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Updated: Jul 26, 2026

In Vitro Aggregation Assays Using Hyperphosphorylated Tau Protein
Published on: January 2, 2015
Absence of abnormal hyperphosphorylation of tau in intracellular tangles in Alzheimer's disease
W Bondareff1, C R Harrington, C M Wischik
1Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, University of Southern California Medical School, Los Angeles 90033, USA.
Abstract:
Adult human nerve cells contain tau protein, a phosphorylated microtubule-associated protein, that is hyperphosphorylated in the fetus and in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Hyperphosphorylation, which diminishes the microtubule-binding capacity of tau, destabilizes microtubules and may enhance the formation of paired helical filaments that constitute neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease. Here, we use phosphorylation-dependent anti-tau antibodies to detect specific epitopes that characterize hyperphosphorylated tau. Our demonstration of intracellular tangles containing full-length tau that are not immunolabeled by these antibodies suggests that hyperphosphorylation of tau is not obligatory in the formation of neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease.
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