tauprotein

Tau protein is a microtubule-associated protein found predominantly in neurons in the central nervous system. Its primary function is to stabilize microtubules, which are essential components of the cell's cytoskeleton. Microtubules play crucial roles in maintaining cell structure, intracellular transport, and cell division. Tau protein binds to tubulin, the building block of microtubules, and promotes their assembly and polymerization. This interaction helps to prevent depolymerization, ensuring the structural integrity and functional capacity of neuronal axons.

In healthy individuals, tau protein undergoes a process of phosphorylation, a reversible modification that can regulate its binding affinity to microtubules. However, in certain neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease, tau protein becomes abnormally hyperphosphorylated. This hyperphosphorylation causes tau to detach from microtubules, leading to their destabilization and the formation of insoluble aggregates known as neurofibrillary tangles. These tangles are a hallmark pathology of Alzheimer's disease and are associated with neuronal dysfunction and death. The accumulation of abnormal tau species is believed to disrupt normal cellular processes, contributing to the cognitive decline and memory loss characteristic of these conditions. Research into tauopathies focuses on understanding the mechanisms of abnormal tau processing and developing therapeutic strategies to prevent or clear these pathological aggregates.