Liquid-liquid phase separation of tau protein: The crucial role of electrostatic interactions

Abstract

Recent studies have indicated that tau, a protein involved in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, has a propensity to undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). However, the mechanism of this process remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that tau LLPS is largely driven by intermolecular electrostatic interactions between the negatively charged N-terminal and positively charged middle/C-terminal regions, whereas hydrophobic interactions play a surprisingly small role. Furthermore, our results reveal that, in contrast to previous suggestions, phosphorylation is not required for tau LLPS. These findings provide a foundation for understanding the mechanism by which phosphorylation and other posttranslational modifications could modulate tau LLPS in the context of specific physiological functions as well as pathological interactions.