TAU PROTEIN

tau protein: translation

(= tau factor)

Protein (60-70 kD) that co-purifies with tubulin through cycles of assembly and disassembly, and the first microtubule associated protein to be characterized. Tau proteins are a family made by alternative splicing of a single gene. It has tandem repeats of a tubulin binding domain and promotes tubulin assembly. Although tau proteins are found in all cells they are major components of neurons where they are predominantly associated with microtubules of the axon. See MAPs.