Cited by 689Barrier Structure and Function StudiesAlzheimer's disease research and treatmentsNeurological Disease Mechanisms and Treatments

GLUT1 reductions exacerbate Alzheimer's disease vasculo-neuronal dysfunction and degeneration

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Winkler, Ethan A, Nishida, Yoichiro, Sagare, Abhay P, Rege, Sanket V, Bell, Robert D, Perlmutter, David, Sengillo, Jesse D, Hillman, Sara +12 more·2015·Nature Neuroscience

Abstract

The glucose transporter GLUT1 at the blood-brain barrier (BBB) mediates glucose transport into the brain. Alzheimer's disease is characterized by early reductions in glucose transport associated with diminished GLUT1 expression at the BBB. Whether GLUT1 reduction influences disease pathogenesis remains, however, elusive. Here we show that GLUT1 deficiency in mice overexpressing amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) precursor protein leads to early cerebral microvascular degeneration, blood flow reductions and dysregulation and BBB breakdown, and to accelerated amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) pathology, reduced Aβ clearance, diminished neuronal activity, behavioral deficits, and progressive neuronal loss and neurodegeneration that develop after initial cerebrovascular degenerative changes. We also show that GLUT1 deficiency in endothelium, but not in astrocytes, initiates the vascular phenotype as shown by BBB breakdown. Thus, reduced BBB GLUT1 expression worsens Alzheimer's disease cerebrovascular degeneration, neuropathology and cognitive function, suggesting that GLUT1 may represent a therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease vasculo-neuronal dysfunction and degeneration.

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Crossref · 10.1038/nn.3966

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  • Slc2a1+/- mice with haploid deficiency in glucose transporter GLUT1 in brain endothelial cells develop microvascular reductions with BBB breakdown including loss of TJ and basement membrane proteins.

    “The Slc2a1 + / -mice with haploid deficiency in glucose transporter GLUT1 in brain endothelial cells develop microvascular reductions with BBB breakdown including loss of TJ and basement membrane proteins (649), whereas knockout of murine Mfsd2a gene results in not only diminished brain uptake of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the form of lysophosphatidylcholine, but also leads to dysregulated cave”

    From Blood-Brain Barrier: From Physiology to Disease and Back (2019) · cites this paper as [649]

    The Results sections on microvascular reductions and early BBB breakdown report reduced capillary length, BBB leakage, and loss of tight-junction proteins in Slc2a1+/− mice, although the microvascular reductions in those mice appeared only at 6 months. The paper also shows that endothelial-specific GLUT1 deficiency causes BBB breakdown, but Slc2a1+/− is a global deficiency, not one confined to endothelial cells. The passages found do not support the claimed loss of basement-membrane proteins (no page numbers are available in our copy). (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Glucose concentration is lower in brain interstitial fluid compared with plasma.

    “Since glucose concentration is lower in the brain interstitial fluid (ISF) compared with plasma, GLUT1 favors blood-to-brain transport of circulating glucose (141, 390, 649).”

    From Blood-Brain Barrier: From Physiology to Disease and Back (2019) · cites this paper as [649]

    The Introduction says GLUT1 mediates glucose transport into the brain. The Results report CSF glucose levels and CSF-to-blood glucose ratios in mice, but do not compare brain interstitial-fluid glucose concentration with plasma glucose concentration. Thus the transport portion of the citing sentence is supported, while its stated concentration gradient is not established by this paper. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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  • Glut1+/- mice phenocopy human pathology and develop initially within 2-3 weeks of age blood-brain barrier breakdown with loss of tight junctions and diminished glucose uptake by the brain, followed by microvascular regression, reduced brain perfusion, secondary neurodegenerative changes, microcephaly, and loss of cortical and hippocampal neurons.

    “Glut1 + / -mice phenocopy human pathology, and develop initially within 2-3 wk of age BBB breakdown with loss of tight junctions and diminished glucose uptake by the brain, which is followed by microvascular regression, reduced brain perfusion and development of secondary neurodegenerative changes, microcephaly, and loss of cortical and hippocampal neurons (649).”

    From Blood-Brain Barrier: From Physiology to Disease and Back (2019) · cites this paper as [649]

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  • Experimental studies support diminished transport of 14C-labeled glucose across the BBB in haploinsufficient Slc2a1+/- mice lacking approximately 50% copies of the GLUT1 BBB transporter.

    “Experimental studies also support diminished transport of 14 C-labeled glucose across the BBB in haploinsufficient Slc2a1 + / -mice lacking ~50% copies of the GLUT1 BBB transporter (649).”

    From Blood-Brain Barrier: From Physiology to Disease and Back (2019) · cites this paper as [649]

    The Results section (‘Microvascular reductions and diminished cerebral blood flow and glucose uptake’) reports reduced brain uptake of 2-[14C]-deoxyglucose in Slc2a1+/− mice and interprets it as suggesting reduced glucose transport across the BBB. It measured uptake of a labeled glucose analog, however, not transport of labeled glucose itself; the same section reports approximately 50% lower endothelial GLUT1 levels. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Reduced activity and expression of the GLUT-1 transporter in the BBB suggest decreased glucose uptake and utilization by the brain, which may further exacerbate cerebrovascular degeneration, BBB breakdown, and Aβ pathology in models overexpressing APP, inducing neurodegeneration and cognitive deficits.

    “Reduced activity and expression of the GLUT-1 transporter in the BBB suggest decreased glucose uptake and utilization by the brain,360,363 which may further exacerbate cerebrovascular degeneration, BBB breakdown, and Aβ pathology in models overexpressing APP, inducing neurodegeneration and cognitive deficits (Fig. 4).364”

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Authors
Winkler, E. A., Nishida, Y., Sagare, A. P., Rege, S. V., Bell, R. D., Perlmutter, D., Sengillo, J. D., Hillman, S., Kong, P., Nelson, A. R., Sullivan, J. S., Zhao, Z., Meiselman, H. J., Wenby, R. B., Soto, J., Abel, E. D., Makshanoff, J., Zuniga, E., De Vivo, D. C., & Zlokovic, B. V.
Affiliations
  • University of Southern California (US)
  • Tokyo Medical and Dental University (JP)
  • University of Rochester Medicine (US)
  • University of Iowa (US)
Venue
Nature Neuroscience
Published
2015-03-02
Volume
18
Issue
4
Pages
521-530
ISSN
  • 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
  • 1546-1726
OpenAlex
W1974266381
Cited by
689
References
63
Citations by year
2026: 65 · 2025: 72 · 2024: 65 · 2023: 62 · 2022: 79 · 2021: 78 · 2020: 62 · 2019: 49 · 2018: 52 · 2017: 47 · 2016: 38 · 2015: 20
FWCI
27.97
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • University of Southern California
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute on Aging (R01AG023084, R01AG039452, R37AG023084, AG039452, RF1AG039452, AG023084)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (U01HL087947)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (R01DK092065)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS034467, R37NS034467, R01NS034467)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Barrier Structure and Function Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neurological Disease Mechanisms and Treatments
Keywords
GLUT1, Alzheimer's disease, blood-brain barrier, brain endothelium, amyloid-beta, amyloid-beta clearance, glucose transport, neurodegeneration, cerebrovascular dysfunction, cognitive impairment, therapeutic target
MeSH terms
Alzheimer Disease, Animals, Blood-Brain Barrier, Cerebrovascular Circulation, Disease Models, Animal, Endothelium, Vascular, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Transgenic, Amyloid beta-Peptides, Glucose Transporter Type 1, Mice

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