A Missing Origin of the Tau Protein Aggregation Pathway Triggered by Thermal and Biological Forces.

Abstract

Fluctuations in mechanical force vectors within living cells can substantially influence the behavior and functions of proteins. Tau protein can spontaneously be raptured and entangled in refolding under picoNewton compressive forces that are biologically available in a living cell: a hidden aggregation pathway due to stress and crowding. Our findings were achieved through a customized modification of atomic force microscopy (AFM) for single-molecule manipulation. This previously hidden phenomenon of proteins rupturing collectively while subsequently and spontaneously refolding into a complex entangled conformation, distinct from the Tau protein's folded or unfolded states, could potentially explain the early-event initiation of the aggregation of the Tau protein seen in various neurodegenerative diseases. This article introduces our recent discovery of the missing Tau protein property that is of significant relevance to the Tau protein and neurodegenerative disease research and medical treatment, aiming to stimulate the collective observation and a new perspective on the Tau aggregation mechanism and disease mechanism studies.