1. A beta 43 aggregates exhibit enhanced prion-like seeding activity in mice
- Author
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Ruiz-Riquelme, Alejandro, Mao, Alison, Barghash, Marim M., Lau, Heather H. C., Stuart, Erica, Kovacs, Gabor G., Nilsson, Peter, Fraser, Paul E., Schmitt-Ulms, Gerold, Watts, Joel C., Ruiz-Riquelme, Alejandro, Mao, Alison, Barghash, Marim M., Lau, Heather H. C., Stuart, Erica, Kovacs, Gabor G., Nilsson, Peter, Fraser, Paul E., Schmitt-Ulms, Gerold, and Watts, Joel C.
- Abstract
When injected into genetically modified mice, aggregates of the amyloid-beta (A beta) peptide from the brains of Alzheimers disease (AD) patients or transgenic AD mouse models seed cerebral A beta deposition in a prion-like fashion. Within the brain, A beta exists as a pool of distinct C-terminal variants with lengths ranging from 37 to 43 amino acids, yet the relative contribution of individual C-terminal A beta variants to the seeding behavior of A beta aggregates remains unknown. Here, we have investigated the relative seeding activities of A beta aggregates composed exclusively of recombinant A beta 38, A beta 40, A beta 42, or A beta 43. Cerebral A beta 42 levels were not increased in App(NL-F) knock-in mice injected with A beta 38 or A beta 40 aggregates and were only increased in a subset of mice injected with A beta 42 aggregates. In contrast, significant accumulation of A beta 42 was observed in the brains of all mice inoculated with A beta 43 aggregates, and the extent of A beta 42 induction was comparable to that in mice injected with brain-derived A beta seeds. Mice inoculated with A beta 43 aggregates exhibited a distinct pattern of cerebral A beta pathology compared to mice injected with brain-derived A beta aggregates, suggesting that recombinant A beta 43 may polymerize into a unique strain. Our results indicate that aggregates containing longer A beta C-terminal variants are more potent inducers of cerebral A beta deposition and highlight the potential role of A beta 43 seeds as a crucial factor in the initial stages of A beta pathology in AD., Funding Agencies|Canadian Institutes of Health ResearchCanadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) [MOP-136899, PJT-173497]; Alzheimer Society Canada/Brain Canada [16-13]; Swedish Research CouncilSwedish Research CouncilEuropean Commission [2016-00748]
- Published
- 2021
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