Tau interaction with microtubules in vivo
Open accessAbstract
Tau is a major microtubule-associated protein which induces bundling and stabilization of axonal microtubules (MTs). To investigate the interaction of tau with MTs in living cells, we expressed GFP-tau fusion protein in cultured Xenopus embryo neurons and performed time-lapse imaging of tau-labeled MTs. Tau uniformly labeled individual MTs regardless of their assembly/disassembly status and location along the axon. Photobleaching experiments indicated that interaction of tau with MTs is very dynamic, with a half-time of fluorescence recovery of the order of 3 seconds. Treatment of cells with taxol, a drug that suppresses MT dynamics, rapidly induced detachment of tau from MTs. Although binding of tau to straight MTs was uniform, there was a heightened concentration of tau at the sites of high MT curvature. Our results suggest that dynamic interaction of tau with MTs may modify local mechanical properties of individual MTs and play a crucial role in the remodeling of the MT cytoskeleton during neuronal plasticity.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the remaining 6% of cells, exhibiting weak eGFP-tau expression, tau only localized to the microtubule bends.
“In the remaining 6% of cells, exhibiting weak eGFP-tau expression, tau only localized to the microtubule bends, as described previously33,34.”
From Microtubule lattice spacing governs cohesive envelope formation of tau family proteins (2022) · cites this paper as [33]
In “Binding of tau to individual MTs depends on their curvature” (page unavailable), the paper reports more GFP-tau at highly curved regions. It also reports GFP-tau labeling on relatively straight microtubules, so localization was not limited to bends. The passages do not support the figure of 6% of cells with weak expression. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredAfter adding 0.01 μM taxol to U-2 OS cells, tau dissociated from microtubules in all cells, as quantified by a decrease in the coefficient of variation of the tau signal.
“We added 0.01 μM taxol to the medium and imaged the cells for 10 minutes while monitoring the tau density on microtubules initially fully covered by eGFP-tau. In line with our in vitro observations, and previous in vivo evidence33,35, we observed that in all cells tau dissociated from the microtubules (Fig. 4a, Supplementary Movie 9) as quantified by the decrease in the coefficient of variation of”
From Microtubule lattice spacing governs cohesive envelope formation of tau family proteins (2022) · cites this paper as [33]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Association of missense and 5′-splice-site mutations in tau with the inherited dementia FTDP-17
Hutton, M., Lendon, C. L., Rizzu, P., Baker, M., Froelich, S., Houlden, H., Pickering-Brown, S., Chakraverty, S., Isaacs, A., Grover, A., et al. (1998) · Nature · doi:10.1038/31508 · Cited by 3,498 · see citing works
Lee, V. M.-Y., Goedert, M., & Trojanowski, J. Q. (2001) · Annual Review of Neuroscience · doi:10.1146/annurev.neuro.24.1.1121 · Cited by 2,480 · see citing works
MAP2 and tau bind longitudinally along the outer ridges of microtubule protofilaments
Al-Bassam, J., Ozer, R. S., Safer, D., Halpain, S., & Milligan, R. A. (2002) · The Journal of Cell Biology · doi:10.1083/jcb.200201048 · Cited by 327 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 6
- D'Souza, I., Poorkaj, P., Hong, M., Nochlin, D., Lee, V. M., Bird, T. D. and Schellenberg, G. D. (1999). Missense and silent tau gene mutations cause frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism-chromosome 17 type, by affecting multiple alternative RNA splicing regulatory elements. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96, 5598-5603.
- Littauer, U. Z., Giveon, D., Thierauf, M., Ginzburg, I. and Ponstingl, H. (1986). Common and distinct tubulin binding sites for microtubule- associated proteins. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83, 7162-7166.
- Makrides, V., Massie, M. R., Feinstein, S. C. and Lew, J. (2004). Evidence for two distinct binding sites for tau on microtubules. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101, 6746-6751.
- Murphy, D. B. and Borisy, G. G. (1975). Association of high-molecular- weight proteins with microtubules and their role in microtubule assembly in vitro. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 72, 2696-2700.
- Spillantini, M. G., Murrell, J. R., Goedert, M., Farlow, M. R., Klug, A. and Ghetti, B. (1998). Mutation in the tau gene in familial multiple system tauopathy with presenile dementia. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, 7737- 7741.
