Tau gene alternative splicing: expression patterns, regulation and modulation of function in normal brain and neurodegenerative diseases
Name:
Publisher version
View Source
Access full-text PDFOpen Access
View Source
Check access options
Check access options
Authors
Andreadis, AthenaUMass Chan Affiliations
Department of Cell BiologyDocument Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2004-12-24Keywords
*Alternative SplicingAmino Acid Sequence
Animals
Base Sequence
Brain
Gene Expression Regulation
Humans
Mice
Molecular Sequence Data
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Protein Isoforms
tau Proteins
Cell Biology
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Organization of cytoskeletal elements is critical for cellular migration and maintenance of morphology. Tau protein, which binds to and organizes microtubules, is instrumental in forming and maintaining the neuronal axon. Disturbances in tau expression result in disruption of the neuronal cytoskeleton and formation of pathological tau structures (neurofibrillary tangles, NFTs) found in brains of dementia sufferers. Null tau mice, although viable, exhibit developmental and cognitive defects and transgenic mice which overexpress tau develop severe neuropathies. The neuron-specific tau transcript produces multiple isoforms by intricately regulated alternative splicing. These isoforms modulate tau function in normal brain. Moreover, aberrations in tau splicing regulation directly cause several neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, tau splicing regulation is vital to neuronal health and correct brain function. This review briefly presents our cumulative knowledge of tau splicing-cis elements and trans factors which influence it at the RNA level, its effect on the structure and roles of the tau protein and its repercussions on neuronal morphology and neurodegeneration.Source
Biochim Biophys Acta. 2005 Jan 3;1739(2-3):91-103. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.1016/j.bbadis.2004.08.010Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/25680PubMed ID
15615629Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1016/j.bbadis.2004.08.010