1. Introduction
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease, accounting for 60-80% of all cases of dementia [
1]. AD is characterized by various pathological markers in the brain, such as the accumulation of beta-amyloid peptide (Aβ), which can form senile plaques, intracellular accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles formed by hyperphosphorylated tau protein, and progressive loss of nerve cells [
2]. Most cases of AD are sporadic and aging is considered a major risk factor for AD, but the pathways through which aging triggers the development of the disease are still unclear. It has been suggested that aging may induce post-translational modifications of Aβ (PTMs), which enhance its pathogenic properties. [
3]. Thus, Aβ is capable of undergoing various PTMs that are triggered by enzymes or low molecular weight substances, as well as spontaneously [
4]. Some of these modifications are isomerization of the aspartic acid residue at position 7 (iso-Aβ) and phosphorylation at serine 8 (pS8-Aβ). These modifications are located in the metal-binding domain of Aβ, which regulates its zinc-dependent oligomerization [
5,
6] and interaction with receptors [
5,
7]. In amyloid plaques, iso-Aβ was found to constitute more than 50% of all Aβ molecules [
8]. Iso-Aβ has an increased ability to oligomerize [
9], is more toxic [
10] and demonstrates resistance to proteolysis [
11]. At the same time, the level of iso-Aβ increases with age and in patients with AD [
3]. PS8-Aβ was detected in brain tissue of both patients with AD and AD model mice. It is localized both in amyloid plaques and in the cytoplasm of neurons, and compared to unmodified Aβ has increased neurotoxicity
in vitro [
12] and higher resistance to degradation by an insulin-degrading enzyme [
11]. Thus, pS8-Aβ and iso-Aβ are important isoforms that differ significantly in properties from intact Aβ. The changes in the homeostasis of these isoforms may trigger pathological events contributing to development of AD.
Numerous studies have shown that AD is accompanied by a disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which occurs at an early stage of the disease [
13,
14]. The BBB controls the entry of Aβ from plasma into the brain via the RAGE receptor, as well as the clearance of Aβ from the brain into the peripheral circulation via the LRP-1 receptor [
15]. Disruption of these BBB functions can lead to pathological accumulation of Aβ in the brain and manifestation of AD symptoms. Increasing evidence indicates that Aβ from blood can enter the brain and serve as a trigger for the disease [
16,
17]. Interestingly, peripheral injection of synthetic Aβ
42 into the bloodstream did not lead to the formation of amyloid plaques in the brains of mouse models of AD. However, intravenous injections of modified forms of Aβ altered the pathology of AD: the injection of iso-Aβ accelerated the amyloidogenesis [
18], while injection of pS8-Aβ reduced the number of amyloid plaques in the brain of transgenic mice [
5]. This evidence suggests that pathogenic isoforms of Aβ may arise in the circulatory system, after which they penetrate the brain and contribute to AD pathology [
19]. However, the transport of modified forms of Aβ across the BBB has not been previously studied.
In this work, we compared the efficiency of transport of Aβ42, pS8-Aβ42, and iso-Aβ42 through a monolayer of BBB endothelial cells, and also established the contribution of clathrin- and caveolin-dependent mechanisms to this process. It was also determined how modifications of Aβ affect its affinity for RAGE.
4. Discussion
It is known that Aβ is expressed not only in the brain, but also in cells of other organs and tissues: kidneys and adrenal glands, heart, liver, spleen, pancreas, as well as in muscles, blood cells and endothelium [
25]. Significant amounts of Aβ have been found in human red blood cells, and the Aβ
42/Aβ
40 ratio in red blood cells is higher than in plasma [
26].
