Download MendeleyStructural evidence that RNA contributes to polymorphism of tau amyloid fibrils.
Abskharon, R., Jiang, Y.X., Sawaya, M.R., Ge, P., Zhang, J., Boyer, D.R., Dolinsky, J.L., Pi, J., Cascio, D., Guo, F., Eisenberg, D.S.(2026) iScience 29: 115501-115501
- PubMed: 42006351 Search on PubMedSearch on PubMed Central
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2026.115501
- Primary Citation Related Structures:
9O8E, 9O8H - PubMed Abstract:
RNA colocalizes with tau deposits in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and drives tau aggregation in vitro . Previously, we determined a cryogenic-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of fibrils of full-length tau bound to unfractionated mammalian RNA, revealing a small tau C-terminal core. Here, we present the cryo-EM structure of fibrils of full-length recombinant tau bound to unfractionated mammalian RNA seeded by AD-extracted tau fibrils. This structure reveals an expanded tau C-terminal core resembling AD tau fibrils. RNA sequencing identified 18S ribosomal RNA as the primary fibril-bound species. Next, we determined the cryo-EM structure of fibrils of full-length recombinant tau bound to mammalian 18S ribosomal RNA, revealing a core that consists of the R2 to R4 repeat domains previously seen in pathological tau fibrils. All our recombinant RNA-tau fibrils dissolve upon RNase treatment. Tau fibrils adopt distinct folds in the presence of different RNAs, suggesting RNA is a cofactor capable of shaping tau fibril polymorphism.
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Biological Chemistry, UCLA-DOE Institute, Molecular Biology Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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