title: Abnormality of G-protein-coupled receptor kinases at prodromal and early stages of Alzheimer's disease: an association with early beta-amyloid accumulation.
abstract: Overwhelming evidence indicates that the effects of beta-amyloid (Abeta) are dose dependent both in vitro and in vivo, which implies that Abeta is not directly detrimental to brain cells until it reaches a threshold concentration. In an effort to understand early Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis, this study focused on the effects of subthreshold soluble Abeta and the underlying molecular mechanisms in murine microglial cells and an AD transgenic mouse model. We found that there were two phases of dose-dependent Abeta effects on microglial cells: at the threshold of 5 microm and above, Abeta directly induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) release, and at subthreshold doses, Abeta indirectly potentiated TNF-alpha release induced by certain G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) activators. Mechanistic studies revealed that subthreshold Abeta pretreatment in vitro reduced membrane GPCR kinase-2/5 (GRK2/5), which led to retarded GPCR desensitization, prolonged GPCR signaling, and cellular hyperactivity to GPCR agonists. Temporal analysis in an early-onset AD transgenic model, CRND8 mice, revealed that the membrane (functional) GRK2/5 in brain cortices were significantly reduced. More importantly, such a GRK abnormality took place before cognitive decline and changed in a manner corresponding with the mild to moderate soluble Abeta accumulation in these transgenic mice. Together, this study not only discovered a novel link between subthreshold Abeta and GRK dysfunction, it also demonstrated that the GRK abnormality in vivo occurs at prodromal and early stages of AD.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Alzheimer's Disease and Aging Research, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Kansas City, Missouri 64128, USA. zsuo@kumc.edu
authors.forename: Zhiming
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Suo
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Bruce A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Citron
authors.forename: Gwendolyn T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Barry W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Festoff
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D054774:G-Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinase 5; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D017628:Microglia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000494:pharmacology; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D021381:Protein Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D013997:Time Factors; D051552:beta-Adrenergic Receptor Kinases
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C075222:amyloid beta-protein (1-42); D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D051552:beta-Adrenergic Receptor Kinases; D054774:G-Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinase 5; C517895:Grk5 protein, mouse