Wnt is here! Could Wnt signalling be promoted to protect against Alzheimer disease?

Abstract This Editorial highlights an article in the current issue by Tapia‐Rojas and Inestrosa suggesting that attenuation of Wnt signalling may be a triggering factor for the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease (AD) in the J20 mouse model of AD. Their study utilises Wnt signalling inhibitors that operate at different points in the signalling pathway. The molecular changes of several key Wnt signaling components are examined, along with a thorough analysis of both the amyloid and tau based pathologies in the mouse brain. Studies focusing on inhibition of Wnt signalling in AD mice have the potential to provide much needed information regarding the pathological mechanisms by which attenuated Wnt signalling impacts on AD. This is an Editorial on ‘Wnt signaling loss accelerates the appearance of neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease in J20‐APP transgenic and wild‐type mice’ in the current issue of the Journal of Neurochemistry. In the highlighted paper, Tapia‐Rojas and Inestrosa blocked Wnt signalling at three points as indicated by the red crosses. The agents used to attenuate signalling were administered to J20 Alzheimer's disease (AD) mice and wild‐type mice. The Wnt inhibitor promoted the AD phenotype in J20 mice and led to changes that are relevant to AD in the wild‐type mice.
Source: Journal of Neurochemistry - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Tags: Editorial Highlight Source Type: research