Cited by 1,371Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsAmyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ResearchDementia and Cognitive Impairment Research

Neurofibrillary tangles, amyotrophy and progressive motor disturbance in mice expressing mutant (P301L) tau protein

Lewis, Jada, McGowan, Eileen, Rockwood, Julia, Melrose, Heather, Nacharaju, Parimala, Van Slegtenhorst, Marjon, Gwinn-Hardy, Katrina, Murphy, M. P +10 more·2000·Nature Genetics

Abstract

Neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) composed of the microtubule-associated protein tau are prominent in Alzheimer disease (AD), Pick disease, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal degeneration (CBD). Mutations in the gene (Mtapt) encoding tau protein cause frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17), thereby proving that tau dysfunction can directly result in neurodegeneration. Expression of human tau containing the most common FTDP-17 mutation (P301L) results in motor and behavioural deficits in transgenic mice, with age- and gene-dose-dependent development of NFT. This phenotype occurred as early as 6.5 months in hemizygous and 4.5 months in homozygous animals. NFT and Pick-body-like neuronal lesions occurred in the amygdala, septal nuclei, pre-optic nuclei, hypothalamus, midbrain, pons, medulla, deep cerebellar nuclei and spinal cord, with tau-immunoreactive pre-tangles in the cortex, hippocampus and basal ganglia. Areas with the most NFT had reactive gliosis. Spinal cord had axonal spheroids, anterior horn cell loss and axonal degeneration in anterior spinal roots. We also saw peripheral neuropathy and skeletal muscle with neurogenic atrophy. Brain and spinal cord contained insoluble tau that co-migrated with insoluble tau from AD and FTDP-17 brains. The phenotype of mice expressing P301L mutant tau mimics features of human tauopathies and provides a model for investigating the pathogenesis of diseases with NFT.

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Crossref · 10.1038/78078

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Authors
Lewis, J., McGowan, E., Rockwood, J., Melrose, H., Nacharaju, P., Van Slegtenhorst, M., Gwinn-Hardy, K., Murphy, M. P., Baker, M., Yu, X., Duff, K., Hardy, J., Corral, A., Lin, W.-L., Yen, S.-H., Dickson, D. W., Davies, P., & Hutton, M.
Affiliations
  • Mayo Clinic (US)
  • Albert Einstein College of Medicine (US)
Corresponding author
Hutton, Mike
Venue
Nature Genetics
Published
2000-08
Volume
25
Issue
4
Pages
402-405
ISSN
  • 1061-4036 (ISSN-L)
  • 1546-1718
OpenAlex
W1480786153
Cited by
1,371
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 30 · 2025: 36 · 2024: 36 · 2023: 43 · 2022: 57 · 2021: 54 · 2020: 59 · 2019: 47 · 2018: 63 · 2017: 47 · 2016: 49 · 2015: 54 · 2014: 54 · 2013: 59 · 2012: 55
FWCI
27.93
Type
journal article
Language
en
Update notices
erratum (2000-09-01)
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Nature Genetics (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
U.S. Public Health Service
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
Keywords
neurofibrillary tangles, tau protein, P301L mutation, FTDP-17, tauopathy, transgenic mice, amyotrophy, motor disturbances, Pick bodies, reactive gliosis, peripheral neuropathy, Alzheimer's disease, Pick's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, frontotemporal dementia
MeSH terms
Animals, Brain Stem, Cell Count, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Inbred DBA, Mice, Transgenic, Movement Disorders, Mutation, Neurons, Spinal Cord, Gene Expression, Neurofibrillary Tangles, tau Proteins, Muscle, Skeletal, Amino Acid Substitution, Brachial Plexus Neuritis, Mice

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