Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
Hirano bodies are actin-rich paracrystalline inclusions found in brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and in normal aged individuals. Although studies of post-mortem brain tissue provide clues of etiology, the physiological function of Hirano bodies remains unknown. A cell culture model was utilized to study the interactions of mutant tau proteins, model Hirano bodies, and GSK3? in human astrocytoma cells.Results
Most tau variants showed co-localization with model Hirano bodies. Cosedimentation assays revealed this interaction may be direct, as recombinant purified forms of tau are all capable of binding F-actin. Model Hirano bodies had no effect or enhanced cell death induced by tau in the absence of amyloid precursor protein intracellular domain (AICD). In the presence of AICD and tau, synergistic cell death was observed in most cases, and model Hirano bodies decreased this synergistic cell death, except for forms of tau that caused significant cell death in the presence of Hirano bodies only. A role for the kinase GSK3? is suggested by the finding that a dominant negative form of GSK3? reduces this synergistic cell death. A subset of Hirano bodies in brain tissue of both Alzheimer's disease and normal aged individuals was found to contain tau, with some Hirano bodies in Alzheimer's disease brains containing hyperphosphorylated tau.Conclusion
The results demonstrate a complex interaction between tau and AICD involving activation of GSK3? in promoting cell death, and the ability of Hirano bodies to modulate this process.
SUBMITTER: Spears W
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4084581 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Spears William W Furgerson Matthew M Sweetnam John Michael JM Evans Parker P Gearing Marla M Fechheimer Marcus M Furukawa Ruth R
BMC neuroscience 20140614
<h4>Background</h4>Hirano bodies are actin-rich paracrystalline inclusions found in brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and in normal aged individuals. Although studies of post-mortem brain tissue provide clues of etiology, the physiological function of Hirano bodies remains unknown. A cell culture model was utilized to study the interactions of mutant tau proteins, model Hirano bodies, and GSK3β in human astrocytoma cells.<h4>Results</h4>Most tau var ...[more]