AAV2/1 CD74 Gene Transfer Reduces β-amyloidosis and Improves Learning and Memory in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease

Mol Ther. 2015 Nov;23(11):1712-1721. doi: 10.1038/mt.2015.142. Epub 2015 Jul 31.

Abstract

Modulation of the amyloid-β (Aβ) trafficking pathway heralds a new therapeutic frontier for Alzheimer's disease (AD). As CD74 binds to the amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) and can suppresses Aβ processing, we investigated whether recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) delivery of CD74 could reduce Aβ production and affect disease outcomes. This idea was tested in a mouse AD model. Cotransduction of AAV-tetracycline-controlled transactivator (tTA) and AAV-tet-response element (TRE)-CD74 resulted in CD74 expression, reduced Aβ production in mouse neurons containing the human APP with familial AD-linked mutations. Stereotaxic injection of AAV-TRE-GFP or CD74 into the hippocampi of an AD mouse, defined as a TgCRND8 × calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II derived promoter-tTA double-transgenic, reduced Aβ loads and pyramidal neuronal Aβ accumulation in the hippocampus. Immunofluorescent studies showed that APP colocalization with Lamp1 was increased in CD74-expressing neurons. Moreover, Morris water maze tasks demonstrated that mice treated with AAV-TRE-CD74 showed improved learning and memory compared to AAV-TRE-GFP control animals. These results support the idea that CD74-induced alteration of Aβ processing could improve AD-associated memory deficits as shown in mouse models of human disease.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Alzheimer Disease / genetics
  • Alzheimer Disease / psychology
  • Alzheimer Disease / therapy*
  • Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / metabolism*
  • Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / physiology
  • Amyloidosis / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte / genetics*
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Dependovirus
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Female
  • Genetic Therapy
  • Genetic Vectors / therapeutic use
  • Hippocampus / metabolism
  • Hippocampus / surgery
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Lysosomal Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Male
  • Maze Learning
  • Memory
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Microinjections / methods
  • Neurons / metabolism*
  • Stereotaxic Techniques

Substances

  • Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor
  • Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class II
  • Lamp1 protein, mouse
  • Lysosomal Membrane Proteins
  • invariant chain