Although Huntingtons disease (HD) is classically defined by the selective vulnerability of striatal projection neurons, there is increasing evidence that cerebellar degeneration modulates clinical symptoms. However, little is known about cell type-specific responses of cerebellar neurons in HD. To dissect early disease mechanisms in the cerebellum and cerebrum, we analyzed translatomes of neuronal cell types from both regions in a new HD mouse model. For this, HdhQ200 knock-in mice were backcrossed with the calm 129S4 strain, to constrain experimental noise caused by variable hyperactivity of mice in a C57BL/6 background. Behavioral and neuropathological characterization showed that these S4-HdhQ200 mice had very mild behavioral abnormalities starting around 12 months of age that remained mild up to 18 months. By 9 months, we observed abundant Huntingtin-positive neuronal intranuclear inclusions (NIIs) in the striatum and cerebellum. The translatome analysis of GABAergic cells of the cerebrum further confirmed changes typical of HD-induced striatal pathology. Surprisingly, we observed the strongest response with 626 differentially expressed genes in glutamatergic neurons of the cerebellum, a population consisting primarily of granule cells, commonly considered disease resistant. Our findings suggest vesicular fusion and exocytosis, as well as differentiation-related pathways are affected in these neurons. Furthermore, increased expression of cyclin D1 (Ccnd1) in the granular layer and upregulated expression of polycomb group complex protein genes and cell cycle regulators Cbx2, Cbx4 and Cbx8 point to a putative role of aberrant cell cycle regulation in cerebellar granule cells in early disease.

Selective vulnerability is an enigmatic feature of neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), whereby a widely expressed protein causes lesions in specific cell types and brain regions. Using the RiboTag method in mice, translational responses of five neural subtypes to acquired prion disease (PrD) were measured. Pre-onset and disease onset timepoints were chosen based on longitudinal electroencephalography (EEG) that revealed a gradual increase in theta power between 10- and 18-weeks after prion injection, resembling a clinical feature of human PrD. At disease onset, marked by significantly increased theta power and histopathological lesions, mice had pronounced translatome changes in all five cell types despite appearing normal. Remarkably, at a pre-onset stage, prior to EEG and neuropathological changes, we found that 1) translatomes of astrocytes indicated reduced synthesis of ribosomal and mitochondrial components, 2) glutamatergic neurons showed increased expression of cytoskeletal genes, and 3) GABAergic neurons revealed reduced expression of circadian rhythm genes. These data demonstrate that early translatome responses to neurodegeneration emerge prior to conventional markers of disease and are cell type-specific. Therapeutic strategies may need to target multiple pathways in specific populations of cells, early in disease.

Genetic variation is a primary determinant of phenotypic diversity. In laboratory mice, genetic variation can be a serious experimental confounder, and thus minimized through inbreeding. However, generalizations of results obtained with inbred strains must be made with caution, especially when working with complex phenotypes and disease models. Here we compared behavioral characteristics of C57Bl/6-the strain most widely used in biomedical research-with those of 129S4. In contrast to 129S4, C57Bl/6 demonstrated high within-strain and intra-litter behavioral hyperactivity. Although high consistency would be advantageous, the majority of disease models and transgenic tools are in C57Bl/6. We recently established six Cre driver lines and two Cre effector lines in 129S4. To augment this collection, we genetically engineered a Cre line to study astrocytes in 129S4. It was validated with two Cre effector lines: calcium indicator gCaMP5g-tdTomato and RiboTag-a tool widely used to study cell type-specific translatomes. These reporters are in different genomic loci, and in both the Cre was functional and astrocyte-specific. We found that calcium signals lasted longer and had a higher amplitude in cortical compared to hippocampal astrocytes, genes linked to a single neurodegenerative disease have highly divergent expression patterns, and that ribosome proteins are non-uniformly expressed across brain regions and cell types.

Over the past several years, the toxic mechanism of proliferating misfolded proteins (MPs) as initiators and drivers of neurodegeneration has gained momentum. Nonetheless, the notion of selective vulnerability of specific cell types in neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) is largely uncharted territory. NDs show vast variations in disease onset and clinical phenotype depending on culprit MP and cell type involved. Many researchers in the field aim to target MP spreading to mitigate neurodegeneration. But there are outstanding questions:

How can NDs stay dormant for decades before presenting clinical symptoms?How can certain patients carry large loads of MPs without showing symptoms? 

Amyloid fibrils and oligomers are structurally heterogeneous showing conformational and ultrastructural polymorphism. This poses a challenge both for diagnostics and for therapeutic interventions. This polymorphism likely contributes to variable disease progression because protein structure determines function. Furthermore, various cell types show different sensitivity towards distinct MPs and fibril polymorphs. Unravelling how CNS support cells, glia, versus neurons handle MPs, especially Aβ amyloid linked to Alzheimer’s disease has been hampered by the fact that transgenic (tg) mice (overproducing human Aβ) show very little neurodegeneration. The situation is dramatically different in tg-Drosophila. Here, Aβ1–42 is a potent neurotoxin and is therefore arguably a more suitable model animal for such studies [1]. We addressed the question if cell toxicity is cell type and amyloid polymorph dependent.

The basis for selective vulnerability of certain cell types for misfolded proteins (MPs) in neurodegenerative diseases is largely unknown. This knowledge is crucial for understanding disease progression in relation to MPs spreading in the CNS. We assessed this issue in Drosophila by cell-specific expression of human A beta 1-42 associated with Alzheimers disease. Expression of A beta 1-42 in various neurons resulted in concentration-dependent severe neurodegenerative phenotypes, and intraneuronal ringtangle-like aggregates with immature fibril properties when analyzed by aggregate-specific ligands. Unexpectedly, expression of A beta 1-42 from a pan-glial driver produced a mild phenotype despite massive brain load of A beta 1-42 aggregates, even higher than in the strongest neuronal driver. Glial cells formed more mature fibrous aggregates, morphologically distinct from aggregates found in neurons, and was mainly extracellular. Our findings implicate that A beta 1-42 cytotoxicity is both cell and aggregate morphotype dependent.