Increasing evidence indicates that peripheral Aβ can penetrate into the brain and play a significant role in the pathogenesis of AD. Thus, peripheral inoculation of brain extracts containing Aβ led to amyloidosis in the brain of mice [
27,
28,
29]. It has also been shown that increasing the concentration of peripheral Aβ significantly reduces its removal from the brain [
30]. Inhibition of RAGE-ligand interaction suppressed brain Aβ accumulation in a transgenic mouse model [
31]. The important role of peripheral Aβ and its ability to enter the brain and trigger AD pathology was further highlighted in a parabiosis model in which the circulatory systems of a transgenic mouse with AD-like pathology and a wild-type mouse were connected. Using this model, the researchers demonstrated that human Aβ derived from a transgenic animal entered the wild-type mouse brain and initiated AD-like pathology, including tau hyperphosphorylation, neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation, impaired hippocampal long-term potentiation, and amyloid plaque formation [
16]. Another study demonstrated the contribution of Aβ produced by blood cells to the pathogenesis of AD: when bone marrow was transplanted from transgenic mice to wild-type mice, the latter showed signs of AD pathology [
17]. A number of data indicate that induction of AD requires not just an increase in the concentration of Aβ
42, but the appearance of pathogenic forms carrying post-translational modifications [
4,
11]. Thus, intravenous administration of iso-Aβ
42 accelerates amyloidogenesis in the brain of transgenic mice modeling AD [
18], and introduction of pS8-Aβ
42 into the blood, on the contrary, reduces the number of amyloid plaques [
5]. At the same time, intravenous administration of the unmodified peptide does not affect the formation of amyloid plaques in the brain of model mice. It is possible that modified forms of Aβ arise in the circulatory system, after which they enter the brain and contribute to AD pathology [
19].
In this work, we compared the efficiency of transport of Aβ isoforms in an
in vitro model of the BBB, and also determined the contribution of different mechanisms of endocytosis to the passage of Aβ
42, pS8-Aβ
42 and iso-Aβ
42 through the endothelium. It was found that pS8-Aβ
42 and iso-Aβ
42 are better transported by BBB endothelial cells than Aβ
42 (
Figure 1), which may be one of the factors determining the ability of modified forms of Aβ to influence cerebral amyloidogenesis when administered intravenously [
5,
18]. Notably, the concentrations used in our study are supraphysiological, and these findings should be validated in consecutive studies. Despite this, our data provide insight into the differences in the passage of Aβ isoforms across the BBB.
The main mechanism of transport of Aβ from the bloodstream to the brain is caveolin-dependent endocytosis [
21]. Indeed, the inhibitor of this form of endocytosis, filipin, suppressed the transport of Aβ
42, pS8-Aβ
42, and iso-Aβ
42 from the upper to lower compartment to the same extent (
Figure 4D). Strikingly, the addition of chlorpromazine, which is an inhibitor of clathrin-dependent endocytosis, significantly suppressed the transport of iso-Aβ
42 (
Figure 5D). Thus, the transport of iso-Aβ
42 may also be dependent on clathrin endocytosis. Also, the contribution of clathrin endocytosis was found for Aβ
42 and pS8-Aβ
42, but less pronounced than for iso-Aβ
42. The involvement of clathrin-dependent endocytosis in transport of proteins from the bloodstream to the brain was previously shown for transferrin and insulin receptors [
32,
33,
34,
35], but not for beta-amyloid peptides.
It is assumed that RAGE plays a major role in the transfer of Aβ from the circulatory system to the brain. It was previously shown that in cells expressing RAGE an inhibitor of this receptor, FPS-ZM1, prevented oxidative stress induced by Aβ
40 and Aβ
42 [
24]. However, the effect of FPS-ZM1 on the transport of Aβ and its isoforms across the BBB endothelium
in vitro has not been studied. We found that FPS-ZM1 reduced the passage of Aβ
42 through the endothelium of the BBB (
Figure 6), which correlates well with data obtained previously for Aβ
42 in vivo [
24,
31]. FPS-ZM1 also inhibited the transport of pS8-Aβ
42 and iso-Aβ
42, but the effect of this inhibitor on the passage of pS8-Aβ
42 was less pronounced than for other isoforms (
Figure 6D). Thus, it appears that RAGE is the major receptor in the transport of both Aβ and its modified forms across the BBB.
