Cannabinoid receptor CB2 ablation protects against TAU induced neurodegeneration.
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2021
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Acta Neuropathological Communications
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Abstract
Tauopathies are a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the alteration/aggregation of TAU protein,
for which there is still no effective treatment. Therefore, new pharmacological targets are being sought, such as elements
of the endocannabinoid system (ECS). We analysed the occurrence of changes in the ECS in tauopathies and
their implication in the pathogenesis. By integrating gene expression analysis, immunofluorescence, genetic and
adeno-associated virus expressing TAU mouse models, we found a TAU-dependent increase in CB2
receptor expression
in hippocampal neurons, that occurs as an early event in the pathology and was maintained until late stages.
These changes were accompanied by alterations in the endocannabinoid metabolism. Remarkably, CB2
ablation in
mice protects from neurodegeneration induced by hTAU P301L overexpression, corroborated at the level of cognitive
behaviour, synaptic plasticity, and aggregates of insoluble TAU. At the level of neuroinflammation, the absence of
CB2
did not produce significant changes in concordance with a possible neuronal location rather than its classic glial
expression in these models. These findings were corroborated in post-mortem samples of patients with Alzheimer’s
disease, the most common tauopathy. Our results show that neurons with accumulated TAU induce the expression of
the CB2
receptor, which enhances neurodegeneration. These results are important for our understanding of disease
mechanisms, providing a novel therapeutic strategy to be investigated in tauopathies
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Keywords
Cannabinoid receptor, Alzheimer’s disease, Neurodegeneration, Neuroinflammation