{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"The tau proteins are the product of alternative splicing from a single gene MAPT (microtubule-associated protein tau) located on chromosome 17. Tau are abundant in neurons of the central nervous system and are less common elsewhere, but are also expressed at very low levels in CNS astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Tau interacts with tubulin to stabilize microtubules and promote tubulin assembly into microtubules.\nPathologies and dementias of the nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease are associated with tau proteins that have become defective and no longer stabilize microtubules. Hyperphosphorylation of the tau protein (tau inclusions, pTau) can result in self-assembly into tangles of paired helical filaments and straight filaments. These tangles are a hallmark of Alzheimer"},{"type":"text","value":"'"},{"type":"text","value":"s disease and other tauopathies."}]}]}