The microtubule-binding protein tau has been implicated in the neurofibrillary pathology of
Alzheimer's disease. Within affected cells, ubiquitinated and hyperphosphorylated tau
assembles into massive filamentous polymers. Eventually these tangle-bearing neurons die.
The formation of neurofibrillary tangles closely parallels the progression and anatomic
distribution of neuronal loss in Alzheimer's disease, suggesting that these lesions play a role
in the disease pathogenesis. Mutations in the human tau gene cause autosomal dominant …