Open AccessNon‐genomic rewiring of vitamin D receptor to p53 as a key to Alzheimer's disease
Author(s) -
Lai RaiHua,
Hsu YuehYing,
Shie FengShiun,
Huang CheChing,
Chen MeiHsin,
Juang JyhLyh
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
aging cell
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 140
eISSN - 1474-9726
pISSN - 1474-9718
DOI - 10.1111/acel.13509
Subject(s) - calcitriol receptor , retinoid x receptor , biology , vitamin d and neurology , endocrinology , calcitriol , receptor , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , cancer research , nuclear receptor , genetics , transcription factor , gene
Observational epidemiological studies have associated vitamin D deficiency with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, whether vitamin D deficiency would result in some impacts on the vitamin D binding receptor (VDR) remains to be characterized in AD. Vitamin D helps maintain adult brain health genomically through binding with and activating a VDR/retinoid X receptor (RXR) transcriptional complex. Thus, we investigated the role of VDR in AD using postmortem human brains, APP/PS1 mice, and cell cultures. Intriguingly, although vitamin D was decreased in AD patients and mice, hippocampal VDR levels were inversely increased. The abnormally increased levels of VDR were found to be colocalized with Aβ plaques, gliosis and autophagosomes, implicating a non‐genomic activation of VDR in AD pathogenesis. Mechanistic investigation revealed that Aβ upregulated VDR without its canonical ligand vitamin D and switched its heterodimer binding‐partner from RXR to p53. The VDR/p53 complex localized mostly in the cytosol, increased neuronal autophagy and apoptosis. Chemically inhibiting p53 switched VDR back to RXR, reversing amyloidosis and cognitive impairment in AD mice. These results suggest a non‐genomic rewiring of VDR to p53 is key for the progression of AD, and thus VDR/p53 pathway might be targeted to treat people with AD.