Isolation of a tau binding peptide by phage display

Abstract

The microtubule-associated protein tau is mainly expressed in the central nervous system and promotes the microtubule assembly. While tau is highly stable under normal conditions, several factors, including mutation, post-translational modification, and interaction with polyanions or proteins, have been found to induce tau aggregation. Formation of tau aggregates in neuron is a hallmark of a series of neurodegenerative diseases known as tauopathies, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Pick’s disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and corticobasal degeneration.