Since Aβ
42, pS8-Aβ
42, and iso-Aβ
42 differed in their ability to penetrate the cell monolayer, we decided to compare the ability of these isoforms to interact with RAGE. There is relatively little data in the literature on the interaction parameters of Aβ with RAGE. Thus, in cell cultures, the dissociation constants of RAGE with Aβ
40 and Aβ
42 were 75 ± 5 nM [
24] and 92 ± 40 nM [
36], respectively. For purified RAGE, a dissociation constant with Aβ
40 was shown to be 57 ± 14 nM [
37]. Using the surface plasmon resonance method, it was revealed that sRAGE binds Aβ
42 oligomers with a Kd of 17 nM [
38], and the Kd for endogenous soluble RAGE (esRAGE) and Aβ
42 was 44.9 nM [
39]. Thus, direct measurements of the interaction of Aβ
42 monomers and its isoforms with RAGE have not been previously carried out. The interaction constants obtained for Aβ
42 are an order of magnitude higher compared to constants estimated in other systems. This may be due to the fact that in our experiments stabilizing agents and other additives that are far from physiological were used, which could affect the obtained constants. Nevertheless, this model allowed us to compare the binding of different isoforms with RAGE in the same conditions. Across the three Aβ
42 isoforms, we found that RAGE demonstrates the highest affinity to Aβ
42 and the lowest to iso-Aβ
42 (
Figure 7). These data are in good agreement with the results of computer modeling that we obtained earlier, according to which sRAGE has the lowest calculated Kd value with Aβ
42 and the highest with iso-Aβ
42 [
40]. The obtained Kd values correlate with the accumulation of amyloid peptides inside cells (
Figure 9). We also found that RAGE interacts with Aβ
17-42, but not with Aβ
1-16, and the binding constant of the receptor with Aβ
17-42 was an order of magnitude smaller than the binding constant with the full-length Aβ
42 peptide. Previously, we observed a similar pattern in the interaction of Aβ with Na
+/K
+-ATPase: binding to the enzyme was detected for Aβ
17-42, but not for Aβ
1-16 [
5]. Probably, the hydrophobic C-terminal fragment Aβ
17-42 makes a major contribution to the binding of Aβ
42 to various protein molecules, while Aβ
1-16 modulates this interaction.
Apparently, the high affinity of Aβ
42 for RAGE is the reason for its accumulation in cells and lower transport efficiency compared to other isoforms, while the isoforms with lower affinity for the receptor are more easily transported across the endothelial cell and are able to dissociate from the receptor on the abluminal side. This mechanism was previously shown for the passage of antibodies to the transferrin receptor across the BBB. [
35,
41]. High-affinity antibodies against the transferrin receptor cause the antibody-receptor complex to be mainly directed to lysosomes, and those that undergo transcytosis remain associated with the receptor on the abluminal side. Low-affinity antibodies undergo transcytosis and dissociate on the abluminal side to a greater extent [
35,
41]. Similar studies focusing on drug delivery to the brain showed that transferrin-containing nanoparticles with high avidity for the transferrin receptor remained tightly associated with endothelial cells, whereas low avidity nanoparticles dissociated from the receptor after transcytosis [
42]. In bEnd.3 cells, it was shown that strong binding of ligands to LRP-1 triggers internalization leading to endo-lysosomal sorting and degradation of ligand-receptor complex, while ligands with moderate binding strength to the receptor were transported across the endothelium [
43]. Thus, the stronger binding of Aβ
42 to RAGE may be the reason for its lowest transport efficiency of all isoforms across the bEnd.3 cell monolayer. Another factor influencing Aβ transport across the BBB may be different degrees of enzymatic degradation of Aβ isoforms. Thus, isomerization of the aspartate residue in Aβ has been shown to prevent its proteolysis in lysosomes [
44]. PS8-Aβ is resistant to degradation by insulin degrading enzyme, unlike unmodified Aβ [
11]. We found different affinities of Aβ isoforms for RAGE, which may affect enzymatic degradation.
Figure 1.
Passage of 1 μM Aβ42, pS8-Aβ42 and iso-Aβ42 through a monolayer of bEnd.3 cells from the upper transwell compartment to the lower compartment at 2, 6 and 24 hours. The amounts (pmol) of Aβ42, pS8-Aβ42 and iso-Aβ42 in the lower compartment measured by sandwich ELISA normalized by incubation time (min) and transwell area (cm2) are presented. Number of values in each group n=15-19 representing 6 independent experiments. ** - p < 0.01, **** - p < 0.0001.
Figure 1.
Passage of 1 μM Aβ42, pS8-Aβ42 and iso-Aβ42 through a monolayer of bEnd.3 cells from the upper transwell compartment to the lower compartment at 2, 6 and 24 hours. The amounts (pmol) of Aβ42, pS8-Aβ42 and iso-Aβ42 in the lower compartment measured by sandwich ELISA normalized by incubation time (min) and transwell area (cm2) are presented. Number of values in each group n=15-19 representing 6 independent experiments. ** - p < 0.01, **** - p < 0.0001.
