Possible role of tau in mediating pathological effects of apoE4 in vivo prior to and following activation of the amyloid cascade.

Injection of the neprilysin inhibitor thiorphan into the brain induces the accumulation of Abeta in hippocampal CA1 neurons and septal neurons in apoE4 knock-in mice but not in mice that express the corresponding Alzheimer's disease benign isoform apoE3. We investigated the possible role of tau phosphorylation in mediating this synergistic pathological cross talk between apoE4 and the amyloid cascade. This revealed that in both apoE4 and apoE3 mice, activating the amyloid cascade by inhibiting neprilysin triggers the accumulation of AT100 phosphorylated tau in the perikarya of CA1 neurons.