2012 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Pivotal roles of p62 and selective autophagy in tau deposition and consequent neurodegeneration revealed with tauopathy mouse models

Research Project

Project/Area Number	23700431
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Research Field	Nerve anatomy/Neuropathology
Research Institution	National Institute of Radiological Sciences
Principal Investigator	ONO Maiko 独立行政法人放射線医学総合研究所, 分子イメージング研究センター, 研究員 (70595876)
Project Period (FY)	2011 – 2012
Keywords	タウ / p62 / 選択的オートファジー / 神経細胞死 / アルツハイマー病
Research Abstract	In Alzheimer’s disease, cytotoxicity exerted by abnormal tau is considered to be one of the main causes of neuronal death. Results from the present study indicate that selective autophagy and p62, a ubiquitinated cargo receptor mediating selective autophagy, are closely involved in neuronal death provoked by abnormal tau. p62 exerted neuroprotection against tau pathologies by eliminating nonfibrillar hyperphosphorylated tau species and sequestering hyperphosphorylated tau into cell bodies. Moreover, our findings suggested that insufficient capacity of p62 for processing of abnormal tau induces neuron death under tau accumulation.

(4 results)