Protein Name
Microtubule-associated protein tau
UniProt ID
Ensembl Gene ID
NCBI Gene ID
Molecular Weight
46333
Protein Length
448
Target by Small Molecules
Protein-protein Interaction Database
Gene Expression
Drugs and Diseases
Enzyme Class
-
Catalytic Site
Localization
Cytoplasm,Cytosol,Cell membrane,Cytoplasm,Cytoskeleton,Cell projection,Axon,Cytoplasm,Cell projection,Dendrite;
Function
Promotes microtubule assembly and stability, and might be involved in the establishment and maintenance of neuronal polarity. The C-terminus binds axonal microtubules while the N-terminus binds neural plasma membrane components, suggesting that tau functions as a linker protein between both. Axonal polarity is predetermined by tau localization (in the neuronal cell) in the domain of the cell body defined by the centrosome. The short isoforms allow plasticity of the cytoskeleton whereas the longer isoforms may preferentially play a role in its stabilization.
Gene Ontology
GO:0030673; GO:0005930; GO:0005737; GO:0036464; GO:0005829; GO:0030425; GO:0097386; GO:0030426; GO:0045121; GO:0005874; GO:0097418; GO:0043005; GO:0043025; GO:0034399; GO:0016607; GO:0014069; GO:0045298; GO:0034185; GO:0051087; GO:0003677; GO:0051879; GO:0071813; GO:0008017; GO:0099609; GO:0042803; GO:0019901; GO:0048018; GO:0017124; GO:0007628; GO:1990000; GO:0008088; GO:0048675; GO:0048312; GO:0007613; GO:0000226; GO:0047497; GO:1903748; GO:0010629; GO:0032387; GO:0033673; GO:0090258; GO:0010917; GO:1904428; GO:0001764; GO:0031175; GO:0045773; GO:1903829; GO:1905689; GO:0031116; GO:1901216; GO:1902474; GO:0032930; GO:0010506; GO:0050848; GO:1900034; GO:0060632; GO:2001020; GO:0050808