Tau proteins are critical for a healthy nervous system, interacting with tubulin to strengthen neural tubes. Changes in tau protein can lead to taupathies, including Alzheimer’s disease. Understanding tau protein’s role in disease may aid in treatment and prevention. Protein folding changes the basic function of the protein. The central nervous system is complex, and understanding its components can contribute to knowledge of neurological conditions and human psychology.
A tau protein is a protein found in neurons, primarily in the central nervous system. Several versions or isoforms of tau protein can be found in the body, and all are critical to the healthy functioning of a normal nervous system. These proteins were first identified in the 1970s and research into tau protein continues in many areas of the world as researchers are curious about the role of these proteins in healthy individuals and some diseases involving the central nervous system.
In a healthy person, the tau protein interacts with a compound called tubulin to strengthen the neural tubes in the axons of neurons. The neural tubes essentially act like train tracks for signals to pass along the axon. Disrupting the level of tau protein can lead to instability in the neural tubes, which makes it difficult for neurons to transmit signals. This in turn can lead to neurological problems as central nervous system functioning is disrupted, and depending on the area of the disruption, a patient may experience various symptoms.
In a series of conditions known as taupathies, the tau protein changes chemically, becoming entangled in neural tubes and blocking signals when the walls of the neural tubes collapse. One of the most infamous examples of tauopathy is Alzheimer’s disease, a very serious degenerative brain disease that affects the elderly. Other tauopathies include: Pick’s disease, corticobasal degeneration, frontotemporal dementia, and supranuclear palsy. Understanding the role of tau protein in these diseases may be an important part of treatment and prevention, as researchers learn how and why tau protein occasionally goes wrong and how it could be corrected.
When tau proteins are chemically altered, the alteration changes the way they fold. Alterations in protein folding, even if slight, can change the basic function of the protein. Researchers have identified the normal structure of several tau proteins and found examples of improperly folded proteins associated with various neurological disorders.
As with many other components of the central nervous system, tau proteins are imperfectly understood, even though researchers are learning more about them all the time. The central nervous system is an incredibly complex and quite astonishing feat of biology, and knowing all of its components and how they interact can contribute a great deal of knowledge to everything from degenerative neurological conditions to human psychology.
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