Developmental and Age-Related RAB-3 phenotypes in a C. elegans Tauopathy Model.

Tauopathies are neurodegenerative diseases characterized by aggregation of Tau into neurofibrillary tangles. Elucidation of cellular phenomena occurring in degenerative states will be important for long-term mitigation strategies. Here we show two phenotypes involving the synaptic vesicle protein RAB-3 in a Caenorhabditis elegans TauV337M model: a developmental reduction of RAB-3 and an age-related mislocalization in motor axons. We further show that the developmental reduction of RAB-3 is not due to changes in transcriptional expression. We suggest axonal transport and/or synaptic vesicle recycling defects are responsible for developmental and age-related phenotypes.