Protective exercise responses in the dentate gyrus of Alzheimer's disease mouse model revealed with single-nucleus RNA-sequencing.

Nature neuroscience
Authors
Abstract

Exercise's protective effects in Alzheimer's disease (AD) are well recognized, but cell-specific contributions to this phenomenon remain unclear. Here we used single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) to dissect the response to exercise (free-wheel running) in the neurogenic stem-cell niche of the hippocampal dentate gyrus in male APP/PS1 transgenic AD model mice. Transcriptomic responses to exercise were distinct between wild-type and AD mice, and most prominent in immature neurons. Exercise restored the transcriptional profiles of a proportion of AD-dysregulated genes in a cell type-specific manner. We identified a neurovascular-associated astrocyte subpopulation, the abundance of which was reduced in AD, whereas its gene expression signature was induced with exercise. Exercise also enhanced the gene expression profile of disease-associated microglia. Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells were the cell type with the highest proportion of dysregulated genes recovered by exercise. Last, we validated our key findings in a human AD snRNA-seq dataset. Together, these data present a comprehensive resource for understanding the molecular mediators of neuroprotection by exercise in AD.

Year of Publication
2025
Journal
Nature neuroscience
Volume
28
Issue
7
Pages
1546-1561
Date Published
07/2025
ISSN
1546-1726
DOI
10.1038/s41593-025-01971-w
PubMed ID
40506544
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