Monitoring neuronal mitophagy and locomotion deficits in a C. elegans model of Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), pose significant socioeconomic and personal burdens due to progressive cognitive and motor decline. AD is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques and tau tangles, alongside with emerging evidence linking metabolic dysfunction to its early disease pathogenesis. Impaired mitochondrial selective autophagy (known as mitophagy) and excessive mitochondrial dysfunction have been implicated as key contributors to disease progression. To uncover the mechanistic underpinnings of AD, Caenorhabditis elegans offers a powerful model system providing a fully mapped nervous system, transparency for live imaging, and evolutionary conserved pathways mirroring human pathophysiology. Here, we employ a pan-neuronal Aβ-expressing C. elegans strain to phenocopy early metabolic disturbances characteristic of AD. Our methodology integrates automated motility tracking with confocal microscopy, utilizing the mitochondria-targeted Rosella biosensor to assess mitophagy dynamics in vivo. This platform enables quantitative assessment of locomotion deficits and spatiotemporal monitoring of mitophagy alterations driven by Aβ-induced toxicity. Our method provides a robust tool for screening genetic and pharmacological interventions aimed at mitigating AD-associated mitochondrial dysfunction and neurodegeneration.