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Review
. 2017 Nov 29;5(1):91.
doi: 10.1186/s40478-017-0489-6.

Atypical, non-standard functions of the microtubule associated Tau protein

Ioannis Sotiropoulos  1   2 , Marie-Christine Galas  3 , Joana M Silva  4   5 , Efthimios Skoulakis  6 , Susanne Wegmann  7 , Mahmoud Bukar Maina  8 , David Blum  9 , Carmen Laura Sayas  10 , Eva-Maria Mandelkow  11 , Eckhard Mandelkow  11 , Maria Grazia Spillantini  12 , Nuno Sousa  4   5 , Jesus Avila  13   14 , Miguel Medina  15   16 , Amrit Mudher  17 , Luc Buee  9
Affiliations
Review

Atypical, non-standard functions of the microtubule associated Tau protein

Ioannis Sotiropoulos et al. Acta Neuropathol Commun. .

Abstract

Since the discovery of the microtubule-associated protein Tau (MAPT) over 40 years ago, most studies have focused on Tau's role in microtubule stability and regulation, as well as on the neuropathological consequences of Tau hyperphosphorylation and aggregation in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains. In recent years, however, research efforts identified new interaction partners and different sub-cellular localizations for Tau suggesting additional roles beyond its standard function as microtubule regulating protein. Moreover, despite the increasing research focus on AD over the last decades, Tau was only recently considered as a promising therapeutic target for the treatment and prevention of AD as well as for neurological pathologies beyond AD e.g. epilepsy, excitotoxicity, and environmental stress. This review will focus on atypical, non-standard roles of Tau on neuronal function and dysfunction in AD and other neurological pathologies providing novel insights about neuroplastic and neuropathological implications of Tau in both the central and the peripheral nervous system.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Dendrites; Neuronal function; Nucleus; Pathology; Subcellular localization; Synapse; Tau; Tau isoform.

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Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A schematic representation of the suggested role(s) of Tau in different subcellular compartments such as neuronal axon, nucleus, post- and pre-synaptic compartments
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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