Expression data from WT mouse amd 9-month-old APP/PS1 mouse. Expression data from WT mouse amd 9-month-old APP/PS1 mouse

To identify the differentially expressed genes in the brain of WT mice in comparison with 9-month-old APP/PS1 mice, we examined the microarray gene expression profile of the groups above. Neuroinflammation is well implicated in the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) now. What’ more, neuroinflammation is supposed to be one of the essential trigger to induce neurodegeneration. In this study, we examined the differentially expressed genes (including coding transcripts and lncRNA) between the wild type (WT) mouse and a AD model, the APP/PS1 mouse. We found that, among all these P2XR family genes, P2X7R is not only the most abundant expressed, but also identified as the highest upregulated gene. The elevated P2X7R expression promotes neuroinflammation through activation of NLRP3 inflammsome, and further mediate one kind of inflammatory cell death, pyroptosis. Blockade of P2X7R could not only inhibit pyroptosis, but also could mildly alleviate cognitive deficits in APP/PS1 mice. Our study provides new insight into an alternative strategy for the development of AD therapy. Overall design: Total RNA from WT mouse brain and 9-month-old APP/PS1 mouse brain were obtained. Biological replicates: 3 WT replicates, 3 9-month-old APP/PS1 replicates.