CRISPR/Cas9-mediated CysLT1R deletion reverses synaptic failure, amyloidosis and cognitive impairment in APP/PS1 mice

Abstract

As a major pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), amyloid-β (Aβ) is regarded as a causative factor for cognitive impairment. Extensive studies have found Aβ induces a series of pathophysiological responses, finally leading to memory loss in AD. Our previous results demonstrated that cysteinyl leukotrienes receptor 1 (CysLT₁R) antagonists improved exogenous Aβ-induced memory impairment. But the role of CysLT₁R in AD and its underlying mechanisms still remain elusive. In this study, we investigated CysLT₁R levels in AD patients and APP/PS1 mice. We also generated APP/PS1-CysLT₁R^-/- mice by clustered regulatory interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9)-mediated CysLT₁R deletion in APP/PS1 mice and studied the effect of CysLT₁R knockout on amyloidogenesis, synapse structure and plasticity, cognition, neuroinflammation, and kynurenine pathway. These attributes were also studied after lentivirus-mediated knockdown of CysLT₁R gene in APP/PS1 mice. We found that CysLT₁R knockout or knockdown could conserve synaptic structure and plasticity, and improve cognition in APP/PS1 mice. These effects were associated with concurrent decreases in amyloid processing, reduced neuroinflammation and suppression of the kynurenine pathway. Our study demonstrates that CysLT₁R deficiency can mediate several beneficial effects against AD pathogenesis, and genetic/pharmacological ablation of this protein could be a potential therapeutic option for AD.