Skip to main content
Figure 8 | Journal of Neuroinflammation

Figure 8

From: Systemic immune challenges trigger and drive Alzheimer-like neuropathology in mice

Figure 8

Aggravated Tau pathology after systemic infection in adult mice. Representative images of coronal brain sections obtained from (A D) NP (NaCl at gestation day (GD)17, PolyI:C at 12 months) and (B E F) PP mice (PolyI:C at GD17 and at 12 months), processed for (A,B) immunoperoxidase and (D F) immunofluorescence staining using anti-phosphorylated TauT205 antibodies. (A B) Images are color-coded for visual display, with white/yellow indicating highest and blue/purple lowest staining intensity. (C) Quantitative analysis of the optical density (OD) of pTau IR in the hippocampus of all treatment groups. Values represent mean OD values corrected for non-specific background labeling (mean ± SEM), n = 6 to 7. **P < 0.01, *P < 0.05; statistical significance based on ANOVA/Fisher’s LSD post-hoc analysis. (D F) Increase in pTau IR in CA1 is accompanied by mis-sorting into dendrites and intraneuronal aggregation in non-transgenic PP mice. (F) Enlarged view of the CA1 stratum lacunosum moleculare subfield showing the typical somatic pTau aggregation. (G) Biochemical analysis of Tau phosphorylation using anti-paired helical filaments (PHFs), anti-pTauT205, and anti-total Tau antibodies. Lanes represent individual mice. (H) Quantitative analysis of the immunoreactive signals. Values represent mean relative optical density normalized to β-Actin and expressed in arbitrary units (AU) (mean ± SEM, n = 6 to 7). **P < 0.01; Mann–Whitney U test. Please note that the pTauT205antibody was used for (A B) immunohistochemistry (IHC) and (G) immunoblotting (IB) experiments. Because this antibody can crossreact with Ser199 in mouse Tau, an epitope that can be detected with the AT100 (PHF) antibody [63], the increase of pTau IR in (A B) is potentially due to an increase in aggregated pTau in sections. (I J) Anti-pTauT205 IR in the ventral hippocampus of 15-month-old 3xTg-AD mice injected with NaCI or PolyI:C at 4 months. Insets show higher magnifications of the cortical areas (asterisk) with low transgene expression, and indicate formation of distinct neurofibrillary tangle-like structures after a single systemic infection in transgenic AD mice. Scale bars: (A) = 500 μm, (D) = 30 μm, (F) = 5 μm, (I, inset) = 50 μm, (J) = 500 μm.

Back to article page