Cited by 586Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsDementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchAdvanced Proteomics Techniques and Applications

Tau Kinetics in Neurons and the Human Central Nervous System

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Sato, Chihiro, Barthélemy, Nicolas R., Mawuenyega, Kwasi G., Patterson, Bruce W., Gordon, Brian A., Jockel-Balsarotti, Jennifer, Sullivan, Melissa, Crisp, Matthew J. +9 more·2018·Neuron

Abstract

We developed stable isotope labeling and mass spectrometry approaches to measure the kinetics of multiple isoforms and fragments of tau in the human central nervous system (CNS) and in human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons. Newly synthesized tau is truncated and released from human neurons in 3 days. Although most tau proteins have similar turnover, 4R tau isoforms and phosphorylated forms of tau exhibit faster turnover rates, suggesting unique processing of these forms that may have independent biological activities. The half-life of tau in control human iPSC-derived neurons is 6.74 ± 0.45 days and in human CNS is 23 ± 6.4 days. In cognitively normal and Alzheimer's disease participants, the production rate of tau positively correlates with the amount of amyloid plaques, indicating a biological link between amyloid plaques and tau physiology.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.02.015

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  • iPSC-derived neurons or NGN2-induced neurons have been unable to produce the 4R Tau isoform found in adult human brains; only the fetal 0N3R splicing isoform is produced, even after one year of differentiation.

    “One of the significant hurdles in modeling AD with iPSC-derived neurons or NGN2-induced neurons for the past decade has been their inability to produce the 4R Tau isoform found in adult human brains [19–22]; only the fetal 0N3R splicing isoform is produced, even after one year of differentiation [19].”

    From Elevated SGK1 increases Tau phosphorylation and microtubule instability in Alzheimer’s patient-derived cortical neurons (2026) · cites this paper as [22]

    The Results section reports detectable 4R tau in iPSC-derived neurons matured for six weeks, although 3R predominated. The Discussion likewise states that these neurons expressed much less 4R than 3R—not that they produced only 0N3R tau. The paper does not report a one-year differentiation experiment or a finding about NGN2-induced neurons; page numbers are not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.90)

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  • Fetal neurons and iPSCs-derived neurons primarily express 3R-tau.

    “However, fetal neurons and iPSCs-derived neurons primarily express 3R-tau (20, 21)”

    From Modeling late-onset Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology via direct neuronal reprogramming (2024) · cites this paper as [21]

    The Results state that iPSC-derived neurons express predominantly 3R tau, and the Discussion reports much less 4R than 3R tau in the cultures studied. The passages found do not address whether fetal neurons primarily express 3R tau, so that part of the claim is unsupported by this paper. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • CSF tau species precede tau PET abnormalities by a decade.

    “CSF tau species precede tau positron emission tomography (PET) abnormalities by a decade.18,19”

    From Cerebrospinal fluid p-tau231 as an early indicator of emerging pathology in Alzheimer's disease (2022) · cites this paper as [19]

    The Discussion (page unavailable) proposes that CSF tau increases at an asymptomatic stage before aggregated tau is detectable by PET at a very mild AD stage. It presents this sequence as a hypothesis and gives no ten-year interval; the Results (page unavailable) do not establish that timing. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • In sporadic AD, CSF p-tau is closely related to Aβ-mediated tau release from neurons and is not simply a state marker of NFT.

    “Thus, in relation to sporadic AD, this study adds further support to the hypothesis that CSF p-tau is closely related to Aβ-mediated tau release from neurons19 and challenges the notion of being simply a state marker of NFT.”

    From Cerebrospinal fluid p-tau231 as an early indicator of emerging pathology in Alzheimer's disease (2022) · cites this paper as [19]

    The Results section reports that CSF tau production, including synthesis and release, correlates with amyloid burden; the Discussion proposes that this increase can precede tau aggregation. But the amyloid–release analysis concerns tau overall, not specifically CSF p-tau, and it does not establish that Aβ causes neuronal p-tau release. The paper therefore supports the broader hypothesis, but not the claim at that level of specificity. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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  • In the human central nervous system, P-tau exhibits a faster turnover rate, which likely explains the elevated CSF level of this protein in various neurodegenerative conditions.

    “Sato et al36 report that in the human central nervous system, P-tau exhibits a faster turnover rate, which likely explains the elevated CSF level of this protein in various neurodegenerative conditions.”

    From Association of Cognitive and Behavioral Features Between Adults With Tuberous Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia (2020) · cites this paper as [36]

    The Results (Differential Tau Kinetics in iPSC-Derived Neurons; page unavailable) show faster turnover of phosphorylated tau peptides than corresponding unphosphorylated peptides, but this comparison was made in cultured neurons, not directly in the human CNS. The Discussion and Results (Tau Production Positively Correlates with Amyloidosis; pages unavailable) attribute elevated CSF tau in Alzheimer’s disease to increased production and release, not faster phosphorylated-tau turnover; they do not establish that explanation across various neurodegenerative conditions. (LLM, conf=0.90)

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  1. Buée L, Bussière T, Buée-Scherrer V, Delacourte A, and Hof PR (2000). Tau protein isoforms, phosphorylation and role in neurodegenerative disorders. Brain Res. Brain Res. Rev 33, 95– 130. 10967355

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Authors
Sato, C., Barthélemy, N. R., Mawuenyega, K. G., Patterson, B. W., Gordon, B. A., Jockel-Balsarotti, J., Sullivan, M., Crisp, M. J., Kasten, T., Kirmess, K. M., Kanaan, N. M., Yarasheski, K. E., Baker-Nigh, A., Benzinger, T. L. S., Miller, T. M., Karch, C. M., & Bateman, R. J.
Affiliations
  • Washington University in St. Louis (US)
  • Michigan State University (US)
Corresponding author
  • Sato, Chihiro
  • Karch, Celeste M.
  • Bateman, Randall J.
Venue
Neuron
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2018-03
Volume
97
Issue
6
Pages
1284-1298.e7
ISSN
0896-6273 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2794390181
Cited by
586
References
82
Citations by year
2026: 44 · 2025: 64 · 2024: 60 · 2023: 68 · 2022: 84 · 2021: 90 · 2020: 81 · 2019: 70 · 2018: 24
FWCI
45.72
Type
journal article
Language
en
Update notices
erratum (2018-05-16)
Open access
Locations
  • Neuron (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • BrightFocus Foundation (A2014384S)
  • Tau SILK Consortium
  • NIH (R01NS095773, R01NS078398, K01 AG046374, P30DK056341, P01AG003991, UL1TR000448, P30NS098577, P01AG026276, K01 AG053474, P50AG005681, P41GM103422, P30DK020579)
  • MetLife Foundation
  • Knight ADRC (P50AG05681)
  • Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust
  • Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation (UL1TR002345)
  • 41st Kanae Foundation for the Promotion of Science Fellowship
  • McDonnell Science Grant for Neuroscience
  • ALS Association (2427)
  • DIAN-TU Pharma Consortium
  • Tau Consortium
  • Alzheimer’s Association Research Fellowship (AARF-16-443265)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Spectroscopy › Advanced Proteomics Techniques and Applications
Keywords
tau protein, tau isoforms, tau phosphorylation, 4R tau, iPSC-derived neurons, human central nervous system, amyloid plaques, Alzheimer's disease, stable isotope labeling
MeSH terms
Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Alzheimer Disease, Amino Acid Sequence, Brain, Cell Line, Cells, Cultured, Central Nervous System, Female, Humans, Kinetics, Male, Middle Aged, Biomarkers, tau Proteins, Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

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