Cited by 565Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsProtein Kinase Regulation and GTPase SignalingDementia and Cognitive Impairment Research

Mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase transforms tau protein into an Alzheimer‐like state.

Open access
Drewes, G., Lichtenberg‐Kraag, B., Döring, F., Mandelkow, E.M., Biernat, J., Goris, J., Dorée, M., Mandelkow, E.·1992·The EMBO Journal

Abstract

The microtubule-associated protein tau is a major component of the paired helical filaments (PHFs) observed in Alzheimer's disease brains. The pathological tau is distinguished from normal tau by its state of phosphorylation, higher apparent M(r) and reaction with certain antibodies. However, the protein kinase(s) have not been characterized so far. Here we describe a protein kinase from brain which specifically induces the Alzheimer-like state in tau protein. The 42 kDa protein belongs to the family of mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and is activated by tyrosine phosphorylation. It is capable of phosphorylating Ser-Pro and Thr-Pro motifs in tau protein (approximately 14-16 P1 per tau molecule). By contrast, other proline directed Ser/Thr kinases such as p34(cdc2) combined with cyclin A or B have only minor effects on tau phosphorylation. We propose that MAP kinase is abnormally active in Alzheimer brain tissue, or that the corresponding phosphatases are abnormally passive, due to a breakdown of the normal regulatory mechanisms.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1992.tb05272.x

Cites

1 of 1 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • MAP kinase, GSK3, and neuronal cdc2-like kinase (cdk5) have been shown to phosphorylate tau in vitro at sites that are phosphorylated in PHFs.

    “Mitogen-activated protein kinase, glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) and neuronal cdc2-1ike kinase have been shown to phosphorylate tau protein in vitro at a number of sites that are phosphorylated in PHFs.”

    From Glycogen synthase kinase-3β phosphorylates tau protein at multiple sites in intact cells (1995) · cites this paper as [2]

    The passage labeled Abstract in our indexed copy reports that MAP kinase phosphorylates tau and induces an Alzheimer-like state. It does not establish the claim for GSK3 or neuronal cdc2-like kinase (cdk5), and the passages retrieved for those terms provide no such result. The copy instead says that p34(cdc2) with cyclin A or B has only minor effects on tau phosphorylation; it does not identify p34(cdc2) as cdk5. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • ERK can phosphorylate tau, and elevated activity of MAPK/ERK has been reported in several tauopathies and may play a role in early stages of NFT formation.

    “ERK can phosphorylate tau (29), and elevated activity of MAPK/ERK has been reported in several tauopathies and may play a role in early stages of neurofibriliary tangle (NFT) formation (82,130,131).”
  • Prior studies of tau phosphorylation by these kinases were carried out in vitro without exception.

    “However, without exception, these studies have been carried out in vitro.”

    From Glycogen synthase kinase-3β phosphorylates tau protein at multiple sites in intact cells (1995) · cites this paper as [2]

    The indexed copy’s Full text section lists PDF page images rather than readable passages from the paper’s body. Searches for in vitro and in vivo tau phosphorylation found no passage stating that all prior studies of phosphorylation by these kinases were conducted in vitro; the reference list cannot establish the 'without exception' claim. (LLM, conf=0.75)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 52

