Tau and tauopathies.

Tauopathies are age-related neurodegenerative diseases that are characterized by the presence of aggregates of abnormally phosphorylated tau. As tau was originally discovered as a microtubule-associated protein, it has been hypothesized that neurodegeneration results from a loss of the ability of tau to associate with microtubules. However, tau has been found to have other functions aside from the promotion and stabilization of microtubule assembly. It is conceivable that such functions may be affected by the abnormal phosphorylation of tau and might have consequences for neuronal function or viability. This chapter provides an overview of tau structure, functions, and its involvement in neurodegenerative diseases.