Proinflammatory stimuli, after amyloid beta (Abeta) deposition, have been hypothesized to create a self-reinforcing positive feedback loop that increases amyloidogenic processing of the Abeta precursor protein (APP), promoting further Abeta accumulation and neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a proinflammatory cytokine, has been shown to be increased in AD patients implying a pathological interaction. To assess the effects of IL-6 on Abeta deposition and APP processing in vivo, we overexpressed murine IL-6 (mIL-6) in the brains of APP transgenic TgCRND8 and TG2576 mice. mIL-6 expression resulted in extensive gliosis and concurrently attenuated Abeta deposition in TgCRND8 mouse brains. This was accompanied by up-regulation of glial phagocytic markers in vivo and resulted in enhanced microglia-mediated phagocytosis of Abeta aggregates in vitro. Further, mIL-6-induced neuroinflammation had no effect on APP processing in TgCRND8 and had no effect on APP processing or steady-state levels of Abeta in young Tg2576 mice. These results indicate that mIL-6-mediated reactive gliosis may be beneficial early in the disease process by potentially enhancing Abeta plaque clearance rather than mediating a neurotoxic feedback loop that exacerbates amyloid pathology. This is the first study that methodically dissects the contribution of mIL-6 with regard to its potential role in modulating Abeta deposition in vivo.

Reactive gliosis surrounding amyloid β (Aβ) plaques is an early feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis and may signify activation of the innate immune system in an attempt to clear or neutralize Aβ aggregates. In order to evaluate the role of IFNγ mediated neuroinflammation on the evolution of Aβ pathology in transgenic mice, we have expressed murine IFNγ (mIFNγ) in the brains of amyloid β precursor protein (APP) transgenic mice using recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 1. Expression of mIFNγ in brains of APP TgCRND8 mice results in robust non-cell autonomous activation of microglia and astrocytes, and significant suppression of Aβ deposition. mIFNγ expression had no significant effects on APP levels, APP processing or steady state Aβ levels in vivo. On the other hand, mIFNγ expression upregulated MHCII and CD11c levels and early components of the complement cascade in vivo. Taken together, these results suggest that mIFNγ expression in the brain suppresses Aβ accumulation through synergistic effects of reactive gliosis and complement activation by promoting opsonization and phagocytosis of Aβ aggregates.

We report that CNS directed expression of Interferon (IFN) -γ results in basal ganglia calcification, reminiscent of human idiopathic basal ganglia calcification (IBGC), and nigrostriatal degeneration. Our results show that IFN-γ mediates age-progressive nigrostriatal degeneration in the absence of exogenous stressors. Further study of this model may provide unique insight into selective nigrostriatal degeneration in human IBGC and other Parkinson syndromes.

CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene interference (CRISPRi) and activation (CRISPRa) approaches hold promise for functional gene studies and genome-wide screens in human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). However, in contrast to CRISPR-Cas9 nuclease approaches, the efficiency of CRISPRi/a depends on continued expression of the dead Cas9 (dCas9) effector and guide RNA (gRNA), which can vary substantially depending on transgene design and delivery. Here, we design and generate new fluorescently labeled piggyBac (PB) vectors to deliver uniform and sustained expression of multiplexed gRNAs. In addition, we generate hPSC lines harboring AAVS1-integrated, inducible and fluorescent dCas9-KRAB and dCas9-VPR transgenes to allow for accurate quantification and tracking of cells that express both the dCas9 effectors and gRNAs. We then employ these systems to target the TCF4 gene in hPSCs and assess expression levels of the dCas9 effectors, individual gRNAs and targeted gene. We also assess the performance of our PB system for single gRNA delivery, confirming its utility for library format applications. collectively, our results provide proof-of-principle application of a stable, multiplexed pB gRnA delivery system that can be widely exploited to further enable genome engineering studies in hPSCs. Paired with diverse CRISPR tools including our dual fluorescence CRISPRi/a cell lines, this system can facilitate functional dissection of individual genes and pathways as well as larger-scale screens for studies of development and disease.