The Pgb1 locus controls polyglucosan aggregation in aged mouse hippocampal astrocytes without impacting cognitive function
Alicia Gómez-Pascual, Dow Michael Glikman, Hui Xin Ng, James E. Tomkins, Lu Lu, Ying Xu, David G. Ashbrook, Catherine Kaczorowski, Gerd Kempermann, John Killmar, Khyobeni Mozhui, Ruedi Aebersold, Evan G. Williams, Rob W. Williams, Rupert W. Overall, Mathias Jucker, Dennis E. M. Bakker · FENS Forum 2024
Astrocytes are indispensable for brain function, yet show signs of age-related impairments. Importantly, these impairments can manifest, as shown in hippocampal astrocytes, in the form of a buildup of hypobranched glycogen molecules, known as polyglucosan bodies (PGBs). Although diseases like adult polyglucosan body disease and Lafora disease link PGBs to cognitive decline, the mechanism and clinical relevance of age-related PGB accumulation remain unclear. In our study of 32 fully sequenced BXD-type mouse strains, we observed a 400-fold variation in PGB burden among 16–18-month-old females. W