Brain Disorders: when One Bad Protein Spoils the Whole Bunch

Cells are complex structures that are held together by a thread-like web known as the cytoskeleton. Tiny tubes called microtubules are a major part of the cytoskeleton. Microtubules can be assembled, disassembled, and reassembled again like Lego bricks. Microtubules are especially abundant in the nerve cells of the brain. To do their jobs, microtubules call upon special helpers known as tau proteins, which keep the microtubules from crumbling by attaching themselves to the surface of the tubes. Unfortunately, tau helpers may sometimes quit their jobs and become troublemakers in the cell. The result is the unraveling of the microtubules, the destruction of the cytoskeleton, and the eventual death of the cell. A serious disease that arises because of the malfunctioning of tau proteins is called a tauopathy. In this article, we will describe the function of tau proteins and explain what happens when they turn against the cell.