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Complement C3 deficiency protects against neurodegeneration in aged plaque-rich APP/PS1 mice
Shi Q, Chowdhury S, Ma R, Ma R, Ma R, Le KX, Hong S, Caldarone BJ et al.. Science translational medicine, 2017-05-01
Topic: Inflammation, microglia and astrocytes
The complement cascade not only is an innate immune response that enables removal of pathogens but also plays an important role in microglia-mediated synaptic refinement during brain development. Complement C3 is elevated in Alzheimer's disease (AD), colocalizing with neuritic plaques, and appears to contribute to clearance of Aβ by microglia in the brain. Previously, we reported that C3-deficient C57BL/6 mice were protected against age-related and region-specific loss of hippocampal synapses and cognitive decline during normal aging. Furthermore, blocking complement and downstream iC3b/CR3 signaling rescued synapses from Aβ-induced loss in young AD mice before amyloid plaques had accumulated. We assessed the effects of C3 deficiency in aged, plaque-rich APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mice (APP/PS1; C3 KO). We examined the effects of C3 deficiency on cognition, Aβ plaque deposition, and plaque-related neuropathology at later AD stages in these mice. We found that 16-month-old APP/PS1; C3 KO mice performed better on a learning and memory task than did APP/PS1 mice, despite having more cerebral Aβ plaques. Aged APP/PS1; C3 KO mice also had fewer microglia and astrocytes localized within the center of hippocampal Aβ plaques compared to APP/PS1 mice. Several proinflammatory cytokines in the brain were reduced in APP/PS1; C3 KO mice, consistent with an altered microglial phenotype. C3 deficiency also protected APP/PS1 mice against age-dependent loss of synapses and neurons. Our study suggests that complement C3 or downstream complement activation fragments may play an important role in Aβ plaque pathology, glial responses to plaques, and neuronal dysfunction in the brains of APP/PS1 mice.
Key findings
- We found that 16-month-old APP/PS1; C3 KO mice performed better on a learning and memory task than did APP/PS1 mice, despite having more cerebral Aβ plaques.
- Aged APP/PS1; C3 KO mice also had fewer microglia and astrocytes localized within the center of hippocampal Aβ plaques compared to APP/PS1 mice.
- Our study suggests that complement C3 or downstream complement activation fragments may play an important role in Aβ plaque pathology, glial responses to plaques, and neuronal dysfunction in the brains of APP/PS1 mice.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 38/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 22 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 38 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Science translational medicine) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2017 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Laboratory or animal study (title names “app/ps1”) — scores zero |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 28566429) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 22 / 58 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 22 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 38 out of 100. |
| Total | 38 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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APA 7th
Shi, Q., Chowdhury, S., Ma, R., Le, K. X., Hong, S., Caldarone, B. J., et al. (2017). Complement C3 deficiency protects against neurodegeneration in aged plaque-rich APP/PS1 mice. Science translational medicine. https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.aaf6295
Vancouver
Shi Q, Chowdhury S, Ma R, Le KX, Hong S, Caldarone BJ, et al. Complement C3 deficiency protects against neurodegeneration in aged plaque-rich APP/PS1 mice. Science translational medicine. 2017. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.aaf6295. PMID: 28566429.
BibTeX
@article{shi2017-28566429,
author = {Shi, Q. and Chowdhury, S. and Ma, R. and Le, K. X. and Hong, S. and Caldarone, B. J. and others},
title = {{Complement C3 deficiency protects against neurodegeneration in aged plaque-rich APP/PS1 mice}},
journal = {Science translational medicine},
year = {2017},
doi = {10.1126/scitranslmed.aaf6295},
pmid = {28566429},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.aaf6295}
}
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