The ARTE10 mice are double transgenic mice carrying mutated forms of the APP [K670N/M671L (Swedish)] and PSEN1 (M146V) genes. Expression is driven by the neuron-specific Thy-1 promotor.
ARTE10 mice exhibit high levels of Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42 in the hippocampus already at 4-months of age followed by elevated plasma Aß levels recorded at 6-months of age. Similarly to what is seen in patients, Aß levels in plasma drop at 11-months with the reduced clearance from the brain. However, neurofilament light chain levels in plasma do not indicate significant neuronal loss up to 11 months.
Figure 1: Aβ 1-40 (A, C) and Aβ 1-42 (B, D) levels in the diethylamine (DEA; A, B) and formic acid (FA) fraction (C, D) of the hippocampus in 11-months old male wild type (WT) and ARTE10 mice. Mean ± SEM; n = 14. Two-way ANOVA with Bonferroni ‘s post hoc test. *p <0.05; **p <0.01; ***p <0.001.
Figure 2: Quantification of Aβ1-42 (A) and neurofilament light chain (NF-L; B) in the plasma of 6- and 11-months old WT and ARTE10 mice. Mean ± SEM; n = 14. Two-way ANOVA with Bonferroni ‘s post hoc test. *p <0.05; ***p <0.001.
Histological analysis shows clear accumulation of Aβ and inflammation in the hippocampus and cortex and behavioral deficits can be seen in spatial learning by Morris water maze testing.
Figure 3: Immunofluorescent signal in the cortex (CX) and hippocampus (HC) of 11 months old wild type mice compared to ARTE10 mice. Images show immunofluorescent labelling of amyloid-β plaque cores with ThioS, microglia with ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba1) and astrocytes with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in CX and HC of sagittal brain sections; nuclei are labelled with DAPI.
Figure 4: Immunofluorescent signal in the cortex (CX) and hippocampus (HC) of 11 months old wild type mice compared to ARTE10 mice. Images show immunofluorescent labelling of neurons with neuronal nuclei marker (NeuN), amyloid plaques (β-Amyloid) and blood vessels with collagen IV in CX and HC of sagittal brain sections; nuclei are labelled with DAPI.
ARTE10 mice are an ideal model for long-term or early-start treatment approaches as in contrast to other AD models, these mice show a relatively late start of Aβ pathology, late neuronal loss markers increase, as well as coherence in pathology between genders.
The most important characteristics of ARTE10 mice are:
- Increased Aβ in hippocampus and plasma
- Strong amyloid plaque accumulation
- Subtle neurofilament loss
- Spatial memory deficits
- Similar pathology in male and female mice
Scantox offers ARTE10 mouse studies, tailored to your specifications. We offer our decades of expertise in the Alzheimer’s disease field to find the right design and model for you and the success of your next project.
You might also be interested in these related topics:
- 5xFAD Transgenic Mouse Model
- APPSL Transgenic Mouse Model
- APPSL x hQC Transgenic Mouse Model
- Tg2576 Transgenic Mouse Model
