Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026

In Vitro Aggregation Assays Using Hyperphosphorylated Tau Protein
Published on: January 2, 2015
Tau, prions and Aβ: the triad of neurodegeneration
Lilla Reiniger1, Ana Lukic, Jacqueline Linehan
1Division of Neuropathology, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, WC1N 3BG, London, UK.
Abstract:
This article highlights the features that connect prion diseases with other cerebral amyloidoses and how these relate to neurodegeneration, with focus on tau phosphorylation. It also discusses similarities between prion disease and Alzheimer's disease: mechanisms of amyloid formation, neurotoxicity, pathways involved in triggering tau phosphorylation, links to cell cycle pathways and neuronal apoptosis. We review previous evidence of prion diseases triggering hyperphosphorylation of tau, and complement these findings with cases from our collection of genetic, sporadic and transmitted forms of prion diseases. This includes the novel finding that tau phosphorylation consistently occurs in sporadic CJD, in the absence of amyloid plaques.
Related Concept Videos
Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction
Amyloid Fibrils
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen. In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining, normally used to...
Amyloid Fibrils
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen. In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining, normally used to...
Dementia l: Introduction
Parkinson Disease ll: Pathophysiology
