Retromer deficiency observed in Alzheimer's disease causes hippocampal dysfunction, neurodegeneration, and Aβ accumulation

Abstract

Although deficiencies in the retromer sorting pathway have been linked to late-onset Alzheimer's disease, whether these deficiencies underlie the disease remains unknown. Here we characterized two genetically modified animal models to test separate but related questions about the effects that retromer deficiency has on the brain. First, testing for cognitive defects, we investigated retromer-deficient mice and found that they develop hippocampal-dependent memory and synaptic dysfunction, which was associated with elevations in endogenous Aβ peptide. Second, testing for neurodegeneration and amyloid deposits, we investigated retromer-deficient flies expressing human wild-type amyloid precursor protein (APP) and human β-site APP-cleaving enzyme (BACE) and found that they develop neuronal loss and human Aβ aggregates. By recapitulating features of the disease, these animal models suggest that retromer deficiency observed in late-onset Alzheimer's disease can contribute to disease pathogenesis.