Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41255971›Full record

ArticleResearch square2025

Adaptive Suppression of MAPT Transcription Maintains Tau Proteostasis in Developing Human Neurons.

Mallory R Shin, Narges Firouzshahi, Gage Liddiard, Megan Weis, Jacob Simmering, Joseph Glykys, Mark Schultz, Marco M Hefti

Abstract readPreprint
In one paragraph

Article in Research square, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Mallory R ShinUniversity of Iowa.
Narges FirouzshahiUniversity of Iowa.
Gage LiddiardUniversity of Iowa.
Megan WeisUniversity of Iowa.
Jacob SimmeringUniversity of Iowa.
Joseph GlykysUniversity of Iowa.
Mark SchultzUniversity of Iowa.
Marco M HeftiUniversity of Iowa.

Funding

Pulmonary Toxicology Facility CoreP30ES005605 · NIEHS · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · PI Jong Sung Kim · 1990 to 2026
$40.5M
Water and chloride movement in neurons during seizure activityR01NS115800 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · PI GLYKYS, JOSEPH C. · 2020 to 2024
$2.1M
A non-canonical role for tau in early human brain developmentR01NS136448 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · PI Marco Matthias Hefti · 2024 to 2026
$1.6M
Regulation and Mechanisms of ER ProteostasisR35GM154959 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · PI Mark Louis Schultz · 2024 to 2026
$1.1M
Novel tau-based diagnostics for neonatal hypoxic-ischemic injuryK23NS109284 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · PI HEFTI, MARCO MATTHIAS · 2019 to 2023
$950k
NIEHS NIH HHS P30 ES005605NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM154959NINDS NIH HHS K23 NS109284NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS115800NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS136448
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Developing human neurons express abundant tau yet show little toxicity, suggesting built-in mechanisms that restrain tau when protein clearance falters. We combined human tissue analyses with cell-based perturbation assays to define this response. In iPSC-derived forebrain neurons, brief proteasome blockade with epoxomicin (0.25 μM, 24 h; n=3/condition) triggered a coordinated transcriptomic program: hierarchical clustering of RNA-seq data resolved two opposing modules-an up-regulated proteostasis module (ubiquitin-proteasome, autophagy-lysosome, chaperone-mediated folding) and a down-regulated MAPT-linked neuronal/energetic module (microtubule/organization/transport, synaptic signaling, oxidative phosphorylation). MAPT transcripts decreased by both PCR and RNA sequencing in proteasome but not-autophagy impaired neurons even though tau protein levels decreased in both. Expressing tau from a constitutive promoter bypassed this transcriptional brake and increased tau during proteasome inhibition. Qualitative confocal imaging of human cortex (fetal, adult control, and Alzheimer's disease) showed tau locally nested within proteasome-positive regions with partial overlap with lysosomes, consistent with increased quality-control engagement when tau burden is high. To nominate regulators coupling proteostatic stress to MAPT repression, we integrated promoter motif enrichment (HOMER), transcription-factor enrichment from curated libraries (ChEA3; MeanRank on up/downregulated sets), and JASPAR scanning of the MAPT promoter. A consensus highlighted E2F1, EVT1, Lhx1, and TCF3 among top candidates for MAPT regulation. Together, these data support a proteostasis-first adaption in which neurons activate quality-control programs while transcriptionally reducing MAPT and allied neuronal demands, offering transcription-factor targets and a framework for modulating tau homeostasis relevant to Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies.

Indexed as

Alzheimer’s diseaseautophagyinduced pluripotent stem cell (iPS cell) (iPSC)neurodegenerationneurodevelopmentneuronneuroprotectiveproteostasistauopathytau protein (tau)ubiquitin-proteasome system

Identifiers

PMID41255971
PMCPMC12622181

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.