In this thesis Drosophila melanogaster (the fruit fly) has been used as a model organism to study the aggregation and toxic properties of the human amyloid β (Aβ) peptide involved in the onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD is one of many misfolding diseases where the important event of a protein to adopt its’ specific three-dimensional structure has failed, leading to aggregation and formation of characteristic amyloid fibrils. AD has a complex pathology and probably reflects a variety of related molecular and cellular abnormalities, however, the most apparent common denominator so far is abnormal Amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) processing, resulting in a pool of various Aβ-peptides. In AD, the Aβ peptide misfolds, aggregates and forms amyloid plaques in the brain of patients, resulting in progressive neurodegeneration that eventually leads to death.

By expressing the human Aβ protein in the fly, we have studied the mechanisms and toxicity of the aggregation in detail and how different cell types in the fly are affected. We have also used this model to investigate the effect of potential drugs that can have a positive impact on disease progression. In the first and second work in this thesis, we have, in a systematic way, proved that the length of the Aβ-peptide is essential for its toxicity and propensity to aggregate. If the peptide expressed ends at amino acid 42 it is extremely toxic to the fly nervous system. However, this toxicity can be completely abolished by expressing a variant that is shorter than 42 amino acids (1-37 to 1-41 aa), or be significantly reduced by expressing a longer variant (1-43 aa). Toxicity can be partly mitigated in trans by co-expressing the 1-42 variant with a 1-38 variant. This supports the theory that the disease progression could be inhibited if the formation of Aβ 1-42 is decreased. In the third work we demonstrate that amyloid aggregates can be found in various cell types of Drosophila, however, the toxicity seem to be selective to neurons. Our results indicate that the aggregates of glial expressing flies have a more mature structure, which appear to be less toxic. This also suggests that glial cells might spread Aβ aggregates without being harmed. The last work in this thesis investigates how curcumin (turmeric) can affect Aβ aggregation and toxicity. Curcumin appears to shift the equilibrium between the less stable

aggregates and mature fibers toward the final stage resulting in an improved lifespan for treated flies.

In summary, this thesis demonstrates that the toxicity of Aβ in Drosophila is highly dependent on the Aβ variant expressed, the structure of the protein aggregates and which cell type that expresses the protein. We have also shed light on the potential of using Drosophila when it comes to examining possible therapeutic substances as a tool for drug discovery.

Brain amyloid plaques are a hallmark of Alzheimers disease (AD), and primarily consist of aggregated A beta peptides. While A beta 1-40 and A beta 1-42 are the most abundant, a number of other A beta peptides have also been identified. Studies have indicated differential toxicity for these various A beta peptides, but in vivo toxicity has not been systematically tested. To address this issue, we generated improved transgenic Drosophila UAS strains expressing 11 pertinent A beta peptides. UAS transgenic flies were generated by identical chromosomal insertion, hence removing any transgenic position effects, and crossed to a novel and robust Gal4 driver line. Using this improved Gal4/UAS set-up, survival and activity assays revealed that A beta 1-42 severely shortens lifespan and reduces activity. N-terminal truncated peptides were quite toxic, with 3-42 similar to 1-42, while 11-42 showed a pronounced but less severe phenotype. N-terminal mutations in 3-42 (E3A) or 11-42 (E11A) resulted in reduced toxicity for 11-42, and reduced aggregation for both variants. Strikingly, C-terminal truncation of A beta (1-41, -40, -39, -38, -37) were non-toxic. In contrast, C-terminal extension to 1-43 resulted in reduced lifespan and activity, but not to the same extent as 1-42. Mutating residue 42 in 1-42 (A42D, A42R and A42W) greatly reduced A beta accumulation and toxicity. Histological and biochemical analysis revealed strong correlation between in vivo toxicity and brain A beta aggregate load, as well as amount of insoluble A beta. This systematic Drosophila in vivo and in vitro analysis reveals crucial N- and C-terminal specificity for A beta neurotoxicity and aggregation, and underscores the importance of residues 1-10 and E11, as well as a pivotal role of A42.

The pathology of Alzheimers disease (AD) is characterized by the presence of extracellular deposits of misfolded and aggregated amyloid-beta (A beta) peptide and intraneuronal accumulation of tangles comprised of hyperphosphorylated Tau protein. For several years, the natural compound curcumin has been proposed to be a candidate for enhanced clearance of toxic A beta amyloid. In this study we have studied the potency of feeding curcumin as a drug candidate to alleviate A beta toxicity in transgenic Drosophila. The longevity as well as the locomotor activity of five different AD model genotypes, measured relative to a control line, showed up to 75% improved lifespan and activity for curcumin fed flies. In contrast to the majority of studies of curcumin effects on amyloid we did not observe any decrease in the amount of A beta deposition following curcumin treatment. Conformation-dependent spectra from p-FTAA, a luminescent conjugated oligothiophene bound to A beta deposits in different Drosophila genotypes over time, indicated accelerated pre-fibrillar to fibril conversion of A beta(1-42) in curcumin treated flies. This finding was supported by in vitro fibrillation assays of recombinant A beta(1-42). Our study shows that curcumin promotes amyloid fibril conversion by reducing the pre-fibrillar/oligomeric species of A beta, resulting in a reduced neurotoxicity in Drosophila.