Figure 2.
Efficiency of sodium fluorescein passage through a monolayer of bEnd.3 cells. Prior to the measurement, the cells were incubated with 0.08% DMSO, or with 1 μM Aβ42, pS8-Aβ42, or iso-Aβ42 for 24 hours. Fluorescence intensity values in the lower transwell compartment are shown. Number of independent replicates n=3.
Figure 2.
Efficiency of sodium fluorescein passage through a monolayer of bEnd.3 cells. Prior to the measurement, the cells were incubated with 0.08% DMSO, or with 1 μM Aβ42, pS8-Aβ42, or iso-Aβ42 for 24 hours. Fluorescence intensity values in the lower transwell compartment are shown. Number of independent replicates n=3.
Figure 3.
Schematic representation of Aβ
42 transport through the endothelium of the BBB and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Inhibitors affecting caveolin- and clathrin-dependent endocytosis are indicated in red. Filipin binds cholesterol in the membrane and interferes with caveolae formation [
22]. Chlorpromazine affects the complex of adapter proteins AP-2 involved in clathrin-dependent endocytosis [
23].
Figure 3.
Schematic representation of Aβ
42 transport through the endothelium of the BBB and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Inhibitors affecting caveolin- and clathrin-dependent endocytosis are indicated in red. Filipin binds cholesterol in the membrane and interferes with caveolae formation [
22]. Chlorpromazine affects the complex of adapter proteins AP-2 involved in clathrin-dependent endocytosis [
23].
Figure 4.
Effects of filipin on the efficiency of Aβ42 (A), pS8-Aβ42 (B) and iso-Aβ42 (C) transport through a monolayer of bEnd.3 cells in the transwell model. The amounts (pmol) of Aβ42, pS8-Aβ42 and iso-Aβ42 in the lower compartment normalized by incubation time (min) and transwell area (cm2) after 2 and 6 hours of incubation with amyloid peptides in the absence or presence of filipin are shown. D) Comparison of the degree of inhibition of filipin Aβ42, pS8-Aβ42 and iso-Aβ42, where transport of the peptides in the absence of the inhibitor was taken as 100% (not shown). Summarized data from three independent experiments are presented, the number of values in each group n = 6-9, ** - p < 0.01, *** - p < 0.001, **** - p < 0.0001.
Figure 4.
Effects of filipin on the efficiency of Aβ42 (A), pS8-Aβ42 (B) and iso-Aβ42 (C) transport through a monolayer of bEnd.3 cells in the transwell model. The amounts (pmol) of Aβ42, pS8-Aβ42 and iso-Aβ42 in the lower compartment normalized by incubation time (min) and transwell area (cm2) after 2 and 6 hours of incubation with amyloid peptides in the absence or presence of filipin are shown. D) Comparison of the degree of inhibition of filipin Aβ42, pS8-Aβ42 and iso-Aβ42, where transport of the peptides in the absence of the inhibitor was taken as 100% (not shown). Summarized data from three independent experiments are presented, the number of values in each group n = 6-9, ** - p < 0.01, *** - p < 0.001, **** - p < 0.0001.
Figure 5.
Effects chlorpromazine (CPZ) on the efficiency of Aβ42 (A), pS8-Aβ42 (B) and iso-Aβ42 (C) transport through a monolayer of bEnd.3 cells in the transwell model. The amounts (pmol) of Aβ42, pS8-Aβ42 and iso-Aβ42 in the lower compartment normalized by incubation time (min) and transwell area (cm2) after 2 and 6 hours of incubation with amyloid peptides in the absence or presence of CPZ are shown. D) Comparison of the degree of inhibition of CPZ Aβ42, pS8-Aβ42 and iso-Aβ42, where transport of the peptides in the absence of the inhibitor was taken as 100% (not shown). Summarized data from three independent experiments are presented, the number of values in each group n = 6-9, ns - not significant, * - p < 0.05, ** - p < 0.01, *** - p < 0.001, **** - p < 0.0001.
Figure 5.
