Role of tau protein in Alzheimer's disease: The prime pathological player

Aug 14, 2020International journal of biological macromolecules

Tau protein as the main harmful factor in Alzheimer's disease

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Abstract

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the presence of extracellular amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles.

Alzheimer's disease is a type of tauopathy associated with memory loss and cognitive impairment.
The disease is linked to two main features: amyloid-β plaques outside neurons and hyperphosphorylated tau tangles inside neurons.
Previous efforts to develop treatments targeting amyloid-β have not shown efficacy in treating Alzheimer's disease.
Tau protein is recognized as a potential therapeutic target due to its significant role in the pathology of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Hyperphosphorylation of tau is associated with harmful effects that contribute to the degeneration of neurons.

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a prevalently found tauopathy characterized by memory loss and cognitive insufficiency. AD is an age-related neurodegenerative disease with two major hallmarks which includes extracellular amyloid plaques made of amyloid-β (Aβ) and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles of hyperphosphorylated tau. With population aging worldwide, there is an indispensable need for treatment strategies that can potentially manage this developing dementia. Despite broad researches on targeting Aβ in the past two decades, research findings on Aβ targeted therapeutics failed to prove efficacy in the treatment of AD. Tau protein with its extensive pathological role in several neurodegenerative diseases can be considered as a promising target candidate for developing therapeutic interventions. The abnormal hyperphosphorylation of tau plays detrimental pathological functions which ultimately lead to neurodegeneration. This review will divulge the importance of tau in AD pathogenesis, the interplay of Aβ and tau, the pathological functions of tau, and potential therapeutic strategies for an effective management of neuronal disorders.

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Role of tau protein in Alzheimer's disease: The prime pathological player

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