Project description:RNA samples from the cerebral cortex of APP/PS1 and WT mouse littermates aged 3, 6 and 12 months were analyzed using the Affymetrix Genechip Mouse Gene 1.1 ST Array. The APP-PS1 transgenic mouse express the human mutated forms APPswe and PS1dE9. This is a good model of familial Alzheimer Disease because it reproduces several features of the disease as β-amyloid deposits throughout the brain and exhibit memory impairment by the end of the sixth month and is a simple model to study the molecular pathways. The aim of this study is to identify dysregulation of inflammation pathways in order to understand shifts of inflammation responses with disease progression.
Project description:With the criterion of 2-fold cutoff, 7 miRNAs were upregulated and 7 miRNAs were downregulated in APP/PS1 hippocampal tissues compared with WT hippocampal tissues Microarray analysis of miRNAs was performed on pooled hippocampal tissues from WT (n=16) and APP/PS1 mice (n=16) at E14
Project description:Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease and the most common cause of dementia, characterized by deposition of extracellular amyloid-beta (Aβ) aggregates and intraneuronal hyperphosphorylated Tau. Many AD risk genes, identified in genome-wide association studies (GWAS), are expressed in microglia, the innate immune cells of the central nervous system. Specific subtypes of microglia emerged in relation to AD pathology, such as disease-associated microglia (DAMs), which increased in number with age in amyloid mouse models and in human AD cases. However, the initial transcriptional changes in these microglia in response to amyloid are still unknown. Here, to determine early changes in microglia gene expression, hippocampal microglia from APPswe/PS1dE9 (APP/PS1) mice and wildtype littermates were isolated and analyzed by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). By bulk RNA-seq, transcriptomic changes were detected in hippocampal microglia from 6-months-old APP/PS1 mice. By performing single cell RNA-seq of CD11c-positive and negative microglia from 6-months-old APP/PS1 mice and analysis of the transcriptional trajectory from homeostatic to CD11c-positive microglia, we identified a set of genes that potentally reflect the initial response of microglia to Aβ.
Project description:Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), via the characterised release of IL-1β and ASC specks. However, whether NLRP3 was involved in pathways beyond this remained unknown. Here were enriched CD11b+ cells from the brains of 4, 6 an 12 month old wild-type, NLRP3-/-, APP/PS1 and APP/PS1.NLRP3-/- mice for bulk RNA sequencing. We found that amyloid deposition was associated with an increase in the expression of genes encoding inflammatory or phagocytic proteins from 6 months onwards. Interestingly, loss of NLRP3 influences glutamine/glutamate-related metabolism and increases expression of microglial Slc1a3. The increase in Slc1a3 was observed in all mice on a NLRP3-/- background and at all ages examined, demonstrating a new role for this transporter in microglia.
Project description:Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease and the most common cause of dementia, characterized by deposition of extracellular amyloid-beta (Aβ) aggregates and intraneuronal hyperphosphorylated Tau. Many AD risk genes, identified in genome-wide association studies (GWAS), are expressed in microglia, the innate immune cells of the central nervous system. Specific subtypes of microglia emerged in relation to AD pathology, such as disease-associated microglia (DAMs), which increased in number with age in amyloid mouse models and in human AD cases. However, the initial transcriptional changes in these microglia in response to amyloid are still unknown. Here, to determine early changes in microglia gene expression, hippocampal microglia from APPswe/PS1dE9 (APP/PS1) mice and wildtype littermates were isolated and analyzed by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). By bulk RNA-seq, transcriptomic changes were detected in hippocampal microglia from 6-months-old APP/PS1 mice. By performing single cell RNA-seq of CD11c-positive and negative microglia from 6-months-old APP/PS1 mice and analysis of the transcriptional trajectory from homeostatic to CD11c-positive microglia, we identified a set of genes that potentally reflect the initial response of microglia to Aβ.
Project description:To explore the miRNAs associated with the memory deficits in Alzheimer's disease, we detected the miRNA profiles in the hippocampus of 6-month-old male APPswe/PS1dE9 (APP/PS1) mice and age-matched wild type C57BL/6 mice.
Project description:NLRP3 inflammasome activation is involved in the progression of Alzheimer's disease. To unravel the unique cell populations and clusters regulated by NLRP3 in the brain, we enriched CD11b+ cells from the brains of 18 month old wild-type, NLRP3-/-, APP/PS1 and APP/PS1.NLRP3-/- mice for single cell RNAseq.
Project description:The goal of the experiment was to understand the role of IL-18 in Alzheimers disease. Gene expression was examined in the hippocampus of wild type mice and the APP/PS1 mice (which are a mouse model for Alzheimers disease) that either encoded IL-18 or had the IL-18 gene knocked out.
Project description:Aβ is a peptide of 39-42 amino acid residues that derived from putative intramembranous processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) at the proposed active site of the γ-secretase/PS1 aspartyl. Aβ has been shown to aggregate and accumulate abnormally in the brain of AD (Alzheimer's disease), and extracellular amyloid plaques of Aβ peptides aggregation can trigger a cascade of pathologic events leading to nerve fiber entanglement and neuronal apoptosis protease. We used microarrays to investigate the effects of HPYD on the gene expression of APP/PS1 transgenic mice, the brain tissues of control group, model group and HPYD group mice.
Project description:Background Microglial cell iron load and inflammatory activation are significant hallmarks of late-stage Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In vitro, microglia preferentially upregulate iron importer, divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1, gene name Slc11a2) in response to inflammatory stimuli, and excess iron can augment cellular inflammation, suggesting a feed-forward loop between iron import mechanisms and inflammatory signaling. However, it is not understood whether microglial iron import mechanisms directly contribute to inflammatory signaling and chronic disease in vivo. These studies determined the effects of knocking down microglial iron import gene, Slc11a2, on AD-related cognitive decline and microglial transcriptional phenotype. Methods In vitro experiments and RT-qPCR were used to assess a role for DMT1 in amyloid-β-associated inflammation. To determine the effects of microglial Slc11a2 knockdown on AD-related phenotypes in vivo, triple-transgenic Cx3cr1Cre-ERT2;Slc11a2flfl;APP/PS1+ or – mice were generated and administered corn oil or tamoxifen to induce knockdown at 5-6 months of age. Both sexes underwent behavioral analyses to assess cognition and memory (12-15 months of age). Hippocampal CD11b+ microglia were magnetically isolated from female mice (15-17 months) and bulk RNA-sequencing analysis was conducted. Results DMT1 inhibition in vitro robustly decreased Aβ-induced inflammatory gene expression and cellular iron levels in conditions of excess iron. In vivo, Slc11a2KD APP/PS1 female, but not male, mice displayed a significant worsening of memory function in Morris water maze and a fear conditioning assay, along with significant hyperactivity compared to control WT and APP/PS1 mice. Hippocampal microglia from Slc11a2KD APP/PS1 females displayed significant increases in genes Enpp2, Ttr, and iron-export gene, Slc40a1, compared to control APP/PS1 cells. Slc11a2KD cells from APP/PS1 females also exhibited decreased expression of markers related to disease-associated microglia (DAMs), such as Apoe, Ctsb, Csf1, and Hif1α. Conclusions This work suggests a sex-specific role for microglial iron import gene Slc11a2 in propagating behavioral and cognitive phenotypes in the APP/PS1 model of AD. These data also highlight an association between loss of a DAM-like phenotype in female microglia and cognitive deficits in Slc11a2KD APP/PS1 mice. Overall, this work illuminates an iron-related pathway in microglia that may serve a protective role during disease and offers insight into mechanisms behind disease-related sex differences.