Cited by 84Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration MechanismsNeurological Disease Mechanisms and TreatmentsAlzheimer's disease research and treatments

Neurons burdened by DNA double-strand breaks incite microglia activation through antiviral-like signaling in neurodegeneration

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Welch, Gwyneth M., Boix, Carles A., Schmauch, Eloi, Davila-Velderrain, Jose, Victor, Matheus B., Dileep, Vishnu, Bozzelli, P. Lorenzo, Su, Qiao +6 more·2022·Science Advances

Published version of a preprint

Abstract

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are linked to neurodegeneration and senescence. However, it is not clear how DSB-bearing neurons influence neuroinflammation associated with neurodegeneration. Here, we characterize DSB-bearing neurons from the CK-p25 mouse model of neurodegeneration using single-nucleus, bulk, and spatial transcriptomic techniques. DSB-bearing neurons enter a late-stage DNA damage response marked by nuclear factor κB (NFκB)–activated senescent and antiviral immune pathways. In humans, Alzheimer’s disease pathology is closely associated with immune activation in excitatory neurons. Spatial transcriptomics reveal that regions of CK-p25 brain tissue dense with DSB-bearing neurons harbor signatures of inflammatory microglia, which is ameliorated by NFκB knockdown in neurons. Inhibition of NFκB in DSB-bearing neurons also reduces microglia activation in organotypic mouse brain slice culture. In conclusion, DSBs activate immune pathways in neurons, which in turn adopt a senescence-associated secretory phenotype to elicit microglia activation. These findings highlight a previously unidentified role for neurons in the mechanism of disease-associated neuroinflammation.

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  • In the CK-p25 model of neurodegeneration, neurons progress through an initial step with increased DSBs (Step 1) to a later step enriched for gene fusions and structural variation and marked by senescence genes (Step 2).

    “In the CK-p25 model of neurodegeneration, neurons progress through an initial step with increased DSBs (Step 1) to a later step enriched for gene fusions and structural variation and marked by senescence genes (Step 2)”

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Authors
Welch, G. M., Boix, C. A., Schmauch, E., Davila-Velderrain, J., Victor, M. B., Dileep, V., Bozzelli, P. L., Su, Q., Cheng, J. D., Lee, A., Leary, N. S., Pfenning, A. R., Kellis, M., & Tsai, L.-H.
Affiliations
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
  • MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (US)
  • Broad Institute (US)
  • Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
  • Carnegie Mellon University (US)
Corresponding author
Tsai, Li-Huei
Venue
Science Advances
Published
2022-09-30
Volume
8
Issue
39
Pages
eabo4662-eabo4662
ISSN
2375-2548 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4297502055
Cited by
84
References
102
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 1
FWCI
6.58
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc
Locations
  • Science Advances (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DSpace@MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
Funders
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  • Alzheimer's Association (AARF-19-618751)
  • Glenn Foundation for Medical Research
  • Cure Alzheimer's Fund
  • Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale
  • National Institutes of Health (5f31ns113464-02, AG058002, NS115064, AG067151)
  • National Institute on Aging (R01AG058002, R01AG062335, RF1AG054012, RF1AG062377, R56AG067151, R01AG067151)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (U01MH119509, R01MH109978)
  • National Human Genome Research Institute (R01HG008155)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (T32GM087237)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (U01NS110453, UH3NS115064, R01NS102730, UG3NS115064, F31 NS113464)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neurological Disease Mechanisms and Treatments
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
Keywords
DNA double-strand breaks, neurodegeneration, microglial activation, neuroinflammation, NF-κB signaling, neuronal senescence, senescence-associated secretory phenotype, antiviral immunity, Alzheimer's disease, excitatory neurons, spatial transcriptomics, single-nucleus transcriptomics, organotypic brain slice culture
MeSH terms
Animals, Antiviral Agents, DNA, Humans, Neurons, NF-kappa B, Microglia, Mice, DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded

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