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. 2014 Sep 5;5:279. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2014.00279

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Copyright © 2014 Alexander, Marfil and Li.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

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Similarities and differences between human tau and Caenorhabditis elegans PTL-1. (A) Schematic representation of human microtubule binding proteins (MAPs) family, including tau isoforms and C. elegans PTL-1 isoforms. (B) Comparison between tau functions in humans (top) and C. elegans PTL-1/tau functions (bottom). Top. Tau has a physiological role in promoting and maintaining microtubule stability. In pathological conditions tau is hyperphosphorylated and self-aggregates into paired helical filaments (PHFs) that can form intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFT). Bottom. C. elegans PTL-1/tau binds microtubules and induces microtubule assembly. It also affects synaptic transport through motor proteins UNC-104/KIF1a/kinesin-3, UNC-116/kinesin-1, and DLC-1/dynein. PTL-1/tau is also important for C. elegans mechanosensation and aging.