Amyloid beta pathology induces astrocytic pTDP-43 mislocalization and disrupts TDP-43-regulated cryptic exon transcripts.

Background: While amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau are hallmark pathologies of Alzheimer's disease (AD), TDP-43 proteinopathy is increasingly recognized as an important contributor, occurring in up to 57% of AD cases and associated with accelerated cognitive decline. TDP-43 regulates RNA splicing, and its mislocalization leads to cryptic exon inclusion and loss of canonical protein function. While neuronal TDP-43 pathology has been well studied, its role in astrocytes remains less understood. Recent findings suggest increased phosphorylated TDP-43 (pTDP-43) inclusions in astrocytic endfeet in AD and a bidirectional interaction between Aβ and TDP-43, promoting mutual aggregation. Methods: We analyzed pTDP-43 immunoreactivity (IR) in astrocytic perivascular end-feet, nuclei, and cytosol in hippocampal sections from 3-month-old and 18-month-old App Results: Our findings demonstrate significantly higher pTDP-43 accumulations in astrocytic nuclei, cytosol, and endfeet in 18-month-old App Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that pTDP-43 accumulates in astrocytic nuclei, cytosol, and endfeet in the presence of AD pathology. The observed Aβ-induced increase in cytosolic pTDP-43 and transcript disruption suggests a mechanistic link contributing to autophagy impairment and cytoskeletal changes in astrocytes, potentially exacerbating AD progression.