微小RNA在tau蛋白过度磷酸化中的作用

阿尔茨海默病(Alzheimer’s Disease, AD)是一种慢性神经系统退行性疾病,AD的主要病理表现为脑组织中的老年斑和神经纤维缠结,老年斑的主要成分是异常积聚的β-淀粉样蛋白,过度磷酸化的tau蛋白是神经纤维缠结的主要成分。研究发现AD患者脑内微小RNA表达异常,且证据表明微小RNA参与β-淀粉样蛋白过量生成和tau蛋白过度磷酸化等Alzheimer样病理机制,在AD的发病中起着重要作用。本文就微小RNA在tau蛋白过度磷酸化中的作用及机制进行概述。     

Neuroglobin attenuates Alzheimer-like tau hyperphosphorylation by activating Akt signaling

Neuroglobin (Ngb) is a recently identified member of hemoglobin family, distributed mainly in central and peripheral nervous systems. Recent studies suggest that Ngb can protect neural cells from β-amyloid-induced toxicity in Alzheimer disease (AD). Hyperphosphorylation of tau is another characterized pathological hallmark in the AD brains; however, it is not reported whether Ngb also affects tau phosphorylation. In this study, we found that the level of Ngb was significantly reduced in Tg2576 mice (a recognized mouse model of AD) and TgMAPt mice, and the level of Ngb was negatively correlated with tau phosphorylation. Over-expression of Ngb attenuates tau hyperphosphorylation at multiple AD-related sites induced by up-regulation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), a crucial tau kinase. While Ngb activates Akt and thus inhibits GSK-3β, simultaneously inhibition of Akt abolishes the effects of Ngb on GSK-3β inhibition and tau hyperphosphorylation. Our data indicate that Ngb may attenuate tau hyperphosphorylation through activating Akt signaling pathway, implying a therapeutic target for AD.     

A Cdk5 inhibitory peptide reduces tau hyperphosphorylation and apoptosis in neurons

The extracellular aggregation of amyloid beta (Abeta) peptides and the intracellular hyperphosphorylation of tau at specific epitopes are pathological hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Cdk5 phosphorylates tau at AD-specific phospho-epitopes when it associates with p25. p25 is a truncated activator, which is produced from the physiological Cdk5 activator p35 upon exposure to Abeta peptides. We show that neuronal infections with Cdk5 inhibitory peptide (CIP) selectively inhibit p25/Cdk5 activity and suppress the aberrant tau phosphorylation in cortical neurons. Furthermore, Abeta(1-42)-induced apoptosis of these cortical neurons was also reduced by coinfection with CIP. Of particular importance is our finding that CIP did not inhibit endogenous or transfected p35/Cdk5 activity, nor did it inhibit the other cyclin-dependent kinases such as Cdc2, Cdk2, Cdk4 and Cdk6. These results, therefore, provide a strategy to address, and possibly ameliorate, the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases that may be a consequence of aberrant p25 activation of Cdk5, without affecting 'normal' Cdk5 activity.     

抑制褪黑素生物合成对大鼠Tau蛋白磷酸化的影响

目的 研究抑制褪黑素的生物合成对大鼠海马Tau蛋白磷酸化的影响。方法 侧脑室注射氟哌啶醇并腹腔注射加强,利用免疫组化检测大鼠海马区域Tau蛋白磷酸化情况;HPLC检测血清中褪黑素水平。结果 模型组大鼠海马Tau蛋白在Ser199/Ser202和Ser396/Ser404位点均发生异常过度磷酸化,褪黑素治疗组较模型组的磷酸化程度轻。结论 褪黑素水平的降低可能与AD样Tau蛋白异常过度磷酸化相关,外源性补充褪黑素可以减轻Tau蛋白的异常过度磷酸化。     

tau蛋白异常翻译后修饰在阿尔茨海默病中的作用

在阿尔茨海默病（A1zheimer’s disease,AD）中微管相关蛋白tau能够产生许多异常翻译后修饰并聚集形成配对螺旋丝（paired helical filament,PHF）。这些tau的修饰包括过磷酸化、异常糖基化、截断等,其中,过磷酸化和异常糖基化是阿尔茨海默氏病等神经退行性疾病神经元纤维化的主要分子发病机制。     

Folate is related to phosphorylated neurofilament-H and P-tau (Ser396) in rat brain

