What is Tau?

Mehnoor Khan, Verrazzano Class of 2022, completed major in English Literature

 

BIO 594 was my first time taking an independent study, and I was a bit nervous but mostly excited! This class established an understanding of Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies.

Let's discuss tauopathies, especially Tau. What is Tau? Tau is a phosphoprotein, and the degree of phosphorylation is significant. Under normal circumstances, Tau contains 2-3 moles of phosphate. However, when Tau gets hyperphosphorylated, it has more than seven moles of phosphate per mole of protein, eventually losing the ability to perform its critical function. Furthermore, it can attach to normal Tau and sequester it from microtubules.

Tau is the primary biological function that promotes microtubule self-assembly by tubulin. It's not surprising that Tau's post-translational modifications have been categorized for toxic functionality. This is important because Tau has shown wonders in cognitive processes, yet it could give rise to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's if it's not properly regulated.

In my Independent Study, I had the opportunity to see the lab images firsthand. Almost every week I would meet with my professor and learn a new lab technique needed to interpret the lab data sent to me. Many processes were involved, and I had to be detail-oriented. After mastering one lab technique, I would move on to the following images to perform another technique. Every image was different from the other, and overall it was a captivating experience. To see all the lab images, I needed to use Image J, a software that would help me see the images clearer. After performing the techniques, I would plot the data on an excel spreadsheet. This helped me analyze my data and showed what the vision meant for progression in research.

I'm proud of all I have accomplished. Throughout this journey of becoming a better researcher, I learned about different microscopes, like the confocal or the life imager. I learned the critical skill of transforming qualitative data into quantitative data. I truly enjoyed this independent study class, and I am forever grateful for all that I have learned.