Deficient Rab11 activity underlies glucose hypometabolism in primary neurons of Huntington’s disease mice

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene. Positron emission tomography studies have revealed a decline in glucose metabolism in the brain of patients with HD by a mechanism that has not been established. We examined glucose utilization in embryonic primary cortical neurons of wild-type (WT) and HD knock-in mice, which have 140 CAG repeats inserted in the endogenous mouse huntingtin gene (HD140Q/140Q). Primary HD140Q/140Q cortical neurons took up significantly less glucose than did WT neurons. Expression of permanently inactive and permanently active forms of Rab11 correspondingly altered glucose uptake in WT neurons, suggesting that normal activity of Rab11 is needed for neuronal uptake of glucose. It is known that Rab11 activity is diminished in HD140Q/140Q neurons. Expression of dominant active Rab11 to enhance the activity of Rab11 normalized glucose uptake in HD140Q/140Q neurons. These results suggest that deficient activity of Rab11 is a novel mechanism for glucose hypometabolism in HD.

► Primary Huntington’s disease neurons are impaired in taking up glucose.
► Rab11 modulates glucose uptake in neurons.
► Increasing Rab11 activity attenuates the glucose uptake defect in disease neurons.
► We provide a novel mechanism for glucose hypometabolism in Huntington’s disease.