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The viral hypothesis: how herpesviruses may contribute to Alzheimer's disease.

ABSTRACT: The hypothesis that infectious agents, particularly herpesviruses, contribute to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis has been investigated for decades but has long engendered controversy. In the past 3 years, several studies in mouse models, human tissue models, and population cohorts have reignited interest in this hypothesis. Collectively, these studies suggest that many of the hallmarks of AD, like amyloid beta production and neuroinflammation, can arise as a protective response to acute infection that becomes maladaptive in the case of chronic infection. We place this work in its historical context and explore its etiological implications.

SUBMITTER: Wainberg M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8758477 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The viral hypothesis: how herpesviruses may contribute to Alzheimer's disease.

Wainberg Michael M Luquez Tain T Koelle David M DM Readhead Ben B Johnston Christine C Darvas Martin M Funk Cory C CC

Molecular psychiatry 20210510 10

The hypothesis that infectious agents, particularly herpesviruses, contribute to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis has been investigated for decades but has long engendered controversy. In the past 3 years, several studies in mouse models, human tissue models, and population cohorts have reignited interest in this hypothesis. Collectively, these studies suggest that many of the hallmarks of AD, like amyloid beta production and neuroinflammation, can arise as a protective response to acute in ...[more]

PMID: 33972690

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Project description:Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in the elderly. Hallmark AD neuropathology includes extracellular amyloid plaques composed largely of the amyloid-? protein (A?), intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) composed of hyper-phosphorylated microtubule-associated protein tau (MAP-tau), and microtubule destabilization. Early-onset autosomal dominant AD genes are associated with excessive A? accumulation, however cognitive impairment best correlates with NFTs and disrupted microtubules. The mechanisms linking A? and NFT pathologies in AD are unknown. Here, we propose that sequestration of zinc by A?-amyloid deposits (A? oligomers and plaques) not only drives A? aggregation, but also disrupts zinc homeostasis in zinc-enriched brain regions important for memory and vulnerable to AD pathology, resulting in intra-neuronal zinc levels, which are either too low, or excessively high. To evaluate this hypothesis, we 1) used molecular modeling of zinc binding to the microtubule component protein tubulin, identifying specific, high-affinity zinc binding sites that influence side-to-side tubulin interaction, the sensitive link in microtubule polymerization and stability. We also 2) performed kinetic modeling showing zinc distribution in extra-neuronal A? deposits can reduce intra-neuronal zinc binding to microtubules, destabilizing microtubules. Finally, we 3) used metallomic imaging mass spectrometry (MIMS) to show anatomically-localized and age-dependent zinc dyshomeostasis in specific brain regions of Tg2576 transgenic, mice, a model for AD. We found excess zinc in brain regions associated with memory processing and NFT pathology. Overall, we present a theoretical framework and support for a new theory of AD linking extra-neuronal A? amyloid to intra-neuronal NFTs and cognitive dysfunction. The connection, we propose, is based on ?-amyloid-induced alterations in zinc ion concentration inside neurons affecting stability of polymerized microtubules, their binding to MAP-tau, and molecular dynamics involved in cognition. Further, our theory supports novel AD therapeutic strategies targeting intra-neuronal zinc homeostasis and microtubule dynamics to prevent neurodegeneration and cognitive decline.

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The viral hypothesis: how herpesviruses may contribute to Alzheimer's disease.

Publications

The viral hypothesis: how herpesviruses may contribute to Alzheimer's disease.

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