title: Interleukin-1 mediates pathological effects of microglia on tau phosphorylation and on synaptophysin synthesis in cortical neurons through a p38-MAPK pathway.
abstract: The presence of tangles of abnormally phosphorylated tau is a characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and the loss of synapses correlates with the degree of dementia. In addition, the overexpression of interleukin-1 (IL-1) has been implicated in tangle formation in AD. As a direct test of the requirement for IL-1 in tau phosphorylation and synaptophysin expression, IL-1 actions in neuron-microglia cocultures were manipulated. Activation of microglia with secreted beta-amyloid precursor protein or lipopolysaccharide elevated their expression of IL-1alpha, IL-1beta, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) mRNA. When such activated microglia were placed in coculture with primary neocortical neurons, a significant increase in the phosphorylation of neuronal tau was accompanied by a decline in synaptophysin levels. Similar effects were evoked by treatment of neurons with recombinant IL-1beta. IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) as well as anti-IL-1beta antibody attenuated the influence of activated microglia on neuronal tau and synaptophysin, but anti-TNFalpha antibody was ineffective. Some effects of microglial activation on neurons appear to be mediated by activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38-MAPK), because activated microglia stimulated p38-MAPK phosphorylation in neurons, and an inhibitor of p38-MAPK reversed the influence of IL-1beta on tau phosphorylation and synaptophysin levels. Our results, together with previous observations, suggest that activated microglia may contribute to neurofibrillary pathology in AD through their production of IL-1, activation of neuronal p38-MAPK, and resultant changes in neuronal cytoskeletal and synaptic elements.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205, USA.
authors.forename: Yuekui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Steven W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Barger
authors.forename: W Sue T
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Griffin
mesh_terms: D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D053590:Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D017628:Microglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D016708:Synaptophysin / Q000378:metabolism*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; C507764:Il1rn protein, mouse; D053590:Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein; D007375:Interleukin-1; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins; D016708:Synaptophysin; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016875:tau Proteins; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases