Tau Signaling in Injured Spinal Cord

Tau is a microtubule-associated protein important for neuronal structure and function, with abnormal phosphorylation associated with neuronal dysfunction and degeneration. While tau pathology has been extensively studied in neurodegenerative diseases and traumatic brain injury, its role in spinal cord injury (SCI) remains unclear. This study investigates changes in the levels of tau isoforms and phosphorylation following a high lateral C2 hemisection (C2Hx) in adult female rats. Western blot analysis was performed on spinal cord tissue collected caudal to the lesion at 4 weeks post-injury. Low-molecular-weight (LMW) tau and high-molecular-weight, Big tau did not differ significantly between injured and control groups. In contrast, phosphorylated tau (p-tau), detected using the AT8 antibody, was significantly elevated after injury, suggesting a shift in tau functional state. Assessment of microtubule stability markers revealed increased acetylated tubulin and decreased tyrosinated tubulin after SCI, indicating a shift toward a more stable cytoskeletal state. Immunohistochemistry was performed on spinal cord sections at 6 weeks post-injury and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) at 8 weeks post-injury. These analyses demonstrated increased p-tau immunoreactivity within the ipsilateral dorsal horn of the injured spinal cord and a higher proportion of p-tau-positive neurons in DRGs from injured animals compared with controls. Together, these findings demonstrate that cervical SCI induces persistent tau phosphorylation without altering total tau levels, and that this modification extends beyond the lesion site into distal spinal regions and beyond the acute phase of injury. These alterations may influence neural plasticity and remodeling in the injured spinal cord.