Fang Kevin, Pishva Ehsan, Piers Thomas, Scholpp Steffen
Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.
Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Mental Health and Neuroscience Research Institute, University Maastricht, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands.
J Cell Sci. 2025 Feb 1;138(3). doi: 10.1242/jcs.263526. Epub 2025 Feb 5.
Wnt signalling is an essential signalling system in neurogenesis, with a crucial role in synaptic plasticity and neuronal survival, processes that are disrupted in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Within this network, the Wnt/β-catenin pathway has been studied for its neuroprotective role, and this is suppressed in AD. However, the involvement of the non-canonical Wnt-planar cell polarity (Wnt/PCP) pathway in AD remains to be determined. This study investigates the role of ROR2, a Wnt/PCP co-receptor, in synaptogenesis. We demonstrate that WNT5A-ROR2 signalling activates the JNK pathway, leading to synapse loss in mature neurons. This effect mirrors the synaptotoxic actions of Aβ1-42 and DKK1, which are elevated in AD. Notably, blocking ROR2 and JNK mitigates Aβ1-42 and DKK1-induced synapse loss, suggesting their dependence on ROR2. In induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cortical neurons carrying a PSEN1 mutation, known to increase the Aβ42/40 ratio, we observed increased WNT5A-ROR2 clustering and reduced numbers of synapses. Inhibiting ROR2 or JNK partially rescued synaptogenesis in these neurons. These findings suggest that, unlike the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, the Wnt/PCP-ROR2 signalling pathway can operate in a feedback loop with Aβ1-42 to enhance JNK signalling and contribute to synapse loss in AD.
Wnt信号通路是神经发生过程中一种重要的信号系统,在突触可塑性和神经元存活中起着关键作用,而这些过程在阿尔茨海默病(AD)中会受到破坏。在这个网络中,Wnt/β-连环蛋白通路因其神经保护作用而受到研究,且在AD中该通路受到抑制。然而,非经典Wnt-平面细胞极性(Wnt/PCP)通路在AD中的作用仍有待确定。本研究调查了Wnt/PCP共同受体ROR2在突触形成中的作用。我们证明WNT5A-ROR2信号通路激活JNK通路,导致成熟神经元中的突触丢失。这种效应反映了AD中升高的Aβ1-42和DKK1的突触毒性作用。值得注意的是,阻断ROR2和JNK可减轻Aβ1-42和DKK1诱导的突触丢失,表明它们对ROR2的依赖性。在携带已知会增加Aβ42/40比值的PSEN1突变的诱导多能干细胞(iPSC)衍生的皮质神经元中,我们观察到WNT5A-ROR2聚集增加且突触数量减少。抑制ROR2或JNK可部分挽救这些神经元中的突触形成。这些发现表明,与Wnt/β-连环蛋白通路不同,Wnt/PCP-ROR2信号通路可以与Aβ1-42在反馈回路中起作用,以增强JNK信号并导致AD中的突触丢失。