Reduced Axonal Transport and Increased Excitotoxic Retinal Ganglion Cell Degeneration in Mice Transgenic for Human Mutant P301S Tau

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2012 Apr 13

PMID 22496848

Citations 41

Authors

Natalie D Bull

Alessandra Guidi

Michel Goedert

Keith R Martin

Maria Grazia Spillantini

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The effects of tau hyperphosphorylation and aggregation on axonal transport were investigated in the optic nerve of mice transgenic for human mutant P301S tau. Transport was examined using cholera toxin B tracing. Retrograde transport was reduced in transgenic mice at 3 and 5 months of age, when compared to C57/Bl6 control mice. Anterograde axonal transport was also reduced in 3-month-old transgenic mice. Mild excitotoxic injury of retinal ganglion cells resulted in greater nerve cell loss in retinas from 3- and 5-month old P301S transgenic mice, when compared to controls. In conjunction with the detection of abnormal tau in the optic nerve in human and experimental glaucoma, the present findings suggest that tau hyperphosphorylation and aggregation may constitute targets for neuroprotective therapies in glaucoma as well as tauopathies.

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