Binding of Tau Protein to the Ends of ex vivo Paired Helical Filaments

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Santa-Maria, Ismael^a | Cuadros, Raquel^a | Moreno, Francisco J.^a | Muñoz, Victor^b | Ávila, Jesús^{a; *; **} | Hernández, Félix^{a; *}

Affiliations: [a] Centro de Biología Molecular “Severo Ochoa” (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain | [b] Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas, CSIC, 28040 Madrid, Spain

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Felix Hernandez or Jesús Avila, Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa", Facultad de Ciencias. Campus de Cantoblanco, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain. Tel.: +34 91 196 4564; Fax: +34 91 196 4420; E-mail: [email protected]

Note: [**] CIBERNED, Spain.

Abstract: Human recombinant tau can bind to the end of isolated human paired helical filaments (PHF). The sequential binding of tau protein to PHF could result in an elongation of the previously polymerized PHF. However, we have observed that the elongation takes place in a different way on different types of PHF. We have found that there are at least three populations of PHF. For one population, tau protein is able to bind to the ends of the filament and to elongate that filament. In the second PHF population, tau protein binds but does not elongates the filament. In the third, neither tau binding nor elongation was observed.

Keywords: Elongation, paired helical filaments, tau protein

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-2008-13208

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 177-185, 2008