Cited by 123Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsMicrotubule and mitosis dynamicsNeuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms

Tau: It’s Not What You Think

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Baas, Peter W., Qiang, Liang·2019·Trends in Cell Biology

Abstract

Tau is a multifunctional microtubule-associated protein in the neuron. For decades, tau's main function in neurons has been broadly accepted as stabilizing microtubules in the axon; however, this conclusion was reached mainly on the basis of studies performed in vitro and on ectopic expression of tau in non-neuronal cells. The idea has become so prevailing that some disease researchers are even seeking to use microtubule-stabilizing drugs to treat diseases in which tau dissociates from microtubules. Recent work suggests that tau is not a stabilizer of microtubules in the axon, but rather enables axonal microtubules to have long labile domains, in part by outcompeting genuine stabilizers. This new perspective on tau challenges long-standing dogma.

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Authors
Baas, P. W., & Qiang, L.
Affiliations
Drexel University (US)
Corresponding author
Baas, Peter W.
Venue
Trends in Cell Biology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2019-06
Volume
29
Issue
6
Pages
452-461
ISSN
0962-8924 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2929622128
Cited by
123
References
68
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 8
FWCI
1.62
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Trends in Cell Biology (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (R01 NS28785)
  • Department of Defense (W81XWH-17-1-0504)
  • Pennsylvania Department of Health
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Microtubule and mitosis dynamics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
Keywords
tau protein, microtubule stabilization, axonal microtubules, microtubule-associated proteins, tauopathy, microtubule-stabilizing drugs, neuronal cytoskeleton
MeSH terms
Animals, Humans, Microtubules, Neurons, tau Proteins

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