Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of neurodegenerative disease. It is an irreversible condition marked by irreversible cognitive loss, commonly attributed by the loss of hippocampal neurons due to the formation of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Although the sporadic form is the most prevalent, the presence of familial form (involving several genes such as APP, PSEN1 and PSEN2) of the disease is commonly used as a model for understanding the pathophysiology of the disease. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of mutation on PSEN1 and PSEN2 genes on the BBB function using induced pluripotent stem cells.
Methods: iPSC lines from patients harboring mutations in PSEN1 or PSEN2 were used in this study and compared to a control iPSC line. Cells were differentiated into BMECs following existing protocols. Barrier function was assessed by measuring TEER and fluorescein permeability, drug transporters activity was assessed by uptake assay, glucose uptake and metabolism assessed by cell flux analyzer, mitochondrial potential by JC-1 and lysosomal acidification by acridine orange.
Results: PSEN1-BMECs, but not PSEN2-BMECs, showed impaired barrier function compared to control group. Such impaired barrier function correlated with poor tight junction complexes and reduced drug efflux pump activity. In addition, both PSEN1 and PSEN2 displayed reduced glucose uptake and glycolysis, as well as impaired mitochondrial membrane potential and lysosomal acidification.
Conclusion: Our study reports evidence that PSEN1 and PSEN2 mutations, two genes commonly associated with familial form of Alzheimer’s disease, can impair the development and the maintenance of the BBB, both by an impairment of the barrier function, vesicle trafficking and bioenergetics. Therefore, assessing the contribution of genetic mutations associated with Alzheimer’s disease will allow us to better understand the contribution of the BBB in dementia, but also in other neurodegenerative diseases.

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On 02 Dec, 2019
On 02 Dec, 2019
On 01 Dec, 2019
On 30 Nov, 2019
On 30 Nov, 2019
On 29 Nov, 2019
On 03 Dec, 2020
On 03 Dec, 2020
On 03 Dec, 2020
On 03 Dec, 2020
Received 20 Nov, 2020
On 19 Nov, 2020
On 19 Nov, 2020
Received 19 Nov, 2020
Received 19 Nov, 2020
On 19 Nov, 2020
Invitations sent on 19 Nov, 2020
On 19 Nov, 2020
On 19 Nov, 2020
On 19 Nov, 2020
On 11 Nov, 2020
On 28 Oct, 2020
Invitations sent on 28 Oct, 2020
On 28 Oct, 2020
On 28 Oct, 2020
On 28 Oct, 2020
Received 28 Oct, 2020
Received 27 Oct, 2020
Received 27 Oct, 2020
On 27 Oct, 2020
On 27 Oct, 2020
On 10 Jan, 2020
On 09 Jan, 2020
On 08 Jan, 2020
On 08 Jan, 2020
Posted 13 Dec, 2019
On 15 Dec, 2019
Received 05 Dec, 2019
Received 05 Dec, 2019
Received 05 Dec, 2019
Invitations sent on 02 Dec, 2019
On 02 Dec, 2019
On 02 Dec, 2019
On 02 Dec, 2019
On 02 Dec, 2019
On 01 Dec, 2019
On 30 Nov, 2019
On 30 Nov, 2019
On 29 Nov, 2019
Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of neurodegenerative disease. It is an irreversible condition marked by irreversible cognitive loss, commonly attributed by the loss of hippocampal neurons due to the formation of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Although the sporadic form is the most prevalent, the presence of familial form (involving several genes such as APP, PSEN1 and PSEN2) of the disease is commonly used as a model for understanding the pathophysiology of the disease. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of mutation on PSEN1 and PSEN2 genes on the BBB function using induced pluripotent stem cells.
Methods: iPSC lines from patients harboring mutations in PSEN1 or PSEN2 were used in this study and compared to a control iPSC line. Cells were differentiated into BMECs following existing protocols. Barrier function was assessed by measuring TEER and fluorescein permeability, drug transporters activity was assessed by uptake assay, glucose uptake and metabolism assessed by cell flux analyzer, mitochondrial potential by JC-1 and lysosomal acidification by acridine orange.
Results: PSEN1-BMECs, but not PSEN2-BMECs, showed impaired barrier function compared to control group. Such impaired barrier function correlated with poor tight junction complexes and reduced drug efflux pump activity. In addition, both PSEN1 and PSEN2 displayed reduced glucose uptake and glycolysis, as well as impaired mitochondrial membrane potential and lysosomal acidification.
Conclusion: Our study reports evidence that PSEN1 and PSEN2 mutations, two genes commonly associated with familial form of Alzheimer’s disease, can impair the development and the maintenance of the BBB, both by an impairment of the barrier function, vesicle trafficking and bioenergetics. Therefore, assessing the contribution of genetic mutations associated with Alzheimer’s disease will allow us to better understand the contribution of the BBB in dementia, but also in other neurodegenerative diseases.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4
This is a list of supplementary files associated with this preprint. Click to download.
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