Biochemical characterization of Tau protein changes and amyloid dynamics in a novel non-transgenic rat model of tauopathy

In this study, we further characterized a non-transgenic model of tauopathy by examining tau protein changes using ELISA and Western blot upon inoculation of human tau oligomers (TO) and human tau synthetic pre-formed fibrils (TF) into the medial entorhinal cortex of Wistar rats. Our analyses showed that inoculation with TO did not significantly alter the ratio of phosphorylated tau at AT8 epitopes (pSer202/pThr205) to total tau protein in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, but only resulted in a decrease of phosphorylation at AT100 epitopes (pThr212/pSer214). As we previously observed an increase in AT8 immunostaining in both regions, this suggests method-dependent conformational alterations. In contrast, eleven months after inoculation, TF caused significant AT8 and PHF-1 (pSer396/pSer404) epitope-specific changes in tau phosphorylation in the hippocampus, but not in the entorhinal cortex, reflecting a more advanced stage of Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-like changes compared to TO. Importantly, amyloid plaques appeared as early as four months post-inoculation with TO, preceding significant phosphorylation changes of tau, thus indicating that amyloid probably facilitates early tau seeding and spreading. This was corroborated by the observed dynamic changes in Aβ_1-42 levels in cerebrospinal fluid, with initial decreases followed by increases, similar to patterns seen in transgenic mouse models of AD and in AD patients. Altogether, these findings lead us to conclude that changes in tau protein induce amyloid changes and vice versa, which is actually what defines AD as a unique neurodegenerative disease.