Tau protein was discovered as a microtubule-associated protein nearly 50 years ago, and our understanding of tau has revolved around that role. Even with tau's rise to stardom as a central player in neurodegenerative disease, therapeutic efforts have largely been targeted toward cytoskeletal changes. While some studies hinted toward non-cytoskeletal roles for tau, it is only fairly recently that these ideas have begun to receive considerable attention. Many new binding partners for tau have been identified, including DNA, RNA, RNA-binding proteins, some receptors, and other tau molecules. The diversity of tau binding partners coupled with the discovery of tau other than axonal compartments such as nucleus, dendrites, and synapses have led to the proposal of novel functions for tau in roles such as nuclear stability, cell signaling, transcriptional processing, and protein synthesis. Tau self-assembly in particular has made an impact, leading to the hypothesis that a prion-like function of hyperphosphorylated tau is central to tauopathies. With tau emerging as a multifaceted protein that operates in many parts of the cell and with many molecular partners, the field of tau biology is primed for discoveries that can provide new perspectives on both the unique biochemistry of tau and the nature of devastating neurological diseases.

中文翻译：

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Tau：不仅仅是神经元中的微管结合蛋白

Tau 蛋白作为一种微管相关蛋白在近 50 年前被发现，我们对 tau 蛋白的理解也围绕着这一作用。尽管 tau 蛋白作为神经退行性疾病的核心参与者而崭露头角，但治疗工作主要针对细胞骨架的变化。虽然一些研究暗示 tau 蛋白具有非细胞骨架作用，但直到最近这些想法才开始受到相当大的关注。许多新的 tau 结合伴侣已被发现，包括 DNA、RNA、RNA 结合蛋白、一些受体和其他 tau 分子。tau 结合伴侣的多样性，加上除了轴突区室（如细胞核、树突和突触）之外的 tau 的发现，导致人们提出了 tau 在核稳定性、细胞信号传导、转录加工和蛋白质合成等方面的新功能。 。Tau 自组装尤其产生了影响，导致人们推测过度磷酸化 tau 的类似朊病毒的功能是 tau 病的核心。随着 tau 蛋白作为一种多面蛋白出现，在细胞的许多部位并与许多分子伙伴一起发挥作用，tau 蛋白生物学领域已经为新的发现做好了准备，这些发现可以为了解 tau 蛋白独特的生物化学和破坏性神经系统疾病的本质提供新的视角。