Cited by 541Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsNeuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration MechanismsAmyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research

LRP1 is a master regulator of tau uptake and spread

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Rauch, Jennifer N., Luna, Gabriel, Guzman, Elmer, Audouard, Morgane, Challis, Collin, Sibih, Youssef E., Leshuk, Carolina, Hernandez, Israel +5 more·2020·Nature

Abstract

The spread of protein aggregates during disease progression is a common theme underlying many neurodegenerative diseases. The microtubule-associated protein tau has a central role in the pathogenesis of several forms of dementia known as tauopathies-including Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy 1. Progression of these diseases is characterized by the sequential spread and deposition of protein aggregates in a predictable pattern that correlates with clinical severity 2. This observation and complementary experimental studies 3,4 have suggested that tau can spread in a prion-like manner, by passing to naive cells in which it templates misfolding and aggregation. However, although the propagation of tau has been extensively studied, the underlying cellular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here we show that the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) controls the endocytosis of tau and its subsequent spread. Knockdown of LRP1 significantly reduced tau uptake in H4 neuroglioma cells and in induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons. The interaction between tau and LRP1 is mediated by lysine residues in the microtubule-binding repeat region of tau. Furthermore, downregulation of LRP1 in an in vivo mouse model of tau spread was found to effectively reduce the propagation of tau between neurons. Our results identify LRP1 as a key regulator of tau spread in the brain, and therefore a potential target for the treatment of diseases that involve tau spread and aggregation.

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Crossref · 10.1038/s41586-020-2156-5

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  • APOE binding is integral to some processes involving lipoprotein receptors, including Aβ aggregation and neuronal uptake of extracellular tau.

    “Studies indicate that APOE binding is integral to some of these processes [16–20] with differences in APOE isoform-specific receptor binding affinity and lipid interactions affecting neuroinflammation, tau pathology, and amyloid plaque dynamics [21–24].”

    From APOE Christchurch enhances a disease-associated microglial response to plaque but suppresses response to tau pathology (2025) · cites this paper as [20]

    The Results (page not available) report that ApoE-containing medium reduced extracellular tau uptake in H4 neuroglioma cells and that LRP1 regulates tau uptake in neurons. They also discuss ApoE4-dependent Aβ pathology, but do not establish an effect on Aβ aggregation or test ApoE’s effect on tau uptake specifically in neurons. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • APOE and APOE3Ch influence both Aβ and tau pathology, either directly or through downstream effects such as neuroinflammation.

    “Collectively, these recent findings underscore the influence of APOE and APOE3Ch on both Aβ and tau pathology, either directly or through downstream effects such as neuroinflammation.”

    From APOE Christchurch enhances a disease-associated microglial response to plaque but suppresses response to tau pathology (2025) · cites this paper as [20]

    The Results (page not supplied) state that ApoE4 has been shown to exacerbate Aβ pathology and worsen tau pathology, and report that ApoE-containing medium reduced tau uptake. The copy does not address APOE3Ch or identify neuroinflammation as a downstream mechanism for these effects. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Mammalian expression systems retain physiologically relevant secretory, folding and post-translational modification mechanisms.

    “Mammalian expression systems retain physiologically relevant secretory, folding and post-translational modification mechanisms, but column-purified recombinant ApoE is invariably prepared as apoprotein.22–25”

    From ApoE is Secreted as a Lipid Nanoparticle by Mammalian Cells: Implications for Alzheimer’s Disease Pathogenesis (2025) · cites this paper as [24]

    The Methods (Cell Culture; page unavailable) report that HEK293T cells expressed ApoE and that ApoE was detected in their conditioned medium, supporting secretion from a mammalian expression system. The paper does not establish that such systems retain physiologically relevant folding or post-translational modification mechanisms. (LLM, conf=0.78)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • ApoE in general reduces LRP1-mediated tau uptake by neurons and propagation.

    “it has been observed that ApoE in general reduces LRP1-mediated tau uptake by neurons and propagation [52]”

    From Apoe4 and Alzheimer’s Disease Pathogenesis—Mitochondrial Deregulation and Targeted Therapeutic Strategies (2023) · cites this paper as [52]

    The Results report that ApoE-conditioned medium significantly reduced full-length tau uptake in H4 cells, and suggest that ApoE could inhibit tau–LRP1 interactions and suppress tau spread. The ApoE uptake experiment was not performed in neurons, and the paper does not report a direct test of ApoE's effect on tau propagation; those parts of the claim overstate the evidence. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • LRP1 has been shown to mediate tau uptake in vitro and drastically increase the propagation of the P301L human tau protein expressed by an AAV virus in vivo.

    “The other primary apoE metabolic receptor, LRP1, has been shown to mediate tau uptake in vitro and drastically increase the propagation of the P301L human tau protein expressed by an AAV virus in vivo (Rauch et al., 2020)”

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Authors
Rauch, J. N., Luna, G., Guzman, E., Audouard, M., Challis, C., Sibih, Y. E., Leshuk, C., Hernandez, I., Wegmann, S., Hyman, B. T., Gradinaru, V., Kampmann, M., & Kosik, K. S.
Affiliations
  • University of California, Santa Barbara (US)
  • California Institute of Technology (US)
  • German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DE)
  • Harvard University (US)
  • QB3 (US)
Corresponding author
Kosik, Kenneth S.
Venue
Nature
Published
2020-04-01
Volume
580
Issue
7803
Pages
381-385
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W3014222043
Cited by
541
References
34
Citations by year
2026: 58 · 2025: 85 · 2024: 93 · 2023: 90 · 2022: 73 · 2021: 85 · 2020: 57
FWCI
45.85
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (acceptedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
  • CaltechAUTHORS (California Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DZNE Pub (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Larry L. Hillblom Foundation
  • Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Medical Research Foundation
  • Edward N. and Della L. Thome Memorial Foundation
  • Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen
  • National Institutes of Health (1r56ag057528-01a1)
  • University of California, Santa Barbara
  • National Institute on Aging (R56AG062479, R01AG023100, R56 AG057528, RF1AG059789, K99AG064116, R01AG062359, P30AG062421)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (DP2GM119139)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (U54NS100717)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research
Keywords
LRP1, tau protein, tau spread, tauopathy, Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, prion-like propagation, endocytosis, lysine residues, microtubule-binding repeats, neurodegeneration, iPSC-derived neurons
MeSH terms
Animals, Cell Line, Endocytosis, Female, Humans, Ligands, Male, Neurons, tau Proteins, Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein-1, Mice

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