Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other age-related disorders associated with demyelination exhibit sex differences. In this work, we used single-nuclei transcriptomics to dissect the contributions of sex chromosomes and gonads in demyelination and AD. In a mouse model of demyelination, we identified the roles of sex chromosomes and gonads in modifying microglia and oligodendrocyte responses before and after myelin loss.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Christchurch mutation (R136S) on the () gene is associated with low tau pathology and slowdown of cognitive decline despite the causal mutation and high levels of amyloid beta pathology in the carrier. However, the molecular effects enabling mutation to confer protection remain unclear. Here, we replaced mouse Apoe with wild-type human or on a tauopathy background.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTauopathies are age-associated neurodegenerative diseases whose mechanistic underpinnings remain elusive, partially due to a lack of appropriate human models. Here, we engineered human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived neuronal lines to express 4R Tau and 4R Tau carrying the P301S MAPT mutation when differentiated into neurons. 4R-P301S neurons display progressive Tau inclusions upon seeding with Tau fibrils and recapitulate features of tauopathy phenotypes including shared transcriptomic signatures, autophagic body accumulation, and reduced neuronal activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe strongest risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD) include the χ4 allele of apolipoprotein E (APOE), the variant of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2), and female sex. Here, we combine and ( ) in female tauopathy mice to identify the pathways activated when AD risk is the strongest, thereby highlighting disease-causing mechanisms. We find that the variant induces neurodegeneration in female mice without impacting hippocampal tau load.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPathogenic tau accumulation fuels neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Enhancing aging brain's resilience to tau pathology would lead to novel therapeutic strategies. DAP12 (DNAX-activation protein 12) is critically involved in microglial immune responses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPathogenic tau accumulation fuels neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Enhancing aging brain's resilience to tau pathology would lead to novel therapeutic strategies. DAP12 (DNAX-activation protein 12) is critically involved in microglial immune responses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDemyelination occurs in aging and associated diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. Several of these diseases exhibit sex differences in prevalence and severity. Biological sex primarily stems from sex chromosomes and gonads releasing sex hormones.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTauopathies are age-associated neurodegenerative diseases whose mechanistic underpinnings remain elusive, partially due to lack of appropriate human models. Current human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived neurons express very low levels of 4-repeat (4R)-tau isoforms that are normally expressed in adult brain. Here, we engineered new iPSC lines to express 4R-tau and 4R-tau carrying the P301S mutation when differentiated into neurons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCandidate cis-regulatory elements (cCREs) in microglia demonstrate the most substantial enrichment for Alzheimer's disease (AD) heritability compared to other brain cell types. However, whether and how these genome-wide association studies (GWAS) variants contribute to AD remain elusive. Here we prioritize 308 previously unreported AD risk variants at 181 cCREs by integrating genetic information with microglia-specific 3D epigenome annotation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) precede clinical symptoms by years, indicating a period of cognitive resilience before the onset of dementia. Here, we report that activation of cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) diminishes cognitive resilience by decreasing the neuronal transcriptional network of myocyte enhancer factor 2c (MEF2C) through type I interferon (IFN-I) signaling. Pathogenic tau activates cGAS and IFN-I responses in microglia, in part mediated by cytosolic leakage of mitochondrial DNA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTau (MAPT) drives neuronal dysfunction in Alzheimer disease (AD) and other tauopathies. To dissect the underlying mechanisms, we combined an engineered ascorbic acid peroxidase (APEX) approach with quantitative affinity purification mass spectrometry (AP-MS) followed by proximity ligation assay (PLA) to characterize Tau interactomes modified by neuronal activity and mutations that cause frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons. We established interactions of Tau with presynaptic vesicle proteins during activity-dependent Tau secretion and mapped the Tau-binding sites to the cytosolic domains of integral synaptic vesicle proteins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe hemizygous R47H variant of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (), a microglia-specific gene in the brain, increases risk for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Using transcriptomic analysis of single nuclei from brain tissues of patients with AD carrying the R47H mutation or the common variant (CV)–, we found that R47H-associated microglial subpopulations had enhanced inflammatory signatures reminiscent of previously identified disease-associated microglia (DAM) and hyperactivation of AKT, one of the signaling pathways downstream of TREM2. We established a tauopathy mouse model with heterozygous knock-in of the human with the R47H mutation or CV and found that R47H induced and exacerbated TAU-mediated spatial memory deficits in female mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHaploinsufficiency of progranulin (PGRN) is a leading cause of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). PGRN polymorphisms are associated with Alzheimer's disease. PGRN is highly expressed in the microglia near Aβ plaques and influences plaque dynamics and microglial activation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroglia are the resident myeloid cells in the central nervous system (CNS). The majority of microglia rely on CSF1R signaling for survival. However, a small subset of microglia in mouse brains can survive without CSF1R signaling and reestablish the microglial homeostatic population after CSF1R signaling returns.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Genome-wide association studies of Alzheimer's disease (AD) have implicated pathways related to lipid homeostasis and innate immunity in AD pathophysiology. However, the exact cellular and chemical mediators of neuroinflammation in AD remain poorly understood. The oxysterol 25-hydroxycholesterol (25-HC) is an important immunomodulator produced by peripheral macrophages with wide-ranging effects on cell signaling and innate immunity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Periodontics Restorative Dent
May 2018
Early orthodontic tooth movement following regenerative surgery is controversial. In this case, during protraction of the maxillary right first premolar to substitute for the long-term missing maxillary right canine, Bio-Oss and Bio-Gide were used for lateral ridge augmentation at the area of the maxillary right lateral incisor and to cover the denuded surface at the buccal side of the first premolar. Orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) commenced 2 weeks after regenerative surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Passive immunization with anti-tau monoclonal antibodies has been shown by several laboratories to reduce age-dependent tau pathology and neurodegeneration in mutant tau transgenic mice. These studies have used repeated high weekly doses of various tau antibodies administered systemically for several months and have reported reduced tau pathology of ∼40-50% in various brain regions. Here we show that direct intrahippocampal administration of the adeno-associated virus (AAV)-vectored anti-phospho-tau antibody PHF1 to P301S tau transgenic mice results in high and durable antibody expression, primarily in neurons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2), associated with multiple human fibrotic diseases, is overexpressed in the tissue of gingival overgrowth. Although surgical excision is the current treatment modality for gingival overgrowth, the recurrent rate is high despite proper recall programs. Thrombin plays a key role in wound repair, remodeling, and fibrosis after injury and exerts profibrotic effects by activating protease-activated receptors (PARs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Periodontics Restorative Dent
June 2006
The use of autogenous gingival grafts has proved to be an effective and predictable way to increase the amount of keratinized gingiva. However, discomfort and pain at the donor site are unavoidable. Acellular dermal matrix (ADM) allograft can be used as a donor tissue to eliminate the need for another surgical site and alleviate pain and trauma.
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