中国神经再生研究(英文版) ›› 2024, Vol. 19 ›› Issue (4): 915-922.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.382253

• 原著:退行性病与再生 • 上一篇    下一篇

STAT3可改善截短tau蛋白所致认知功能障碍

  

  • 出版日期:2024-04-15 发布日期:2023-09-15

STAT3 ameliorates truncated tau-induced cognitive deficits

Bingge Zhang1, #, Huali Wan2, #, Maimaitijiang Maierwufu1, Qian Liu1, Ting Li1, Ye He1, Xin Wang1, Gongping Liu1, Xiaoyue Hong3, *, Qiong Feng4, *   

  1. 1Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education of China and Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China; 2Department of Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Provincial, People’s Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China; 3Department of Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Hubei, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China; 4Department of Pathology, Wuhan Children’s Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
  • Online:2024-04-15 Published:2023-09-15
  • Contact: Qiong Feng, PhD, fengq1006@163.com; Xiaoyue Hong, PhD, hongxy1873@foxmail.com.
  • Supported by:
    This study was supported in parts by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Nos. 82101501 (to QF), and 82201589 (to XH).

摘要:

天冬酰胺内肽酶切割tau蛋白产生的tau N368片段,可能驱动阿尔茨海默病患者大脑中与突触功能障碍和记忆退化相关的病理变化,但是截短tau诱导认知障碍的分子机制仍有待探索。有证据表明,信号转导和转录激活因子3(STAT3)与调节突触可塑性、细胞凋亡和认知功能有关。此项实验通过萤光素酶报告基因分析、电泳迁移率偏移分析、蛋白质印迹分析以及免疫荧光分析发现,在HEK293细胞中人tau-N368的积累可通过抑制STAT3核转运来抑制STAT3活性。而过表达STAT3可改善tau-N368诱导的突触可塑性损伤,减少神经元的损失,从而改善tau-N368小鼠的认知障碍。同时在tau-N368小鼠中,可通过激活STAT3增加N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸受体蛋白水平,降低Bax蛋白水平,进而逆转突触损伤和神经元损失,从而缓解tau-N368引起的认知障碍。综上,STAT3对截短tau相关神经病理变化起着重要作用,这提示了一种tau-N368影响突触和记忆障碍的新机制,并且STAT3可作为治疗tau-N368诱导的tau蛋白病理的新分子靶标。

https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3690-411X (Xiaoyue Hong)

关键词: 阿尔茨海默病, 神经退行性疾病, tau-N368, STAT3, 突触, N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸受体, 记忆, 认知障碍, 神经元缺失, 细胞凋亡

Abstract: Proteolytic cleavage of tau by asparagine endopeptidase (AEP) creates tau-N368 fragments, which may drive the pathophysiology associated with synaptic dysfunction and memory deterioration in the brain of Alzheimer’s disease patients. Nonetheless, the molecular mechanisms of truncated tau-induced cognitive deficits remain unclear. Evidence suggests that signal transduction and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3) is associated with modulating synaptic plasticity, cell apoptosis, and cognitive function. Using luciferase reporter assays, electrophoretic mobility shift assays, western blotting, and immunofluorescence, we found that human tau-N368 accumulation inhibited STAT3 activity by suppressing STAT3 translocation into the nucleus. Overexpression of STAT3 improved tau-N368-induced synaptic deficits and reduced neuronal loss, thereby improving the cognitive deficits in tau-N368 mice. Moreover, in tau-N368 mice, activation of STAT3 increased N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor levels, decreased Bcl-2 levels, reversed synaptic damage and neuronal loss, and thereby alleviated cognitive deficits caused by tau-N368. Taken together, STAT3 plays a critical role in truncated tau-related neuropathological changes. This indicates a new mechanism behind the effect of tau-N368 on synapses and memory deficits. STAT3 can be used as a new molecular target to treat tau-N368-induced protein pathology.

Key words: Alzheimer’s disease, apoptosis, cognitive deficit, memory, neurodegenerative disease, neuron loss, N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor, STAT3, synapse, tau-N368