Oligodendroglial glycolytic stress triggers inflammasome activation and neuropathology in Alzheimer's disease

X Zhang, R Wang, D Hu, X Sun, H Fujioka… - Science …, 2020 - science.org
X Zhang, R Wang, D Hu, X Sun, H Fujioka, K Lundberg, ER Chan, Q Wang, R Xu
Science advances, 2020science.org
Myelin degeneration and white matter loss resulting from oligodendrocyte (OL) death are
early events in Alzheimer's disease (AD) that lead to cognitive deficits; however, the
underlying mechanism remains unknown. Here, we find that mature OLs in both AD patients
and an AD mouse model undergo NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3)–
dependent Gasdermin D–associated inflammatory injury, concomitant with demyelination
and axonal degeneration. The mature OL-specific knockdown of dynamin-related protein 1 …
Myelin degeneration and white matter loss resulting from oligodendrocyte (OL) death are early events in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that lead to cognitive deficits; however, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Here, we find that mature OLs in both AD patients and an AD mouse model undergo NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3)–dependent Gasdermin D–associated inflammatory injury, concomitant with demyelination and axonal degeneration. The mature OL-specific knockdown of dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1; a mitochondrial fission guanosine triphosphatase) abolishes NLRP3 inflammasome activation, corrects myelin loss, and improves cognitive ability in AD mice. Drp1 hyperactivation in mature OLs induces a glycolytic defect in AD models by inhibiting hexokinase 1 (HK1; a mitochondrial enzyme that initiates glycolysis), which triggers NLRP3-associated inflammation. These findings suggest that OL glycolytic deficiency plays a causal role in AD development. The Drp1-HK1-NLRP3 signaling axis may be a key mechanism and therapeutic target for white matter degeneration in AD.
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