Microglia-derived ASC specks cross-seed amyloid-β in Alzheimer's disease

C Venegas, S Kumar, BS Franklin, T Dierkes… - Nature, 2017 - nature.com
C Venegas, S Kumar, BS Franklin, T Dierkes, R Brinkschulte, D Tejera, A Vieira-Saecker…
Nature, 2017nature.com
The spreading of pathology within and between brain areas is a hallmark of
neurodegenerative disorders. In patients with Alzheimer's disease, deposition of amyloid-β
is accompanied by activation of the innate immune system and involves inflammasome-
dependent formation of ASC specks in microglia. ASC specks released by microglia bind
rapidly to amyloid-β and increase the formation of amyloid-β oligomers and aggregates,
acting as an inflammation-driven cross-seed for amyloid-β pathology. Here we show that …
Abstract
The spreading of pathology within and between brain areas is a hallmark of neurodegenerative disorders. In patients with Alzheimer’s disease, deposition of amyloid-β is accompanied by activation of the innate immune system and involves inflammasome-dependent formation of ASC specks in microglia. ASC specks released by microglia bind rapidly to amyloid-β and increase the formation of amyloid-β oligomers and aggregates, acting as an inflammation-driven cross-seed for amyloid-β pathology. Here we show that intrahippocampal injection of ASC specks resulted in spreading of amyloid-β pathology in transgenic double-mutant APPSwePSEN1dE9 mice. By contrast, homogenates from brains of APPSwePSEN1dE9 mice failed to induce seeding and spreading of amyloid-β pathology in ASC-deficient APPSwePSEN1dE9 mice. Moreover, co-application of an anti-ASC antibody blocked the increase in amyloid-β pathology in APPSwePSEN1dE9 mice. These findings support the concept that inflammasome activation is connected to seeding and spreading of amyloid-β pathology in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
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