scholarly journals Matrix Metalloproteinases and Their Multiple Roles in Alzheimer’s Disease

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang-Xiang Wang ◽  
Meng-Shan Tan ◽  
Jin-Tai Yu ◽  
Lan Tan

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent type of dementia. Pathological changes in the AD brain include amyloid-β(Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), as well as neuronal death and synaptic loss. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an important role as inflammatory components in the pathogenesis of AD. MMP-2 might be assumed to have a protective role in AD and is the major MMP which is directly linked to Aβin the brain. Synthesis of MMP-9 can be induced by Aβ, and the enzymes appear to exert multiple effects in AD in senile plaque homoeostasis. The proaggregatory influence on tau oligomer formation in strategic brain regions may be a potential neurotoxic side effect of MMP-9. MMP-3 levels are correlated to the duration of AD and correlate with the CSF T-tau and P-tau levels in the elderly controls. Elevated brain levels of MMP-3 might result in increased MMP-9 activity and indirectly facilitate tau aggregation. At present, the clinical utility of these proteins, particularly in plasma or serum, as potential early diagnostic biomarkers for AD remains to be established. More research is needed to understand the diverse roles of these proteases to design specific drugs and devise therapeutic strategies for AD.

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (16) ◽  
pp. eaaz2387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niklas Mattsson-Carlgren ◽  
Emelie Andersson ◽  
Shorena Janelidze ◽  
Rik Ossenkoppele ◽  
Philip Insel ◽  
...  

The links between β-amyloid (Aβ) and tau in Alzheimer’s disease are unclear. Cognitively unimpaired persons with signs of Aβ pathology had increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) phosphorylated tau (P-tau181 and P-tau217) and total-tau (T-tau), which increased over time, despite no detection of insoluble tau aggregates [normal Tau positron emission tomography (PET)]. CSF P-tau and T-tau started to increase before the threshold for Amyloid PET positivity, while Tau PET started to increase after Amyloid PET positivity. Effects of Amyloid PET on Tau PET were mediated by CSF P-tau, and high CSF P-tau predicted increased Tau PET rates. Individuals with MAPT mutations and signs of tau deposition (but without Aβ pathology) had normal CSF P-tau levels. In 5xFAD mice, CSF tau increased when Aβ aggregation started. These results show that Aβ pathology may induce changes in soluble tau release and phosphorylation, which is followed by tau aggregation several years later in humans.


2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (6) ◽  
pp. E1289-E1298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel E. Bennett ◽  
Ashley B. Robbins ◽  
Miwei Hu ◽  
Xinrui Cao ◽  
Rebecca A. Betensky ◽  
...  

Mixed pathology, with both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular abnormalities, is the most common cause of clinical dementia in the elderly. While usually thought to be concurrent diseases, the fact that changes in cerebral blood flow are a prominent early and persistent alteration in Alzheimer’s disease raises the possibility that vascular alterations and Alzheimer pathology are more directly linked. Here, we report that aged tau-overexpressing mice develop changes to blood vessels including abnormal, spiraling morphologies; reduced blood vessel diameters; and increased overall blood vessel density in cortex. Blood flow in these vessels was altered, with periods of obstructed flow rarely observed in normal capillaries. These changes were accompanied by cortical atrophy as well as increased expression of angiogenesis-related genes such as Vegfa, Serpine1, and Plau in CD31-positive endothelial cells. Interestingly, mice overexpressing nonmutant forms of tau in the absence of frank neurodegeneration also demonstrated similar changes. Furthermore, many of the genes we observe in mice are also altered in human RNA datasets from Alzheimer patients, particularly in brain regions classically associated with tau pathology such as the temporal lobe and limbic system regions. Together these data indicate that tau pathological changes in neurons can impact brain endothelial cell biology, altering the integrity of the brain’s microvasculature.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qi Wang ◽  
Siwei Chen ◽  
He Wang ◽  
Luzeng Chen ◽  
Yongan Sun ◽  
...  

AbstractAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease in the elderly, early diagnosis and timely treatment are very important to delay the course of the disease. In the past, most of the brain regions related to AD were identified based on the imaging method, which can only identify some atrophic brain regions. In this work, we used mathematical models to find out the potential brain regions related to AD. First, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to construct the brain structural network. Next, we set a new local feature index 2hop-connectivity to measure the correlation among different areas. And for this, we proposed a novel algorithm named 2hopRWR to measure 2hop-connectivity. At last, we proposed a new index GFS (Global Feature Score) based on global feature by combing 5 local features: degree centrality, betweenness centrality, closeness centrality, the number of maximal cliques, and 2hop-connectivity, to judge which brain regions are likely related to Alzheimer’s Disease. As a result, all the top ten brain regions in GFS scoring difference between the AD group and the non-AD group were related to AD by literature verification. Finally, the results of the canonical correlation analysis showed that the GFS was significantly correlated with the scores of the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) scale and montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) scale. So, we believe the GFS can also be used as a new index to assist in diagnosis and objective monitoring of disease progression. Besides, the method proposed in this paper can be used as a differential network analysis method in other areas of network analysis.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tea Špeljko ◽  
David Jutric ◽  
Goran Šimić

AbstractAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most frequent cause of dementia in the elderly, characterized by the presence of cerebral amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. The causes of the disease are not well understood, especially considering that more than 95% of AD patients are non-familial. Due to the similarity of brain regions affected in herpes simplex encephalitis to those mainly affected in AD, and owing to the very high prevalence of latent herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1) infection, reactivation of HSV1 was proposed as one of the possible causes of AD. The trigeminal ganglion, located only a few millimeters from the entorhinal cortex, is the primary site of HSV1 latency, although other sites including the sensory neurons, the nodose ganglion of the vagus nerve and other regions of the brain may be involved, possibly in relation to very early neurofibrillary AD changes in the dorsal raphe, locus coeruleus and other brainstem nuclei. Novel data obtained upon infection of cultured neuronal cells and mouse brain with HSV1 further show that HSV1 infection causes intracellular amyloid-beta protein accumulation, as well as abnormal phosphorylation of tau protein, the major component of tangles. Another interesting fact is the existence of a significant degree of homology between HSV1 components and AD susceptibility genes. In this review we summarize findings that reveal connections between the two conditions, as well as different suggestions for the mechanisms of HSV1-induced AD. As most of the available results support a connection of AD and HSV1 infection, antiviral therapy should be taken into consideration for AD treatment following early diagnosis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Neitzel ◽  
Nicolai Franzmeier ◽  
Anna Rubinski ◽  
Martin Dichgans ◽  
Matthias Brendel ◽  
...  

AbstractKlotho-VS heterozygosity (KL-VShet) is associated with reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, whether KL-VShet is associated with lower levels of pathologic tau, i.e., the key AD pathology driving neurodegeneration and cognitive decline, is unknown. Here, we assessed the interaction between KL-VShet and levels of beta-amyloid, a key driver of tau pathology, on the levels of PET-assessed neurofibrillary tau in 551 controls and patients across the AD continuum. KL-VShet showed lower cross-sectional and longitudinal increase in tau-PET per unit increase in amyloid-PET when compared to that of non-carriers. This association of KL-VShet on tau-PET was stronger in Klotho mRNA-expressing brain regions mapped onto a gene expression atlas. KL-VShet was related to better memory functions in amyloid-positive participants and this association was mediated by lower tau-PET. Amyloid-PET levels did not differ between KL-VShet carriers versus non-carriers. Together, our findings provide evidence to suggest a protective role of KL-VShet against amyloid-related tau pathology and tau-related memory impairments in elderly humans at risk of AD dementia.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 552-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hareram Birla ◽  
Tarun Minocha ◽  
Gaurav Kumar ◽  
Anamika Misra ◽  
Sandeep Kumar Singh

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the life-threatening neurodegenerative disorders in the elderly (>60 years) and incurable across the globe to date. AD is caused by the involvement of various genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that affect neuronal cells to degenerate over the period of time. The oxidative stress is engaged in the pathogenesis of various disorders and its key role is also linked to the etiology of AD. AD is attributed by neuronal loss, abnormal accumulation of Amyloid-β (Aβ) and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) with severe memory impairments and other cognitive dysfunctions which lead to the loss of synapses and neuronal death and eventual demise of the individual. Increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), loss of mitochondrial function, altered metal homeostasis, aberrant accumulation of senile plaque and mitigated antioxidant defense mechanism all are indulged in the progression of AD. In spite of recent advances in biomedical research, the underlying mechanism of disruption of redox balance and the actual source of oxidative stress is still obscure. This review highlights the generation of ROS through different mechanisms, the role of some important metals in the progression of AD and free radical scavenging by endogenous molecule and supplementation of nutrients in AD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara E. Stopschinski ◽  
Kelly Del Tredici ◽  
Sandi-Jo Estill-Terpack ◽  
Estifanos Ghebremdehin ◽  
Fang F. Yu ◽  
...  

