Cited by 1,220Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsNeuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration MechanismsDementia and Cognitive Impairment Research

ApoE4 markedly exacerbates tau-mediated neurodegeneration in a mouse model of tauopathy

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Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, Shi, Yang, Yamada, Kaoru, Liddelow, Shane Antony, Smith, Scott T., Zhao, Lingzhi, Luo, Wenjie, Tsai, Richard M. +26 more·2017·Nature

Abstract

APOE4 is the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer disease. ApoE4 increases brain amyloid-β pathology relative to other ApoE isoforms. However, whether APOE independently influences tau pathology, the other major proteinopathy of Alzheimer disease and other tauopathies, or tau-mediated neurodegeneration, is not clear. By generating P301S tau transgenic mice on either a human ApoE knock-in (KI) or ApoE knockout (KO) background, here we show that P301S/E4 mice have significantly higher tau levels in the brain and a greater extent of somatodendritic tau redistribution by three months of age compared with P301S/E2, P301S/E3, and P301S/EKO mice. By nine months of age, P301S mice with different ApoE genotypes display distinct phosphorylated tau protein (p-tau) staining patterns. P301S/E4 mice develop markedly more brain atrophy and neuroinflammation than P301S/E2 and P301S/E3 mice, whereas P301S/EKO mice are largely protected from these changes. In vitro, E4-expressing microglia exhibit higher innate immune reactivity after lipopolysaccharide treatment. Co-culturing P301S tau-expressing neurons with E4-expressing mixed glia results in a significantly higher level of tumour-necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) secretion and markedly reduced neuronal viability compared with neuron/E2 and neuron/E3 co-cultures. Neurons co-cultured with EKO glia showed the greatest viability with the lowest level of secreted TNF-α. Treatment of P301S neurons with recombinant ApoE (E2, E3, E4) also leads to some neuronal damage and death compared with the absence of ApoE, with ApoE4 exacerbating the effect. In individuals with a sporadic primary tauopathy, the presence of an ε4 allele is associated with more severe regional neurodegeneration. In individuals who are positive for amyloid-β pathology with symptomatic Alzheimer disease who usually have tau pathology, ε4-carriers demonstrate greater rates of disease progression. Our results demonstrate that ApoE affects tau pathogenesis, neuroinflammation, and tau-mediated neurodegeneration independently of amyloid-β pathology. ApoE4 exerts a 'toxic' gain of function whereas the absence of ApoE is protective.

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  • Early p-Tau staining types 1 and 2 were enriched in PS19-E3 mice.

    “The early p-Tau staining types 1 and 2 were enriched in PS19-E3 mice (Fig. 1h), as seen previously7.”

    From The APOE-R136S mutation protects against APOE4-driven tau pathology, neurodegeneration, and neuroinflammation (2023) · cites this paper as [7]

    The paper’s discussion of p-tau staining patterns (section labeled Abstract; page unavailable) says types 1 and 2 were enriched in TEKO mice, not TE3 mice, and type 4 was enriched in TE4 mice. It describes these patterns in 9-month-old mice; it does not identify types 1 and 2 as early-age staining. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • APOE4 reduces the phagocytosis ability of glial cells, enhances microglia proinflammatory activation by Aβ plaques or tau aggregates, and promotes neurodegeneration in mouse models.

    “In addition, APOE4 was found to reduce the phagocytosis ability of glial cells, enhance microglia proinflammatory activation by Aβ plaques or tau aggregates and promote neurodegeneration in the mouse models.176,177”

    From Role of neuroinflammation in neurodegeneration development (2023) · cites this paper as [176]

    The paper’s Abstract reports greater microglial proinflammatory activation and neurodegeneration in ApoE4 mice with P301S tau pathology. It does not establish reduced glial phagocytosis or show that Aβ plaques trigger the reported activation; its cultured-microglia stimulation experiment used LPS. The paper also treats a direct inflammatory effect of particular tau patterns as a possibility, not a demonstrated response to tau aggregates. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Previous studies demonstrated that deletion of Apoe and overexpression of Ldlr can reduce tau-associated neurodegeneration.

    “previous studies have demonstrated that deletion of Apoe and overexpression of Ldlr can reduce tau‐associated neurodegeneration.”

    From Deletion of neuronal <i>Idol</i> ameliorates Alzheimer's disease–related pathologies via APOE receptors (2025) · cites this paper as [75]

    The paper’s concluding discussion (listed under Abstract in our copy; no page given) says that absence of ApoE was strongly neuroprotective in the context of tau pathology. The passages do not report that Ldlr overexpression reduces tau-associated neurodegeneration; a search for LDLR found no relevant passage. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • In previous studies, brain regions of P301S: APOE4-KI mice demonstrate marked neurodegeneration compared to P301S: APOE3-KI mice at 9.5 months of age.

