Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Neuroscience Group of Antioquia, Faculty of Medicine, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
Acta Neuropathol. 2021 Feb;141(2):217-233. doi: 10.1007/s00401-020-02249-0. Epub 2020 Dec 14.
Presenilin-1 (PSEN1) mutations cause familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) characterized by early age of onset (AoO). Examination of a large kindred harboring the PSEN1-E280A mutation reveals a range of AoO spanning 30 years. The pathophysiological drivers and clinical impact of AoO variation in this population are unknown. We examined brains of 23 patients focusing on generation and deposition of beta-amyloid (Aβ) and Tau pathology profile. In 14 patients distributed at the extremes of AoO, we performed whole-exome capture to identify genotype-phenotype correlations. We also studied kinome activity, proteasome activity, and protein polyubiquitination in brain tissue, associating it with Tau phosphorylation profiles. PSEN1-E280A patients showed a bimodal distribution for AoO. Besides AoO, there were no clinical differences between analyzed groups. Despite the effect of mutant PSEN1 on production of Aβ, there were no relevant differences between groups in generation and deposition of Aβ. However, differences were found in hyperphosphorylated Tau (pTau) pathology, where early onset patients showed severe pathology with diffuse aggregation pattern associated with increased activation of stress kinases. In contrast, late-onset patients showed lesser pTau pathology and a distinctive kinase activity. Furthermore, we identified new protective genetic variants affecting ubiquitin-proteasome function in early onset patients, resulting in higher ubiquitin-dependent degradation of differentially phosphorylated Tau. In PSEN1-E280A carriers, altered γ-secretase activity and resulting Aβ accumulation are prerequisites for early AoO. However, Tau hyperphosphorylation pattern, and its degradation by the proteasome, drastically influences disease onset in individuals with otherwise similar Aβ pathology, hinting toward a multifactorial model of disease for FAD. In sporadic AD (SAD), a wide range of heterogeneity, also influenced by Tau pathology, has been identified. Thus, Tau-induced heterogeneity is a common feature in both AD variants, suggesting that a multi-target therapeutic approach should be used to treat AD.
早老素 1 (PSEN1) 突变导致家族性阿尔茨海默病 (FAD),其特征为发病年龄早 (AoO)。对一个携带 PSEN1-E280A 突变的大家族进行检查,发现 AoO 范围跨越 30 年。该人群中 AoO 变化的病理生理驱动因素和临床影响尚不清楚。我们检查了 23 名患者的大脑,重点研究了β-淀粉样蛋白 (Aβ) 的生成和沉积以及 Tau 病理特征。在 AoO 分布在极端的 14 名患者中,我们进行了全外显子组捕获以确定基因型-表型相关性。我们还研究了脑组织中的激酶组活性、蛋白酶体活性和蛋白质多泛素化,并将其与 Tau 磷酸化特征相关联。PSEN1-E280A 患者的 AoO 呈双峰分布。除 AoO 外,分析组之间没有临床差异。尽管突变 PSEN1 对 Aβ 的产生有影响,但各组在 Aβ 的生成和沉积方面没有明显差异。然而,在过度磷酸化的 Tau (pTau) 病理方面存在差异,早发性患者表现出严重的病理,弥漫性聚集模式与应激激酶的激活增加有关。相比之下,晚发性患者的 pTau 病理较轻,激酶活性也不同。此外,我们发现了新的保护性遗传变异,这些变异影响早发性患者的泛素-蛋白酶体功能,导致差异磷酸化 Tau 的泛素依赖性降解增加。在 PSEN1-E280A 携带者中,改变的 γ-分泌酶活性和由此产生的 Aβ 积累是早发性 AoO 的先决条件。然而,Tau 过度磷酸化模式及其被蛋白酶体降解,极大地影响了具有相似 Aβ 病理的个体的疾病发作,暗示了 FAD 的多因素疾病模型。在散发性 AD (SAD) 中,也发现了广泛的异质性,也受 Tau 病理的影响。因此,Tau 诱导的异质性是两种 AD 变体的共同特征,表明应该使用多靶点治疗方法来治疗 AD。