Unveiling age-associated immune priming properties of astrocytes for trigerring microglial Aβ clearance in an APOE isoform-dependent manner [hMG_RNA-seq]
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ABSTRACT: Alzheimer's disease (AD)-associated allele, apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4), exhibits pathological characteristics in an age-dependent manner despite its presence from birth. The molecular and cellular changes leading to disease onset are largely unexplored. We observed using human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs)-derived models that astrocytes acquire immune priming functions through repetitive inflammatory stimuli, with recovery periods, causing transcriptome changes similar to those in the aged brain. Astrocytic priming by amyloid-β (Aβ) promoted cytokine release, leading to enhanced microglial phagocytic activity against Aβ. Conversely, APOE4 astrocytes showed impaired priming and reduced cytokine secretion in response to Aβ, leading to decreased microglial Aβ phagocytosis. Further, using a humanized APOE knock-in mouse model, we validated the positive effect of astrocyte priming on Aβ clearance in vivo. Our findings suggest that aging astrocytes may enhance Aβ clearance through the acquisition of immune priming functions and positively regulate Aβ clearance, while APOE4 impairs this process, leading to Aβ accumulation.
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE274869 | GEO | 2025/07/06
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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