Cloning of a big tau microtubule-associated protein characteristic of the peripheral nervous system

Microtubule-associated protein tau consists in brain of a series of isoforms of 48- to 67-kDa apparent molecular mass that are encoded by mRNAs of approximately 6 kilobases (kb) and that are generated from a single gene by alternative splicing. Previously, a tau-like protein of 110-kDa apparent molecular mass was described in peripheral ganglia and in peripheral neuronlike cell lines. We now report the cloning and sequencing of a rat cDNA encoding this big tau. The corresponding protein contains sequence identical to the longest of the previously cloned small tau isoforms but with an additional 254 amino acid insert in the amino-terminal half. Big tau is produced from an 8-kb mRNA generated by alternative splicing from the same gene that encodes small tau. Production of big tau from the cloned sequence gives a protein of 110-kDa apparent molecular mass that aligns on SDS/PAGE with big tau protein extracted from peripheral ganglia. RNA blots show that in peripheral ganglia from adult rats only the 8-kb mRNA band corresponding to big tau is found, whereas in ganglia from newborn rats both 6- and 8-kb tau mRNA bands are found. In tissues from the central nervous system only the 6-kb mRNA band can be detected. Big tau protein is therefore produced specifically in the peripheral nervous system, and it will be interesting to see whether further molecular differences between the two major divisions of the vertebrate nervous system will be discovered.