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The extent of phosphorylation of fetal tau is comparable to that of PHF-tau from Alzheimer paired helical filaments
Kenessey A, Yen SH.. Brain research, 1993-11-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
The relationship between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and expression of fetal proteins was examined by: (i) determining the phosphate content of tau prepared from fetal brains (F-tau); (ii) comparing F-tau, tau from normal adult human brains (N-tau) and tau from paired helical filaments in AD brains (PHF-tau) for phosphate content; and (iii) testing the reactivity of F-tau with five antibodies known to recognize PHF-tau. The antibodies have been reported to recognize phosphate dependent epitopes at the carboxy-terminal half of the tau molecule. Our data shows that on the average, F-tau contains 7 mol phosphate/mol protein, which is comparable to the phosphate content of PHF-tau, but is 3-4 times higher than that of N-tau.
Key findings
- The antibodies have been reported to recognize phosphate dependent epitopes at the carboxy-terminal half of the tau molecule.
- Our data shows that on the average, F-tau contains 7 mol phosphate/mol protein, which is comparable to the phosphate content of PHF-tau, but is 3-4 times higher than that of N-tau.
- Immunoblotting shows that all of the tested antibodies reacted with F-tau on immunoblots, indicating that F-tau and PHF-tau are phosphorylated at similar sites.
- A difference between PHF-tau and F-tau is the state of phosphorylation in the Tau-1 epitope, an epitope reactive with a monoclonal anti-tau antibody, Tau-1.
Why it matters
This laboratory study found that fetal tau contains about 7 mol phosphate per mol protein, comparable to the phosphate content of PHF-tau from Alzheimer brains and 3-4 times higher than normal adult tau. It is basic biochemistry from 1993 about tau phosphorylation, not a treatment, cure or prevention finding.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 39/100
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.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Brain research) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Brain Research: journal h-index 399 (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 | 1993 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| 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 166 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 4.7 citations a year over 35 year(s) since 1993 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 5.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 10 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Shu-Hui C. Yen: h-index 38 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Albert Einstein College of Medicine: institution h-index 973 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 8287279) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 39 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
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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. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Kenessey, A., & Yen, S. H. (1993). The extent of phosphorylation of fetal tau is comparable to that of PHF-tau from Alzheimer paired helical filaments. Brain research. https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-8993(93)90478-6
Vancouver
Kenessey A, Yen SH. The extent of phosphorylation of fetal tau is comparable to that of PHF-tau from Alzheimer paired helical filaments. Brain research. 1993. doi:10.1016/0006-8993(93)90478-6. PMID: 8287279.
BibTeX
@article{kenessey1993-8287279,
author = {Kenessey, A. and Yen, S. H.},
title = {{The extent of phosphorylation of fetal tau is comparable to that of PHF-tau from Alzheimer paired helical filaments}},
journal = {Brain research},
year = {1993},
doi = {10.1016/0006-8993(93)90478-6},
pmid = {8287279},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-8993(93)90478-6}
}
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