Ryanodine receptors: physiological function and deregulation in Alzheimer disease

Dolores Del Prete, Frédéric Checler, Mounia Chami

Perturbed Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis emerges as a central player in Alzheimer disease (AD). Accordingly, different studies have reported alterations of the expression and the function of Ryanodine Receptors (RyR) in human AD-affected brains, in cells expressing familial AD-linked mutations on the beta amyloid precursor protein (betaAPP) and presenilins (the catalytic core in gamma-secretase complexes cleaving the betaAPP, thereby generating amyloid beta (Abeta) peptides), as well as in the brain of various transgenic AD mice models. Data converge to suggest that RyR expression and function alteration are associated to AD pathogenesis through the control of: i) betaAPP processing and Abeta peptide production, ii) neuronal death; iii) synaptic function; and iv) memory and learning abilities. In this review, we document the network of evidences suggesting that RyR could play a complex dual "compensatory/protective versus pathogenic" role contributing to the setting of histopathological lesions and synaptic deficits that are associated with the disease stages. We also discuss the possible mechanisms underlying RyR expression and function alterations in AD. Finally, we review recent publications showing that drug-targeting blockade of RyR and genetic manipulation of RyR reduces Abeta production, stabilizes synaptic transmission, and prevents learning and memory deficits in various AD mouse models. Chemically-designed RyR "modulators" could therefore be envisioned as new therapeutic compounds able to delay or block the progression of AD.