title: Sources of extracellular tau and its signaling.
abstract: The pathology associated with tau protein, tauopathy, has been recently analyzed in different disorders, leading to the suggestion that intracellular and extracellular tau may itself be the principal agent in the transmission and spreading of tauopathies. Tau pathology is based on an increase in the amount of tau, an increase in phosphorylated tau, and/or an increase in aggregated tau. Indeed, phosphorylated tau protein is the main component of tau aggregates, such as the neurofibrillary tangles present in the brain of Alzheimer's disease patients. It has been suggested that intracellular tau could be toxic to neurons in its phosphorylated and/or aggregated form. However, extracellular tau could also damage neurons and since neuronal death is widespread in Alzheimer's disease, mainly among cholinergic neurons, these cells may represent a possible source of extracellular tau. However, other sources of extracellular tau have been proposed that are independent of cell death. In addition, several ways have been proposed for cells to interact with, transmit, and spread extracellular tau, and to transduce signals mediated by this tau. In this work, we will discuss the role of extracellular tau in the spreading of the tau pathology.
authors: Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain.
authors: Jesús
authors: J
authors: Avila
authors: Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain.
authors: Diana
authors: D
authors: Simón
authors: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology IV, Fac. Veterinary, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
authors: Miguel
authors: M
authors: Díaz-Hernández
authors: Department of Optics II (Optometry and Vision), Faculty of Optics and Optometry, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
authors: Jesús
authors: J
authors: Pintor
authors: Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain.
authors: Félix
authors: F
authors: Hernández
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D016874:Neurofibrillary Tangles / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010766:Phosphorylation; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D024801:Tauopathies / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016875:tau Proteins
keywords: Exomas; muscarinic receptors; phosphotau; tau secretion; tau spreading