Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. A promising approach for its treatment is the prevention of inflammatory processes in the brain. An international team of scientists around Dr. Róisín McManus, Prof. Eicke Latz and Prof. Michael Heneka now provide new evidence supporting this approach and potentially contributing to the development of more effective therapies. The results have now been published in the journal “Immunity”.
Alzheimer’s disease is associated with the deposition of a protein called amyloid-beta in the brain. The aggregation of this protein gives rise to a chain of events, that ultimately harm neurons and lead to their loss. “Alzheimer’s disease involves a complex interaction of different mechanisms. One of these is neuroinflammation. That’s what we looked at in our studies. Specifically, we pharmacologically manipulated a molecular complex called the NLRP3 inflammasome. It is found in microglia, which are the immune cells of the brain,” says ImmunoSensation2 member Dr. Róisín McManus, research group leader at the Bonn DZNE and investigator at UKB’s Institute of Innate Immunity.
Previously unknown pathways
The NLRP3 inflammasome is like a control switch: In Alzheimer’s disease, its activation triggers an inflammatory response that harms neurons. For this reason, researchers have been exploring ways to inactivate the NLRP3 inflammasome using drugs. The current results support this approach. “It is known that inhibiting NLRP3 not only reduces neuroinflammation, but also helps microglia clear the harmful amyloid-beta deposits, a process called phagocytosis. The novelty of our findings is that they provide a better understanding of the important role that NLRP3 plays in microglia and we also unravel the mechanism behind why its inhibition is so beneficial”, says McManus. “In our studies we have identified previously unknown signaling pathways influenced by NLRP3. In particular, we found that NLRP3 regulates how microglia use nutrients and how these act on genes that have a major impact on the function of microglia. This is very relevant for their ability to carry out phagocytosis. These findings could help in the development of therapies for dementia. In any case, our research shows that NLRP3 is a promising target for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.”
International endeavor
In this project, the Bonn-based researchers collaborated with the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, University of California San Diego, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Novartis Switzerland and other institutions in Europe and beyond.
Publication
Róisín McManus et al. NLRP3-mediated glutaminolysis controls microglial phagocytosis to promote Alzheimer’s disease progression. Immunity (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2025.01.007
Contact
Translational Neuroimmunology (DZNE)
Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn
Mail: Roisin.McManus@dzne.de
Phone: +49 228 43302342
