tau

tau proteins are a family of is an axonal microtubule-associated proteins and potent promoters of tubulin assembly. They are required during axonal growth. Six isoforms, generated from alternative splicing of a single gene, are present in the central nervous system and two in the peripheral nervous system

Immunohistochemical expression

• neurofilbrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease

• ganglion nerve bodies and fibres of the gastrointestinal myenteric plexus

• neuroendocrine cells of the gastrointestinal mucosa

• gastrointestinal stromal tumours

• neuroendocrine carcinoma of the stomach (4/6)1

• some adenocarcinomas of the stomach (weakly in 1/10)1

• sympathetic paraganglionoma (5/5)1

• intra-abdominal desmoplastic round cell tumour (2/2)1

• cerebellar neuroblastoma (5/5)1

Not by:

• gastrointestinal leiomyomas (0/5)1

• peripheral schwannoma (0/4)1

• neurofibromas (0/2)1

• intra-abdominal fibromatosis (0/2)1

Diagnostic utility

References

1Chambonniere, M. L., Mosnier-Damet, M., Mosnier, J. F. Expression of microtubule-associated protein tau by gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Human Pathol 2001;32:1166-1173.

This page last revised 3.5.2002.

©SMUHT/PW Bishop