Cited by 518Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsDementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchNeuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms

Critical role of acetylation in tau-mediated neurodegeneration and cognitive deficits

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Min, Sang-Won, Chen, Xu, Tracy, Tara E, Li, Yaqiao, Zhou, Yungui, Wang, Chao, Shirakawa, Kotaro, Minami, S Sakura +14 more·2015·Nature Medicine

Abstract

Tauopathies, including frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), are neurodegenerative diseases in which tau fibrils accumulate. Recent evidence supports soluble tau species as the major toxic species. How soluble tau accumulates and causes neurodegeneration remains unclear. Here we identify tau acetylation at Lys174 (K174) as an early change in AD brains and a critical determinant in tau homeostasis and toxicity in mice. The acetyl-mimicking mutant K174Q slows tau turnover and induces cognitive deficits in vivo. Acetyltransferase p300-induced tau acetylation is inhibited by salsalate and salicylate, which enhance tau turnover and reduce tau levels. In the PS19 transgenic mouse model of FTD, administration of salsalate after disease onset inhibited p300 activity, lowered levels of total tau and tau acetylated at K174, rescued tau-induced memory deficits and prevented hippocampal atrophy. The tau-lowering and protective effects of salsalate were diminished in neurons expressing K174Q tau. Targeting tau acetylation could be a new therapeutic strategy against human tauopathies.

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  • Tau acetylation at Lys280 can only be detected in AD and 4R tauopathies such as corticobasal degeneration and PSP.

    “Acetylation of tau at Lys174, Lys274, Lys280, and Lys281 have been well characterized due to their association with AD: tau acetylation at Lys280 can only be detected in AD and 4R tauopathies such as corticobasal degeneration and PSP.”
  • Increased levels of acetylated tau at Lys174, Lys274, and Lys281 have been observed in the brain of AD patients at varying disease stages.

    “Additionally, increased levels of acetylated tau at Lys174, Lys 274, and Lys281 have been observed in the brain of AD patients at varying disease stages [156–159].”
  • Acetylation of tau is an early pathological feature of neurodegeneration; acetylated tau inhibits its degradation, promotes pathological aggregation and propagation, and contributes to tauopathy.

    “In addition, the acetylation of tau is an early pathological feature of neurodegeneration. Acetylated tau inhibits its degradation, promotes pathological aggregation and propagation, and contributes to tauopathy [46–51].”
  • The expression and activity of p300 are increased in the brain of AD patients, and dysregulation of p300/CBP promotes tau acetylation, which could aggravate tau accumulation and pathology.

    “The expression and activity of p300 are increased in the brain of AD patients [179], and the dysregulation of p300/CBP promotes tau acetylation, which could aggravate tau accumulation and pathology [46, 48].”
  • Tau is acetylated by the lysine acetyltransferase p300 and its close homolog CREB-binding protein (CBP).

    “Tau is acetylated by the lysine acetyltransferase p300 and its close homolog CREB-binding protein (CBP) [48].”

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Authors
Min, S.-W., Chen, X., Tracy, T. E., Li, Y., Zhou, Y., Wang, C., Shirakawa, K., Minami, S. S., Defensor, E., Mok, S. A., Sohn, P. D., Schilling, B., Cong, X., Ellerby, L., Gibson, B. W., Johnson, J., Krogan, N., Shamloo, M., Gestwicki, J., Masliah, E., Verdin, E., & Gan, L.
Affiliations
  • Gladstone Institutes (US)
  • Stanford Medicine (US)
  • University of California, San Francisco (US)
  • Buck Institute for Research on Aging (US)
  • University of California San Diego (US)
Corresponding author
  • Verdin, Eric
  • Gan, Li
Venue
Nature Medicine
Published
2015-09-21
Volume
21
Issue
10
Pages
1154-1162
ISSN
  • 1078-8956 (ISSN-L)
  • 1546-170X
OpenAlex
W2182763281
Cited by
516
References
61
Citations by year
2026: 39 · 2025: 37 · 2024: 39 · 2023: 43 · 2022: 38 · 2021: 58 · 2020: 57 · 2019: 51 · 2018: 56 · 2017: 46 · 2016: 42 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 1
FWCI
37.34
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute on Aging (R01AG030207, P50AG005131, R01AG036884)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (P30MH062512)
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (P30AI027763)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (R24DK085610)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01NS040251, P30NS065780, NS40251, RL1NS062413, NS062413, R01NS059690)
  • National Center for Research Resources (S10RR024615)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
Keywords
tau acetylation, tauopathy, Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, P300, salsalate, salicylates, memory impairment, hippocampal atrophy, tau-targeted therapy, transgenic mouse model
MeSH terms
Acetylation, Animals, Behavior, Animal, Cognition Disorders, Humans, tau Proteins, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Mice

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