Probing tau citrullination in Alzheimer's disease brains and mouse models of tauopathy.

ABSTRACT: Alzheimer's disease (AD) includes a defining hallmark that correlates most closely to cognitive decline, namely misfolded tau protein. However, the "upstream" etiology and downstream clinical manifestations of tauopathies are quite diverse. Tau deposition elicits different pathological phenotypes and outcomes depending on the tau strain, proteoforms, and regional susceptibility. Posttranslational modifications (PTM) can alter tau structure, function, networks, and its pathological sequelae. We uncovered tau citrullination on multiple epitopes caused by peptidyl arginine deiminase (PAD) enzymes. PAD-induced citrullination irreversibly converts arginine residues to citrulline, producing a net loss of positive charge, elimination of pi-pi interactions, and increased hydrophobicity. We observe

SUBMITTER: Liang H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12680832 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature