Tau Uptake and Seeding Assay

Background of Tau Uptake and Seeding

Tau proteins are a group of microtubules associated proteins that are mainly located in the central nervous system astrocytes. Tau proteins participate in several biological activities, including regulation of microtubule stabilization and assembly, maintenance of neuronal cytoskeleton, iron export, and axonal transportation. However, tau proteins turn into hyperphosphorylated insoluble aggregates could lead to neurodegenerative tauopathies, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aggregation of tau may spread throughout the cortex by pathological tau uptake and seeding within neurons. The development of therapeutics for AD that can suppress or prevent the uptake and seeding of tau is coming into perspective. As a result, reliable in vitro assay services offered by Creative Biolabs is able to recur tau uptake and seeding to identify appropriate target epitopes.

Tau Uptake and Seeding Assay at Creative Biolabs

Distinct target epitopes against tau include N-terminal antibodies, phospho-tau–specific antibodies, and conformation-dependent antibodies. Exploring suitable target epitopes and antibodies against tau involved in uptake and seeding, in vitro assays are required that are capable of determining the effect of antibodies on tau uptake and seeding in neurons. Creative Biolabs offers tau uptake assay services to quantify the neuronal tau uptake. You can get an overview of our workflow in the following scheme.

Fig.1 Workflow of tau uptake and seeding assay.

To evaluate the tau antibody influence on the progression of tau uptake, add a control group with the addition of antibodies to the above test during incubation so that the neuronal tau uptake could be quantitatively compared. Tau seeding assay is undertaken in a three-chamber microfluidic device, detected by a quantitative method.

Fig.2 Representative confocal images (FRET channel) of tau uptake in primary neurons. (Nobuhara, et al., 2017)

Uptake and Seeding Assay Service for Tau Isoforms

In accordance with the mRNA splicing mechanisms, tau isoforms are classified into 0N, 1N, 2N, 1R, 2R, 3R, and 4R tau isoforms. The imbalanced ratio of 4R to 3R tau isoforms causes Alzheimer's disease. Through the tau uptake and seeding assay services at Creative Biolabs, Alzheimer's disease-related tau isoforms that are involved in tau uptake and seeding could be identified.

Inhibition of tau uptake and seeding within neurons is becoming a promising therapy for AD. Creative Biolabs provides accurate in vitro tau uptake and seeding assays that enable researchers to assess the blocking efficacy of tau inhibitors so that to discover novel therapeutics for AD. Please contact us in time for more details.

Reference

1. Nobuhara, C. K.; et al. Tau antibody targeting pathological species blocks neuronal uptake and interneuron propagation of tau in vitro. The American journal of pathology. 2017, 187(6): 1399-1412.