Effects chlorpromazine (CPZ) on the efficiency of Aβ42 (A), pS8-Aβ42 (B) and iso-Aβ42 (C) transport through a monolayer of bEnd.3 cells in the transwell model. The amounts (pmol) of Aβ42, pS8-Aβ42 and iso-Aβ42 in the lower compartment normalized by incubation time (min) and transwell area (cm2) after 2 and 6 hours of incubation with amyloid peptides in the absence or presence of CPZ are shown. D) Comparison of the degree of inhibition of CPZ Aβ42, pS8-Aβ42 and iso-Aβ42, where transport of the peptides in the absence of the inhibitor was taken as 100% (not shown). Summarized data from three independent experiments are presented, the number of values in each group n = 6-9, ns - not significant, * - p < 0.05, ** - p < 0.01, *** - p < 0.001, **** - p < 0.0001.
Figure 6.
Effect of the RAGE antagonist FPS-ZM1 on the efficiency of transport of Aβ42 (A), pS8-Aβ42 (B) and iso-Aβ42 (C) through a monolayer of bEnd.3 cells in the transwell model. The amounts (pmol) of Aβ42, pS8-Aβ42 and iso-Aβ42 in the lower compartment normalized by incubation time (min) and transwell area (cm2) after 2, 6 and 24 hours of incubation with amyloid peptides in the absence or presence of FPS-ZM1 are shown. D) Comparison of the degree of inhibition of FPS-ZM1 Aβ42, pS8-Aβ42 and iso-Aβ42, where transport of the peptides in the absence of the inhibitor was taken as 100% (not shown). Summarized data from three independent experiments are presented, the number of values in each group n = 6-9, * - p < 0.05, ** - p < 0.01, *** - p < 0.001, **** - p < 0.0001.
Figure 6.
Effect of the RAGE antagonist FPS-ZM1 on the efficiency of transport of Aβ42 (A), pS8-Aβ42 (B) and iso-Aβ42 (C) through a monolayer of bEnd.3 cells in the transwell model. The amounts (pmol) of Aβ42, pS8-Aβ42 and iso-Aβ42 in the lower compartment normalized by incubation time (min) and transwell area (cm2) after 2, 6 and 24 hours of incubation with amyloid peptides in the absence or presence of FPS-ZM1 are shown. D) Comparison of the degree of inhibition of FPS-ZM1 Aβ42, pS8-Aβ42 and iso-Aβ42, where transport of the peptides in the absence of the inhibitor was taken as 100% (not shown). Summarized data from three independent experiments are presented, the number of values in each group n = 6-9, * - p < 0.05, ** - p < 0.01, *** - p < 0.001, **** - p < 0.0001.
Figure 7.
Interaction of Aβ isoforms with sRAGE. A) MST curves showing the fraction of RAGE which is in the complex with the peptide at different concentrations of Aβ and its isoforms. B) Values of dissociation constants (Kd) for complexes of Aβ isoforms with sRAGE. Number of replicates in each group n = 4-5, * - p < 0.05, **** - p < 0.0001.
Figure 7.
Interaction of Aβ isoforms with sRAGE. A) MST curves showing the fraction of RAGE which is in the complex with the peptide at different concentrations of Aβ and its isoforms. B) Values of dissociation constants (Kd) for complexes of Aβ isoforms with sRAGE. Number of replicates in each group n = 4-5, * - p < 0.05, **** - p < 0.0001.
Figure 8.
MST curve illustrating the interaction of Aβ17-42 with sRAGE.
Figure 8.
MST curve illustrating the interaction of Aβ17-42 with sRAGE.
Figure 9.
Levels of Aβ42, pS8-Aβ42 and iso-Aβ42 in bEnd.3 cells after 24 h of incubation with these peptides (1 μM). The data were obtained on cell lysates using ELISA. The concentrations of peptides normalized to the total protein (μg) in the samples are presented. Number of replicates in each group n = 6, ** - p < 0.01, **** - p < 0.0001.
Figure 9.
Levels of Aβ42, pS8-Aβ42 and iso-Aβ42 in bEnd.3 cells after 24 h of incubation with these peptides (1 μM). The data were obtained on cell lysates using ELISA. The concentrations of peptides normalized to the total protein (μg) in the samples are presented. Number of replicates in each group n = 6, ** - p < 0.01, **** - p < 0.0001.