Reduction of calcineurin activity in brain by antisense oligonucleotides leads to persistent phosphorylation of tau protein at Thr181 and Thr231.

Phosphorylation of tau protein promotes stability of the axonal cytoskeleton; aberrant tau phosphorylation is implicated in the biogenesis of paired helical filaments (PHF) seen in Alzheimer's disease. Protein kinases and phosphatases that modulate tau phosphorylation have been identified using in vitro techniques; however, the role of these enzymes in vivo has not been determined. We used intraventricular infusions of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) directed against the major brain isoforms of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent phosphatase calcineurin to determine how reduced activity of this enzyme would affect tau dephosphorylation. Five-day infusions of antisense ODNs (5 and 10 nmol/day) in rats decreased immunoreactive levels and activity of calcineurin throughout the brain; sense ODNs, scrambled ODNs, and infusion vehicle alone had no effect. When neocortical slices were prepared from antisense ODN-treated rats and incubated for 1 to 2 h in vitro, tau protein remained phosphorylated as determined by using the phosphorylation-sensitive monoclonal antibodies AT-180 (Thr231) and AT-270 (Thr181). In contrast, AT-180 and AT-270 sites were completely dephosphorylated during incubation of neocortical slices from vehicle-infused controls and sense ODN-treated rats. Neocortical slices from antisense-treated rats were incubated with the phosphatase inhibitors okadaic acid (100 nM; 10 microM) and FK-520 (5 microM); these preparations showed enhanced tau phosphorylation, consistent with a significant loss of calcineurin activity. Thus, we conclude that phosphorylation of at least two sites on tau protein, namely, Thr181 and Thr231, is regulated by calcineurin.

The phosphorylation state of the FIGQY tyrosine of neurofascin determines ankyrin-binding activity and patterns of cell segregation.

Cell-cell recognition and patterning of cell contacts have a critical role in mediating reversible assembly of a variety of transcellular complexes in the nervous system. This study provides evidence for regulation of cell interactions through modulation of ankyrin binding to neurofascin, a member of the L1CAM family of nervous system cell adhesion molecules. The phosphorylation state of the conserved FIGQY tyrosine in the cytoplasmic domain of neurofascin regulates ankyrin binding and governs neurofascin-dependent cell aggregation as well as cell sorting when neurofascin is expressed in neuroblastoma cells. These findings suggest a general mechanism for the patterning of cell contact based on external signals that regulate tyrosine phosphorylation of L1CAM members and modulate their binding to ankyrin.

Tyrosine phosphorylation at a site highly conserved in the L1 family of cell adhesion molecules abolishes ankyrin binding and increases lateral mobility of neurofascin.

This paper presents evidence that a member of the L1 family of ankyrin-binding cell adhesion molecules is a substrate for protein tyrosine kinase(s) and phosphatase(s), identifies the highly conserved FIGQY tyrosine in the cytoplasmic domain as the principal site of phosphorylation, and demonstrates that phosphorylation of the FIGQY tyrosine abolishes ankyrin-binding activity. Neurofascin expressed in neuroblastoma cells is subject to tyrosine phosphorylation after activation of tyrosine kinases by NGF or bFGF or inactivation of tyrosine phosphatases with vanadate or dephostatin. Furthermore, both neurofascin and the related molecule Nr-CAM are tyrosine phosphorylated in a developmentally regulated pattern in rat brain. The FIGQY sequence is present in the cytoplasmic domains of all members of the L1 family of neural cell adhesion molecules. Phosphorylation of the FIGQY tyrosine abolishes ankyrin binding, as determined by coimmunoprecipitation of endogenous ankyrin and in vitro ankyrin-binding assays. Measurements of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching demonstrate that phosphorylation of the FIGQY tyrosine also increases lateral mobility of neurofascin expressed in neuroblastoma cells to the same extent as removal of the cytoplasmic domain. Ankyrin binding, therefore, appears to regulate the dynamic behavior of neurofascin and is the target for regulation by tyrosine phosphorylation in response to external signals. These findings suggest that tyrosine phosphorylation at the FIGQY site represents a highly conserved mechanism, used by the entire class of L1-related cell adhesion molecules, for regulation of ankyrin-dependent connections to the spectrin skeleton.

Microtubule assembly competence analysis of freshly-biopsied human tau, dephosphorylated tau, and Alzheimer tau.

