Impact of CD33 isoforms on microglial clearance of amyloid β

“Alzheimer’s disease associated isoforms of human CD33 distinctively modulate microglial cell responses in 5XFAD mice.”

Ghazaleh Eskandari-Sedighi, et al. – University of Alberta.

This study examines the effects of two human variants of CD33 in a mouse model of AD. Building on previous work finding that the rarer variant, CD33m, improved microglial phagocytosis in vitro, the authors found that CD33m led to lower levels of diffuse plaques and neurite dystrophy while promoting microglia-plaque contacts. Further exploration of how CD33m enhances the ability of microglia to clear amyloid β may yield new therapeutic targets.