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Targeting tauopathy with engineered tau-degrading intrabodies
- Source :
- Molecular Neurodegeneration, Vol 14, Iss 1, Pp 1-12 (2019), Molecular Neurodegeneration
- Publication Year :
- 2019
- Publisher :
- BMC, 2019.
-
Abstract
- Background The accumulation of pathological tau is the main component of neurofibrillary tangles and other tau aggregates in several neurodegenerative diseases, referred to as tauopathies. Recently, immunotherapeutic approaches targeting tau have been demonstrated to be beneficial in decreasing tauopathy in animal models. We previously found that passive immunotherapy with anti-tau antibody to human tau or expression of an anti-tau secreted single-chain variable fragment (scFv) in the central nervous system of a mouse model of tauopathy decreased but did not remove all tau-associated pathology. Although these and other studies demonstrate that conventional immunotherapeutic approaches targeting tau can influence tau pathogenesis, the majority of pathological tau remains in the cytosol of cells, not typically accessible to an extracellular antibody. Therefore, we reasoned targeting intracellular tau might be more efficacious in preventing or decreasing tauopathy. Methods By utilizing our anti-tau scFv, we generated anti-tau intrabodies for the expression in the cytosol of neurons. To enhance the degradation capacity of conventional intrabodies, we engineered chimeric anti-tau intrabodies fused to ubiquitin harboring distinct mutations that shuttle intracellular tau for either the proteasome or lysosomal mediated degradation. To evaluate the efficacy in delaying or eliminating tauopathy, we expressed our tau degrading intrabodies or controls in human tau transgenic mice by adeno-associated virus prior to overt tau pathology and after tau deposition. Results Our results demonstrate, the expression of chimeric anti-tau intrabodies significantly reduce tau protein levels in primary neuronal cultures expression human tau relative to a non-modified anti-tau intrabody. We found the expression of engineered tau-degrading intrabodies destined for proteasomal-mediated degradation are more effective in delaying or eliminating tauopathy than a conventional intrabody in aged human tau transgenic mice. Conclusion This study, harnesses the strength of intrabodies that are amendable for targeting specific domains or modifications with the cell-intrinsic mechanisms that regulate protein degradation providing a new immunotherapeutic approach with potentially improved efficacy.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
Genetically modified mouse
Tau protein
Mice, Transgenic
tau Proteins
Protein degradation
lcsh:Geriatrics
Intrabody
lcsh:RC346-429
03 medical and health sciences
Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
0302 clinical medicine
Ubiquitin
Intrabodies
mental disorders
medicine
Animals
Humans
Molecular Biology
Tau degradation
lcsh:Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system
Neurons
biology
Brain
Neurofibrillary Tangles
medicine.disease
3. Good health
Cell biology
Disease Models, Animal
Tauopathy
lcsh:RC952-954.6
030104 developmental biology
Proteasome
Tauopathies
Mutation
biology.protein
Neurology (clinical)
Immunotherapy
Alzheimer’s disease
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Intracellular
Research Article
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 17501326
- Volume :
- 14
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Molecular Neurodegeneration
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....52c7a172d1cefc62bdfed63687b1e8dc