  1. Ahn N. G., Seger R., Bratlien R. L., Diltz C. D., Tonks N. K., Krebs E. G. Multiple components in an epidermal growth factor-stimulated protein kinase cascade. In vitro activation of a myelin basic protein/microtubule-associated protein 2 kinase. J Biol Chem. 1991 Mar 5;266(7):4220–4227. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Ahn N. G., Weiel J. E., Chan C. P., Krebs E. G. Identification of multiple epidermal growth factor-stimulated protein serine/threonine kinases from Swiss 3T3 cells. J Biol Chem. 1990 Jul 15;265(20):11487–11494. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Anderson N. G., Maller J. L., Tonks N. K., Sturgill T. W. Requirement for integration of signals from two distinct phosphorylation pathways for activation of MAP kinase. Nature. 1990 Feb 15;343(6259):651–653. doi: 10.1038/343651a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  4. Anderton B. H. Alzheimer's disease. Paired helical filaments and the cytoskeleton. Nature. 1988 Oct 6;335(6190):497–498. doi: 10.1038/335497a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  5. Baudier J., Cole R. D. Phosphorylation of tau proteins to a state like that in Alzheimer's brain is catalyzed by a calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase and modulated by phospholipids. J Biol Chem. 1987 Dec 25;262(36):17577–17583. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Binder L. I., Frankfurter A., Rebhun L. I. The distribution of tau in the mammalian central nervous system. J Cell Biol. 1985 Oct;101(4):1371–1378. doi: 10.1083/jcb.101.4.1371. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI · Paper page
  7. Boulton T. G., Cobb M. H. Identification of multiple extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) with antipeptide antibodies. Cell Regul. 1991 May;2(5):357–371. doi: 10.1091/mbc.2.5.357. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  8. Boulton T. G., Nye S. H., Robbins D. J., Ip N. Y., Radziejewska E., Morgenbesser S. D., DePinho R. A., Panayotatos N., Cobb M. H., Yancopoulos G. D. ERKs: a family of protein-serine/threonine kinases that are activated and tyrosine phosphorylated in response to insulin and NGF. Cell. 1991 May 17;65(4):663–675. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(91)90098-j. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  9. Brion J. P., Hanger D. P., Couck A. M., Anderton B. H. A68 proteins in Alzheimer's disease are composed of several tau isoforms in a phosphorylated state which affects their electrophoretic mobilities. Biochem J. 1991 Nov 1;279(Pt 3):831–836. doi: 10.1042/bj2790831. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  10. Clark-Lewis I., Sanghera J. S., Pelech S. L. Definition of a consensus sequence for peptide substrate recognition by p44mpk, the meiosis-activated myelin basic protein kinase. J Biol Chem. 1991 Aug 15;266(23):15180–15184. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Clark-Lewis I., Sanghera J. S., Pelech S. L. Definition of a consensus sequence for peptide substrate recognition by p44mpk, the meiosis-activated myelin basic protein kinase. J Biol Chem. 1991 Aug 15;266(23):15180–15184. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Cobb M. H., Robbins D. J., Boulton T. G. ERKs, extracellular signal-regulated MAP-2 kinases. Curr Opin Cell Biol. 1991 Dec;3(6):1025–1032. doi: 10.1016/0955-0674(91)90124-h. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  13. Crowther R. A., Wischik C. M. Image reconstruction of the Alzheimer paired helical filament. EMBO J. 1985 Dec 30;4(13B):3661–3665. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1985.tb04132.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  14. Flament S., Delacourte A. Abnormal tau species are produced during Alzheimer's disease neurodegenerating process. FEBS Lett. 1989 Apr 24;247(2):213–216. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(89)81337-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  15. Goedert M., Sisodia S. S., Price D. L. Neurofibrillary tangles and beta-amyloid deposits in Alzheimer's disease. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 1991 Oct;1(3):441–447. doi: 10.1016/0959-4388(91)90067-h. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  16. Goedert M., Spillantini M. G., Jakes R., Rutherford D., Crowther R. A. Multiple isoforms of human microtubule-associated protein tau: sequences and localization in neurofibrillary tangles of Alzheimer's disease. Neuron. 1989 Oct;3(4):519–526. doi: 10.1016/0896-6273(89)90210-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI · Paper page
  17. Goedert M., Wischik C. M., Crowther R. A., Walker J. E., Klug A. Cloning and sequencing of the cDNA encoding a core protein of the paired helical filament of Alzheimer disease: identification as the microtubule-associated protein tau. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1988 Jun;85(11):4051–4055. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.11.4051. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI · Paper page
  18. Gonzalez F. A., Raden D. L., Davis R. J. Identification of substrate recognition determinants for human ERK1 and ERK2 protein kinases. J Biol Chem. 1991 Nov 25;266(33):22159–22163. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Gotoh Y., Moriyama K., Matsuda S., Okumura E., Kishimoto T., Kawasaki H., Suzuki K., Yahara I., Sakai H., Nishida E. Xenopus M phase MAP kinase: isolation of its cDNA and activation by MPF. EMBO J. 1991 Sep;10(9):2661–2668. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1991.tb07809.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  20. Greenberg S. G., Davies P. A preparation of Alzheimer paired helical filaments that displays distinct tau proteins by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1990 Aug;87(15):5827–5831. doi: 10.1073/pnas.87.15.5827. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  21. Grundke-Iqbal I., Iqbal K., Tung Y. C., Quinlan M., Wisniewski H. M., Binder L. I. Abnormal phosphorylation of the microtubule-associated protein tau (tau) in Alzheimer cytoskeletal pathology. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Jul;83(13):4913–4917. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.13.4913. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI · Paper page
