BIN1 deficiency leads to DNA damage and neuronal insulin resistance through ATM dysregulation

The major neuronal isoform of the AD risk gene BIN1 is specifically reduced in patients. In the present work, we demonstrate that BIN1 is necessary for intact insulin signaling and its loss leads to cellular-level insulin resistance. Persistently activated mTORC1 feedback inhibits the insulin signaling; meanwhile, ATM-dependent DNA Damage Response decreases the expression of multiple insulin signaling pathway members. Unexpectedly, nuclear ATM activation is accompanied by autophagic degradation of the cytoplasmic ATM, rendering neurons susceptible to oxidative stress, which predisposes oxidative DNA damage, DNA strand breaks, and ATM-dependent DNA Damage Response. Treating BIN1-deficient mice with rapamycin or liraglutide to improve the insulin response, or with the natural antioxidant alpha-lipoic acid to attenuate oxidative stress, both effectively preserved the spatial cognitive ability. Lastly, we reanalyzed a single-cell transcriptomic dataset from human neurons and identified positive correlations between levels of BIN1 and the insulin signaling, as well as neuronal activity. Together, this work revealed an ATM-centered mechanism that globally damages neuronal health in BIN1-deficient pyramidal neurons, which could be a driving force in the AD disease course.