Our combined results indicate that fractalkine mobilizes NRF2 to limit over-activation of microglia and identify this new target to control unremitting neuroinflammation in tauopathies.
Importantly, the PERK substrate EIF2A, mediating some detrimental effects of PERK signaling, was downregulated in PSP brains and tauopathy models, suggesting that the alternative PERK-NRF2 pathway accounts for these beneficial effects in the context of tauopathies.
We have addressed this question in a transgenic mouse that combines amyloidopathy and tauopathy with either wild type (AT-NRF2-WT) or NRF2-deficiency (AT-NRF2-KO).