Suppressing DUSP16 overexpression induced by ELK1 promotes neural progenitor cell differentiation in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease

Emerged evidence indicated that stimulating hippocampal neurogenesis is a potential strategy for restoring cognition in AD. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) play an essential role in neurogenesis. Meanwhile, the enzymatic power of the phosphatases is much greater than that of kinases. Dual-specificity phosphatase 16 (DUSP16), known to as a phosphatase negatively regulate MAPKs, may be implicated in neural differentiation. Nevertheless, the effect of DUSP16 on cognitive disorders by stimulating neural progenitor cell (NPC) differentiation in AD mice remains unclear. Our study demonstrates an association between DUSP16 SNPs and clinical progression in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Besides, increased DUSP16 expression was detected in both 3xTg and SAMP8 mouse models of AD, accompanied by NPC neural differentiation impairments. By silencing DUSP16, the induction of neural differentiation, synaptic transmission, and cognitive benefits were observed in both AD mice. Furthermore, DUSP16 was involved in the process of NPC differentiation through regulating c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) phosphorylation and SOX2 expression. Moreover, ETS transcription factor (ELK1) was involved in the DUSP16 transcription, which resulted in the upregulation of DUSP16 at the state of AD. Our data uncovers a potential regulatory role for DUSP16 in adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) and provides a possibility to find a novel strategy for AD intervention.