Novel Variant of Phosphorylated Tau Helps Fine Tune Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 10 Nov 2022 |
A team of neurodegenerative disease researchers has identified an additional phosphorylated tau protein variant that augments the toolbox of biomarkers for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.
The tau proteins are a group of six highly soluble protein isoforms produced by alternative splicing from the MAPT (microtubule-associated protein tau) gene. They have roles primarily in maintaining the stability of microtubules in axons and are abundant in the neurons of the central nervous system (CNS). They are less common elsewhere but are also expressed at very low levels in CNS astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Pathologies and dementias of the nervous system such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease are associated with tau proteins that have morphed into hyperphosphorylated insoluble aggregates called neurofibrillary tangles. Recent studies have shown that a biomarker in the blood, phosphorylated tau (P-tau217) can detect Alzheimer's disease as early as 20 years before memory problems become apparent and, most importantly, distinguish Alzheimer's disease from other forms of dementia with about 95% accuracy.
Investigators at North Carolina Central University (Durham, NC, USA) used several tau antibodies and a comprehensive set of site-specific phospho-tau (p-tau) antibodies to analyze samples of post-mortem brain tissue from AD patients and non-AD subjects.
Results of these screening tests revealed that site-specific p-tau antibodies could not only differentiate AD from non-AD brains, but also discriminate AD from other tauopathies. Differential detection of tau aggregates identified several novel p-tau sites as potential new biomarkers. In particular, they showed that p-tau198 was a novel promising AD biomarker with sensitivity and specificity comparable with the existing biomarkers p-tau181 and p-tau217. The results demonstrated that p-tau198 detection could differentiate AD from non-AD controls, and also diagnose AD from related tauopathies.
The investigators concluded that their work provided a new avenue for developing diagnosis and differentiation tools for AD and related tauopathies. Furthermore, they suggested that p-tau198 and p-tau217 could help clinicians intervene early, as new treatments become available, before significant neurological damage occurs.
The study was published in the November 9, 2022, online edition of the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience.
Related Links:
North Carolina Central University
Latest Molecular Diagnostics News
- Blood Proteins Could Warn of Cancer Seven Years before Diagnosis
- New DNA Origami Technique to Advance Disease Diagnosis
- Ultrasound-Aided Blood Testing Detects Cancer Biomarkers from Cells
- New Respiratory Syndromic Testing Panel Provides Fast and Accurate Results
- New Synthetic Biomarker Technology Differentiates Between Prior Zika and Dengue Infections
- Novel Biomarkers to Improve Diagnosis of Renal Cell Carcinoma Subtypes
- RNA-Powered Molecular Test to Help Combat Early-Age Onset Colorectal Cancer
- Advanced Blood Test to Spot Alzheimer's Before Progression to Dementia
- Multi-Omic Noninvasive Urine-Based DNA Test to Improve Bladder Cancer Detection
- First of Its Kind NGS Assay for Precise Detection of BCR::ABL1 Fusion Gene to Enable Personalized Leukemia Treatment
- Urine Test to Revolutionize Lyme Disease Testing
- Simple Blood Test Could Enable First Quantitative Assessments for Future Cerebrovascular Disease
- New Genetic Testing Procedure Combined With Ultrasound Detects High Cardiovascular Risk
- Blood Samples Enhance B-Cell Lymphoma Diagnostics and Prognosis
- Blood Test Predicts Knee Osteoarthritis Eight Years Before Signs Appears On X-Rays
- Blood Test Accurately Predicts Lung Cancer Risk and Reduces Need for Scans