Dataset Information

Targeting caspase-2 interactions with tau in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

ABSTRACT: Targeting amyloid-β plaques and tau tangles has failed to provide effective treatments for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). A more fruitful pathway to ADRD therapeutics may be the development of therapies that target common signaling pathways that disrupt synaptic connections and impede communication between neurons. In this review, we present our characterization of a signaling pathway common to several neurological diseases featuring dementia including Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body dementia, and Huntington's disease. This signaling pathway features the cleavage of tau by caspase-2 (Casp2) yielding Δtau314 (Casp2/tau/Δtau314). Through a not yet fully delineated mechanism, Δtau314 catalyzes the mislocalization and accumulation of tau to dendritic spines leading to the internalization of AMPA receptors and the concomitant weakening of synaptic transmission. Here, we review the accumulated evidence supporting Casp2 as a druggable target and its importance in ADRD. Additionally, we provide a brief overview of our initial medicinal chemistry explorations aimed at the preparation of novel, brain penetrant Casp2 inhibitors. We anticipate that this review will spark broader interest in Casp2 as a target for restoring synaptic dysfunction in ADRD.

SUBMITTER: Pockes S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9991976 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Targeting caspase-2 interactions with tau in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Pockes Steffen S Walters Michael A MA Ashe Karen H KH

Translational research : the journal of laboratory and clinical medicine 20221104

Targeting amyloid-β plaques and tau tangles has failed to provide effective treatments for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). A more fruitful pathway to ADRD therapeutics may be the development of therapies that target common signaling pathways that disrupt synaptic connections and impede communication between neurons. In this review, we present our characterization of a signaling pathway common to several neurological diseases featuring dementia including Alzheimer's disease, fro ...[more]

PMID: 36343883

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Project description:On March 12-14, 2024, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) together with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) led a workshop exploring clinically meaningful changes in the context of Alzheimer's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) clinical trials (https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/dbsr/workshops/clinically-meaningful-outcomes-ad-adrd-trials). The goals were to identify research gaps, opportunities, and tools to advance patient-centered, equitable assessment of clinically meaningful change focused on biomarker status, cognition, and everyday function. The workshop fostered robust, multidisciplinary discussion between lived experience experts, advocates, researchers, clinicians, funders, payers, and regulators. The workshop addressed the criteria used to assess whether an intervention has had a clinically meaningful impact, including consideration of both benefit and harm. Here, we report on (1) criteria to consider for development, testing, and selection of clinically meaningful outcomes in AD/ADRD clinical trials; (2) methods to validate and customize clinically meaningful outcomes that are fit-for-purpose; and (3) practices that will ensure that clinically meaningful outcomes are applicable to diverse populations.HighlightsPatient-Centered Outcomes: Inclusive AD/ADRD clinical trials incorporate assessments that reflect what matters most to those impacted by these diseases, including patient- and caregiver-reported outcome measures. Culturally Relevant Assessments: There is a need for culturally sensitive and equitable assessments to better serve diverse populations in AD/ADRD research. Framework for Clinically Meaningful Change: We present a framework for defining and evaluating clinically meaningful outcomes in AD/ADRD trials, tailored to diverse stages of disease progression. Interdisciplinary Approach: We draw on insights from a multidisciplinary workshop, fostering collaboration among researchers, clinicians, and lived experience experts to advance the field.

Project description:Currently, more than 55 million people around the world suffer from dementia, and Alzheimer's disease-related dementia (ADRD) accounts for nearly 60-70% of all those cases. The spread of AD pathology and progressive neurodegeneration in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex is strongly correlated with cognitive decline in AD patients; however, the molecular underpinning of the ADRD causality is still unclear. Studies of postmortem AD brains and animal models of AD suggest that elevated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress may have a role in ADRD pathology through altered neurocellular homeostasis in brain regions associated with learning and memory. To study the ER stress-associated neurocellular response and its effects on neurocellular homeostasis and neurogenesis, we modeled an ER stress challenge using Thapsigargin (TG), a specific inhibitor of sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA), in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neural stem cells (NSCs) of two individuals from our Mexican American Family Study (MAFS). High-content screening and transcriptomic analysis of the control and ER stress-challenged NSCs showed that NSC’s ER stress response resulted in a significant decline in NSC self-renewal and an increase in apoptosis and cellular oxidative stress. A total of 2300 genes were significantly (moderated t statistics FDR corrected p-value ≤ 0.05 and Fold Change absolute ≥ 2.0) differentially expressed (DE). Pathway enrichment and gene network analysis of DE genes suggests that all three unfolded protein response (UPR) pathways (PERK, IRE1, and ATF6) were significantly activated and cooperatively regulated the NSC’s transcriptional response to ER stress. Our results show that IRE1/XBP1 mediated transcriptional regulation of E2F1 and its downstream targets have a dominant role in inducing G1/S-phase cell cycle arrest in the ER stress-challenged NSCs. The ER stress-challenged NSCs also showed activation of CHOP-mediated apoptosis and dysregulation of synaptic plasticity and neurotransmitter homeostasis-associated genes. Overall, our results suggest that ER stress-associated attenuation of NSC self-renewal, increased apoptosis, and dysregulated synaptic plasticity and neurotransmitter homeostasis plausibly play a role in the causation of ADRD.

Dataset Information

Targeting caspase-2 interactions with tau in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Publications

Targeting caspase-2 interactions with tau in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

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