Perturbed mitochondria-ER contacts in live neurons modelling Alzheimer's disease amyloid pathology

Reports using fixed fibroblasts from familial and sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients indicated upregulated mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum contacts (MERC) as a hallmark of AD. Despite its potential significance, the relevance of these results is limited because they were not extended to live neurons. Here we performed a dynamic in vivo analysis of MERC in hippocampal neurons from McGill-R-Thy1-APP transgenic (Tg) rats, a model of AD-like amyloid pathology. Live FRET imaging in Tg revealed perturbed “lipid-MERC” (gap width