SMPD3 deficiency perturbs neuronal proteostasis and causes progressive cognitive impairment

Neutral sphingomyelinase smpd3 is most abundantly expressed in neurons of brain. The function of SMPD3 has remained elusive. Here, we report a pathogenetic nexus between absence of SMPD3 in the Golgi compartment (GC) of neurons of the smpd3-/- mouse brain, inhibition of Golgi vesicular protein transport and progressive cognitive impairment. Absence of SMPD3 activity in the Golgi sphingomyelin cycle impedes remodeling of the lipid bilayer, essential for budding and multivesicular body formation. Importantly, we show that inhibition of the Golgi vesicular protein transport causes accumulation of neurotoxic proteins APP, Aβ and phosphorylated Tau, dysproteostasis, unfolded protein response, and apoptosis, which ultimately manifests in progressive cognitive decline, similar to the pathognomonic signatures of familial and sporadic forms of Alzheimer´s disease. This discovery might contribute to the search for other primary pathogenic mechanisms, which link perturbed lipid bilayer structures and protein processing and transport in the neuronal Golgi compartment and neurodegeneration and cognitive deficits.