Cited by 504Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsAutophagy in Disease and TherapyNeuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 89 of the 90 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 59 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

LC3-Associated Endocytosis Facilitates β-Amyloid Clearance and Mitigates Neurodegeneration in Murine Alzheimer’s Disease

Open access

Abstract

SUMMARY The expression of some proteins in the autophagy pathway decline with age, which may impact neurodegeneration in diseases, including Alzheimer’s Disease. We have identified a novel non-canonical function of several autophagy proteins in the conjugation of LC3 to Rab5+, clathrin+ endosomes containing β-amyloid in a process of LC3-associated endocytosis (LANDO). We found that LANDO in microglia is a critical regulator of immune-mediated aggregate removal and microglial activation in a murine model of AD. Mice lacking LANDO but not canonical autophagy in the myeloid compartment or specifically in microglia have a robust increase in pro-inflammatory cytokine production in the hippocampus and increased levels of neurotoxic β-amyloid. This inflammation and β-amyloid deposition was associated with reactive microgliosis and tau hyperphosphorylation. LANDO-deficient AD mice displayed accelerated neurodegeneration, impaired neuronal signaling, and memory deficits. Our data support a protective role for LANDO in microglia in neurodegenerative pathologies resulting from β-amyloid deposition.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

The paper identifies LC3-associated endocytosis (LANDO), a non-canonical autophagy-protein-dependent process in microglia that conjugates LC3 to Rab5+/clathrin+ endosomes containing β-amyloid and supports recycling of Aβ receptors. Loss of LANDO, but not canonical autophagy, exacerbates Aβ deposition, neuroinflammation, tau pathology, neurodegeneration, and memory deficits in 5xFAD mice.

Key findings

  • LANDO requires ATG5 and Rubicon, but not FIP200, for LC3 recruitment to Aβ-containing endosomes; ATG5- or Rubicon-deficient BV2 microglia showed reduced LC3 recruitment and membrane-associated LC3, while FIP200 deficiency did not.
  • In 4-month-old 5xFAD mice, myeloid ATG5 deficiency and global or microglia-specific Rubicon deficiency increased hippocampal and cortical Aβ plaque number/size, pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL-1β, IL-6), reactive microgliosis, and tau hyperphosphorylation; myeloid or microglial FIP200 deficiency had no effect.
  • LANDO-deficient cells showed impaired secondary Aβ uptake and abrogated recycling of CD36, TLR4, and TREM2, while primary Aβ uptake, Aβ degradation, endosome maturation, and lysosome association were unaffected.
  • LANDO-deficient 5xFAD mice displayed accelerated neurodegeneration: reduced NeuN+ hippocampal neurons, increased cleaved-caspase 3 in CA3, impaired hippocampal synaptic transmission and LTP, and behavioral/memory deficits; Rubicon-deficient mice showed anhedonia as young as 2.5 months and approximately 50% sucrose preference by 4 months.

Methods

  • Murine AD model: 5xFAD mice crossed with myeloid LysM-Cre conditional FIP200 or ATG5, germline Rubicon−/−, or CX3CR1-creERT2 conditional Rubicon/FIP200; experiments used mixed-sex cohorts at 4 months unless noted, on >97% C57BL/6J background.
  • Cell and biochemical assays: BV2 microglia, RAW264.7 macrophages, primary BMDMs and microglia; CRISPR/Cas9 knockouts, GFP-LC3, oligomeric Aβ1-42, microscopy, flow cytometry, immunoblot, qPCR, ELISA, pH-rodo maturation, receptor recycling, Aβ uptake, electrophysiology, and behavior (sucrose preference, Y-maze, novel object recognition).
  • Statistics: GraphPad Prism 7.0, powered to at least 0.8 by G*Power, significance at p < 0.05.

