PROTEIN-TAU VARIANTS PRESENT IN PAIRED HELICAL FILAMENTS (PHFS) OF ALZHEIMER BRAINS

Polyclonal anti-TAU antisera directed against native Tau protein and the NH2-terminal side of the mouse TAU sequence were used to determine the nature of the TAU variants present in Alzheimer brains and in PHFs. These antibodies labelled specifically neuroflbrillary tangles and plaque neuntes in Alzheimer brains. On immunoblots of PHF extracts, two entities of 69 and 130 kDa were identified. These TAU-related species were absent from control brains. Protein immunoblot of total Alzheimer and control supernatants were shown to contain the same 4-5 TAU variants but none of the 69 and 130 TAU-related entities found in PHFs. These data suggest that specific TAU species are present in PHFs. © 1990.