Tau interactome mapping reveals dynamic processes associated with neurodegenerative diseases

The Tau (MAPT) protein drives neuronal dysfunction and toxicity in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other Tauopathies. To dissect the complexity of the Tau interactome that underlies this process we used two proteomic approaches to characterize the dynamic and multifaceted nature of Tau protein-protein interactions in human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons. We used engineered ascorbic acid peroxidase (APEX) for spatiotemporally restricted mapping of Tau interaction proteins in combination with quantitative affinity purification mass spectrometry (AP-MS) to interrogate disease-related changes in the Tau interactome. The APEX method resolved subcellular interactions of wild-type Tau at amino acid level resolution in living neurons as well as novel activity-dependent interactions of Tau with presynaptic vesicle proteins that occurred during Tau secretion from neurons. Among the many Tau interacting proteins revealed by AP-MS, the interaction of mitochondrial proteins with wild-type Tau (TauWT) was more robust than with TauV337M or TauP301L. The mitochondrial proteins that preferentially interacted with TauWT comprised a protein module that is downregulated in multi-omics analyses of human AD brains. Mitochondrial bioenergetics were altered in TauV337M compared to TauWT human iPSC-derived neurons confirming the impact of Tau on mitochondria. These Tau interactome analyses open up novel disease-related processes as potential therapeutic targets to block Tau-mediated pathogenesis.