Tau reduction in the presence of amyloid-β prevents tau pathology and neuronal death in vivo

Several studies have now supported the use of a tau lowering agent as a possible therapy in the treatment of tauopathy disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. In human Alzheimer's disease, however, concurrent amyloid-beta deposition appears to synergize and accelerate tau pathological changes. Thus far, tau reduction strategies that have been tested in vivo have been examined in the setting of tau pathology without confounding amyloid-beta deposition. To determine whether reducing total human tau expression in a transgenic model where there is concurrent amyloid-beta plaque formation can still reduce tau pathology and protect against neuronal loss, we have taken advantage of the regulatable tau transgene in APP/PS1 x rTg4510 mice. These mice develop both neurofibrillary tangles as well as amyloid-beta plaques throughout the cortex and hippocampus. By suppressing human tau expression for 6 months in the APP/PS1 x rTg4510 mice using doxycycline, AT8 tau pathology, bioactivity, and astrogliosis were reduced, though importantly to a lesser extent than lowering tau in the rTg4510 alone mice. Based on non-denaturing gels and proteinase K digestions, the remaining tau aggregates in the presence of amyloid-beta exhibit a longer-lived aggregate conformation. Nonetheless, lowering the expression of the human tau transgene was sufficient to equally ameliorate thioflavin-S positive tangles and prevent neuronal loss equally well in both the APP/PS1 x rTg4510 mice and the rTg4510 cohort. Together, these results suggest that, although amyloid-beta stabilizes tau aggregates, lowering total tau levels is still an effective strategy for the treatment of tau pathology and neuronal loss even in the presence of amyloid-beta deposition.