AbstractTauopathies are heterogeneous neurodegenerative diseases defined by progressive brain accumulation of tau aggregates. The most common tauopathy, sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (AD), involves progressive tau deposition that can be divided into specific stages of neurofibrillary tangle pathology. This classification is consistent with experimental data which suggests that network-based propagation is mediated by cell–cell transfer of tau “seeds”, or assemblies, that serve as templates for their own replication. Until now, seeding assays of AD brain have largely been limited to areas previously defined by NFT pathology. We now expand this work to additional regions. We selected 20 individuals with AD pathology of NFT stages I, III, and V. We stained and classified 25 brain regions in each using the anti-phospho-tau monoclonal antibody AT8. We measured tau seeding in each of the 500 samples using a cell-based tau “biosensor” assay in which induction of intracellular tau aggregation is mediated by exogenous tau assemblies. We observed a progressive increase in tau seeding according to NFT stage. Seeding frequently preceded NFT pathology, e.g., in the basolateral subnucleus of the amygdala and the substantia nigra, pars compacta. We observed seeding in brain regions not previously known to develop tau pathology, e.g., the globus pallidus and internal capsule, where AT8 staining revealed mainly axonal accumulation of tau. AT8 staining in brain regions identified because of tau seeding also revealed pathology in a previously undescribed cell type: Bergmann glia of the cerebellar cortex. We also detected tau seeding in brain regions not previously examined, e.g., the intermediate reticular zone, dorsal raphe nucleus, amygdala, basal nucleus of Meynert, and olfactory bulb. In conclusion, tau histopathology and seeding are complementary analytical tools. Tau seeding assays reveal pathology in the absence of AT8 signal in some instances, and previously unrecognized sites of tau deposition. The variation in sites of seeding between individuals could underlie differences in the clinical presentation and course of AD.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Neitzel ◽  
Nicolai Franzmeier ◽  
Anna Rubinski ◽  
Martin Dichgans ◽  
Matthias Brendel ◽  
...  

Klotho-VS heterozygosity (KL-VShet) is associated with reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, whether KL-VShet is associated with lower levels of pathologic tau, i.e. the key AD pathology driving neurodegeneration and cognitive decline, is unknown. Here, we assessed the interaction between KL-VShet and levels of beta-amyloid, a key driver of tau pathology, on the levels of PET-assessed neurofibrillary tau in 354 controls and patients within the AD continuum. KL-VShet showed lower cross-sectional increase in tau-PET per unit increase in amyloid-PET when compared to that of non-carriers. This effect of KL-VShet on tau-PET showed a tendency to be stronger in Klotho mRNA-expressing brain regions mapped onto a gene expression atlas. KL-VShet was related to better memory functions and this association was mediated by lower tau-PET. Amyloid-PET levels did not differ between KL-VShet carriers versus non-carriers. Together, our findings provide evidence for a protective role of KL-VShet against tau pathology and tau-related memory impairments in elderly humans at risk of AD dementia.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qi Wang ◽  
Siwei Chen ◽  
He Wang ◽  
Luzeng Chen ◽  
Yongan Sun ◽  
...  

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that commonly affects the elderly; early diagnosis and timely treatment are very important to delay the course of the disease. In the past, most brain regions related to AD were identified based on imaging methods, and only some atrophic brain regions could be identified. In this work, the authors used mathematical models to identify the potential brain regions related to AD. In this study, 20 patients with AD and 13 healthy controls (non-AD) were recruited by the neurology outpatient department or the neurology ward of Peking University First Hospital from September 2017 to March 2019. First, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to construct the brain structural network. Next, the authors set a new local feature index 2hop-connectivity to measure the correlation between different regions. Compared with the traditional graph theory index, 2hop-connectivity exploits the higher-order information of the graph structure. And for this purpose, the authors proposed a novel algorithm called 2hopRWR to measure 2hop-connectivity. Then, a new index global feature score (GFS) based on a global feature was proposed by combing five local features, namely degree centrality, betweenness centrality, closeness centrality, the number of maximal cliques, and 2hop-connectivity, to judge which brain regions are related to AD. As a result, the top ten brain regions identified using the GFS scoring difference between the AD and the non-AD groups were associated to AD by literature verification. The results of the literature validation comparing GFS with the local features showed that GFS was superior to individual local features. Finally, the results of the canonical correlation analysis showed that the GFS was significantly correlated with the scores of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scale and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scale. Therefore, the authors believe the GFS can also be used as a new biomarker to assist in diagnosis and objective monitoring of disease progression. Besides, the method proposed in this paper can be used as a differential network analysis method for network analysis in other domains.


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