Tau protein and neurodegeneration.
Tau protein is the major component of the intracellular filamentous deposits that define a number of neurodegenerative diseases. They include the largely sporadic Alzheimer's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), Pick's disease (PiD), argyrophilic grain disease, as well as the inherited frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17). The identification of mutations in Tau as the cause of FTDP-17 established that dysfunction or misregulation of tau protein is sufficient to cause neurodegeneration and dementia. At an experimental level, the new understanding is leading to the development of good transgenic animal models of the tauopathies.
Goedert
Michel
M
Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2QH, UK. mg@mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk
D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000682:Amyloid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003704:Dementia / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics; D020734:Parkinsonian Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D020774:Pick Disease of the Brain / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics; D011485:Protein Binding; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D013494:Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics; D024801:Tauopathies / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics*; D016875:tau Proteins
D000682:Amyloid; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; C054369:MAPT protein, human; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D016875:tau Proteins