Amyloid-β Peptide Oligomers Disrupt Axonal Transport through an NMDA Receptor-Dependent Mechanism That Is Mediated by Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3β in Primary Cultured Hippocampal Neurons

Disruption of axonal transport is a hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Even though defective transport is considered an early pathologic event, the mechanisms by which neurodegenerative insults impact transport are poorly understood. We show that soluble oligomers of the amyloid-beta peptide (A beta Os), increasingly recognized as the proximal neurotoxins in AD pathology, induce disruption of organelle transport in primary hippocampal neurons in culture. Live imaging of fluorescent protein-tagged organelles revealed a marked decrease in axonal trafficking of dense-core vesicles and mitochondria in the presence of 0.5 mu M A beta Os. NMDA receptor (NMDAR) antagonists, including D-AP5, MK-801, and memantine, prevented the disruption of trafficking, thereby identifying signals for A beta O action at the cell membrane. Significantly, both pharmacological inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK-3 beta) and transfection of neurons with a kinase-dead form of GSK-3 beta prevented the transport defect. Finally, we demonstrate by biochemical and immunocytochemical means that A beta Os do not affect microtubule stability, indicating that disruption of transport involves a more subtle mechanism than microtubule destabilization, likely the dysregulation of intracellular signaling cascades. Results demonstrate that A beta Os negatively impact axonal transport by a mechanism that is initiated by NMDARs and mediated by GSK-3 beta and establish a new connection between toxic A beta oligomers and AD pathology.