Cited by 410Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsBarrier Structure and Function StudiesCerebrospinal fluid and hydrocephalus

Central role for PICALM in amyloid-β blood-brain barrier transcytosis and clearance

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Zhao, Zhen, Sagare, Abhay P, Ma, Qingyi, Halliday, Matthew R, Kong, Pan, Kisler, Kassandra, Winkler, Ethan A, Ramanathan, Anita +14 more·2015·Nature Neuroscience

Abstract

PICALM is a highly validated genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). We found that reduced expression of PICALM in AD and murine brain endothelium correlated with amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology and cognitive impairment. Moreover, Picalm deficiency diminished Aβ clearance across the murine blood-brain barrier (BBB) and accelerated Aβ pathology in a manner that was reversible by endothelial PICALM re-expression. Using human brain endothelial monolayers, we found that PICALM regulated PICALM/clathrin-dependent internalization of Aβ bound to the low density lipoprotein receptor related protein-1, a key Aβ clearance receptor, and guided Aβ trafficking to Rab5 and Rab11, leading to Aβ endothelial transcytosis and clearance. PICALM levels and Aβ clearance were reduced in AD-derived endothelial monolayers, which was reversible by adenoviral-mediated PICALM transfer. Inducible pluripotent stem cell-derived human endothelial cells carrying the rs3851179 protective allele exhibited higher PICALM levels and enhanced Aβ clearance. Thus, PICALM regulates Aβ BBB transcytosis and clearance, which has implications for Aβ brain homeostasis and clearance therapy.

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Crossref · 10.1038/nn.4025

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  • Aβ catabolism genes RAB5A, RAB11A, CLU, and LRP2 are down-regulated in AD monocytes, suggesting impaired Aβ catabolism in AD monocytes.

    “Similarly, several genes reported to be involved in Aβ catabolism, such as RAB5A, RAB11A, CLU, and LRP2 (49–53), were also down-regulated in AD monocytes, suggesting the impaired Aβ catabolism in AD monocytes.”

    From Understanding monocyte-driven neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s disease using human cortical organoid microphysiological systems (2025) · cites this paper as [51]

    The Results section on Aβ endothelial transcytosis links Rab5 and Rab11 to Aβ trafficking and clearance, supporting their involvement in Aβ handling. It describes transport away from degradation, however, and reports that Rab11b—not Rab11a—was required in brain endothelium; it does not establish CLU or LRP2 involvement in Aβ catabolism. The reported down-regulation in AD monocytes is the citing authors’ observation, not a finding attributed to this source. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • PICALM is enriched in the endothelium of human cerebral vessels including capillaries, but is downregulated in AD patients.

    “PICALM is enriched in the endothelium of human cerebral vessels including capillaries, but is downregulated in AD patients (683).”

    From Blood-Brain Barrier: From Physiology to Disease and Back (2019) · cites this paper as [683]

  • PICALM controls receptor internalization and subsequent intracellular trafficking via R-SNARE-mediated fusion of clathrin-coated vesicles with endosomes.

    “PICALM controls receptor internalization and subsequent intracellular trafficking (683), via R-SNARE-mediated fusion of clathrin-coated vesicles with endosomes (411).”

    From Blood-Brain Barrier: From Physiology to Disease and Back (2019) · cites this paper as [683]

  • LRP1 facilitates clathrin-dependent, receptor-mediated endothelial endocytosis of Aβ at the abluminal membrane of the blood-brain barrier, which requires phosphatidylinositol binding clathrin assembly protein (PICALM).

    “Specifically, LRP1 facilitates clathrin-dependent, receptor-mediated endothelial endocytosis of A 𝛃 at the abluminal membrane of the BBB, which requires phosphatidylinositol binding clathrin assembly protein (PICALM) (683).”

    From Blood-Brain Barrier: From Physiology to Disease and Back (2019) · cites this paper as [683]

  • PICALM guides transendothelial trafficking of endocytotic Aβ-containing vesicles to Rab5, and then to Rab11 small GTPase, leading to exocytosis of Aβ across the luminal membrane of the blood-brain barrier into the blood.

    “PICALM guides transendothelial trafficking of endocytotic A 𝛃 -containing vesicles to Rab5, and then to Rab11 small GTPase leading to exocytosis of A 𝛃 across the luminal membrane of the BBB into the blood (683).”

    From Blood-Brain Barrier: From Physiology to Disease and Back (2019) · cites this paper as [683]

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Authors
Zhao, Z., Sagare, A. P., Ma, Q., Halliday, M. R., Kong, P., Kisler, K., Winkler, E. A., Ramanathan, A., Kanekiyo, T., Bu, G., Owens, N. C., Rege, S. V., Si, G., Ahuja, A., Zhu, D., Miller, C. A., Schneider, J. A., Maeda, M., Maeda, T., Sugawara, T., Ichida, J. K., & Zlokovic, B. V.
Affiliations
  • University of Southern California (US)
  • Mayo Clinic (US)
  • North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (US)
  • Rush University Medical Center (US)
  • Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
Venue
Nature Neuroscience
Published
2015-05-25
Volume
18
Issue
7
Pages
978-987
ISSN
  • 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
  • 1546-1726
OpenAlex
W1516940938
Cited by
410
References
59
Citations by year
2026: 26 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 32 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 36 · 2020: 50 · 2019: 48 · 2018: 50 · 2017: 30 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 14
FWCI
31.19
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • The Scholars Repository - LLU (Loma Linda University) (submittedVersion)
  • Rare & Special e-Zone (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute on Aging (P01AG030128, R01AG039452, R01AG027924, R37AG023084, P50AG005142, RF1AG046205, R37AG23084, R01AG046205, R01AG035355, P50AG016574)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R37NS034467, R00-NS07743, R37NS34467, P01NS074969)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Barrier Structure and Function Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Cerebrospinal fluid and hydrocephalus
Keywords
PICALM, amyloid-beta, blood-brain barrier, transcytosis, amyloid-beta clearance, Alzheimer's disease, brain endothelium, clathrin-mediated endocytosis, LRP1, Rab5, Rab11, cognitive impairment, iPSC-derived endothelial cells, adenoviral gene transfer
MeSH terms
Alzheimer Disease, Animals, Blood-Brain Barrier, Capillaries, Cerebral Cortex, Endothelium, Vascular, Homeostasis, Humans, Metabolic Clearance Rate, Amyloid beta-Peptides, Mice, Knockout, Monomeric Clathrin Assembly Proteins, Pluripotent Stem Cells, Mice, Transcytosis

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