Single-Nucleus Landscape of Glial Cells and Neurons in Alzheimer's Disease.

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease with a projected significant increase in incidence. Therefore, this study analyzed single-nucleus AD data to provide a theoretical basis for the clinical development and treatment of AD. We downloaded AD-related monocyte data from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, annotated cells, compared cell abundance between groups, and investigated glial and neuronal cell biological processes and pathways through functional enrichment analysis. Furthermore, we constructed a global regulatory network for AD based on cell communication and ecological analyses. Our findings revealed increased abundance of Capping Protein Regulator And Myosin 1 linker 1 (CARMIL1)⁺ astrocytes (AST), Immunoglobulin Superfamily Member 21 (IGSF21)⁺ microglia (MIC), SRY-Box Transcription Factor 6 (SOX6)⁺ inhibitory neurons (InNeu), and laminin alpha-2 chain (LAMA2)⁺ oligodendrocytes (OLI) cell subgroups in tissues of patients with AD, while prostaglandin D2 synthase (PTGDS)⁺ AST, Src Family Tyrosine Kinase (FYN)⁺ MIC, and Proteolipid Protein 1 (PLP1)⁺ InNeu subgroups specifically decreased. We found that the cell phenotype of patients with AD shifted from a simpler to a more complex state compared to the control group. Cell communication analysis revealed strong communication between MIC and NEU. Furthermore, AST, MIC, NEU, and OLI were involved in oxidative stress- and inflammation-related pathways, potentially contributing to disease development. This study provides a theoretical basis for further exploring the specific mechanisms underlying AD.