Proteasome-caspase-cathepsin sequence leading to tau pathology induced by prostaglandin J2 in neuronal cells.

ABSTRACT: Neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. The major neurofibrillary tangle component is tau that is truncated at Asp421 (Deltatau), hyperphosphorylated and aggregates into insoluble paired helical filaments. Alzheimer's disease brains also exhibit signs of inflammation manifested by activated astrocytes and microglia, which produce cytotoxic agents among them prostaglandins. We show that prostaglandin (PG) J2, an endogenous product of inflammation, induces caspase-mediated cleavage of tau, generating Deltatau, an aggregation prone form known to seed tau aggregation prior to neurofibrillary tangle formation. The initial event observed upon PGJ2-treatment of human neuroblastoma SK-N-SH cells was the build-up of ubiquitinated (Ub) proteins indicating an early disrup

SUBMITTER: Arnaud LT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2889249 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature