Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P10636 (tau protein)
 5,110 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We searched by a cDNA subtraction screen for differentially expressed transcripts in MCF-7 mammary carcinoma cells grown on tenascin-C versus fibronectin. On tenascin-C, cells had irregular shapes with many processes, whereas on fibronectin they were flat with a cobble stone-like appearance. We found elevated levels of 14-3-3 tau transcripts and protein in cells grown on tenascin-C. To investigate the consequences of an increased level of this phospho-serine/threonine-binding adaptor protein, we transfected MCF-7 cells with a construct encoding full-length 14-3-3 tau protein and selected clones with the highest expression levels. The morphology of these cells on tenascin-C was flat, resembling that of cells on fibronectin. This was reflected by a similar pattern of F-actin staining on either substratum. Furthermore, the growth rate on tenascin-C was increased compared with the parental cells. After transient transfection of HT1080 fibrosarcoma and T98G glioblastoma cells with 14-3-3 tau, only the 14-3-3 tau-expressing cells were able to adhere and survive on tenascin-C, whereas all cells adhered well on fibronectin. Therefore, we postulate that tenascin-C promotes the growth of tumor cells by causing an increase in the expression of 14-3-3 tau, which in turn has a positive effect on tumor cell adhesion and growth.
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PMID:Tenascin-C signaling through induction of 14-3-3 tau. 1252 48

The pathological significance of Tau (encoded by MAPT) in mechanisms driving cell migration in glioblastoma is unclear. By using an shRNA approach to deplete microtubule-stabilizing Tau in U87 cells, we determined its impact on cytoskeletal coordination during migration. We demonstrated here that the motility of these Tau-knockdown cells (shTau cells) was significantly (36%) lower than that of control cells. The shTau cells displayed a slightly changed motility in the presence of nocodazole, which inhibits microtubule formation. Such reduced motility of shTau cells was characterized by a 28% lower number of microtubule bundles at the non-adhesive edges of the tails. In accordance with Tau-stabilized microtubules being required for cell movement, measurements of the front, body and rear section displacements of cells showed inefficient tail retraction in shTau cells. The tail retraction was restored by treatment with Y27632, an inhibitor of Rho-ROCK signaling. Moreover, we clearly identified that shTau cells displayed relocation of the active phosphorylated form of p190-RhoGAP (also known as ARHGAP35), which inhibits Rho-ROCK signaling, and focal adhesion kinase (FAK, also known as PTK2) in cell bodies. In conclusion, our findings indicate that Tau governs the remodeling of microtubule and actin networks for the retraction of the tail of cells, which is necessary for effective migration.
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PMID:Tau regulates the microtubule-dependent migration of glioblastoma cells via the Rho-ROCK signaling pathway. 3065 15

Although the microtubule-associated protein tau is well studied in human neurodegeneration, the role of tau in neoplastic brain diseases is not well understood. Recently, studies have shown tau mRNA expression is associated with improved survival in human infiltrating gliomas. However, the biologic basis of this association is largely unexplored. Using 2 independent publicly available mRNA databases, we show that high tau mRNA expression is associated with improved patient survival in infiltrating gliomas. Higher tau protein expression is also associated with improved patient prognosis in infiltrating gliomas by immunohistochemical staining of tissue microarrays. This prognostic association is in part due to higher tau mRNA and protein expression in IDH-mutant infiltrating astrocytomas. Expression of tau in an IDH-wildtype glioblastoma cell line selectively impairs cell migration in assays designed to mimic tumor invasion. These findings suggest that tau expression is not only associated with IDH mutation status but also may contribute to improved patient outcomes by impairing tumor invasion.
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PMID:Increased Tau Expression Correlates With IDH Mutation in Infiltrating Gliomas and Impairs Cell Migration. 3218 6