The principal pathological features of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are extracellular amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, the latter composed of the microtubule-binding protein tau assembled into paired helical and straight filaments. Recent studies suggest that these pathological entities may be functionally linked, although the mechanisms by which amyloid deposition promotes pathological tau filament assembly are poorly understood. Here, we report that tau is proteolyzed by multiple caspases at a highly conserved aspartate residue (Asp 421 ) in its C terminus in vitro and in neurons treated with amyloid-␤ (A␤) (1-42) peptide. Tau is rapidly cleaved at Asp 421 in A␤-treated neurons (within 2 h), and its proteolysis appears to precede the nuclear events of apoptosis. We also demonstrate that caspase cleavage of tau generates a truncated protein that lacks its C-terminal 20 amino acids and assembles more rapidly and more extensively into tau filaments in vitro than wild-type tau. Using a monoclonal antibody that specifically recognizes tau truncated at Asp 421 , we show that tau is proteolytically cleaved at this site in the fibrillar pathologies of AD brain. Taken together, our results suggest a novel mechanism linking amyloid deposition and neurofibrillary tangles in AD: A␤ peptides promote pathological tau filament assembly in neurons by triggering caspase cleavage of tau and generating a proteolytic product with enhanced polymerization kinetics. A lzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by accelerated neuronal cell death leading to dementia (1). Its hallmark pathologic features are extracellular amyloid plaques and intraneuronal fibrillar structures, the latter including neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), neuropil threads, and dystrophic neurites invading amyloid plaques (2). Amyloid plaques are formed by the extracellular deposition of proteolytic fragments of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) termed amyloid-␤ (A␤) (1, 3), whereas the fibrillar pathologies are composed of the microtubule-associated protein tau assembled into polymeric filaments (paired helical and straight filaments) (2). The pathogenic role of amyloid deposition in AD is underscored by the evidence that each of the disease-causing mutations in familial AD results in enhanced production of amyloidogenic A␤ peptides; these peptides are sufficient to induce apoptosis in cultured neurons (1, 3). Furthermore, the recent observation that tau mutations cause hereditary frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17), a class of diseases characterized by NFT-like deposition of polymeric tau and dementia without amyloid plaques, emphasizes the critical role that tau plays in neurodegenerative events (4-6). Although amyloid plaques and NFTs have been largely regarded as independent neuropathologic entities, recent work suggests they may be functionally linked: mutation of APP that results in amyloid deposition or direct intracranial injection of A␤ peptide increase...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease marked by deficits in episodic memory, working memory (WM), and executive function. Examples of executive dysfunction in AD include poor selective and divided attention, failed inhibition of interfering stimuli, and poor manipulation skills. Although episodic deficits during disease progression have been widely studied and are the benchmark of a probable AD diagnosis, more recent research has investigated WM and executive function decline during mild cognitive impairment (MCI), also referred to as the preclinical stage of AD. MCI is a critical period during which cognitive restructuring and neuroplasticity such as compensation still occur; therefore, cognitive therapies could have a beneficial effect on decreasing the likelihood of AD progression during MCI. Monitoring performance on working memory and executive function tasks to track cognitive function may signal progression from normal cognition to MCI to AD. The present review tracks WM decline through normal aging, MCI, and AD to highlight the behavioral and neurological differences that distinguish these three stages in an effort to guide future research on MCI diagnosis, cognitive therapy, and AD prevention.

Many neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and polyglutamine diseases share a common pathogenic mechanism: the abnormal accumulation of disease-causing proteins, due to either the mutant protein’s resistance to degradation or overexpression of the wild-type protein. We developed a strategy to identify therapeutic entry points for such neurodegenerative disorders by screening for genetic networks that influence the levels of disease-driving proteins. We applied this approach, which integrates parallel cell-based and Drosophila genetic screens, to spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1), a disease caused by expansion of a polyglutamine tract in ataxin 1 (ATXN1). Our approach revealed that downregulation of several components of the RAS–MAPK–MSK1 pathway decreases ATXN1 levels and suppresses neurodegeneration in Drosophila and mice. Importantly, pharmacologic inhibitors of components of this pathway also decrease ATXN1 levels, suggesting that these components represent new therapeutic targets in mitigating SCA1. Collectively, these data reveal new therapeutic entry points for SCA1 and provide a proof-of-principle for tackling other classes of intractable neurodegenerative diseases.

Abnormal aggregation of the microtubule-associated protein, tau, occurs in many neurodegenerative diseases, making it important to understand the mechanisms of tau polymerization. Previous work has indicated that the C-terminal region of tau inhibits polymerization in vitro, and a growing body of evidence implicates caspase cleavage of tau at Asp 421 in the C-terminus as an important inducer of tau polymerization in Alzheimer's disease. In the present study, we provide evidence that the C-terminal peptide fragment produced by caspase cleavage inhibits tau polymerization, suggesting that caspase cleavage of tau enhances its polymerization by removing the inhibitory control element. Moreover, we provide evidence that the peptide assumes an alpha-helical configuration and inhibits tau assembly by interacting with residues 321-375 in the microtubule binding repeat region. These findings indicate that formation of the fibrillar pathologies during the course of Alzheimer's disease may be driven or sustained by apoptotic events leading to caspase activation.

The age-related pathological cascade underlying intraneuronal tau formation in 3xTg-AD mice, which harbor the human APPSwe, PS1M126V , and TauP301L gene mutations, remains unclear. At 3 weeks of age, AT180, Alz50, MC1, AT8, and PHF-1 intraneuronal immunoreactivity appeared in the amygdala and hippocampus and at later ages in the cortex of 3xTg-AD mice. AT8 and PHF-1 staining was fixation dependent in young mutant mice. 6E10 staining was seen at all ages. Fluorescent immunomicroscopy revealed CA1 neurons dual stained for 6E10 and Alz50 and single Alz50 immunoreactive neurons in the subiculum at 3 weeks and continuing to 20 months. Although electron microscopy confirmed intraneuronal cytoplasmic Alz50, AT8, and 6E10 reaction product in younger 3xTg-AD mice, straight filaments appeared at 23 months of age in female mice. The present data suggest that other age-related biochemical mechanisms in addition to early intraneuronal accumulation of 6E10 and tau underlie the formation of tau filaments in 3xTg-AD mice.