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The Journal of Neuroscience, June 1, 2005, 25(22):5365-5375; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1125-05.2005
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Neurobiology of Disease
The Generation of a 17 kDa Neurotoxic Fragment: An Alternative Mechanism by which Tau Mediates -Amyloid-Induced Neurodegeneration
So-Young Park and
Adriana Ferreira
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, and Institute for Neuroscience, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611
Recently, we have shown that the microtubule-associated protein tau is essential for -amyloid (A )-induced neurotoxicity in hippocampal neurons. However, the mechanisms by which tau mediates A -induced neurite degeneration remain poorly understood. In the present study, we analyzed whether tau cleavage played a role in these events. Our results showed that pre-aggregated A induced the generation of a 17 kDa tau fragment in cultured hippocampal neurons. The generation of this fragment was preceded by the activation of calpain-1. Conversely, inhibitors of this protease, but not of caspases, completely prevented tau proteolysis leading to the generation of the 17 kDa fragment and significantly reduced A -induced neuronal death. Furthermore, the expression of this fragment in cultured hippocampal neurons induced the formation of numerous varicosity-bearing tortuous processes, as well as the complete degeneration of some of those neurite processes. These results suggest that A -induced neurotoxicity may be mediated, at least in part, through the calpain-mediated generation of a toxic 17 kDa tau fragment. Collectively, these results provide insight into a novel mechanism by which tau could mediate A -induced neurotoxicity.
Key words: Alzheimer; apoptosis; degeneration; hippocampus; neurotoxicity; proteolysis; amyloid
Received Dec 8, 2004;
accepted April 20, 2005.
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