Cited by 544Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsDementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchNeuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms

Caspase-cleavage of tau is an early event in Alzheimer disease tangle pathology

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Rissman, Robert A., Poon, Wayne W., Blurton-Jones, Mathew, Oddo, Salvatore, Torp, Reidun, Vitek, Michael P., LaFerla, Frank M., Rohn, Troy T. +1 more·2004·Journal of Clinical Investigation

Abstract

Neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) are composed of abnormal aggregates of the cytoskeletal protein tau. Together with amyloid β (Aβ) plaques and neuronal and synaptic loss, NFTs constitute the primary pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer disease (AD). Recent evidence also suggests that caspases are activated early in the progression of AD and may play a role in neuronal loss and NFT pathology. Here we demonstrate that tau is cleaved at D421 (ΔTau) by executioner caspases. Following caspase-cleavage, ΔTau facilitates nucleation-dependent filament formation and readily adopts a conformational change recognized by the early pathological tau marker MC1. ΔTau can be phosphorylated by glycogen synthase kinase-3β and subsequently recognized by the NFT antibody PHF-1. In transgenic mice and AD brains, ΔTau associates with both early and late markers of NFTs and is correlated with cognitive decline. Additionally, ΔTau colocalizes with Aβ1–42 and is induced by Aβ1–42 in vitro. Collectively, our data imply that Aβ accumulation triggers caspase activation, leading to caspase-cleavage of tau, and that this is an early event that may precede hyperphosphorylation in the evolution of AD tangle pathology. These results suggest that therapeutics aimed at inhibiting tau caspase-cleavage may prove beneficial not only in preventing NFT formation, but also in slowing cognitive decline.

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Crossref · 10.1172/jci200420640

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Authors
Rissman, R. A., Poon, W. W., Blurton-Jones, M., Oddo, S., Torp, R., Vitek, M. P., LaFerla, F. M., Rohn, T. T., & Cotman, C. W.
Affiliations
  • University of California, Irvine (US)
  • Duke Medical Center (US)
  • Boise State University (US)
Corresponding author
Cotman, Carl W.
Venue
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Published
2004-07-01
Volume
114
Issue
1
Pages
121-130
ISSN
0021-9738 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W1989856924
Cited by
543
References
82
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 28 · 2018: 33 · 2017: 24 · 2016: 30 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 27 · 2012: 30
FWCI
13.40
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Clinical Investigation (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • ScholarWorks (Boise State University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (1r03ag019386-01, AG016573, AG000096, AG000538)
  • National Institute on Aging (P01AG000538, AG19386, AG19780, AG-000538, AG17968, AG000096, R01AG017968, P50AG016573, F32AG023433, AG023433, R01AG019780, T32AG000096)
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 cleavage, caspase activation, neurofibrillary tangles, Alzheimer's disease, amyloid-beta, glycogen synthase kinase-3β, tau phosphorylation, PHF1, cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, traumatic brain injury, triple transgenic mouse model
MeSH terms
Alzheimer Disease, Animals, Humans, Membrane Proteins, Mice, Transgenic, Phosphorylation, Reference Values, Neurofibrillary Tangles, tau Proteins, Pyramidal Cells, Mice, Knockout, Caspases, Mice, Presenilin-1

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