In vivo analysis of wild-type and FTDP-17 tau transgenic mice.

Mutations in the coding and intronic regions of the tau gene cause frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17). Some of these mutations lead to an overproduction of tau isoforms with four microtubule-binding repeats, followed by the development of fibrillary lesions and selective cell death. In order to analyze the development of these neurofibrillary lesions in transgenic mice, the longest four-repeat human brain tau isoform was expressed under control of two different neuron-specific promoters. In a first model, utilizing the human Thy1 promoter, transgenic tau was hyperphosphorylated and abnormally localized to cell bodies and dendrites. In a second model, which made use of a human Thy1.2 expression vector, transgenic expression levels were much higher, and an additional phenotype was observed: Large numbers of pathologically enlarged axons containing neurofilament- and tau-immunoreactive spheroids were present, especially in spinal cord. Signs of Wallerian degeneration and neurogenic muscle atrophy were observed. Behaviorally, transgenic mice showed signs of muscle weakness. Our data show that overexpression of human four-repeat tau in itself is sufficient to lead to nerve cell dysfunction and amyotrophy. We have now extended our initial studies by introducing exonic mutations including G2t 2V and PS01L into the tau gene in order to achieve a more advanced FTDP-17 associated phenotype.