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Age-Associated Increases In Fkbp51 Facilitate Tau Neurotoxicity, Laura J. Blair

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Tau is a protein which regulates microtubule stability and is heavily involved in axonal transport. This stability is dynamically controlled in part by over 40 phosphorylation sites across the tau protein which allows for binding and release from the microtubules. However, if abnormal hyperphosphorylation occurs, tau dissociates from the microtubules. Once released, the microtubules become unstable and the aberrant tau mislocalizes from the axon to the somatodendric compartment, where it aggregates. These aggregates are made of many pathological forms of tau including oligomeric species, paired helical filaments, and neurofibrillary tangles, all of which have associated toxicities. Tau pathology is a …