We are testing the hypothesis that the accumulation of oxidative DNA damage contributes to neuronal dysfunction seen in neurodegenerative diseases by utilizing multiple model systems like transgenic mice, cultured cells and C. elegans. We are focusing on Alzheimer's disease (AD) since this is the most prevalent form of dementia in people 65 years or older. The base excision repair (BER) pathway repairs oxidative DNA damage, such as base modifications, which occur spontaneously or as a result of attack by reactive oxygen species (ROS). DNA polymerase Beta (PolB) is responsible for the DNA synthesis step in the BER pathway, which can be rate limiting. Previously we bred the 3xTg AD mouse to our DNA Polymerase Beta heterozygous mouse (PolB) to create a new mouse model, 3xTgAD/PolB+/- that displayed several important new features that the parental AD mouse model did not. We observed elevated cell death markers, altered ABeta deposition, greater mitochondrial dysfunction and worse memory and learning. These added features make the new mouse model more similar to the AD presentation seen in humans. Together, our work and others suggest that deficiencies in BER enzymes might contribute to the accumulation of oxidative damage in both nuclear and mitochondria DNA of AD patients and contribute to disease progression. There is an urgent need for effective therapies for treating or managing AD. We postulate that depletion of intracellular NAD+, persistent activation of PARP1 and low sirtuin activity could be impacting AD disease pathology. PARP1 activation contributes to neurodegeneration and high levels of PAR are reported in brains of AD patients and tissues from AD mice. Furthermore, other NAD+ metabolizing enzymes, like SIRT1, displays lower activity in AD patients than in age-matched controls. We have measured lower NAD+ levels in our 3xTg AD/PolB mice and are therefore testing whether modulation of NAD+ using NAD+ precursor supplements can ameliorate AD features in our mouse model.
| Hou, Yujun; Lautrup, Sofie; Cordonnier, Stephanie et al. (2018) NAD+ supplementation normalizes key Alzheimer's features and DNA damage responses in a new AD mouse model with introduced DNA repair deficiency. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 115:E1876-E1885 |
| Fivenson, Elayne M; Lautrup, Sofie; Sun, Nuo et al. (2017) Mitophagy in neurodegeneration and aging. Neurochem Int 109:202-209 |
| Kerr, Jesse S; Adriaanse, Bryan A; Greig, Nigel H et al. (2017) Mitophagy and Alzheimer's Disease: Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms. Trends Neurosci 40:151-166 |
| Fang, Evandro F; Lautrup, Sofie; Hou, Yujun et al. (2017) NAD+ in Aging: Molecular Mechanisms and Translational Implications. Trends Mol Med 23:899-916 |
| Fang, Evandro F; Bohr, Vilhelm A (2017) NAD(+): The convergence of DNA repair and mitophagy. Autophagy 13:442-443 |
| Hou, Yujun; Song, Hyundong; Croteau, Deborah L et al. (2017) Genome instability in Alzheimer disease. Mech Ageing Dev 161:83-94 |
| Maynard, Scott; Hejl, Anne-Mette; Dinh, Thuan-Son T et al. (2015) Defective mitochondrial respiration, altered dNTP pools and reduced AP endonuclease 1 activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of Alzheimer's disease patients. Aging (Albany NY) 7:793-815 |
| Fang, Evandro Fei; Scheibye-Knudsen, Morten; Jahn, Heiko J et al. (2015) A research agenda for aging in China in the 21st century. Ageing Res Rev 24:197-205 |
| Leandro, Giovana S; Sykora, Peter; Bohr, Vilhelm A (2015) The impact of base excision DNA repair in age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Mutat Res 776:31-9 |
| Maynard, Scott; Fang, Evandro Fei; Scheibye-Knudsen, Morten et al. (2015) DNA Damage, DNA Repair, Aging, and Neurodegeneration. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 5: |
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