Alzheimer’s Disease-Associated Alternative Splicing of CD33 Is Regulated by the HNRNPA Family Proteins

Genetic variations of CD33 have been implicated as a susceptibility factor of Alzheimer's disease (AD). A polymorphism on exon 2 of CD33, rs12459419, affects the alternative splicing of this exon. The minor allele is associated with a reduced risk of AD and promotes the skipping of exon 2 to produce a shorter CD33 isoform lacking the extracellular ligand-binding domain, leading to decreased suppressive signaling on microglial activity. Therefore, factors that regulate the splicing of exon 2 may alter the disease-associated properties of CD33. Herein, we sought to identify the regulatory proteins of CD33 splicing. Using a panel of RNA-binding proteins and a human CD33 minigene, we found that exon 2 skipping of CD33 was promoted by HNRNPA1. Although the knockdown of HNRNPA1 alone did not reduce exon 2 skipping, simultaneous knockdown of HNRNPA1 together with that of HNRNPA2B1 and HNRNPA3 promoted exon 2 inclusion, suggesting functional redundancy among HNRNPA proteins. Similar redundant regulation by HNRNPA proteins was observed in endogenous CD33 of THP-1 and human microglia-like cells. Although mouse Cd33 showed a unique splicing pattern of exon 2, we confirmed that HNRNPA1 promoted the skipping of this exon. Collectively, our results revealed novel regulatory relationships between CD33 and HNRNPA proteins.