Osteopontin drives neuroinflammation and cell loss in MAPT-N279K frontotemporal dementia patient neurons
Summary
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is an incurable group of early-onset dementias that can be caused by the deposition of hyperphosphorylated tau in patient brains. However, the mechanisms leading to neurodegeneration remain largely unknown. Here, we combined single-cell analyses of FTD patient brains with a stem cell culture and transplantation model of FTD. We identified disease phenotypes in FTD neurons carrying the MAPT-N279K mutation, which were related to oxidative stress, oxidative phosphorylation, and neuroinflammation with an upregulation of the inflammation-associated protein osteopontin (OPN). Human FTD neurons survived less and elicited an increased microglial response after transplantation into the mouse forebrain, which we further characterized by single nucleus RNA sequencing of microdissected grafts. Notably, downregulation of OPN in engrafted FTD neurons resulted in improved engraftment and reduced microglial infiltration, indicating an immune-modulatory role of OPN in patient neurons, which may represent a potential therapeutic target in FTD. Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
| Authors | Al-Dalahmah O, Lam M, McInvale JJ, Qu W, Nguyen T, Mun JY, Kwon S, Ifediora N, Mahajan A, Humala N, Winters T, Angeles E, Jakubiak KA, Kühn R, Kim YA, De Rosa MC, Doege CA, Paryani F, Flowers X, Dovas A, Mela A, Lu H, DeTure MA, Vonsattel JP, Wszolek ZK, Dickson DW, Kuhlmann T, Zaehres H, Schöler HR, Sproul AA, Siegelin MD, De Jager PL, Goldman JE, Menon V, Canoll P, Hargus G |
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| Journal | Cell stem cell |
| Publication Date | 2024 May 2;31(5):676-693.e10 |
| PubMed | 38626772 |
| PubMed Central | PMC11373574 |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.stem.2024.03.013 |