PROLINE-DIRECTED KINASE SYSTEMS IN ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE PATHOLOGY

Immunohistochemical analysis was used to assess the distribution of th e proline-directed kinase, cdc2, in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology . A robust signal was most prominent in the neurofibrillary tangle (NF T) of affected neurons that also contained abnormally phosphorylated t au protein. Biochemical analysis identified a pool of cdc2 in bovine b rain microtubules that contain normal tau. These results strongly supp ort the hypothesis that cdc2 is involved in the abnormal phosphorylati on of tau in AD pathology and they raise important issues regarding re gulation of tau phosphorylation in normal and diseased neurons.