Proximity labeling of the Tau repeat domain enriches RNA-binding proteins that are altered in Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies
In Alzheimers disease (AD) and other tauopathies, tau dissociates from microtubules and forms toxic aggregates that contribute to neurodegeneration. Although some of the pathological interactions of tau have been identified from postmortem brain tissue, these studies are limited by their inability to capture transient interactions. To investigate the interactome of aggregate-prone fragments of tau, we applied an in vitro proximity labeling technique using split TurboID biotin ligase (sTurbo) fused with the tau microtubule repeat domain (TauRD), a core region implicated in tau aggregation. We characterized sTurbo TauRD co-expression, robust enzyme activity and nuclear and cytoplasmic localization in a human cell line. Following enrichment of biotinylated proteins and mass spectrometry, we identified over 700 TauRD interactors. Gene ontology analysis of enriched TauRD interactors highlighted processes often dysregulated in tauopathies, including spliceosome complexes, RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), and nuclear speckles. The disease relevance of these interactors was supported by integrating recombinant TauRD interactome data with human AD tau interactome datasets and protein co-expression networks from individuals with AD and related tauopathies. This revealed an overlap with the TauRD interactome and several modules enriched with RBPs and increased in AD and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). These findings emphasize the importance of nuclear pathways in tau pathology, such as RNA splicing and nuclear-cytoplasmic transport and establish the sTurbo TauRD system as a valuable tool for exploring the tau interactome.