Journal Article

Adaptive immune changes associate with clinical progression of Alzheimer’s disease

Wouters, Dorine, Witte, Maarten E., Garcia-Vallejo, Juan J., van der Pol, Susanne M. A., Rodriguez-Mogeda, Carla, Teunissen, Charlotte E., Verberk, Sanne G. S., van der Flier, Wiesje M., Halters, Sem, de Vries, Helga E., Kamermans, Alwin, Van den Bossche, Jan, van Olst, Lynn, Verhoeff, Jan, Rodriguez, Ernesto, Wessels, Danielle W. R., Verberk, Inge M. W., Lemstra, Afina W.

2024

Overview

Background Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most frequent cause of dementia. Recent evidence suggests the involvement of peripheral immune cells in the disease, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Methods We comprehensively mapped peripheral immune changes in AD patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia compared to controls, using cytometry by time-of-flight (CyTOF). Results We found an adaptive immune signature in AD, and specifically highlight the accumulation of PD1 + CD57 + CD8 + T effector memory cells re-expressing CD45RA in the MCI stage of AD. In addition, several innate and adaptive immune cell subsets correlated to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of AD neuropathology and measures for cognitive decline. Intriguingly, subsets of memory T and B cells were negatively associated with CSF biomarkers for tau pathology, neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation in AD patients. Lastly, we established the influence of the APOE ε4 allele on peripheral immunity. Conclusions Our findings illustrate significant peripheral immune alterations associated with both early and late clinical stages of AD, emphasizing the necessity for further investigation into how these changes influence underlying brain pathology. Highlights • Peripheral CD8 + TEMRA cells expressing markers associated with senescence accumulate in AD patients before dementia onset. • Peripheral immune cells correlate with AD biomarkers, varying by clinical AD stage. • APOE ε4 modifies peripheral immunity and its association with clinical AD measures.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,BMC
• Subject: Adaptive immunity / Adaptive Immunity - immunology / Advertising executives / Aged / Aged, 80 and over / Alzheimer Disease - cerebrospinal fluid / Alzheimer Disease - immunology / Alzheimer's disease / APOE / Apolipoproteins / B cells / Biomarkers - cerebrospinal fluid / Biomedical and Life Sciences / Biomedicine / Cognitive Dysfunction - immunology / Development and progression / Disease Progression / Electronic components industry / Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid / Female / Humans / International economic relations / Male / Memory (Computers) / Middle Aged / Molecular Medicine / Neuroinflammation / Neurology / Neurosciences / Research Article / T cells / TEMRA cells