Differential Effects of the Six Human TAU Isoforms: Somatic Retention of 2N-TAU and Increased Microtubule Number Induced by 4R-TAU

In the adult human brain, six isoforms of the microtubule-associated protein TAU are expressed, which result from alternative splicing of exons 2, 3, and 10 of the MAPT gene. These isoforms differ in the number of N-terminal inserts (0N, 1N, 2N) and C-terminal repeat domains (3R or 4R) and are diffe...

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Main Authors: Sarah Bachmann, Michael Bell, Jennifer Klimek, Hans Zempel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-05-01
Series:Frontiers in Neuroscience
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2021.643115/full
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author Sarah Bachmann
Sarah Bachmann
Michael Bell
Michael Bell
Jennifer Klimek
Jennifer Klimek
Hans Zempel
Hans Zempel
author_facet Sarah Bachmann
Sarah Bachmann
Michael Bell
Michael Bell
Jennifer Klimek
Jennifer Klimek
Hans Zempel
Hans Zempel
author_sort Sarah Bachmann
collection DOAJ
description In the adult human brain, six isoforms of the microtubule-associated protein TAU are expressed, which result from alternative splicing of exons 2, 3, and 10 of the MAPT gene. These isoforms differ in the number of N-terminal inserts (0N, 1N, 2N) and C-terminal repeat domains (3R or 4R) and are differentially expressed depending on the brain region and developmental stage. Although all TAU isoforms can aggregate and form neurofibrillary tangles, some tauopathies, such as Pick’s disease and progressive supranuclear palsy, are characterized by the accumulation of specific TAU isoforms. The influence of the individual TAU isoforms in a cellular context, however, is understudied. In this report, we investigated the subcellular localization of the human-specific TAU isoforms in primary mouse neurons and analyzed TAU isoform-specific effects on cell area and microtubule dynamics in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. Our results show that 2N-TAU isoforms are particularly retained from axonal sorting and that axonal enrichment is independent of the number of repeat domains, but that the additional repeat domain of 4R-TAU isoforms results in a general reduction of cell size and an increase of microtubule counts in cells expressing these specific isoforms. Our study points out that individual TAU isoforms may influence microtubule dynamics differentially both by different sorting patterns and by direct effects on microtubule dynamics.
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spelling doaj.art-c9d1642779794c9d8d32888464acdd0d2022-12-21T23:31:09ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neuroscience1662-453X2021-05-011510.3389/fnins.2021.643115643115Differential Effects of the Six Human TAU Isoforms: Somatic Retention of 2N-TAU and Increased Microtubule Number Induced by 4R-TAUSarah Bachmann0Sarah Bachmann1Michael Bell2Michael Bell3Jennifer Klimek4Jennifer Klimek5Hans Zempel6Hans Zempel7Institute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, GermanyCenter for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, GermanyInstitute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, GermanyCenter for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, GermanyInstitute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, GermanyCenter for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, GermanyInstitute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, GermanyCenter for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, GermanyIn the adult human brain, six isoforms of the microtubule-associated protein TAU are expressed, which result from alternative splicing of exons 2, 3, and 10 of the MAPT gene. These isoforms differ in the number of N-terminal inserts (0N, 1N, 2N) and C-terminal repeat domains (3R or 4R) and are differentially expressed depending on the brain region and developmental stage. Although all TAU isoforms can aggregate and form neurofibrillary tangles, some tauopathies, such as Pick’s disease and progressive supranuclear palsy, are characterized by the accumulation of specific TAU isoforms. The influence of the individual TAU isoforms in a cellular context, however, is understudied. In this report, we investigated the subcellular localization of the human-specific TAU isoforms in primary mouse neurons and analyzed TAU isoform-specific effects on cell area and microtubule dynamics in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. Our results show that 2N-TAU isoforms are particularly retained from axonal sorting and that axonal enrichment is independent of the number of repeat domains, but that the additional repeat domain of 4R-TAU isoforms results in a general reduction of cell size and an increase of microtubule counts in cells expressing these specific isoforms. Our study points out that individual TAU isoforms may influence microtubule dynamics differentially both by different sorting patterns and by direct effects on microtubule dynamics.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2021.643115/fullTAUMAPTmicrotubule-associated proteinsmicrotubule dynamicsprimary neuron cell cultureSH-SY5Y cell line
spellingShingle Sarah Bachmann
Sarah Bachmann
Michael Bell
Michael Bell
Jennifer Klimek
Jennifer Klimek
Hans Zempel
Hans Zempel
Differential Effects of the Six Human TAU Isoforms: Somatic Retention of 2N-TAU and Increased Microtubule Number Induced by 4R-TAU
Frontiers in Neuroscience
TAU
MAPT
microtubule-associated proteins
microtubule dynamics
primary neuron cell culture
SH-SY5Y cell line
title Differential Effects of the Six Human TAU Isoforms: Somatic Retention of 2N-TAU and Increased Microtubule Number Induced by 4R-TAU
title_full Differential Effects of the Six Human TAU Isoforms: Somatic Retention of 2N-TAU and Increased Microtubule Number Induced by 4R-TAU
title_fullStr Differential Effects of the Six Human TAU Isoforms: Somatic Retention of 2N-TAU and Increased Microtubule Number Induced by 4R-TAU
title_full_unstemmed Differential Effects of the Six Human TAU Isoforms: Somatic Retention of 2N-TAU and Increased Microtubule Number Induced by 4R-TAU
title_short Differential Effects of the Six Human TAU Isoforms: Somatic Retention of 2N-TAU and Increased Microtubule Number Induced by 4R-TAU
title_sort differential effects of the six human tau isoforms somatic retention of 2n tau and increased microtubule number induced by 4r tau
topic TAU
MAPT
microtubule-associated proteins
microtubule dynamics
primary neuron cell culture
SH-SY5Y cell line
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2021.643115/full
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