Institute of Neuroimmunology
Topic
The effect of glial cells on tau spreading in neuro-glia cell-based model for Alzheimer’s disease
PhD. program
Molecular biology
Year of admission
2024
Name of the supervisor
RNDr. Monika Žilková, PhD.
Contact:
Receiving school
Faculty of Natural Sciences Comenius University in Bratislava
Annotation
The early tau pathology spreading studies have focused on neurons as the source of pathological tau seeds. The mechanism was defined as a cell-to-cell tau spreading along neuroanatomically connected brain areas in a way that reminds the spread of prion protein. However, recent studies accumulate the evidence that glia activation correlate with spreading of tau pathology, the actual role of glial cells in the tau transfer to neurons has not yet been elucidated. Moreover what microglia or astrocytes does with the ingested tau and whether it is able to fully neutralize the tau seeding activity, is still questionable. In the proposed project, we will use neuro-glia model system, which will be based on co-cultivation of neuronal and glial cells. The model will serve as a tool for revealing the role of glial cells and their activation on tau spreading, cell specific distribution, the potential to eliminate pathological tau and for evaluation the effect of inflammation on these mechanisms.