PRMT3-Mediated H4R3me2a Promotes Primary Age-Related Tauopathy by Driving Tau Hyperphosphorylation in Neuron.

Abstract

Primary age-related tauopathy (PART) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) both exhibit 3R/4R hyperphosphorylated tau-positive neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) within the hippocampal-entorhinal system. Notably, PART patients show a higher degree of tau hyperphosphorylation in the entorhinal cortex (EC) than AD, yet the molecular mechanisms driving Aβ-independent tau hyperphosphorylation in PART remain poorly understood. Herein, through transcriptomic profiling of postmortem EC tissues and in vitro and in vivo functional validation, the present study identifies protein arginine methyltransferase 3 (PRMT3) as a critical driver of tau hyperphosphorylation. Mechanistically, PRMT3-mediated tau hyperphosphorylation is dependent on asymmetric dimethylation of histone H4 at arginine 3 (H4R3me2a), which upregulates miR-448. Elevated miR-448 specifically targets and suppresses IGF1R, leading to downstream GSK3β activation and subsequent tau hyperphosphorylation through PI3K/AKT/GSK3β signaling. Treatment with SGC707, a selective PRMT3 inhibitor, effectively reduces tau hyperphosphorylation and demonstrates therapeutic promise for PART and potentially other tauopathies. Collectively, this study defines the PRMT3/H4R3me2a/miR-448 axis as a critical regulatory pathway in tau hyperphosphorylation within PART, underscoring the potential of PRMT3 inhibition as a targeted therapeutic strategy for tauopathies.