scholarly journals PLCG2 as a Risk Factor for Alzheimer's Disease

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andy Po-Yi Tsai ◽  
Chuanpeng Dong ◽  
Christoph Preuss ◽  
Miguel Moutinho ◽  
Peter Bor-Chian Lin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by robust microgliosis and phenotypic changes that accompany disease pathogenesis. Indeed, genetic variants in microglial genes are linked to risk for late-onset AD (LOAD). Phospholipase C 𝛾 2 (PLCG2) participates in the transduction of signals emanating from immune cell-surface receptors that regulate the inflammatory response and is selectively expressed by microglia in the brain. A rare variant in PLCG2 (P522R) was previously found to be protective against LOAD. Here, we performed association analysis to identify a new genetic variation in PLCG2 that is associated with elevated risk for LOAD.Methods Using whole genome sequencing (N=1,894) and RNA-Seq (N=1,077) data from the AMP-AD cohort, we investigated whether a missense variant in PLCG2 (M28L) was associated with risk for LOAD. We have examined the homology model and space-filling model of PLCG2 generated with PyMOL to investigate the protein structure of PLCG2 with substitutions of LOAD risk and protective variants in PLCG2 . Gene expression analysis and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) of PLCG2 were conducted. We also evaluated the relationship between PLCG2 expression levels and amyloid plaque density and expression levels of microglia specific markers ( AIF1 and TMEM119 ). Age, sex, and APOE ε4 carrier status were used as covariates. Finally, we investigated the longitudinal changes PLCG2 expression in the 5XFAD mouse model of AD and it relationship to amyloid pathology progression.Results A rare missense variant in PLCG2 (M28L) confers increased AD risk ( p =0.047; OR=1.164 [95% CI=1.002-1.351]). PLCG2 is highly expressed in the brain and was significantly up-regulated in the parahippocampal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, and inferior temporal gyrus in LOAD. Higher PLCG2 expression levels were associated with increased brain amyloid deposition. The findings were validated in 5xFAD mice, showing a disease progression-dependent increase in Plcg2 expression with amyloid pathology. Furthermore, eQTL analysis identified several variants as associated with increased PLCG2 expression levels in the brain and other organs.Conclusions Our results provide further evidence that PLCG2 and the M28L variant confers increase risk for LOAD and may play an important role in AD pathophysiology.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andy P. Tsai ◽  
Chuanpeng Dong ◽  
Christoph Preuss ◽  
Miguel Moutinho ◽  
Peter Bor-Chian Lin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by robust microgliosis and phenotypic changes that accompany disease pathogenesis. Indeed, genetic variants in microglial genes are linked to risk for late-onset AD (LOAD). Phospholipase C 𝛾 2 (PLCG2) participates in the transduction of signals emanating from immune cell-surface receptors that regulate the inflammatory response and is selectively expressed by microglia in the brain. A rare variant in PLCG2 (P522R) was previously found to be protective against LOAD. Here, we performed association analysis to identify a new genetic variation in PLCG2 that is associated with elevated risk for LOAD. Methods Using whole genome sequencing (N=1,894) and RNA-Seq (N=1,077) data from the AMP-AD cohort, we investigated whether a missense variant in PLCG2 (M28L) was associated with risk for LOAD. We have examined the homology model and space-filling model of PLCG2 generated with PyMOL to investigate the protein structure of PLCG2 with substitutions of LOAD risk and protective variants in PLCG2 . Gene expression analysis and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) of PLCG2 were conducted. We also evaluated the relationship between PLCG2 expression levels and amyloid plaque density and expression levels of microglia specific markers ( AIF1 and TMEM119 ). Age, sex, and APOE ε4 carrier status were used as covariates. Finally, we investigated the longitudinal changes PLCG2 expression in the 5XFAD mouse model of AD and it relationship to amyloid pathology progression. Results A rare missense variant in PLCG2 (M28L) confers increased AD risk ( p =0.047; OR=1.164 [95% CI=1.002-1.351]). PLCG2 is highly expressed in the brain and was significantly up-regulated in the parahippocampal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, and inferior temporal gyrus in LOAD. Higher PLCG2 expression levels were associated with increased brain amyloid deposition. The findings were validated in 5xFAD mice, showing a disease progression-dependent increase in Plcg2 expression with amyloid pathology. Furthermore, eQTL analysis identified several variants as associated with increased PLCG2 expression levels in the brain and other organs. Conclusions Our results provide further evidence that PLCG2 and the M28L variant confers increase risk for LOAD and may play an important role in AD pathophysiology.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 441-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoling Zhang ◽  
Congcong Zhu ◽  
Gary Beecham ◽  
Badri N. Vardarajan ◽  
Yiyi Ma ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (16) ◽  
pp. 5687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunyue Wang ◽  
Jie Hao ◽  
Xin Liu ◽  
Chenliang Li ◽  
Xuyang Yuan ◽  
...  

Improving mitochondrial dysfunction and inhibiting apoptosis has always been regarded as a treatment strategy for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Isoforsythiaside (IFY), a phenylethanoid glycoside isolated from the dried fruit of Forsythia suspensa, displays antioxidant activity. This study examined the neuroprotective effects of IFY and its underlying mechanisms. In the L-glutamate (L-Glu)-induced apoptosis of HT22 cells, IFY increased cell viability, inhibited mitochondrial apoptosis, and reduced the intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), caspase-3, -8 and -9 after 3 h of pretreatment and 12–24 h of co-incubation. In the APPswe/PSEN1dE9 transgenic (APP/PS1) model, IFY reduced the anxiety of mice, improved their memory and cognitive ability, reduced the deposition of beta amyloid (Aβ) plaques in the brain, restrained the phosphorylation of the tau protein to form neurofibrillary tangles, inhibited the level of 4-hydroxynonenal in the brain, and improved phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway-related mitochondrial apoptosis. In Aβ1-42-induced U251 cells, IFY relieved the mitochondrial swelling, crest ruptures and increased their electron density after 3 h of pretreatment and 18–24 h of co-incubation. The improved cell viability and mitochondrial function after IFY incubation was blocked by the synthetic PI3K inhibitor LY294002. Taken together, these results suggest that IFY exerts a protective effect against AD by enhancing the expression levels of anti-apoptosis proteins and reducing the expression levels of pro-apoptosis proteins of B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) family members though activating the PI3K/AKT pathway.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (332) ◽  
pp. 332ra44-332ra44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chia-Chen Liu ◽  
Na Zhao ◽  
Yu Yamaguchi ◽  
John R. Cirrito ◽  
Takahisa Kanekiyo ◽  
...  

Accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide in the brain is the first critical step in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Studies in humans suggest that Aβ clearance from the brain is frequently impaired in late-onset AD. Aβ accumulation leads to the formation of Aβ aggregates, which injure synapses and contribute to eventual neurodegeneration. Cell surface heparan sulfates (HSs), expressed on all cell types including neurons, have been implicated in several features in the pathogenesis of AD including its colocalization with amyloid plaques and modulatory role in Aβ aggregation. We show that removal of neuronal HS by conditional deletion of the Ext1 gene, which encodes an essential glycosyltransferase for HS biosynthesis, in postnatal neurons of amyloid model APP/PS1 mice led to a reduction in both Aβ oligomerization and the deposition of amyloid plaques. In vivo microdialysis experiments also detected an accelerated rate of Aβ clearance in the brain interstitial fluid, suggesting that neuronal HS either inhibited or represented an inefficient pathway for Aβ clearance. We found that the amounts of various HS proteoglycans (HSPGs) were increased in postmortem human brain tissues from AD patients, suggesting that this pathway may contribute directly to amyloid pathogenesis. Our findings have implications for AD pathogenesis and provide insight into therapeutic interventions targeting Aβ-HSPG interactions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaume Folch ◽  
Miren Ettcheto ◽  
Oriol Busquets ◽  
Elena Sánchez-López ◽  
Rubén Castro-Torres ◽  
...  

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. T346-T347
Author(s):  
Nobuhisa Iwata ◽  
Satoshi Tsubuki ◽  
Makoto Higuchi ◽  
Kaori Watanabe ◽  
Matthias Staufenbiel ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maowen Ba ◽  
Min Kong ◽  
Xiaofeng Li ◽  
Kok Pin Ng ◽  
Pedro Rosa-Neto ◽  
...  

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Artur F. Schuh ◽  
Carlos M. Rieder ◽  
Liara Rizzi ◽  
Márcia Chaves ◽  
Matheus Roriz-Cruz

Insulin and IGF seem to be important players in modulating brain aging. Neurons share more similarities with islet cells than any other human cell type. Insulin and insulin receptors are diffusely found in the brain, especially so in the hippocampus. Caloric restriction decreases insulin resistance, and it is the only proven mechanism to expand lifespan. Conversely, insulin resistance increases with age, obesity, and sedentarism, all of which have been shown to be risk factors for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). Hyperphagia and obesity potentiate the production of oxidative reactive species (ROS), and chronic hyperglycemia accelerates the formation of advanced glucose end products (AGEs) in (pre)diabetes—both mechanisms favoring a neurodegenerative milieu. Prolonged high cerebral insulin concentrations cause microvascular endothelium proliferation, chronic hypoperfusion, and energy deficit, triggering β-amyloid oligomerization and tau hyperphosphorylation. Insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) seems to be the main mechanism in clearing β-amyloid from the brain. Hyperinsulinemic states may deviate IDE utilization towards insulin processing, decreasing β-amyloid degradation.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan D Rudge

This paper describes a potential new explanation for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), referred to here as the lipid-invasion model. It proposes that AD is primarily caused by the influx of lipids following the breakdown of the blood brain barrier (BBB). The model argues that a principal role of the BBB is to protect the brain from external lipid access. When the BBB is damaged, it allows a mass influx of (mainly albumin-bound) free fatty acids (FFAs) and lipid-rich lipoproteins to the brain, which in turn causes neurodegeneration, amyloidosis, tau tangles and other AD characteristics. The model also argues that, whilst β-amyloid causes neurodegeneration, as is widely argued, its principal role in the disease lies in damaging the BBB. It is the external lipids, entering as a consequence, that are the primary drivers of neurodegeneration in AD., especially FFAs, which induce oxidative stress, stimulate microglia-driven neuroinflammation, and inhibit neurogenesis. Simultaneously, the larger, more lipid-laden lipoproteins, characteristic of the external plasma but not the CNS, cause endosomal-lysosomal abnormalities, amyloidosis and the formation of tau tangles, all characteristic of AD. In most cases (certainly in late-onset, noninherited forms of the disease) amyloidosis and tau tangle formation are consequences of this external lipid invasion, and in many ways more symptomatic of the disease than causative. In support of this, it is argued that the pattern of damage caused by the influx of FFAs into the brain is likely to resemble the neurodegeneration seen in alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD), a disease that shows many similarities to AD, including the areas of the brain it affects. The fact that neurodegeneration is far more pronounced in AD than in ARBD, and characterised by other features, such as amyloidosis and tau tangles, most likely results from the greater heterogeneity of the lipid assault in AD compared with ethanol alone. The lipid-invasion model, described here, arguably provides the first cohesive, multi-factorial explanation of AD that accounts for all currently known major risk factors, and explains all AD-associated pathologies, including those, such as endosomal-lysosomal dysfunction and excessive lipid droplet formation, that are not well-accounted for in other explanation of this disease.


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