title: Immunological characterization of the region of tau protein that is bound to Alzheimer paired helical filaments.
abstract: Tau protein is known to be present in the paired helical filaments (PHFs) of Alzheimer brains. This study investigated the fragments of tau protein that remain bound to pronase-treated PHFs and conditions that lead to the release of these tau fragments from the core structure of the PHF. Antibody 423 reacted with PHFs and with fetal rat tau but not with adult rat tau, pig tau, or recombinant human tau. Three other antibodies that react with the tubulin binding region of tau only reacted with PHFs after they were disrupted with formic acid or guanidine. Other antibodies that recognize tau sequences C terminal to the tubulin binding region also recognized pronase-treated PHFs. Antibodies SMI34 and T3P that recognize phosphorylated epitopes were reactive with pronase-treated PHFs. Tau fragments from the PHF were solubilized by acid or guanidine treatment. These findings suggest that the fragments of tau that are bound to PHFs and protected from pronase digestion include sequences from the tubulin binding region to the C terminus of tau. In addition, some of these sequences appear to be conformationally or post-translationally modified.
authors.affiliation: ICI Pharmaceuticals Group, ICI Americans, BMRL-2, Wilmington, DE 19897.
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Caputo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wischik
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Novak
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Brunner
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: De Garcini
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Norris
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Salama
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D000939:Epitopes / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007382:Intermediate Filaments / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011402:Pronase / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D014404:Tubulin / Q000378:metabolism; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D014404:Tubulin; D016875:tau Proteins; D011402:Pronase