Generation and characterization of new monoclonal antibodies targeting the PHF1 and AT8 epitopes on human tau

Tauopathies are a group of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, defined by the presence of brain pathological inclusions comprised of abnormally aggregated and highly phosphorylated tau protein. The abundance of brain tau aggregates correlates with disease severity and select phospho-tau epitopes increase at early stages of disease. We generated and characterized a series of novel monoclonal antibodies directed to tau phosphorylated at several of these phospho-epitopes, including Ser396/Ser404, Ser404 and Thr205. We also generated phosphorylation independent antibodies against amino acid residues 193–211. We show that most of these antibodies are highly specific for tau and strongly recognize pathological inclusions in human brains and in a transgenic mouse model of tauopathy. They also reveal epitope-specific differences in the biochemical properties of Alzheimer’s disease sarkosyl-insoluble tau. These new reagents will be useful for investigating the progression of tau pathology and further as tools to target the cellular transmission of tau pathology.