Tau Phosphorylation Assay

Tau protein is a microtubule-associated protein involved in the development of the nervous system, mainly located in neurons. Growing evidence suggests that levels of total tau (T-tau) and phosphorylated tau (P-tau) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are closely related to symptom severity in Alzheimer's disease (AD), suggesting that tau can serve as a promising biomarker for early diagnosis and prognosis prediction. Creative Biolabs focuses on providing multi-channel specific tau protein detection solutions to help you explore the underlying mechanisms of AD.

Tau Phosphorylation

Tau can be dissociated from microtubules through various biological processes such as conformational changes and abnormal mRNA splicing, and undergo a series of post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation to form pathological aggregates, thereby causing neurodegeneration. In addition, Tau is also a major component of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), a pathological hallmark of AD. There is increasing evidence that Tau phosphorylation is a contributing factor in the pathogenic process of AD. Several methods have been developed to measure the P-tau in CSF.

Fig.1 Essential points of the mechanisms of action of Tau. (Lastres-Becker, 2021)

P-tau Isoforms

Some isoforms of p-tau, such as P-tau181, p-tau199, P-tau217, and P-tau231, were discovered by using different assays and techniques. It is worth noting that P-tau has a strong differential diagnostic value, with high accuracy and specificity for distinguishing AD patients from frontotemporal lobar degeneration. In addition, immunoassays can specifically detect tau at different epitopes, such as p-tau231 and p-tau181. It has been reported that quantification of phosphorylated tau at these specific sites may be useful for early detection of AD and tracking of disease progression. Currently, p-tau in CSF is gradually being identified as a potential biomarker for AD.

Methods for Detection of P-tau at Creative Biolabs

At Creative Biolabs, immunoassays act as an important strategy for the detection of p-tau. For example, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is an essential platform for a p-tau detection system and has been widely used to determine CSF tau concentrations in clinical samples. Furthermore, we also developed various techniques to assess phosphorylated tau levels in healthy and diseased patients, such as single molecule array (Simoa), immunomagnetic reduction (IMR), and mesoscale discovery (MSD). In short, our tau phosphorylation assay services include but are not limited to:

• ELISA assay
• Western blot assay
• Simoa assay
• IMR assay
• MSD assay

In conclusion, the measurement of phosphorylated tau protein can significantly improve the early diagnosis of AD. Thus, tau phosphorylation assay cell lines offer new prospects for testing possible AD drugs. Creative Biolabs has established specific tau phosphorylation assay cell lines to help you gain insight into the mechanism of AD and lay the foundation for AD drug development. Please contact us to discuss your needs so we can offer attractive advice.

Reference

1. Lastres-Becker, I. Tau Protein: Mechanisms from Health to Degeneration. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience. 2021, 14.