A familial Danish dementia rat shows impaired presynaptic and postsynaptic glutamatergic transmission.

Familial British dementia and familial Danish dementia are neurodegenerative disorders caused by mutations in the gene integral membrane protein 2B (ITM2b) encoding BRI2, which tunes excitatory synaptic transmission at both presynaptic and postsynaptic termini. In addition, BRI2 interacts with and modulates proteolytic processing of amyloid-ß precursor protein (APP), whose mutations cause familial forms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) (familial AD). To study the pathogenic mechanisms triggered by the Danish mutation, we generated rats carrying the Danish mutation in the rat Itm2b gene (Itm2bD rats). Given the BRI2/APP interaction and the widely accepted relevance of human amyloid ß (Aß), a proteolytic product of APP, to AD, Itm2bD rats were engineered to express two humanized App alleles and produce human Aß. Here, we studied young Itm2bD rats to investigate early pathogenic changes in these diseases. We found that periadolescent Itm2bD rats not only present subtle changes in human Aß levels along with decreased spontaneous glutamate release and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor-mediated responses but also had increased short-term synaptic facilitation in the hippocampal Schaeffer-collateral pathway. These alterations in excitatory interneuronal communication can impair learning and memory processes and were akin to those observed in adult mice producing rodent Aß and carrying either the Danish or British mutations in the mouse Itm2b gene. Collectively, the data show that the pathogenic Danish mutation alters the physiological function of BRI2 at glutamatergic synapses across species and early in life. Future studies will determine whether this phenomenon represents an early pathogenic event in human dementia.

TNF-α-mediated reduction in inhibitory neurotransmission precedes sporadic Alzheimer's disease pathology in young Trem2R47H rats.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative dementia associated with deposition of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, formed by amyloid ß (Aß) peptides and phosphor-tau, respectively, in the central nervous system. Approximately 2% of AD cases are due to familial AD (FAD); ∼98% of cases are sporadic AD (SAD). Animal models with FAD are commonly used to study SAD pathogenesis. Because mechanisms leading to FAD and SAD may be distinct, to study SAD pathogenesis, we generated Trem2R47H knock-in rats, which carry the SAD risk factor p.R47H variant of the microglia gene triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2). Trem2R47H rats produce human-Aß from a humanized-App rat allele because human-Aß is more toxic than rodent-Aß and the pathogenic role of the p.R47H TREM2 variant has been linked to human-Aß-clearing deficits. Using periadolescent Trem2R47H rats, we previously demonstrated that supraphysiological tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) boosts glutamatergic transmission, which is excitatory, and suppresses long-term potentiation, a surrogate of learning and memory. Here, we tested the effect of the p.R47H variant on the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid. We report that GABAergic transmission is decreased in Trem2R47H/R47H rats. This decrease is due to acute and reversible action of TNF-α and is not associated with increased human-Aß levels and AD pathology. Thus, the p.R47H variant changes the excitatory/inhibitory balance, favoring excitation. This imbalance could potentiate glutamate excitotoxicity and contribute to neuronal dysfunction, enhanced neuronal death, and neurodegeneration. Future studies will determine whether this imbalance represents an early, Aß-independent pathway leading to dementia and may reveal the AD-modifying therapeutic potential of TNF-α inhibition in the central nervous system.

Microglia TREM2R47H Alzheimer-linked variant enhances excitatory transmission and reduces LTP via increased TNF-α levels.

To study the mechanisms by which the p.R47H variant of the microglia gene and Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk factor TREM2 increases dementia risk, we created Trem2R47H KI rats. Trem2R47H rats were engineered to produce human Aß to define human-Aß-dependent and -independent pathogenic mechanisms triggered by this variant. Interestingly, pre- and peri-adolescent Trem2R47H rats present increased brain concentrations of TNF-α, augmented glutamatergic transmission, suppression of Long-term-Potentiation (LTP), an electrophysiological surrogate of learning and memory, but normal Aß levels. Acute reduction of TNF-α activity with a neutralizing anti-TNF-α antibody occludes the boost in amplitude of glutamatergic transmission and LTP suppression observed in young Trem2R47H/R47H rats. Thus, the microglia-specific pathogenic Trem2 variant boosts glutamatergic neuronal transmission and suppresses LTP by increasing brain TNF-α concentrations, directly linking microglia to neuronal dysfunction. Future studies will determine whether this phenomenon represents an early, Aß-independent pathway that facilitates dementia pathogenesis in humans.

Opposite changes in APP processing and human Aß levels in rats carrying either a protective or a pathogenic APP mutation.

Cleavage of APP by BACE1/ß-secretase initiates the amyloidogenic cascade leading to Amyloid-ß (Aß) production. α-Secretase initiates the non-amyloidogenic pathway preventing Aß production. Several APP mutations cause familial Alzheimer's disease (AD), while the Icelandic APP mutation near the BACE1-cleavage site protects from sporadic dementia, emphasizing APP's role in dementia pathogenesis. To study APP protective/pathogenic mechanisms, we generated knock-in rats carrying either the protective (Appp) or the pathogenic Swedish mutation (Apps), also located near the BACE1-cleavage site. α-Cleavage is favored over ß-processing in Appp rats. Consequently, non-amyloidogenic and amyloidogenic APP metabolites are increased and decreased, respectively. The reverse APP processing shift occurs in Apps rats. These opposite effects on APP ß/α-processing suggest that protection from and pathogenesis of dementia depend upon combinatorial and opposite alterations in APP metabolism rather than simply on Aß levels. The Icelandic mutation also protects from aging-dependent cognitive decline, suggesting that similar mechanisms underlie physiological cognitive aging.