Down syndrome (DS) is the most common chromosomal disorder with an occurrence of 1 in 700 births. It is, by far, the leading known cause of intellectual disability. The longevity of DS people has thankfully increased and several health issues have subsequently emerged, sharing commonality with Alzheimer?s disease (AD). DS is caused by an additional chromosome to the normal 21st pair (Trisomy 21). Chromosome 21 encodes several genes contributing to AD, including proteins that phosphorylate tau, which causes tauopathy in the brain and eye. Multiple ocular anomalies, including cataracts, occur at a much higher frequency starting at younger ages for people with DS. These ocular disorders are associated with A? and also tau. To carefully understand the contribution and role of tau in the eye, we adapt a technology platform for the discovery of a panel of nanobodies (Nbs) for A? in our parent grant that can be used as specific probes to investigate the histological distribution of tau in the eye (retina and lens tissue). These Nbs would allow us to identify overlooked and potentially rare tau forms and their localization in DS eyes, perhaps yielding also some important insights for AD. For this supplement, our specific aims mirror those of our parent grant for tau: (1) Discover, produce, and validate Nbs against different conformations of tau forms and (2) Test and validate our panel of Nbs using eye tissues and lens from AD mouse models recapitulating DS.
People with Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21) often have multiple ocular issues, including cataracts. Increase in phosphorylated forms of Tau are caused by kinases encoded on chromosome 21, causing tauopathy in the eye (retina and lens). We propose to adapt our technology platform to discover nanobodies to A? in our parent grant to discover nanobodies as probes and use them to detect, and characterize relevant tau forms in the eye, improving health and preventing such degeneration for people with Down Syndrome.
