Increase in Tau Pathology in P290S Mapt Knock-In Mice Crossed with App(NL-G-F) Mice

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is characterized by the pathologic assembly of amyloid β (Aβ) peptide, which deposits into extracellular plaques, and tau, which accumulates in intraneuronal inclusions. To investigate the link between Aβ and tau pathologies, experimental models featuring both pathologies are needed. We developed a mouse model featuring both tau and Aβ pathologies by knocking the P290S mutation into murine Mapt and crossing these Mapt(P290S) knock-in (KI) mice with the App(NL-G-F) KI line. Mapt(P290S) KI mice developed a small number of tau inclusions, which increased with age. The amount of tau pathology was significantly larger in App(NL-G-F)xMapt(P290S) KI mice from 18 months of age onward. Tau pathology was higher in limbic areas, including hippocampus, amygdala, and piriform/entorhinal cortex. We also observed AT100-positive and Gallyas-Braak-silver-positive dystrophic neurites containing assembled filamentous tau, as visualized by in situ electron microscopy. Using a cell-based tau seeding assay, we showed that Sarkosyl-insoluble brain extracts from both 18-month-old Mapt(P290S) KI and App(NL-G-F)xMapt(P290S) KI mice were seed competent, with brain extracts from double-KI mice seeding significantly more than those from the Mapt(P290S) KI mice. Finally, we showed that App(NL-G-F)xMapt(P290S) KI mice had neurodegeneration in the piriform cortex from 18 months of age. We suggest that App(NL-G-F)xMapt(P290S) KI mice provide a good model for studying the interactions of aggregation-prone tau, Aβ, neuritic plaques, neurodegeneration, and aging.