Regular ArticlesOligemic Hypoperfusion Differentially Affects Tau and Amyloid-β

Decreased blood flow to the brain in humans is associated with altered Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related pathology, although the underlying mechanisms by which hypoperfusion influences AD neuropathology remains unknown. To try to address this question, we developed an oligemic model of cerebral hypoperfusion in the 3xTg-AD mouse model of AD. We bilaterally and transiently occluded the common carotid artery and then examined the molecular and cellular pathways by which hypoperfusion influenced tau and amyloid-β proteins. We report the novel finding that a single, mild, transient hypoperfusion insult acutely increases Aβ levels by enhancing β-secretase protein expression. In contrast, transient hypoperfusion markedly decreases total tau levels, coincident with activation of macroautophagy and ubiquitin-proteosome pathways. Furthermore, we find that oligemia results in a significant increase specifically in tau phosphorylated at serine212 and threonine214, a tau epitope associated with paired helical filaments in AD patients. Despite the mild and transient nature of this hypoperfusion injury, the pattern of decreased total tau, altered phosphorylated tau, and increased amyloid-β persisted for several weeks postoligemia. Our study indicates that a single, mild, cerebral hypoperfusion event produces profound and long lasting effects on both tau and amyloid-β. This finding may have implications for the pathogenesis of AD, as it indicates for the first time that total tau and amyloid-β are differentially impacted by mild hypoperfusion.