Limitations

  • Stated: the 5xFAD models cannot fully exclude a role for infiltrating peripheral monocytes in Aβ clearance and neuroinflammation; CX3CR1-creERT2 transient ablation may not completely exclude Rubicon-deficient peripheral monocytes entering the brain before reconstitution.
  • Stated: the receptor-recycling assay does not evaluate LANDO’s role in receptor degradation or other endosome-trafficking perturbations, and altered receptor signaling could promote cytokine expression; the authors also cannot formally exclude LAP functions in Aβ clearance/response in vivo.
  • Evident from the text: findings are based on murine 5xFAD models and cultured cell systems, with no human validation reported; the authors also note tamoxifen may reduce Aβ oligomerization as a possible confound in MG-cre animals.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.cell.2019.05.056

Cites

89 of 89 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

0 of 59 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

Show all 57 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 48
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 26
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 1
68 of 68
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    BV2 murine microglial cells are a valid model of primary microglia for studying LANDO and Aβ responses.

    “we engineered BV2 murine microglial cells expressing GFP-LC3 that are deficient in FIP200, ATG5, or Rubicon using CRISPR/Cas9 (Fig. S2A).”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The 5xFAD mouse model is a well-characterized model of Aβ aggregate deposition and Alzheimer's disease.

    “We employed a well-characterized model of Aβ aggregate deposition, the 5xFAD AD mouse model with genetic manipulation of our target autophagy-related genes.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The behavioral tests used are well-characterized and known to be affected at late stages in the 5xFAD model.

    “We therefore subjected mice to a variety of well-characterized behavioral tests known to be affected at late stages in the 5xFAD model.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The commercially available antibodies for CD36, TLR4, and TREM2 used in the recycling experiments are validated and specific.

    “Furthermore, validated commercially available antibodies for CD36, TLR4, and TREM2 were used for all recycling experiments.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Latrunculin A inhibits phagocytosis but not endocytosis, allowing delineation between the two processes.

    “To delineate between phagocytosis and endocytosis, cells were treated as indicated with the phagocytic inhibitor latrunculin A.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Zymosan is a specific control substrate for phagocytosis and dextran is a specific control substrate for endocytosis.

    “The following control substrates were used, zymosan (phagocytosis) and dextran (endocytosis)”
6 of 6

Claims other papers make about this one

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Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Conflicting sources for BV2 cells

    Minor

    The key resources table lists Washington University as the source of BV2 microglia, but the methods state that the BV2 cells were obtained from ATCC.

1 of 1

Citations

Cites

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Metadata

Authors
Heckmann, B. L., Teubner, B. J. W., Tummers, B., Boada-Romero, E., Harris, L., Yang, M., Guy, C. S., Zakharenko, S. S., & Green, D. R.
Affiliations
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (US)
Corresponding author
Green, Douglas R.
Venue
Cell
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2019-07
Volume
178
Issue
3
Pages
536-551.e14
ISSN
0092-8674 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2953948138
Cited by
503
References
90
Citations by year
2026: 42 · 2025: 77 · 2024: 73 · 2023: 71 · 2022: 82 · 2021: 76 · 2020: 65 · 2019: 16
FWCI
40.96
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cell (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • Lupus Research Alliance
  • American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities
  • National Institutes of Health (AI138492, AI40646, CA231423, CA231620)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Autophagy in Disease and Therapy
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
Keywords
Lando, Alzheimer's disease, amyloid-beta clearance, microglia, autophagy, neuroinflammation, reactive microgliosis, tau hyperphosphorylation, neurodegeneration, memory impairment, inflammatory cytokines
MeSH terms
RAW 264.7 Cells, Autophagy-Related Proteins, Autophagy-Related Protein 5, Alzheimer Disease, Animals, Disease Models, Animal, Endocytosis, Hippocampus, Membrane Glycoproteins, Mice, Transgenic, Microtubule-Associated Proteins, Receptors, Immunologic, Cytokines, Amyloid beta-Peptides, Microglia, CD36 Antigens, Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins, Toll-Like Receptor 4, Mice

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