Alzheimer's disease/dementia-associated brain pathology in aging DPP6-KO mice

We have previously reported that the single transmembrane protein Dipeptidyl Peptidase Like 6 (DPP6) impacts neuronal and synaptic development. DPP6-KO mice are impaired in hippocampal-dependent learning and memory and exhibit smaller brain size. Recently, we have described novel structures in hippocampal area CA1 in aging mice, apparently derived from degenerating presynaptic terminals, that are significantly more prevalent in DPP6-KO mice compared to WT mice of the same age and that these structures were observed earlier in development in DPP6-KO mice. These novel structures appear as clusters of large puncta that colocalize NeuN, synaptophysin, and chromogranin A, and also partially label for MAP2, amyloid β, APP, α-synuclein, and phosphorylated tau, with synapsin-1 and VGluT1 labeling on their periphery. In this current study, using immunofluorescence and electron microscopy, we confirm that both APP and amyloid β are prevalent in these structures; and we show with immunofluorescence the presence of similar structures in humans with Alzheimer's disease. Here we also found evidence that aging DPP6-KO mutants show additional changes related to Alzheimer's disease. We used in vivo MRI to show reduced size of the DPP6-KO brain and hippocampus. Aging DPP6-KO hippocampi contained fewer total neurons and greater neuron death and had diagnostic biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease present including accumulation of amyloid β and APP and increase in expression of hyper-phosphorylated tau. The amyloid β and phosphorylated tau pathologies were associated with neuroinflammation characterized by increases in microglia and astrocytes. And levels of proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory cytokines increased in aging DPP6-KO mice. We finally show that aging DPP6-KO mice display circadian dysfunction, a common symptom of Alzheimer's disease. Together these results indicate that aging DPP6-KO mice show symptoms of enhanced neurodegeneration reminiscent of dementia associated with a novel structure resulting from synapse loss and neuronal death. This study continues our laboratory's work in discerning the function of DPP6 and here provides compelling evidence of a direct role of DPP6 in Alzheimer's disease.