Novel lipid signaling pathways in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. With an increasing longevity and the absence of a cure, AD has become not only a major health problem but also a heavy social and economic burden worldwide. In addition to the presence of abundant intra- and extra-cellular neurotoxic amyloid β (Aβ) peptides, which form the amyloid plaques, and intracellular hyperphosphorylated tau protein, the main component of neurofibrillary tangles, consistent evidence indicates that the AD brain is characterized by extensive neuroinflammatory processes. The 5-lipoxygenase (5LO) is a pro-inflammatory enzymatic pathway widely distributed within the central nervous system and is up-regulated in AD. In the last five years our group has been involved in unraveling the neurobiology of this protein and investigating its relationship with cellular and molecular events of functional importance in AD pathogenesis. By using a combination of in vitro and in vivo experimental tools and implementing genetic as well as pharmacological approaches today we know that 5LO is likely an endogenous regulator of Aβ formation via the modulation of the γ-secretase complex, and tau metabolism by modulating its phosphorylation state at specific epitopes via the cyclin-dependent kinase-5 (cdk-5). In addition, 5LO influences synaptic function and integrity and by doing so significantly affects learning and memory in the Tg2576 and 3xTg AD transgenic mouse models. Taken together our data establish this protein as a pleiotropic contributor to the development of the full spectrum of the AD-like phenotype in these mouse models of the disease, making it a viable therapeutic target for the treatment of AD in humans.