  22. Gómez N., Cohen P. Dissection of the protein kinase cascade by which nerve growth factor activates MAP kinases. Nature. 1991 Sep 12;353(6340):170–173. doi: 10.1038/353170a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  23. Gómez N., Tonks N. K., Morrison C., Harmar T., Cohen P. Evidence for communication between nerve growth factor and protein tyrosine phosphorylation. FEBS Lett. 1990 Oct 1;271(1-2):119–122. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(90)80386-w. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  24. Haccard O., Jessus C., Cayla X., Goris J., Merlevede W., Ozon R. In vivo activation of a microtubule-associated protein kinase during meiotic maturation of the Xenopus oocyte. Eur J Biochem. 1990 Sep 24;192(3):633–642. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1990.tb19270.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  25. Hagestedt T., Lichtenberg B., Wille H., Mandelkow E. M., Mandelkow E. Tau protein becomes long and stiff upon phosphorylation: correlation between paracrystalline structure and degree of phosphorylation. J Cell Biol. 1989 Oct;109(4 Pt 1):1643–1651. doi: 10.1083/jcb.109.4.1643. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  26. Hall F. L., Vulliet P. R. Proline-directed protein phosphorylation and cell cycle regulation. Curr Opin Cell Biol. 1991 Apr;3(2):176–184. doi: 10.1016/0955-0674(91)90136-m. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  27. Her J. H., Wu J., Rall T. B., Sturgill T. W., Weber M. J. Sequence of pp42/MAP kinase, a serine/threonine kinase regulated by tyrosine phosphorylation. Nucleic Acids Res. 1991 Jul 11;19(13):3743–3743. doi: 10.1093/nar/19.13.3743. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  28. Himmler A., Drechsel D., Kirschner M. W., Martin D. W., Jr Tau consists of a set of proteins with repeated C-terminal microtubule-binding domains and variable N-terminal domains. Mol Cell Biol. 1989 Apr;9(4):1381–1388. doi: 10.1128/mcb.9.4.1381-1388.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  29. Hunter T. Protein kinase classification. Methods Enzymol. 1991;200:3–37. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(91)00125-g. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  30. Ishiguro K., Omori A., Sato K., Tomizawa K., Imahori K., Uchida T. A serine/threonine proline kinase activity is included in the tau protein kinase fraction forming a paired helical filament epitope. Neurosci Lett. 1991 Jul 22;128(2):195–198. doi: 10.1016/0304-3940(91)90259-v. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  31. Kosik K. S. Tau protein and Alzheimer's disease. Curr Opin Cell Biol. 1990 Feb;2(1):101–104. doi: 10.1016/s0955-0674(05)80038-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  32. Labbé J. C., Cavadore J. C., Dorée M. M phase-specific cdc2 kinase: preparation from starfish oocytes and properties. Methods Enzymol. 1991;200:291–301. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(91)00147-o. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  33. Lee G., Cowan N., Kirschner M. The primary structure and heterogeneity of tau protein from mouse brain. Science. 1988 Jan 15;239(4837):285–288. doi: 10.1126/science.3122323. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  34. Lee V. M., Balin B. J., Otvos L., Jr, Trojanowski J. Q. A68: a major subunit of paired helical filaments and derivatized forms of normal Tau. Science. 1991 Feb 8;251(4994):675–678. doi: 10.1126/science.1899488. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI · Paper page
  35. Lewis S. A., Wang D. H., Cowan N. J. Microtubule-associated protein MAP2 shares a microtubule binding motif with tau protein. Science. 1988 Nov 11;242(4880):936–939. doi: 10.1126/science.3142041. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  36. Mercken M., Vandermeeren M., Lübke U., Six J., Boons J., Vanmechelen E., Van de Voorde A., Gheuens J. Affinity purification of human tau proteins and the construction of a sensitive sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for human tau detection. J Neurochem. 1992 Feb;58(2):548–553. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1992.tb09754.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  37. Meyer H. E., Hoffmann-Posorske E., Heilmeyer L. M., Jr Determination and location of phosphoserine in proteins and peptides by conversion to S-ethylcysteine. Methods Enzymol. 1991;201:169–185. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(91)01016-u. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  38. Nurse P. Universal control mechanism regulating onset of M-phase. Nature. 1990 Apr 5;344(6266):503–508. doi: 10.1038/344503a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  39. Papasozomenos S. C., Binder L. I. Phosphorylation determines two distinct species of Tau in the central nervous system. Cell Motil Cytoskeleton. 1987;8(3):210–226. doi: 10.1002/cm.970080303. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI · Paper page
