Role in Disease
Further information: TauopathyHyperphosphorylation of the tau protein (tau inclusions, pTau) can result in the self-assembly of tangles of paired helical filaments and straight filaments, which are involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies.
All of the six tau isoforms are present in an often hyperphosphorylated state in paired helical filaments from Alzheimer's disease brain. In other neurodegenerative diseases, the deposition of aggregates enriched in certain tau isoforms has been reported. When misfolded, this otherwise very soluble protein can form extremely insoluble aggregates that contribute to a number of neurodegenerative diseases.
Recent research suggests that tau may be released extracellularly by an exosome based mechanism in Alzheimer's disease.
Some aspects of how the disease functions also suggests that it has some similarities to prion proteins.
Read more about this topic: Tau Protein
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