Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1074/jbc.M206334200
Title (Primary) Structure, stability, and aggregation of paired helical filaments from tau protein and FTDP-17 mutants probed by tryptophan scanning mutagenesis
Author Li, L.; von Bergen, M.; Mandelkow, E.-M.; Mandelkow, E.
Source Titel Journal of Biological Chemistry
Year 2002
Department PROTEOM
Volume 277
Issue 44
Page From 41390
Page To 41400
Language englisch
Abstract By using tryptophan scanning mutagenesis, we observed the kinetics and structure of the polymerization of tau into paired helical filaments (PHFs) independently of exogenous reporter dyes. The fluorescence exhibits pronounced blue shifts due to burial of the residue inside PHFs, depending on Trp position. The effect is greatest near the center of the repeat domain, showing that the packing is tightest near the b-structure inducing hexapeptide motifs. The tryptophan response allows measurement of PHF stability made by different tau isoforms and mutants. Unexpectedly, the stability of PHFs is quite low (denaturation half-points ~1.0 M GdnHCl), implying that incipient aggregation should be reversible and that the observed high stability of Alzheimer PHFs is due to other factors. The stability increases with the number of repeats and with tau mutants promoting b-structure, arguing for a gain of toxic function in frontotemporal dementias. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) was used to analyze the distances of Tyr310 to tryptophans in different positions. The degree of FRET in the soluble protein was position-dependent, with highest signals within the second and third repeats but low or no signals further away. In PHFs most mutants showed FRET, indicating that tight packing results from assembly of tau into PHFs.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=5755
Li, L., von Bergen, M., Mandelkow, E.-M., Mandelkow, E. (2002):
Structure, stability, and aggregation of paired helical filaments from tau protein and FTDP-17 mutants probed by tryptophan scanning mutagenesis
J. Biol. Chem. 277 (44), 41390 - 41400