TDP-43 in Alzheimer's disease: Pathophysiology and therapeutic strategies

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the dysregulation of multiple molecular mechanisms. In recent years, transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 kDa (TDP-43) has increasingly been recognized as a critical pathological protein and has become a prominent focus in AD research. TDP-43 is involved not only in physiological processes such as RNA metabolism, protein quality control, and mitochondrial regulation but also in AD pathology through abnormal aggregation, dysregulated nucleocytoplasmic transport, and aberrant posttranslational modifications, leading to neurotoxicity, mitochondrial dysfunction, and disrupted protein homeostasis. Studies have shown that TDP-43 closely interacts with two core pathological hallmarks of AD, β-amyloid (Aβ) and tau. By promoting Aβ oligomerization and tau hyperphosphorylation, TDP-43 accelerates the pathological progression of this disease. Given the multifaceted role of TDP-43 in AD, therapeutic strategies targeting TDP-43 have shown great potential. Approaches such as modulating its RNA splicing activity, inhibiting pathological aggregation, restoring the balance of nucleocytoplasmic transport, and preventing its mitochondrial localization offer new avenues for AD treatment. This review systematically summarizes the pathological mechanisms of TDP-43 in AD and its interactions with Aβ and tau and discusses the feasibility of targeting TDP-43 as a therapeutic strategy. Future studies should further elucidate the role of TDP-43 in the early stages of AD and develop specific therapeutic agents that target TDP-43, with the aim of providing new insights for precision treatment of AD.