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Phosphorylated PP2A (tyrosine 307) is associated with Alzheimer neurofibrillary pathology
Liu R, Zhou XW, Tanila H, Bjorkdahl C, Wang JZ, Guan ZZ, Cao Y, Gustafsson JA et al.. Journal of cellular and molecular medicine, 2008-01-19
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Down-regulation of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is thought to play a critical role in tau hyperphosphorylation in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In vitro phosphorylation of PP2A catalytic subunit at Y307 efficiently inactivates PP2A. A specific antibody against phosphorylated (p) PP2A (Y307) (PP2Ac-Yp307) was used to investigate possible PP2A down-regulation by known pathophysiological changes associated with AD, such as Abeta accumulation and oestrogen deficiency.
Key findings
- In vitro phosphorylation of PP2A catalytic subunit at Y307 efficiently inactivates PP2A.
- A specific antibody against phosphorylated (p) PP2A (Y307) (PP2Ac-Yp307) was used to investigate possible PP2A down-regulation by known pathophysiological changes associated with AD, such as Abeta accumulation and oestrogen deficiency.
- Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence confocal microscopy showed an aberrant accumulation of PP2Ac-Yp307 in neurons that bear pretangles or tangles in the susceptible brain regions, such as the entorhinal cortical cortex and the hippocampus.
- Experimentally, increased PP2Ac-Yp307 was observed in mouse N2a neuroblastoma cells that stably express the human amyloid precursor protein with Swedish mutation (APPswe) compared with wild-type, and in the brains of transgenic APPswe/ presenilin (PS1, A246E) mice, which corresponded to the increased tau phosphorylation.
Why it matters
This study found that a phosphorylated form of PP2A accumulates in neurons with early tangles or tangles in Alzheimer's disease. It is observational tissue work and does not test any treatment or show that targeting PP2A would help patients.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 40/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 38 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 40 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of cellular and molecular medicine) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine: journal h-index 187 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2008 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 124 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 6.2 citations a year over 20 year(s) since 2008 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 7.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 2 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author J.‐J. Pei holds only 5 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Karolinska Institutet: institution h-index 1,477 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 18208556) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 38 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 38 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 40 out of 100. |
| Total | 40 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2008.00249.x
- PubMed: 18208556
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Liu, R., Zhou, X. W., Tanila, H., Bjorkdahl, C., Wang, J. Z., Guan, Z. Z., et al. (2008). Phosphorylated PP2A (tyrosine 307) is associated with Alzheimer neurofibrillary pathology. Journal of cellular and molecular medicine. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1582-4934.2008.00249.x
Vancouver
Liu R, Zhou XW, Tanila H, Bjorkdahl C, Wang JZ, Guan ZZ, et al. Phosphorylated PP2A (tyrosine 307) is associated with Alzheimer neurofibrillary pathology. Journal of cellular and molecular medicine. 2008. doi:10.1111/j.1582-4934.2008.00249.x. PMID: 18208556.
BibTeX
@article{liu2008-18208556,
author = {Liu, R. and Zhou, X. W. and Tanila, H. and Bjorkdahl, C. and Wang, J. Z. and Guan, Z. Z. and Cao, Y. and Gustafsson, J. A. and others},
title = {{Phosphorylated PP2A (tyrosine 307) is associated with Alzheimer neurofibrillary pathology}},
journal = {Journal of cellular and molecular medicine},
year = {2008},
doi = {10.1111/j.1582-4934.2008.00249.x},
pmid = {18208556},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1582-4934.2008.00249.x}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
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