Phosphorylation of the microtubule-associated protein tau regulates its binding to microtubules; highly phosphorylated tau is also a prime component of paired helical filaments (PHFs) of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Tau from freshly biopsied human, monkey, and rat brain share similar electrophoretic mobility patterns and overlapping phosphorylated epitopes when compared to AD tau isolated from AD brain. We compared the microtubule reassembly competence of fresh isolates of phosphorylated tau to that of maximally dephosphorylated tau and tau from AD brain. A rapid procedure was developed which permitted the enrichment of phosphorylated and dephosphorylated tau from human biopsies in the absence of protein kinase and phosphatase activity. Microtubule assembly assays, using a spectrophotometric measure and purified bovine brain tubulin, were used to correlate assembly competence with states of tau electrophoretic mobility. Maximally dephosphorylated human biopsy-derived tau and monkey tau were assembly competent; tau from AD brain was virtually unable to direct microtubule assembly. Unmodified, biopsy-derived tau from non-AD brain was intermediate in assembly competence relative to AD tau and dephosphorylated tau. Several lines of evidence were used to correlate phosphorylation states of tau with microtubule assembly. First, in vitro dephosphorylation of human biopsy-derived tau with either PP2A or PP2B alone or in combination led to increasing assembly competence as the electrophoretic mobility of tau increased. Second, addition of the protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid (10 microM) to brain-slice preparations slowed electrophoretic mobility of tau and decreased binding competence. We suggest that tau derived from freshly-biopsied brain exists in a range of phosphorylated states, and that dephosphorylation by PP2A and/or PP2B increases microtubule assembly competence.

Tau phosphorylation in brain slices: pharmacological evidence for convergent effects of protein phosphatases on tau and mitogen-activated protein kinase.

Tau is a neuron-specific, microtubule-associated protein that forms paired helical filaments (PHFs) of Alzheimer's disease when aberrantly phosphorylated. We have attempted to elucidate the protein kinases and phosphatases that regulate tau phosphorylation. Incubation of rat, human, and rhesus monkey temporal neocortex slices with the phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid induced epitopes of tau similar to those found in PHFs. Okadaic acid (1-20 microM) induced variant forms of tau at 60-68 kDa, which were recognized by the monoclonal antibodies Alz-50 (in humans only) and 5E2 and two polyclonal antipeptide antisera, OK-1 and OK-2. The phosphorylation-sensitive monoclonal antibody Tau-1 failed to recognize the slowest mobility forms of tau after okadaic acid treatment. FK-520 (1-10 microM), a potent inhibitor of calcineurin activity, was tested in brain slices and found not to alter tau mobility. However, combinations of FK-520 (5 microM) and okadaic acid (100 nM) caused tau mobility shifts similar to those seen after 10 microM okadaic acid treatment; similar results were seen using the calcineurin-selective inhibitor cypermethrin. Treatment of human slices with 10 microM okadaic acid decreased both protein phosphatase 2A and calcineurin activity; FK-520 inhibited only protein phosphatase 2B activity. A proposed tau-directed kinase, 42-kDa mitogen-activated protein kinase (p42mapk), was activated by okadaic acid (> 100 nM) but not FK-520 (5 microM). Nerve growth factor (100 ng/ml) activated p42mapk, particularly when used in combination with 100 nM okadaic acid; changes in tau mobility were seen when this kinase was activated. Forskolin (2 microM) antagonized the effects of nerve growth factor on both p42mapk activity and tau phosphorylation; forskolin alone had little effect on PHF-like tau formation induced by phosphatase inhibitors. These results outline complex interactions between tau-directed protein kinases and protein phosphatases and suggest potential sites for therapeutic intervention.

Tau phosphorylation in human, primate, and rat brain: evidence that a pool of tau is highly phosphorylated in vivo and is rapidly dephosphorylated in vitro.

The extent of tau phosphorylation is thought to regulate the binding of tau to microtubules: Highly phosphorylated tau does not bind to tubules, whereas dephosphorylated tau can bind to microtubules. It is interesting that the extent of tau phosphorylation in vivo has not been accurately determined. Tau was rapidly isolated from human temporal neocortex and hippocampus, rhesus monkey temporal neocortex, and rat temporal neocortex and hippocampus under conditions that minimized dephosphorylation. In brain slices, we observed that tau isolated under such conditions largely existed in several phosphorylated states, including a pool that was highly phosphorylated; this was determined using epitope-specific monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. This highly phosphorylated tau was dephosphorylated during a 120-min time course in vitro, presumably as a result of neuronal phosphatase activity. The slow-mobility forms of tau were shifted to faster-mobility forms following in vitro incubation with alkaline phosphatase. Laser densitometry was used to estimate the percent of tau in slow-mobility, highly phosphorylated forms. Approximately 25% of immunoreactive tau was present as slow-mobility (66- and 68-kDa) forms of tau. The percentage of immunoreactive tau in faster-mobility pools (42-54 kDa) increased in proportion to the decrease in content of 66-68-kDa tau as a function of neuronal phosphatases or alkaline phosphatase treatment. These data suggest that the turnover of phosphorylated sites on tau is rapid and depends on neuronal phosphatases. Furthermore, tau is highly phosphorylated in normal-appearing human, primate, and rodent brain.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)