Increased Hyaluronan and TSG-6 in Association with Neuropathologic Changes of Alzheimer’s Disease

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Reed, May J.^{a; *} | Damodarasamy, Mamatha^a | Pathan, Jasmine L.^a | Chan, Christina K.^b | Spiekerman, Charles^c | Wight, Thomas N.^b | Banks, William A.^{a; d} | Day, Anthony J.^e | Vernon, Robert B.^b | Keene, C. Dirk^f

Affiliations: [a] Department of Medicine, Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA | [b] Matrix Biology Program, Benaroya Research Institute, Virginia Mason, Seattle, WA, USA | [c] Center for Biomedical Statistics, Institute for Translational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA | [d] VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Seattle, WA, USA | [e] Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK | [f] Department of Pathology, Division of Neuropathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: May J. Reed, MD, Department of Medicine, Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. Tel.: +1 206 897 5331; E-mail: mjr@uw.edu.

Abstract: Little is known about the extracellular matrix (ECM) during progression of AD pathology. Brain ECM is abundant in hyaluronan (HA), a non-sulfated glycosaminoglycan synthesized by HA synthases (HAS) 1–3 in a high molecular weight (MW) form that is degraded into lower MW fragments. We hypothesized that pathologic severity of AD is associated with increases in HA and HA-associated ECM molecules. To test this hypothesis, we assessed HA accumulation and size; HA synthases (HAS) 1–3; and the HA-stabilizing hyaladherin, TSG-6 in parietal cortex samples from autopsied research subjects with not AD (CERAD = 0, Braak = 0– II, n = 12–21), intermediate AD (CERAD = 2, Braak = III–IV, n = 13–18), and high AD (CERAD = 3, Braak = V–VI, n = 32–40) neuropathologic change. By histochemistry, HA was associated with deposits of amyloid and tau, and was also found diffusely in brain parenchyma, with overall HA quantity (measured by ELSA) significantly greater in brains with high AD neuropathology. Mean HA MW was similar among the samples. HAS2 and TSG-6 mRNA expression, and TSG-6 protein levels were significantly increased in high AD and both molecules were present in vasculature, NeuN-positive neurons, and Iba1-positive microglia. These results did not change when accounting for gender, advanced age (≥ 90 years versus <90 years), or the clinical diagnosis of dementia. Collectively, our results indicate a positive correlation between HA accumulation and AD neuropathology, and suggest a possible role for HA synthesis and metabolism in AD progression.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, extracellular matrix, hyaluronan, TSG-6

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-180797

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 67, no. 1, pp. 91-102, 2019