deficits and neuronal network aberrations during electrophysiological and EEG recordings. Gene-expression profiling just prior to onset of apparent deficits in TAU58/2 mice revealed a signature of immediate early genes that is consistent with neuronal network hypersynchronicity. We found that the increased immediate early gene activity was confined to neurons harbouring tau pathology, providing a cellular link between aberrant tau and network dysfunction. Taken together, our data suggest that tau pathology drives neuronal network dysfunction through hyperexcitation of individual, pathology-harbouring neurons, thereby contributing to memory deficits