The role of interferon response genes in an experimental model of Alzheimer's Disease (360G-Wellcome-211763_Z_18_Z)

Emerging evidence suggest that systemic infection can accelerate the onset and/or progression of cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease, but the underlying biological mechanism remain unknown. Exposure of AD mouse models to a real systemic infection results in exaggerated neuroinflammation and AD-like pathology and preliminary microarray analysis suggest this may be due to increased levels of type I or II interferon and/or it’s down-stream signalling pathways. Interferons are produced in response to viral and bacterial infections and well known to be associated with mood changes and depression. In this project we will test if these pro-inflammatory cytokines also play a role in progressing AD-like pathology. Brain tissue from AD mice exposed to a systemic bacterial infection has already been collected, with a control group treated with saline. The expression levels of interferons and their signalling pathways will be explored in this archived tissue and in primary neuronal cultures expressing human Tau. The in vitro cultures will allow us to test if exposure to interferon promotes spreading of tau pathology and if inhibition of the signalling pathways prevents progression of AD-like pathology. This could later be applied to in vivo AD disease models, taking into consideration behavioural changes.