Protein phosphatase PP2A dephosphorylates phosphorylated tau (P-tau) and neurofilaments (pNFs). PP2A is S-adenosylmethionine (SAM)-dependent and might thus link methylation with neurodegeneration. Low SAM and increased S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) can enhance the risk of dementia. We studied the effect of hyperhomocysteinemia on P-tau (Ser396), pNF-H (heavy chain), and PP2A-activity and level (the C subunit) in rat brain. Wistar rats (total n=55) were fed either on a standard, a homocystine 1.7% or a methionine 2.4%-rich diet for 5 months. P-tau was tested in 21 frontal cortex tissue slices using immuno-fluorescence. Concentrations of pNF-H and the activity and level of PP2A were measured in brain extracts. Concentrations of homocysteine, SAM and SAH strongly increased in plasma of rats on the modified diets. The diets caused lowering of plasma folate and vitamin B12 and a significant increase in P-tau (Ser396) in brain tissues but PP2A activity and level were unchanged. Plasma folate correlated to brain tissue PP2A activity (r=0.28), pNF-H (r=-0.30), and P-tau (Ser396) staining (r=-0.57) all p<0.05. Phosphorylation of brain functional proteins was related to folate. The effect of the diet on P-tau and pNF-H seemed not to be explained by a lower activity or protein level of PP2A. Folate might prove protective against multiple steps in the process of neurodegeneration.     

病理浓度甲醛的累积导致小鼠神经母瘤细胞活力及黏附能力下降

Formaldehyde (FA) plays a role in age-related cognitive impairment. An increase in endogenous FA induced by long-term oral administration of methanol, which triggers Tau hyperphosphorylation in the brain of Macaca mulatta and deteriorates the animal’s working memory. Short-term, high-dose FA treatment induces Tau hyperphosphorylation in the cytoplasm and nucleus of murine neural cells in vivo and in vitro. However, the pathological FA level is lower than that used in those experiments. The long-term effect on neural cells of FA at pathological doses has not yet been investigated. Here, based on the pathological level of endogenous FA in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients, we added 10 mmol/l (mM) FA to the medium and incubated murine neuroblastoma (N2a) cells for six days by using a serial passage strategy. FA-induced significant decreases in cell number and viability as well as increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release were observed during the culture. Holographic microscopy showed that cells exposed to FA were thicker and smaller, exhibiting a weakened adhesive morphology. Immunofluorescence staining demonstrated that the pathological dose of FA increases Tau phosphorylation at Threonine (T181) and Serine (S396) epitopes over time. These results indicate that long-term exposure to a pathological concentration of FA causes the cell viability decline and even cell death under the experimental conditions     

β-分泌酶抑制剂对tau过磷酸化大鼠β-CTF代谢的影响及机制研究

目的:在tau过磷酸化大鼠中,通过检测淀粉样前体蛋白(amyloid precursor protein,APP)C末端片段的表达,研究抑制β-分泌酶(BACE1)对其代谢的影响及机制。方法:24只SD大鼠随机分为四组,包括正常对照组、假手术组、OA组、OA+BACE1抑制剂组。Western blot法检测β-CTF、APP及BACE1表达;RT-PCR法检测APP及BACE1;水迷宫检测大鼠行为学。结果:OA组β-CTF表达显著增加(p0.05),而OA+BACE1抑制剂组与OA组相比,β-CTF表达减少(p0.05);四组大鼠的APP在蛋白及mRNA水平表达无显著差别(p0.05);OA组BACE1在蛋白及mRNA水平的表达增加,而OA+BACE1抑制剂组BACE1的蛋白表达较OA组减少(p0.05),两组大鼠mRNA表达水平无明显差异(p0.05)。OA+BACE1抑制剂组大鼠在给予BACE1抑制剂后行为学有所改善(p0.05)。结论:(1)tau过磷酸化通过促进神经元内BACE1表达,导致APP代谢途径发生转变,从而引起β-CTF表达增加;(2)β-CTF表达增加可引起tau过磷酸化大鼠行为学改变;(3)抑制BACE1可改善大鼠的学习及记忆能力,支持BACE1作为AD的治疗靶点。     

Regulation of Phosphorylation of tau by Protein Kinases in Rat Brain

Microtubule associated protein tau is abnormally hyperphosphorylated in Alzheimer disease (AD) brain. To investigate the role of protein kinases involved in this lesion, metabolically active slices made from brains of adult rats were treated with or without various specific kinase activators in oxygenated artificial cerebrospinal fluid. The basal kinase activities of protein kinase-A (PKA), CaM Kinase II and GSK-3 were stimulated more than two-fold by isoproterenol, bradykinin and wortmannin, respectively. We found that cdk5 activity was co-stimulated with PKA by isoproterenol. Sequential activation of PKA (+cdk5), CaM Kinase II and GSK-3 produced hyperphosphorylation of tau at Ser-198/Ser-199/Ser-202, Ser-214, Thr-231/Ser-235, Ser-262, Ser-396/Ser-404 and Ser-422 sites. Like AD P-tau, the P-tau from brain slices bound to normal tau and its binding to tubulin was inhibited. These studies suggest that PKA, cdk5, CaM Kinase II and GSK-3 are involved in the regulation of phosphorylation of tau and that AD-type phosphorylation of tau is probably a product of the synergistic action of two or more of these kinases.