Microtubule-associated protein tau in bovine retinal photoreceptor rod outer segments: comparison with brain tau.

ABSTRACT: Recent studies have suggested a possible involvement of abnormal tau in some retinal degenerative diseases. The common view in these studies is that these retinal diseases share the mechanism of tau-mediated degenerative diseases in brain and that information about these brain diseases may be directly applied to explain these retinal diseases. Here we collectively examine this view by revealing three basic characteristics of tau in the rod outer segment (ROS) of bovine retinal photoreceptors, i.e., its isoforms, its phosphorylation mode and its interaction with microtubules, and by comparing them with those of brain tau. We find that ROS contains at least four isoforms: three are identical to those in brain and one is unique in ROS. All ROS isoforms, like brain isoforms, are modified with

SUBMITTER: Yamazaki A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3724453 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature