Age- and sex-dependent effects of DNA glycosylase Neil3 on amyloid pathology, adult neurogenesis, and memory in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Oxidative stress generating DNA damage has been shown to be a key characteristic in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, how it affects the pathogenesis of AD is not yet fully understood. Neil3 is a DNA glycosylase initiating repair of oxidative DNA base lesions and with a distinct expression pattern in proliferating cells. In brain, its function has been linked to hippocampal-dependent memory and to induction of neurogenesis after stroke and in prion disease. Here, we generated a novel AD mouse model deficient for Neil3 to study the impact of impaired oxidative base lesion repair on the pathogenesis of AD. Our results demonstrate an age-dependent decrease in amyloid-β (Aβ) plaque deposition in female Neil3-deficient AD mice, whereas no significant difference was observed in male mice. Furthermore, male but not female Neil3-deficient AD mice show reduced neural stem cell proliferation in the adult hippocampus and impaired working memory compared to controls. These effects seem to be independent of DNA repair as both sexes show increased level of oxidative base lesions in the hippocampus upon loss of Neil3. Thus, our findings suggest an age- and sex-dependent role of Neil3 in the progression of AD by altering cerebral Aβ accumulation and promoting adult hippocampal neurogenesis to maintain cognitive function.