Calcium dysregulation contributes to neurodegeneration in FTLD patient iPSC-derived neurons

Citations Over TimeTop 10% of 2016 papers

Abstract

Mutations in the gene MAPT encoding tau, a microtubules-associated protein, cause a subtype of familial neurodegenerative disorder, known as frontotemporal lobar degeneration tauopathy (FTLD-Tau), which presents with dementia and is characterized by atrophy in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. Although induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology has facilitated the investigation of phenotypes of FTLD-Tau patient neuronal cells in vitro, it remains unclear how FTLD-Tau patient neurons degenerate. Here, we established neuronal models of FTLD-Tau by Neurogenin2-induced direct neuronal differentiation from FTLD-Tau patient iPSCs. We found that FTLD-Tau neurons, either with an intronic MAPT mutation or with an exonic mutation, developed accumulation and extracellular release of misfolded tau followed by neuronal death, which we confirmed by correction of the intronic mutation with CRISPR/Cas9. FTLD-Tau neurons showed dysregulation of the augmentation of Ca2+ transients evoked by electrical stimulation. Chemogenetic or pharmacological control of neuronal activity-relevant Ca2+ influx by the introduction of designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs) or by the treatment with glutamate receptor blockers attenuated misfolded tau accumulation and neuronal death. These data suggest that neuronal activity may regulate neurodegeneration in tauopathy. This FTLD-Tau model provides mechanistic insights into tauopathy pathogenesis and potential avenues for treatments.

Related Papers

• → Evolution of neuronal and glial tau isoforms in chronic traumatic encephalopathy(2020)67 cited
• → Transcriptome analyses of chronic traumatic encephalopathy show alterations in protein phosphatase expression associated with tauopathy(2017)57 cited
• → Evidence for accelerated tauopathy in the retina of transgenic P301S tau mice exposed to repetitive mild traumatic brain injury(2015)37 cited
• → Molecular mechanisms involved in the destabilization of two types of R3–R4 tau fibrils associated with chronic traumatic encephalopathy by Fisetin(2023)5 cited
• → Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy: Is Latency in Symptom Onset Explained by Tau Propagation?(2017)35 cited