Grants and Contracts Details
Description
Alzheimer's disease (AD), the sixth leading cause of death in the US, is characterized in
part by the deposition of neurofibrillary tangles in effected brain tissue. Tangles result
from aggregation of hyperphosphorylated forms of the microtubule-binding protein
tau. The origins of tau hyperphosphorylation are currently unknown, but likely involve
increases in kinase activity, decreases in phosphatase activity, or a combination of the
two. Calcineurin (CaN) dephosphorylates seven of 85 possible sites of phosphorylation
in tau. This phosphatase is of critical importance because it acts upon the residues T231 and
S262 which are known to be important for regulation of tau binding to microtubules.
Phosphorylations at T231 and S262 are also involved in the early stages of tau pathology, and
prime further phosphorylation events within tau. The goal of this proposal is to gather the
preliminary data necessary for more detailed future investigations of the role of CaN
plays in regulating the microtubule-binding function of tau. How CaN recognizes and
binds to tau is not known. In this work we will identify the CaN binding sites within tau.
Biochemical assays and biophysical techniques, primarily fluorescence-based, will be
employed. Data collected will be used in a NIH R01 proposal on investigations of the
role of CaN plays in regulating tau function, and how disruption of that regulation
leads to hyperphosphorylation and the subsequent formation of neurofibrillary tangles
in AD.
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 7/1/15 → 6/30/17 |
Funding
- KY Science and Technology Co Inc: $30,000.00
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