In the amyloidogenic pathway associated with Alzheimer disease (AD), the amyloid precursor protein (APP) is cleaved by β‐secretase to generate a 99‐aa C‐terminal fragment (C99) that is then cleaved by γ‐secretase to generate the β‐amyloid (Aβ) found in senile plaques. In previous reports, we and others have shown that γ‐secretase activity is enriched in mitochondria‐associated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes (MAM) and that ER–mitochondrial connectivity and MAM function are upregulated in AD. We now show that C99, in addition to its localization in endosomes, can also be found in MAM, where it is normally processed rapidly by γ‐secretase. In cell models of AD, however, the concentration of unprocessed C99 increases in MAM regions, resulting in elevated sphingolipid turnover and an altered lipid composition of both MAM and mitochondrial membranes. In turn, this change in mitochondrial membrane composition interferes with the proper assembly and activity of mitochondrial respiratory supercomplexes, thereby likely contributing to the bioenergetic defects characteristic of AD.

The pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is currently unclear and is the subject of much debate. The most widely accepted hypothesis designed to explain AD pathogenesis is the amyloid cascade, which invokes the accumulation of extracellular plaques and intracellular tangles as playing a fundamental role in the course and progression of the disease. However, besides plaques and tangles, other biochemical and morphological features are also present in AD, often manifesting early in the course of the disease before the accumulation of plaques and tangles. These include altered calcium, cholesterol, and phospholipid metabolism; altered mitochondrial dynamics; and reduced bioenergetic function. Notably, these other features of AD are associated with functions localized to a subdomain of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), known as mitochondria‐associated ER membranes (MAMs). The MAM region of the ER is a lipid raft‐like domain closely apposed to mitochondria in such a way that the 2 organelles are able to communicate with each other, both physically and biochemically, thereby facilitating the functions of this region. We have found that MAM‐localized functions are increased significantly in cellular and animal models of AD and in cells from patients with AD in a manner consistent with the biochemical findings noted above. Based on these and other observations, we propose that increased ER‐mitochondrial apposition and perturbed MAM function lie at the heart of AD pathogenesis.—Area‐Gomez, E., Schon, E. A. On the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease: the MAM hypothesis. FASEB J. 31,864–867 (2017). www.fasebj.org

The link between cholesterol homeostasis and cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein (APP), and how this relationship relates to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis, is still unknown. Cellular cholesterol levels are regulated through crosstalk between the plasma membrane (PM), where most cellular cholesterol resides, and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where the protein machinery that regulates cholesterol levels resides. The intracellular transport of cholesterol from the PM to the ER is believed to be activated by a lipid‐sensing peptide(s) in the ER that can cluster PM‐derived cholesterol into transient detergent‐resistant membrane domains (DRMs) within the ER, also called the ER regulatory pool of cholesterol . When formed, these cholesterol‐rich domains in the ER maintain cellular homeostasis by inducing cholesterol esterification as a mechanism of detoxification while attenuating its de novo synthesis. In this manuscript, we propose that the 99‐aa C‐terminal fragment of APP (C99), when delivered to the ER for cleavage by γ‐secretase, acts as a lipid‐sensing peptide that forms regulatory DRMs in the ER, called mitochondria‐associated ER membranes (MAM). Our data in cellular AD models indicates that increased levels of uncleaved C99 in the ER, an early phenotype of the disease, upregulates the formation of these transient DRMs by inducing the internalization of extracellular cholesterol and its trafficking from the PM to the ER. These results suggest a novel role for C99 as a mediator of cholesterol disturbances in AD, potentially explaining early hallmarks of the disease.

Dual PPARα/γ agonists that were developed to target hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes caused cardiac dysfunction or other adverse effects. We studied the mechanisms that underlie the cardiotoxic effects of a dual PPARα/γ agonist, tesaglitazar, in wild-type and diabetic (leptin receptor–deficient, db/db ) mice. Mice treated with tesaglitazar-containing chow or high-fat diet developed cardiac dysfunction despite lower plasma triglycerides and glucose levels. Expression of cardiac PPARγ coactivator 1-α (PGC1α), which promotes mitochondrial biogenesis, had the most profound reduction among various fatty acid metabolism genes. Furthermore, we observed increased acetylation of PGC1α, which suggests PGC1α inhibition and lowered sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) expression. This change was associated with lower mitochondrial abundance. Combined pharmacological activation of PPARα and PPARγ in C57BL/6 mice reproduced the reduction of PGC1α expression and mitochondrial abundance. Resveratrol-mediated SIRT1 activation attenuated tesaglitazar-induced cardiac dysfunction and corrected myocardial mitochondrial respiration in C57BL/6 and diabetic mice but not in cardiomyocyte-specific Sirt1 ^–/– mice. Our data show that drugs that activate both PPARα and PPARγ lead to cardiac dysfunction associated with PGC1α suppression and lower mitochondrial abundance, likely due to competition between these 2 transcription factors.

Motor neuron disorders (MND) include a group of pathologies that affect upper and/or lower motor neurons. Among them, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is characterized by progressive muscle weakness, with fatal outcomes only in a few years after diagnosis. On the other hand, primary lateral sclerosis (PLS), a more benign form of MND that only affects upper motor neurons, results in life-long progressive motor dysfunction. Although the outcomes are quite different, ALS and PLS present with similar symptoms at disease onset, to the degree that both disorders could be considered part of a continuum. These similarities and the lack of reliable biomarkers often result in delays in accurate diagnosis and/or treatment. In the nervous system, lipids exert a wide variety of functions, including roles in cell structure, synaptic transmission, and multiple metabolic processes. Thus, the study of the absolute and relative concentrations of a subset of lipids in human pathology can shed light into these cellular processes and unravel alterations in one or more pathways. In here, we report the lipid composition of longitudinal plasma samples from ALS and PLS patients initially, and after 2 years following enrollment in a clinical study. Our analysis revealed common aspects of these pathologies suggesting that, from the lipidomics point of view, PLS and ALS behave as part of a continuum of motor neuron disorders.

Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are PPARγ agonists with potent insulin-sensitizing effects. However, their use has been curtailed by substantial adverse effects on weight, bone, heart, and hemodynamic balance. TZDs induce the deacetylation of PPARγ on K268 and K293 to cause the browning of white adipocytes. Here, we show that targeted PPARγ mutations resulting in constitutive deacetylation (K268R/K293R, 2KR) increased energy expenditure and protected from visceral adiposity and diet-induced obesity by augmenting brown remodeling of white adipose tissues. Strikingly, when 2KR mice were treated with rosiglitazone, they maintained the insulin-sensitizing, glucose-lowering response to TZDs, while displaying little, if any, adverse effects on fat deposition, bone density, fluid retention, and cardiac hypertrophy. Thus, deacetylation appears to fulfill the goal of dissociating the metabolic benefits of PPARγ activation from its adverse effects. Strategies to leverage PPARγ deacetylation may lead to the design of safer, more effective agonists of this nuclear receptor in the treatment of metabolic diseases.