Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1074/jbc.M507753200
Title (Primary) Inducible expression of tau repeat domain in cell models of tauopathy - Aggregation is toxic to cells but can be reversed by inhibitor drugs
Author Khlistunova, I.; Biernat, J.; Wang, Y.P.; Pickhardt, M.; von Bergen, M.; Gazova, Z.; Mandelkow, E.; Mandelkow, E.-M.
Source Titel Journal of Biological Chemistry
Year 2006
Department PROTEOM
Volume 281
Issue 2
Page From 1205
Page To 1214
Language englisch
Abstract We generated several cell models of tauopathy in order to study the mechanisms of neurodegeneration in diseases involving abnormal changes of tau protein. N2a neuroblastoma cell lines were created that inducibly express different variants of the repeat domain of tau (tauRD) when exposed to doxycycline (Tet-On system). The following three constructs were chosen: (i) the repeat domain of tau that coincides with the core of Alzheimer paired helical filaments; (ii) the repeat domain with the deletion mutation K280 known from frontotemporal dementia and highly prone to spontaneous aggregation; and (iii) the repeat domain with K280 and two proline point mutations that inhibit aggregation. The comparison of wild-type, pro-aggregation, and anti-aggregation mutants shows the following. (a) Aggregation of tauRD is toxic to cells. (b) The degree of aggregation and toxicity depends on the propensity for -structure. (c) Soluble mutants of tauRD that cannot aggregate are not toxic. (d) Aggregation is preceded by fragmentation. (e) Fragmentation of tauRD in cells is initially due to a thrombin-like protease activity. (f) Phosphorylation of tauRD (at KXGS motifs) precedes aggregation but is not correlated with the degree of aggregation. (g) Aggregates of tauRD disappear when the expression is silenced, showing that aggregation is reversible. (h) Aggregation can be prevented by drugs and even pre-formed aggregates can be dissolved again by drugs. Thus, the cell models open up new insights into the relationship between the structure, expression, phosphorylation, aggregation, and toxicity of tauRD that can be used to test current hypotheses on tauopathy and to develop drugs that prevent the aggregation and degeneration of cells.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=2769
Khlistunova, I., Biernat, J., Wang, Y.P., Pickhardt, M., von Bergen, M., Gazova, Z., Mandelkow, E., Mandelkow, E.-M. (2006):
Inducible expression of tau repeat domain in cell models of tauopathy - Aggregation is toxic to cells but can be reversed by inhibitor drugs
J. Biol. Chem. 281 (2), 1205 - 1214