BMB Reports  
Tau reduction impairs nephrocyte function in Drosophila
Jiyoung Lee1, Dayoung Kim2, Sun Joo Cha3, Jang-Won Lee4, Eun-Young Lee5, Hyung-Jun Kim3 & Kiyoung Kim1,*
1Department of Medical Science, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, 2Department of Medical Biotechnology, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, 3Dementia Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI), Daegu 41068, 4Department of Integrated Bio-Industry, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, 5Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Cheonan Hospital, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan 31151, Korea
Correspondence to: *Tel: +82-41-530-3000; Fax: +82-41-530-1557; E-mail: kiyoung2@sch.ac.kr
Received: April 4, 2024; Revised: May 14, 2024; Accepted: August 2, 2024; Published online: January 22, 2025.
© Korean Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. All rights reserved.

cc This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
ABSTRACT
Tau, a microtubule-associated protein, is known for its significant involvement in neurodegenerative diseases. While various molecular and immunohistochemical techniques have confirmed the presence of Tau in podocytes, its precise function within these cells remains elusive. In this study, we investigate the role of Tau in kidney podocytes using Drosophila pericardial nephrocytes as a model. We found that knockdown of Drosophila Tau in nephrocytes resulted in apoptotic cell death and the disruption of nephrocyte structure. Furthermore, we observed that decreased Tau levels induced genomic damage and abnormal distribution of –H2Av, altering nuclei architecture in nephrocytes, and affecting the nuclear membrane structure by interfering with lamin with aging. Additionally, Tau knockdown led to a reduction in lipid droplets in Drosophila fat body tissues, suggesting a potential role of Tau in inter-organ communication. These findings underscore the importance of Tau in the nephrocytes of Drosophila, and advocate further research to broaden our understanding of podocyte biology in kidney diseases.
Keywords: Drosophila, Lipid metabolism, Nephrocyte, Nuclear architecture, Tau


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