Cryo-EM structure of Alzheimer's disease tau filaments with PET ligand MK-6240.

Kunach, Peter; Vaquer-Alicea, Jaime; Smith, Matthew S; Monistrol, Jim; Hopewell, Robert; Moquin, Luc; Therriault, Joseph; Tissot, Cecile et al. · Nat Commun · 2024

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) ligands have advanced Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis and treatment. Using autoradiography and cryo-EM, we identify AD brain tissue with elevated tau burden, purify filaments, and determine the structure of second-generation high avidity PET ligand MK-6240 at 2.31 Å resolution, which bound at a 1:1 ratio within the cleft of tau paired-helical filament (PHF), engaging with glutamine 351, lysine 353, and isoleucine 360. This information elucidates the basis of MK-6240 PET in quantifying PHF deposits in AD and may facilitate the structure-based design of superior ligands against tau amyloids.

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