Tau domains, phosphorylation, and interactions with microtubules

We consider the interactions of tau protein with microtubules from two points of view, phosphorylation and domain structure. Tau can be phosphorylated at many sites and by several kinases, notably by proline-directed kinases (MAPK, GSK-3, cdk5) which generate Alzheimer-like antibody epitopes. Other kinases phosphorylate Ser 262, a site that has a particularly pronounced influence on the affinity of tau for microtubules. All of these sites can be cleared by phosphatases PP-2a and calcineurin. The site Ser262 lies within the repeat domain of tau. However, when probing the domains of tau for their effects on microtubule binding, nucleation, assembly, or bundling, the repeat domain has only a weak influence. Whereas the repeat domain of tau binds to microtubules with low affinity, repeat-less tau binds strongly yet unproductively in terms of microtubule assembly. Productive binding of tau to microtubules depends on the combination of (some) repeats with the flanking regions, as if the flanking regions acted as “jaws” for the proper positioning of tau on the microtubule surface.