UCL Discovery Stage
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery Stage

APOEε4 associates with microglial activation independently of Aβ plaques and tau tangles

Ferrari-Souza, JP; Lussier, FZ; Leffa, DT; Therriault, J; Tissot, C; Bellaver, B; Ferreira, PCL; ... Pascoal, TA; + view all (2023) APOEε4 associates with microglial activation independently of Aβ plaques and tau tangles. Science Advances , 9 (14) , Article eade1474. 10.1126/sciadv.ade1474. Green open access

[thumbnail of sciadv.ade1474.pdf]
Preview
PDF
sciadv.ade1474.pdf - Published Version

Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

Animal studies suggest that the apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOEε4) allele is a culprit of early microglial activation in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we tested the association between APOEε4 status and microglial activation in living individuals across the aging and AD spectrum. We studied 118 individuals with positron emission tomography for amyloid-β (Aβ; [18F]AZD4694), tau ([18F]MK6240), and microglial activation ([11C]PBR28). We found that APOEε4 carriers presented increased microglial activation relative to noncarriers in early Braak stage regions within the medial temporal cortex accounting for Aβ and tau deposition. Furthermore, microglial activation mediated the Aβ-independent effects of APOEε4 on tau accumulation, which was further associated with neurodegeneration and clinical impairment. The physiological distribution of APOE mRNA expression predicted the patterns of APOEε4-related microglial activation in our population, suggesting that APOE gene expression may regulate the local vulnerability to neuroinflammation. Our results support that the APOEε4 genotype exerts Aβ-independent effects on AD pathogenesis by activating microglia in brain regions associated with early tau deposition.

Type: Article
Title: APOEε4 associates with microglial activation independently of Aβ plaques and tau tangles
Location: United States
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade1474
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ade1474
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © 2023 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License 4.0 (CC BY-NC). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Keywords: Animals, Alzheimer Disease, Amyloid beta-Peptides, Apolipoprotein E4, Brain, Microglia, Plaque, Amyloid, Positron-Emission Tomography, tau Proteins, Temporal Lobe, Apolipoproteins E
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology > Neurodegenerative Diseases
URI: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10168598
Downloads since deposit
1,140Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item