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Function of tau protein in adult newborn neurons
Author(s) -
Fuster-Matanzo Almudena,
de Barreda Elena Gómez,
Dawson Ha.,
Vitek Michael P.,
Avila Jesús,
Hernández Félix
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/j.febslet.2009.08.017
Subject(s) - doublecortin , neurogenesis , subgranular zone , subventricular zone , neuronal migration , knockout mouse , biology , tau protein , phosphorylation , glial fibrillary acidic protein , microbiology and biotechnology , neuroscience , conditional gene knockout , hippocampus , neural stem cell , medicine , dentate gyrus , stem cell , immunohistochemistry , immunology , biochemistry , alzheimer's disease , receptor , disease , gene , phenotype
Levels of tau phosphorylation are high during the developmental period of intense neurite outgrowth, but decrease later. We here investigated whether tau protein plays a role in adult neurogenesis. First we demonstrate that new neurons generated in the subgranular zone express tau in a hyperphosphorylated form. Phospho‐tau expression colocalized with doublecortin but not with glial fibrillary acidic protein, Ki67 or calbindin. The same was observed in the subventricular zone. Tau knockout mice did not show a significant decrease in the number of doublecortin‐positive cells, although a deficit in migration was observed. These findings suggest that basal tau phosphorylation present in adult animals is in part due to neurogenesis, and from Tau knockout mice it seems that tau is involved in normal migration of new neurons.