Clec7a Signaling in Microglia Promotes Synapse Loss Associated with Tauopathy

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis involves progressive synaptic degeneration, a process potentially driven by maladaptive microglial pruning activity. While synaptic loss is a hallmark of AD, the molecular signals triggering pathological microglia-mediated synaptic engulfment remain elusive. Clec7a—a key marker of disease-associated microglia (DAM)—is known to activate spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) signaling, enhancing Aβ phagocytosis and neuroprotective functions in 5×FAD models. However, its role in regulating synapse–microglia interactions under tauopathic conditions remains undefined. Our analysis revealed a progressive activation of the Clec7a–SYK signaling axis in the hippocampus of PS19 tauopathy mice, correlating with disease progression. Spatial mapping demonstrated a significant co-localization of Clec7a with hippocampal microglia, suggesting cell-autonomous signaling. The pharmacological inhibition of Clec7a achieved multimodal therapeutic effects by attenuating microglial hyperreactivity, suppressing neuroinflammatory cytokine release, and restoring physiological synaptic turnover. Mechanistically, we identified MD2 as a synaptic “eat-me” signal on tauopathy-related synapses, recruiting Clec7a+ microglia to drive aberrant synaptic elimination in PS19 mice. Strikingly, Clec7a blockade rescued hippocampal-dependent memory deficits in behavioral tests. These findings position Clec7a as a context-dependent therapeutic target, with inhibition strategies showing particular promise for tauopathy-related synaptic degeneration.