Cited by 379Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsNeuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration MechanismsNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research

Astrocytes are important mediators of Aβ-induced neurotoxicity and tau phosphorylation in primary culture

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Garwood, C J, Pooler, A M, Atherton, J, Hanger, D P, Noble, W·2011·Cell Death & Disease

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is pathologically characterised by the age-dependent deposition of β-amyloid (Aβ) in senile plaques, intraneuronal accumulation of tau as neurofibrillary tangles, synaptic dysfunction and neuronal death. Neuroinflammation, typified by the accumulation of activated microglia and reactive astrocytes, is believed to modulate the development and/or progression of AD. We have used primary rat neuronal, astrocytic and mixed cortical cultures to investigate the contribution of astrocyte-mediated inflammatory responses during Aβ-induced neuronal loss. We report that the presence of small numbers of astrocytes exacerbate Aβ-induced neuronal death, caspase-3 activation and the production of caspase-3-cleaved tau. Furthermore, we show that astrocytes are essential for the Aβ-induced tau phosphorylation observed in primary neurons. The release of soluble inflammatory factor(s) from astrocytes accompanies these events, and inhibition of astrocyte activation with the anti-inflammatory agent, minocycline, reduces astrocytic inflammatory responses and the associated neuronal loss. Aβ-induced increases in caspase-3 activation and the production of caspase-3-truncated tau species in neurons were reduced when the astrocytic response was attenuated with minocycline. Taken together, these results show that astrocytes are important mediators of the neurotoxic events downstream of elevated Aβ in models of AD, and suggest that mechanisms underlying pro-inflammatory cytokine release might be an important target for therapy.

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Authors
Garwood, C. J., Pooler, A. M., Atherton, J., Hanger, D. P., & Noble, W.
Affiliations
King's College London (GB)
Corresponding author
Noble, W
Venue
Cell Death & Disease
Published
2011-06-02
Volume
2
Issue
6
Pages
e167-e167
ISSN
2041-4889 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2017666196
Cited by
379
References
42
Citations by year
2026: 18 · 2025: 30 · 2024: 26 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 47 · 2020: 42 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 29 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 19
FWCI
13.52
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cell Death and Disease (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Wellcome Trust
  • Alzheimer's Society
  • Henry Smith Charity
  • Medical Research Council
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
Keywords
astrocytes, amyloid-beta, Alzheimer's disease, neuroinflammation, tau phosphorylation, caspase-3, neuronal cell death, minocycline, inflammatory cytokines, astrocyte activation, neurofibrillary tangles, amyloid plaques
MeSH terms
Animals, Astrocytes, Cells, Cultured, Neurons, Peptide Fragments, Phosphorylation, Amyloid beta-Peptides, tau Proteins, Cell Death, Rats

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