Ca(2+) -dependent endoplasmic reticulum stress correlates with astrogliosis in oligomeric amyloid β-treated astrocytes and in a model of Alzheimer's disease

Aging Cell. 2013 Apr;12(2):292-302. doi: 10.1111/acel.12054. Epub 2013 Feb 28.

Abstract

Neurotoxic effects of amyloid β peptides are mediated through deregulation of intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis and signaling, but relatively little is known about amyloid β modulation of Ca(2+) homeostasis and its pathological influence on glia. Here, we found that amyloid β oligomers caused a cytoplasmic Ca(2+) increase in cultured astrocytes, which was reduced by inhibitors of PLC and ER Ca(2+) release. Furthermore, amyloid β peptides triggered increased expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), as well as oxidative and ER stress, as indicated by eIF2α phosphorylation and overexpression of chaperone GRP78. These effects were decreased by ryanodine and 2APB, inhibitors of ryanodine receptors and InsP3 receptors, respectively, in both primary cultured astrocytes and organotypic cultures of hippocampus and entorhinal cortex. Importantly, intracerebroventricular injection of amyloid β oligomers triggered overexpression of GFAP and GRP78 in astrocytes of the hippocampal dentate gyrus. These data were validated in a triple-transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Overexpression of GFAP and GRP78 in the hippocampal astrocytes correlated with the amyloid β oligomer load in 12-month-old mice, suggesting that this parameter drives astrocytic ER stress and astrogliosis in vivo. Together, these results provide evidence that amyloid β oligomers disrupt ER Ca(2+) homeostasis, which induces ER stress that leads to astrogliosis; this mechanism may be relevant to AD pathophysiology.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Age Factors
  • Alzheimer Disease / genetics
  • Alzheimer Disease / metabolism*
  • Alzheimer Disease / pathology
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / pharmacology*
  • Animals
  • Astrocytes / drug effects
  • Astrocytes / metabolism*
  • Astrocytes / pathology
  • Calcium / metabolism*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum / drug effects
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum / metabolism
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress / drug effects*
  • Entorhinal Cortex / drug effects
  • Entorhinal Cortex / metabolism
  • Entorhinal Cortex / pathology
  • Gene Expression / drug effects
  • Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein
  • Gliosis / genetics
  • Gliosis / metabolism*
  • Gliosis / pathology
  • Heat-Shock Proteins / genetics
  • Heat-Shock Proteins / metabolism
  • Hippocampus / drug effects
  • Hippocampus / metabolism
  • Hippocampus / pathology
  • Humans
  • Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors / genetics
  • Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / genetics
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / metabolism
  • Primary Cell Culture
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / genetics
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism
  • Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel / genetics
  • Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects

Substances

  • Amyloid beta-Peptides
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP
  • Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein
  • HSPA5 protein, human
  • Heat-Shock Proteins
  • Hspa5 protein, mouse
  • Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins
  • Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel
  • glial fibrillary astrocytic protein, mouse
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • eIF2alpha kinase, mouse
  • Calcium