Liquid–Liquid Phase Separation and Its Mechanistic Role in Pathological Protein Aggregation

Tau protein liquid–liquid phase separation can initiate tau aggregation

The transition between soluble intrinsically disordered tau protein and aggregated tau in neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease is unknown. Here, we propose that soluble tau species can undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) under cellular conditions and that phase-separated tau droplets can serve as an intermediate toward tau aggregate formation. We demonstrate that phosphoryla...

Fibronectin-like protein in Porifera: its role in cell aggregation.

Experiments were carried out on a freshwater sponge (Ephydatia mulleri) in order to demonstrate the presence of fibronectin in Porifera. By using antibodies to highly purified human plasma fibronectin, the presence of a similar or identical protein could be demonstrated in the membranes of E. mulleri cells such as epithelial cells, fibroblast-like cells, and choanocytes. The reaction was specif...

Adsorption, aggregation and phase separation in colloidal systems

Pathological Stages of Abnormally Processed Tau Protein During Its Aggregation into Fibrillary Structures in Alzheimer’s Disease

Abnormal aggregation of tau protein within the cytoplasm of susceptible neurons has been considered one of the major hallmarks that define the neuropathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (Iqbal et al., 2010; Pritchard et al., 2011). At early stages of neuronal degeneration tau protein is accumulated in the form of early non-assembled aggregates that may alter the normal functioning of affected n...

Chemical chaperone ameliorates pathological protein aggregation in plectin-deficient muscle.

The ubiquitously expressed multifunctional cytolinker protein plectin is essential for muscle fiber integrity and myofiber cytoarchitecture. Patients suffering from plectinopathy-associated epidermolysis bullosa simplex with muscular dystrophy (EBS-MD) and mice lacking plectin in skeletal muscle display pathological desmin-positive protein aggregation and misalignment of Z-disks, which are hall...