title: Distribution of isoforms of the microtubule-associated protein tau in grey and white matter areas of human brain: a two-dimensional gelelectrophoretic analysis.
abstract: The microtubule-associated protein tau in human brain consists of six molecular isoforms derived from a single gene by alternative mRNA-splicing and further modified by posttranslational processing. In the present study, the distribution of tau isoforms in grey and white matter of human temporal cortex was investigated by two-dimensional gelelectrophoresis. More than 80 isoforms were detected. The pattern of isoforms obtained after treatment with alkaline phosphatase was still more complex than those of recombinant tau, indicating that posttranslational modifications other than phosphorylation contribute to the molecular heterogeneity of tau. The tau isoform D according to Goedert containing four tubulin-binding regions shown to promote tubulin polymerisation most efficiently was present in higher amounts in white as compared to grey matter. The pattern of isoform distribution was not significantly altered in Alzheimer's disease. It is concluded that molecular isoforms that differ in their tubulin-binding characteristics are differentially distributed in subcellular neuronal compartments and/or neuronal types.
authors.affiliation: Paul Flechsig Institute of Brain Research, Department of Neurochemistry, Unviersity of Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Janke
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Holzer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klose
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arendt
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000737:chemistry*; D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; D006801:Humans; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D013702:Temporal Lobe; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D016875:tau Proteins