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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Feb 1.
Published in final edited form as: Ann Neurol. 2015 Dec 25;79(2):272–287. doi: 10.1002/ana.24559

Figure 3. Cellular localization of tau neuropathology.

Figure 3

Photomicrographs depict double-label experiments in (A) using anti-phosphorylated tau (AT8) and glial-fibrillary associated protein (GFAP) find ramified astrocytes with tau pathology are largely co-localized with GFAP (arrows) while PBs are not (asterisks) (inset= confocal z-stack images, 63x). Conversely, in (B) AT-8 reactive PBs (asterisks) co-localize with dendritic marker (MAP-2) but ramified astrocytes with tau inclusions do not (arrow). To confirm the major tau isoform composition of tau pathology in ramified astrocytes we performed double label experiments in (C) using 3R tau specific MAb (RD3) and (D) 4R tau specific MAb (RD4) with GFAP which showed co-localization of GFAP (arrows) with tau inclusions in RD3 but not RD4 double label experiments (inset= confocal z-stack images, 63x). Cervical spinal cord upper Rexed layer tau pathology in (E) and locus coeruleus (F) are seen to co-localize to neuritic processes and cell bodies marked by MAP-2. (G) Robust 12E8 reactivity in PBs and threads in MFC of sporadic PiD. (H) RD4 reactivity was mild and largely found in PBs (asterisks) with occasional nearby ramified astrocyte (arrows). (I) The p.L266V cases showed consistent 4R tau reactive astrocytes (arrows).