Preventing Jacob-induced transcriptional inactivation of CREB protects synapses from β-amyloid in Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract Disruption of transcriptional activity of cAMP–responsive element-binding protein (CREB), a master regulator of cell survival and plasticity-related gene expression, is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). CREB shut-off results in early synaptic dysfunction, contributes to AD pathology and eventually neuronal cell death and is elicited by amyloid-β (Aβ)-induced activation of extrasynaptic N-methyl-D-aspartate-receptors (NMDAR). In previous work we found that the protein messenger Jacob encodes and transduces the synaptic or extrasynaptic origin of NMDAR signals to the nucleus. In response to cell survival and plasticity-related synaptic NMDAR stimulation macromolecular transport…