Tau aggregation induces cell death in iPSC-derived neurons

Abstract

Abstract Abnormal accumulation of tau proteins in the brain is observed in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and is closely associated with neuronal cell death. However, the mechanism by which tau causes neuronal cell death remains unclear, and the establishment of a drug discovery model for tau-related neurodegenerative diseases is expected. In this study, we investigated the establishment of a cellular model of tau aggregation and cell death in human iPSC-derived neurons to observe tau-dependent cell death. Tau overexpression in iPSC-derived neurons resulted in cell death through tau aggregation. In addition, we confirmed that compounds exhibited neuroprotective effects. These findings suggest that this cellular model has a property of the molecular pathogenesis of tau-induced neurodegeneration.