    “In previous studies, brain regions of P301S: APOE4 -KI mice demonstrate marked neurodegeneration compared to P301S: APOE3 -KI mice at 9.5 months of age, although the MGnD phenotype was similar between the two groups 12,21 .”

    From APOE4 impairs the microglial response in Alzheimer’s disease by inducing TGFβ-mediated checkpoints (2023) · cites this paper as [21]

    The paper reports significantly more brain atrophy in P301S/E4 than P301S/E3 mice, particularly in the hippocampus, piriform/entorhinal cortex, and amygdala. The reported comparison is at 9 months, not the claimed 9.5 months (main text, page unavailable). (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Sample sizes were justified by prior publications using APP/PS1 and P301S mouse models that provided estimates of expected effect sizes and variance.

    “Sample sizes were chosen based on prior publications using the APP/PS1 and P301S mouse models, which provided estimations of expected effect sizes and variance.”

    From APOE4 impairs the microglial response in Alzheimer’s disease by inducing TGFβ-mediated checkpoints (2023) · cites this paper as Shi et al., 2017

    The Methods > Animals passage says sample sizes were chosen using estimates to provide 80% power to detect differences of 20% or greater. It does not say those estimates came from prior APP/PS1 or P301S publications, or specify estimates of variance. No page number is available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Authors
Initiative, A. D. N., Shi, Y., Yamada, K., Liddelow, S. A., Smith, S. T., Zhao, L., Luo, W., Tsai, R. M., Spina, S., Grinberg, L. T., Rojas, J. C., Gallardo, G., Wang, K., Roh, J., Robinson, G., Finn, M. B., Jiang, H., Sullivan, P. M., Baufeld, C., Wood, M. W., Sutphen, C., McCue, L., Xiong, C., Del-Aguila, J. L., Morris, J. C., Cruchaga, C., Fagan, A. M., Miller, B. L., Boxer, A. L., Seeley, W. W., Butovsky, O., Barres, B. A., Paul, S. M., & Holtzman, D. M.
Affiliations
  • Washington University in St. Louis (US)
  • Stanford Medicine (US)
  • Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
  • Cornell University (US)
  • University of California, San Francisco (US)
  • Voyager Therapeutics (United States) (US)
Corresponding author
Holtzman, David M.
Venue
Nature
Published
2017-09
Volume
549
Issue
7673
Pages
523-527
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W2756959977
Cited by
1,220
References
29
Citations by year
2026: 105 · 2025: 147 · 2024: 134 · 2023: 156 · 2022: 141 · 2021: 156 · 2020: 149 · 2019: 126 · 2018: 90 · 2017: 12 · 2012: 1
FWCI
76.46
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
  • DukeSpace (Duke University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
  • U.S. Department of Defense (U01 AG024904, AG024904)
  • Eli Lilly and Company (U01 AG024904, AG024904, W81XWH-12-2-0012)
  • AstraZeneca
  • GlaxoSmithKline
  • Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (W81XWH-12-2–0012, U01AG024904, AG024904, W81XWH-12-2-)
  • Cure Alzheimer's Fund
  • Multiple Sclerosis Society (5092A1)
  • National Institutes of Health (5u01ag024904-10, W81XWH-12-2-0012, AG023501, U01-AG024904, AG019724, AG05681, NS090934, AG024904, AG 03991, AG026276)
  • Genentech (W81XWH-12-2-0012, AG024904, U01 AG024904)
  • National Institute on Aging (U01-AG-024904, K08AG052648, K23AG055688, R01AG051812, P50AG005681, P01AG003991, RF1AG047644, R01AG038791, R01AG054672, P01AG019724, U19AG024904, P01AG026276, P50AG023501)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (K01NS096719, U54NS092089, R01NS090934, R01NS088137, RF1NS090934)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
Keywords
APOE ε4, tauopathy, P301S tau transgenic mice, neuroinflammation, apolipoprotein E deficiency, TNF-α, neuronal viability, tau phosphorylation, brain atrophy, gain-of-function
MeSH terms
Alleles, Animals, Cell Survival, Disease Models, Animal, Genotype, Humans, Immunity, Innate, Inflammation, Mice, Transgenic, Neurons, Phosphoproteins, Phosphorylation, Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha, tau Proteins, Microglia, Mice, Knockout, Disease Progression, Coculture Techniques, Tauopathies, Mice, Apolipoprotein E4, Gene Knock-In Techniques

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