Cited by 81Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsMitochondrial Function and PathologyAutophagy in Disease and Therapy

Caspase-Cleaved Tau Impairs Mitochondrial Dynamics in Alzheimer’s Disease

Pérez, María José, Vergara-Pulgar, Katiana, Jara, Claudia, Cabezas-Opazo, Fabian, Quintanilla, Rodrigo A.·2018·Molecular Neurobiology

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the presence of aggregates of tau protein. Tau truncated by caspase-3 (D421) or tau hyperphosphorylated at Ser396/S404 might play a role in the pathogenesis of AD. Mitochondria are dynamic organelles that modify their size and function through mitochondrial dynamics. Recent studies have shown that alterations of mitochondrial dynamics affect synaptic communication. Therefore, we studied the effects of pathological forms of tau on the regulation of mitochondrial dynamics. We used primary cortical neurons from tau(-/-) knockout mice and immortalized cortical neurons (CN1.4) that were transfected with plasmids containing green fluorescent protein (GFP) or GFP with different tau forms: full-length (GFP-T4), truncated (GFP-T4C3), pseudophosphorylated (GFP-T42EC), or both truncated and pseudophosphorylated modifications of tau (GFP-T4C3-2EC). Cells expressing truncated tau showed fragmented mitochondria compared to cells that expressed full-length tau. These findings were corroborated using primary neurons from tau(-/-) knockout mice that expressed the truncated and both truncated and pseudophosphorylated forms of tau. Interestingly, mitochondrial fragmentation was accompanied by a significant reduction in levels of optic atrophy protein 1 (Opa1) in cells expressing the truncated form of tau. In addition, treatment with low concentrations of amyloid-beta (Aβ) significantly reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, cell viability, and mitochondrial length in cortical cells and primary neurons from tau(-/-) mice that express truncated tau. These results indicate that the presence of tau pathology impairs mitochondrial dynamics by reducing Opa1 levels, an event that could lead to mitochondrial impairment observed in AD.

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Crossref · 10.1007/s12035-017-0385-x

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  • Mitochondrial abnormalities, synaptic loss and dysfunction, altered axonal transport, and activation of cell death pathways have been implicated as consequences of tau mislocalization or oligomerization.

    “Mitochondrial abnormalities, synaptic loss and dysfunction, altered axonal transport, and activation of cell death pathways (including caspase activation and inflammatory responses) have all been directly or indirectly implicated as consequences of tau mislocalization or oligomerization (20, 40, 43–52).”

    From All the Tau We Cannot See (2023) · cites this paper as [49]

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Authors
Pérez, M. J., Vergara-Pulgar, K., Jara, C., Cabezas-Opazo, F., & Quintanilla, R. A.
Affiliations
Universidad Autónoma de Chile (CL)
Corresponding author
Quintanilla, Rodrigo A.
Venue
Molecular Neurobiology
Published
2017-01-13
Volume
55
Issue
2
Pages
1004-1018
ISSN
  • 0893-7648 (ISSN-L)
  • 1559-1182
OpenAlex
W2576075358
Cited by
81
References
57
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 2
FWCI
5.06
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Molecular Neurobiology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • FONDECYT (1140968)
  • CONICYT, PIA (ACT1411)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Mitochondrial Function and Pathology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Autophagy in Disease and Therapy
Keywords
Alzheimer's disease, tau protein, caspase-3 cleavage, mitochondrial dynamics, mitochondrial fragmentation, OPA1, amyloid-beta, mitochondrial membrane potential, tau hyperphosphorylation, cortical neurons, tau knockout mice
MeSH terms
Alzheimer Disease, Animals, Brain, Mitochondria, Neurons, Phosphorylation, tau Proteins, Mice, Knockout, Green Fluorescent Proteins, Mice, Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial, Mitochondrial Dynamics

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