Caspase-Cleaved Tau Accumulation in Neurodegenerative Diseases Associated with Tau and α-Synuclein Pathology

  • Jodie Newman
  • , Robert A. Rissman
  • , Floyd Sarsoza
  • , Ronald C. Kim
  • , Malcolm Dick
  • , David A. Bennett
  • , Carl W. Cotman
  • , Troy T. Rohn
  • , Elizabeth Head

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

55 Scopus citations

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD), Pick's disease (PiD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) are diseases associated with the accumulation of tau or alpha-synuclein. In AD, beta-amyloid (Abeta)-associated caspase activation and cleavage of tau at Asp421 (DeltaTau) may be an early step in neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) formation. To examine whether DeltaTau accumulates in other diseases not characterized by extracellular Abeta accumulation, we examined PiD, PSP, and CBD cases in comparison to those without extensive tau accumulation including frontotemporal lobar degeneration without Pick bodies (FTLD) and control cases. Additionally, we studied DeltaTau accumulation in DLB cases associated with intracellular alpha-synuclein. DeltaTau was observed in all disease cases except non-PiD FTLD and controls. These results demonstrate that the accumulation of DeltaTau may represent a common pathway associated with abnormal accumulation of intracellular tau or alpha-synuclein and may be relatively less dependent on the extracellular accumulation of Abeta in non-AD dementias.

Original languageAmerican English
Pages (from-to)135-44
Number of pages10
JournalActa Neuropathologica
Volume110
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Aug 2005

Keywords

  • Caspase activation
  • Corticobasal degeneration
  • Frontotemporal dementia
  • Pick’s disease
  • Progressive supranuclear palsy

EGS Disciplines

  • Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Caspase-Cleaved Tau Accumulation in Neurodegenerative Diseases Associated with Tau and α-Synuclein Pathology'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this