N-Terminal Tau Fragments as Biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease and Neurotrauma

Abstract

The goal of this project is project was to increase our understanding of the underlying causes of both CTE and AD and by so doing, improve our ability to diagnose the presence and severity of these conditions in a timely manner. Our approach was based on observations that tau isoforms lacking exons 2-3 in the tau N terminal domain (E2- tau) are secreted more readily than isoforms that contain one or both of them (E2 tau) in cell culture (Kim et. al. 2010) and that secreted microvesicles (exosomes) containing tau and other proteins are identifiable in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients, in the early stages of AD (Saman et al 2012). The Aims of the project were to 1) characterize the cellular distribution of E2 and E2- tau isoforms in fixed brain tissue from early AD and CTE patients, to quantify their presence in CSF and brain homogenate exosomal fractions and to identify proteins associated with tau(and particularly E2- and E2 tau) in these fractions in the context of AD/CTE cytopathogenesis. The second Aim of this project was to directly test the effects of overexpressing E2- and E2 tau isoforms on tau distribution, secretion and the recruitment of other proteins to exosomes in neuronal cell lines (by mass spectrometry).

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2017
Accession Number
AD1041562

Entities

People

  • Garth F. Hall

Organizations

  • University of Massachusetts Lowell

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Alzheimer Disease
  • Brain
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Physiological Processes
  • Cells
  • Cellular Structures
  • Culture Techniques
  • Health Services
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Medical Personnel
  • Neurodegeneration
  • Neurodegenerative Diseases
  • Neuroglia

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Molecular Biology and Genetics
  • Oncology and Biomarker-Based Cancer Detection.
  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Cognitive Aging in the Guam and Border Populations Affected by Alzheimer's Disease and Tau-Associated Dementias.