- Spitzer, N. C. and Lamborghini, J. E. (1976). The development of the action potential mechanism of amphibian neurons isolated in culture. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 73, 1641-1645.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Amyloid oligomers exacerbate tau pathology in a mouse model of tauopathy
Selenica, M.-L. B., Brownlow, M., Jimenez, J. P., Lee, D. C., Pena, G., Dickey, C. A., Gordon, M. N., & Morgan, D. (2013) · Neurodegenerative Diseases · doi:10.1159/000337230 · Cited by 10,359 · see citing works
Arendt, T., Stieler, J. T., & Holzer, M. (2016) · Brain Research Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2016.08.018 · Cited by 609 · see citing works
Zhang, B., Carroll, J., Trojanowski, J. Q., Yao, Y., Iba, M., Potuzak, J. S., Hogan, A.-M. L., Xie, S. X., Ballatore, C., Smith, A. B., et al. (2012) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.4922-11.2012 · Cited by 401 · see citing works
Structural Principles of Tau and the Paired Helical Filaments of Alzheimer's Disease
Mandelkow, E., Von Bergen, M., Biernat, J., & Mandelkow, E. (2007) · Brain Pathology · doi:10.1111/j.1750-3639.2007.00053.x · Cited by 243 · see citing works
Sohn, P. D., Tracy, T. E., Son, H.-I., Zhou, Y., Leite, R. E. P., Miller, B. L., Seeley, W. W., Grinberg, L. T., & Gan, L. (2016) · Molecular Neurodegeneration · doi:10.1186/s13024-016-0109-0 · Cited by 160 · see citing works
Tau biology, tauopathy, traumatic brain injury, and diagnostic challenges
Castellani, R. J., & Perry, G. (2019) · Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease · doi:10.3233/jad-180721 · Cited by 110 · see citing works
Axonal degeneration in tauopathies: disease relevance and underlying mechanisms
Kneynsberg, A., Combs, B., Christensen, K., Morfini, G., & Kanaan, N. M. (2017) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2017.00572 · Cited by 102 · see citing works
Microtubule lattice spacing governs cohesive envelope formation of tau family proteins
Siahaan, V., Tan, R., Humhalova, T., Libusova, L., Lacey, S. E., Tan, T., Dacy, M., Ori-McKenney, K. M., McKenney, R. J., Braun, M., et al. (2022) · Nature Chemical Biology · doi:10.1038/s41589-022-01096-2 · Cited by 94 · see citing works
Rational therapeutic approaches to progressive supranuclear palsy
Stamelou, M., de Silva, R., Arias-Carrion, O., Boura, E., Hollerhage, M., Oertel, W. H., Muller, U., & Hoglinger, G. U. (2010) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/awq115 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
Torres-Cruz, F. M., Rodríguez-Cruz, F., Escobar-Herrera, J., Barragán-Andrade, N., Basurto-Islas, G., Ripova, D., Ávila, J., & Garcia-Sierra, F. (2016) · Journal of Alzheimer's Disease · doi:10.3233/jad-150396 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Nakata, R., Torii, T., Miyasaka, T., & Misonou, H. (2026) · Neuroscience Research · doi:10.1016/j.neures.2025.104987 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
- Authors
- Samsonov, A., Yu, J.-Z., Rasenick, M., & Popov, S. V.
- Affiliations
- University of Illinois Chicago (US)
- Corresponding author
- Popov, Sergey V.
- ORCID
- Rasenick, Mark
- Venue
- Journal of Cell Science
- Publisher
- The Company of Biologists
- Published
- 2004-12-01
- Volume
- 117
- Issue
- 25
- Pages
- 6129-6141
- ISSN
- 0021-9533 (ISSN-L)
- 1477-9137
- OpenAlex
- W2066025113
- Cited by
- 129
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 13
- FWCI
- 1.89
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Cell Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (NS3350, NS39417)
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS3350, NS39417, R01NS039417)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Microtubule and mitosis dynamics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer Treatment and Pharmacology
- Keywords
- tau protein, microtubules, microtubule stabilization, microtubule bundling, axonal cytoskeleton, microtubule curvature, paclitaxel, microtubule dynamics, neuroplasticity
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Axons, Cytoskeleton, Detergents, DNA, Embryo, Nonmammalian, Fibroblasts, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Light, Microscopy, Fluorescence, Microtubules, Neurons, Protein Binding, Time Factors, Xenopus, tau Proteins, Paclitaxel, Green Fluorescent Proteins
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