  40. Payne D. M., Rossomando A. J., Martino P., Erickson A. K., Her J. H., Shabanowitz J., Hunt D. F., Weber M. J., Sturgill T. W. Identification of the regulatory phosphorylation sites in pp42/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP kinase). EMBO J. 1991 Apr;10(4):885–892. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1991.tb08021.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  41. Pearson R. B., Kemp B. E. Protein kinase phosphorylation site sequences and consensus specificity motifs: tabulations. Methods Enzymol. 1991;200:62–81. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(91)00127-i. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  42. Ray L. B., Sturgill T. W. Characterization of insulin-stimulated microtubule-associated protein kinase. Rapid isolation and stabilization of a novel serine/threonine kinase from 3T3-L1 cells. J Biol Chem. 1988 Sep 5;263(25):12721–12727. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  43. Roder H. M., Ingram V. M. Two novel kinases phosphorylate tau and the KSP site of heavy neurofilament subunits in high stoichiometric ratios. J Neurosci. 1991 Nov;11(11):3325–3343. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.11-11-03325.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  44. Seger R., Ahn N. G., Boulton T. G., Yancopoulos G. D., Panayotatos N., Radziejewska E., Ericsson L., Bratlien R. L., Cobb M. H., Krebs E. G. Microtubule-associated protein 2 kinases, ERK1 and ERK2, undergo autophosphorylation on both tyrosine and threonine residues: implications for their mechanism of activation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1991 Jul 15;88(14):6142–6146. doi: 10.1073/pnas.88.14.6142. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  45. Steiner B., Mandelkow E. M., Biernat J., Gustke N., Meyer H. E., Schmidt B., Mieskes G., Söling H. D., Drechsel D., Kirschner M. W. Phosphorylation of microtubule-associated protein tau: identification of the site for Ca2(+)-calmodulin dependent kinase and relationship with tau phosphorylation in Alzheimer tangles. EMBO J. 1990 Nov;9(11):3539–3544. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1990.tb07563.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  46. Sternberger N. H., Sternberger L. A., Ulrich J. Aberrant neurofilament phosphorylation in Alzheimer disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Jun;82(12):4274–4276. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.12.4274. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  47. Studier F. W., Rosenberg A. H., Dunn J. J., Dubendorff J. W. Use of T7 RNA polymerase to direct expression of cloned genes. Methods Enzymol. 1990;185:60–89. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(90)85008-c. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  48. Sturgill T. W., Wu J. Recent progress in characterization of protein kinase cascades for phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1991 May 17;1092(3):350–357. doi: 10.1016/s0167-4889(97)90012-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  49. Thomas G. MAP kinase by any other name smells just as sweet. Cell. 1992 Jan 10;68(1):3–6. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(92)90199-m. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  50. Wible B. A., Smith K. E., Angelides K. J. Resolution and purification of a neurofilament-specific kinase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1989 Jan;86(2):720–724. doi: 10.1073/pnas.86.2.720. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  51. Wood J. G., Mirra S. S., Pollock N. J., Binder L. I. Neurofibrillary tangles of Alzheimer disease share antigenic determinants with the axonal microtubule-associated protein tau (tau) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Jun;83(11):4040–4043. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.11.4040. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI
  52. Wu J., Rossomando A. J., Her J. H., Del Vecchio R., Weber M. J., Sturgill T. W. Autophosphorylation in vitro of recombinant 42-kilodalton mitogen-activated protein kinase on tyrosine. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1991 Nov 1;88(21):9508–9512. doi: 10.1073/pnas.88.21.9508. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Drewes, G., Lichtenberg‐Kraag, B., Döring, F., Mandelkow, E. M., Biernat, J., Goris, J., Dorée, M., & Mandelkow, E.
Affiliations
Max Planck Unit for Structural Molecular Biology (DE)
Venue
The EMBO Journal
Published
1992-06-01
Volume
11
Issue
6
Pages
2131-2138
ISSN
  • 0261-4189 (ISSN-L)
  • 1460-2075
OpenAlex
W2167241481
Cited by
565
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 5 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 8
FWCI
36.79
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The EMBO Journal (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DESY (CERN, DESY, Fermilab, IHEP, and SLAC) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Protein Kinase Regulation and GTPase Signaling
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
Keywords
tau protein, mitogen-activated protein kinase, Alzheimer's disease, tau phosphorylation, paired helical filaments, tyrosine phosphorylation, protein kinases, p34cdc2, cyclin A, cyclin B, protein phosphorylation
MeSH terms
Alzheimer Disease, Animals, Brain, Cattle, Chromatography, Ion Exchange, Cloning, Molecular, Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel, Enzyme Activation, Humans, Molecular Weight, Phosphorylation, Protein Kinases, Recombinant Proteins, Reference Values, Substrate Specificity, Swine, Tyrosine, tau Proteins, Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases, Phosphotyrosine

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review