Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci. 2012;107:263-93. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-385883-2.00004-7.
Tauopathies are age-related neurodegenerative diseases that are characterized by the presence of aggregates of abnormally phosphorylated tau. As tau was originally discovered as a microtubule-associated protein, it has been hypothesized that neurodegeneration results from a loss of the ability of tau to associate with microtubules. However, tau has been found to have other functions aside from the promotion and stabilization of microtubule assembly. It is conceivable that such functions may be affected by the abnormal phosphorylation of tau and might have consequences for neuronal function or viability. This chapter provides an overview of tau structure, functions, and its involvement in neurodegenerative diseases.
tau 病是与年龄相关的神经退行性疾病,其特征是存在异常磷酸化 tau 的聚集物。由于 tau 最初被发现是一种微管相关蛋白,因此有人假设神经退行性变是由于 tau 丧失与微管结合的能力所致。然而,tau 除了促进和稳定微管组装之外,还有其他功能。可以想象,这种功能可能会受到 tau 的异常磷酸化的影响,并可能对神经元功能或存活产生影响。本章概述了 tau 的结构、功能及其在神经退行性疾病中的作用。