Neuronal expression of Alzheimer's disease-associated U1-70K cleavage product causes splicing dysfunction and cognitive impairment in mice

Alzheimer's disease (AD) displays progressive cognitive decline that is associated with protein ß-amyloid and tau aggregation, but the causative mechanisms are not fully understood. Recent proteomics profiling has identified, in sporadic and familial cases, a tangle-like pathology of U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein complex (snRNP), containing U1-70K and its N-terminal cleavage product (N40K), with RNA splicing alteration. To determine whether U1 snRNP dysfunction may play a causative role in AD, we generate a transgenic mouse model (N40K-Tg) by neuronal expression of N40K. Deep transcriptomic analysis of N40K-Tg mice was performed to evaluate intron-retaining mRNAs. Tissue was extracted from hippocampus at three month and twelve month comparing N40K-Tg vs WT mice. Overall design: Three month comparison of N40K-TG (n = 3) vs WT (n = 3); Twelve month comparison of N40K-TG(n = 3) vs WT (n = 3)