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APOE ε2 is associated with increased tau pathology in primary tauopathy
Open accessAbstract
Apolipoprotein E ( APOE ) ε4 allele is the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease mainly by modulating amyloid-β pathology. APOE ε4 is also shown to exacerbate neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation in a tau transgenic mouse model. To further evaluate the association of APOE genotype with the presence and severity of tau pathology, we express human tau via an adeno-associated virus gene delivery approach in human APOE targeted replacement mice. We find increased hyperphosphorylated tau species, tau aggregates, and behavioral abnormalities in mice expressing APOE ε2/ε2. We also show that in humans, the APOE ε2 allele is associated with increased tau pathology in the brains of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) cases. Finally, we identify an association between the APOE ε2/ε2 genotype and risk of tauopathies using two series of pathologically-confirmed cases of PSP and corticobasal degeneration. Our data together suggest APOE ε2 status may influence the risk and progression of tauopathy.
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“This is especially critical after a recent study in the preclinical literature demonstrated APOE2 expression via viral delivery exacerbated pathology in tauopathy mice (Zhao et al., 2018).”
From Alzheimer Disease: An Update on Pathobiology and Treatment Strategies (2019) · cites this paper as Zhao et al., 2018
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“One study found that the APOEε2 allele is associated with increased odds of neuropathologically confirmed primary tauopathy (PSP and corticobasal degeneration)66.”
From Multifaceted roles of APOE in Alzheimer disease (2024) · cites this paper as [66]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Furthermore, the APOE ε2 allele was associated with increased tau pathology in the brains of human progressive supranuclear palsy, a primary tauopathy.”
From Deletion of neuronal Idol ameliorates Alzheimer's disease–related pathologies via APOE receptors (2025) · cites this paper as [71]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
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“For example, APOE2 mice exhibited more tau pathology, compared to APOE3 and APOE4 mice, and behavioral abnormalities in a tauopathy model.”
From Deletion of neuronal Idol ameliorates Alzheimer's disease–related pathologies via APOE receptors (2025) · cites this paper as [71]
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“ApoE can also affect tauopathy and tau-mediated neurodegeneration (Brecht et al., 2004; Shi and Holtzman, 2018; Zhao et al., 2018).”
From Selective removal of astrocytic APOE4 strongly protects against tau-mediated neurodegeneration and decreases synaptic phagocytosis by microglia (2021) · cites this paper as Zhao et al., 2018
In the citing paper
“Studies have shown that hyperphosphorylated tau species, tau aggregates and behavioral abnormalities were observed in APOE ε2/ε2 mice [471].”
From Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (2020) · cites this paper as [471]
In the citing paper
“In addition, APOE ε2 is also associated with increased pathological tau levels in the presence of amyloid [471, 472].”
From Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (2020) · cites this paper as [471]
In the citing paper
“A recent study failed to replicate the neurotoxic effect of ApoE4 in tauopathy mice.”
From Alzheimer Disease: An Update on Pathobiology and Treatment Strategies (2019) · cites this paper as Zhao et al., 2018
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Citations
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Self-citation
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Metadata
- Authors
- Zhao, N., Liu, C.-C., Van Ingelgom, A. J., Linares, C., Kurti, A., Knight, J. A., Heckman, M. G., Diehl, N. N., Shinohara, M., Martens, Y. A., Attrebi, O. N., Petrucelli, L., Fryer, J. D., Wszolek, Z. K., Graff-Radford, N. R., Caselli, R. J., Sanchez-Contreras, M. Y., Rademakers, R., Murray, M. E., Koga, S., Dickson, D. W., Ross, O. A., & Bu, G.
- Affiliations
- Mayo Clinic (US)
- Mayo Clinic in Florida (US)
- Corresponding author
- Liu, Chia-Chen
- Bu, Guojun
- ORCID
- Venue
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2018-10-22
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 4388-4388
- ISSN
- 2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6197187
- OpenAlex
- W2897709706
- Cited by
- 139
- References
- 59
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 11.35
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Nature Communications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Rare & Special e-Zone (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute on Aging (R01AG046205, R37AG027924, RF1AG051504, P50AG016574)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Clinical Neurology › Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments
- Keywords
- APOE ε2, apolipoprotein E, tau pathology, primary tauopathies, progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, tau hyperphosphorylation, tau aggregates, AAV gene delivery, genetic risk, neurodegeneration, behavioral abnormalities
- MeSH terms
- Alleles, Alzheimer Disease, Animals, Humans, Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive, Disease Progression, Tauopathies, Mice, Apolipoprotein E4, Apolipoprotein E2
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