Tau蛋白可破坏脑细胞能量工厂

Study of mitochondria suggests new treatment strategy for Alzheimer’s and other diseases SARA REARDON T he protein tau is best known for its potential to clog the brain. In neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, chains of the molecule twist into tangles inside neurons and choke out the cells. But a new study suggests tau may play an earlier and more fundamental role in neurodegeneration: sneak- ing into the cell’s power-generating mitochondria—the cell’s power generators—and interfering with aging neurons’ energy production. If this process gets out of control, it creates tangle-prone forms of tau and other toxic byproducts that damage neurons, long before a per- son’s cognitive symptoms start. in which p-tau affects cells. …