Cytoskeletal Proteins and Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis: Focusing on the Interplay with Tau Pathology.

Abstract

The aggregation of Tau protein into neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), is associated with cognitive decline. Recent studies have revealed that neuronal cytoskeletal instability drives early AD pathogenesis. The physiological interaction between tau and the microtubule (MT) is crucial for maintaining axonal transport and stability. However, aberrant post-translational modifications (PTMs) in the MT binding domain-such as phosphorylation, acetylation and ubiquitination-trigger tau dissociation, causing microtubule collapse, transport deficits, and synaptic dysfunction. MT dysregulation also affects actin/cofilin-mediated dendritic spine destabilization and causes the hyperplasia of the glial intermediate filament, which exacerbates neuroinflammation and synaptic toxicity. This review systematically explores the functions of neuronal cytoskeletons, deciphers the molecular crosstalk between tau pathology and cytoskeletal remodeling, and proposes multi-target therapeutic strategies to restore cytoskeletal homeostasis, thereby providing novel perspectives for precision interventions in AD.