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<p>Once tau aggregates are formed, their neurotoxicity significantly contributes to neuronal death and cognitive decline in tauopathies, with Alzheimer’s disease being the most well-known example. Despite its central pathogenic role, however, effective therapeutic strategies targeting the neurotoxicity of tau remain poor. Here we demonstrate the pathogenic role of neuronal cell death in tau-related neurodegeneration (PS19 mouse model). Tau-expressing neurons undergo cell death through Z-DNA-binding protein 1 (ZBP1) activation triggered by endogenous Z-RNAs. These Z-RNAs are derived from reactivated transposable elements that are typically silenced within heterochromatin. Tau aggregates show a strong affinity for H3K9me3-modified chromatin, effectively sequestering these epigenetic marks from heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1), thereby disrupting the condensation of constitutive heterochromatin. Clinically, an inverse correlation between ZBP1 expression levels in excitatory neurons and cognitive performance in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease was observed. Importantly, <i>Zbp1</i> haploinsufficiency significantly ameliorated cognitive deficits in aged (24-month-old) tau-transgenic mice, highlighting the therapeutic potential of ZBP1 inhibition to combat neurodegeneration in tauopathies.</p>

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Tau aggregates cause reactivation of transposable DNA elements, leading to Z-RNA–ZBP1-mediated neuronal death

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月20日

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  • Wei Liu,
  • Song-Ang Wu,
  • Bo-Xin Zhang,
  • Shuang-Hui Guo,
  • Lang Li,
  • Wenjing Sun,
  • Xushen Xiong,
  • Jiuhong Nan,
  • Jianfeng Wu,
  • Linghui Zeng,
  • Pilong Li,
  • Zhi-Yu Cai,
  • Huan-Feng Ye,
  • Shuo Zhang,
  • Sheng Nie,
  • Baizhou Li,
  • Dan Wu,
  • Pu Cheng,
  • Xuchen Qi,
  • Dong Fang,
  • Wei Chen,
  • Yingying Zhang,
  • Qiang Chen,
  • Zhang-Hua Yang,
  • Jiahuai Han,
  • Wei Mo

摘要

Once tau aggregates are formed, their neurotoxicity significantly contributes to neuronal death and cognitive decline in tauopathies, with Alzheimer’s disease being the most well-known example. Despite its central pathogenic role, however, effective therapeutic strategies targeting the neurotoxicity of tau remain poor. Here we demonstrate the pathogenic role of neuronal cell death in tau-related neurodegeneration (PS19 mouse model). Tau-expressing neurons undergo cell death through Z-DNA-binding protein 1 (ZBP1) activation triggered by endogenous Z-RNAs. These Z-RNAs are derived from reactivated transposable elements that are typically silenced within heterochromatin. Tau aggregates show a strong affinity for H3K9me3-modified chromatin, effectively sequestering these epigenetic marks from heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1), thereby disrupting the condensation of constitutive heterochromatin. Clinically, an inverse correlation between ZBP1 expression levels in excitatory neurons and cognitive performance in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease was observed. Importantly, Zbp1 haploinsufficiency significantly ameliorated cognitive deficits in aged (24-month-old) tau-transgenic mice, highlighting the therapeutic potential of ZBP1 inhibition to combat neurodegeneration in tauopathies.