title: Phosphorylated tau epitope of Alzheimer's disease is coupled to axon development in the avian central nervous system.
abstract: The monoclonal antibody PHF-1 recognizes phosphorylated tau isoforms present in paired helical filaments of Alzheimer's disease. We have found that PHF-1 immunoreactivity is present in chick brain, which expresses three major PHF-1-reactive proteins at the same molecular weights seen in humans. The developmental pattern of expression suggests a functional role in differentiation, rather than in programmed nerve cell death. Expression of PHF-1 immunoreactivity in developing retina was highly cell selective, showing robust staining of ganglion cells, the only long-axon neuron of the seven major retina cell types. The majority of ganglion cells were PHF-1 positive. The developmental window of expression extended at least from E6 through P0, well outside the period of embryonic ganglion cell death. Mature cells did not show PHF-1 immunoreactivity. In the embryo, staining was particularly robust in ganglion cell axons (optic fiber layer), and association of PHF-1 reactivity with axonal tracts also was seen in developing forebrain. PHF-1 polarization occurred at ages when staining with polyclonal anti-tau did not show axonal selectivity. Similarly, in cell cultures, PHF-1 immunoreactivity became localized to single neurites, but polyclonal anti-tau did not. These results indicate that, rather than being associated with cell degeneration, PHF-1 immunoreactivity in the developing nervous system is associated with early stages of axon formation, both in vivo and in vitro. Therefore, expression of PHF-1 immunoreactive proteins in Alzheimer's disease suggests that paired helical filament formation might be triggered by mechanisms related to axon regeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Physiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60201.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pope
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Enam
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bawa
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Ghanbari
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Klein
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology*; D002470:Cell Survival; D002642:Chick Embryo; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000378:metabolism*; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development; D000939:Epitopes; D015151:Immunoblotting; D010766:Phosphorylation; D012160:Retina / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D000939:Epitopes; D016875:tau Proteins