lHeim_B

Tau10D phosphorylation.

AI Overview (Google's Gemini, March 26, 2026)

Yes, multiple phosphate (PO4) molecules can bind within the same functional regions or "pockets" of the tau protein, particularly in cases of hyperphosphorylation associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Clustered Phosphorylation Sites: Tau is an intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) with about 85 potential phosphorylation sites. These sites are heavily clustered in the proline-rich region (residues 172-251) and the C-terminal tail (residues 368-441), which flank the microtubule-binding repeats. This high density means multiple phosphate groups often populate these regions simultaneously.
Binding Pocket Overlap: In the pathological, "hyperphosphorylated" state, the balance of kinases and phosphatases is disrupted, leading to the accumulation of many phosphate groups on a single tau molecule.
Specific Examples: Research shows that in Alzheimer’s diseased brains, hyperphosphorylated tau often has 5–9 phosphorylation sites modified, compared to only 2–3 in healthy adults.
Effect of Multiple Phosphates: The binding of multiple phosphates acts cumulatively. As more phosphate groups bind to tau, they remove the positive charge of the microtubule-binding region (MTBR), causing the tau protein to lose its affinity for microtubules, leading to aggregation.
Cooperative Binding: Phosphorylation at one site can sometimes prime or enhance phosphorylation at nearby sites within the same binding domain, facilitating the clustering of multiple phosphates.

In summary, the high concentration of potential sites in specific domains makes it likely that multiple phosphate groups reside in the same or closely positioned areas, directly causing the conformational changes that lead to pathology.

Order of binding	Receptor	Ligand	Affinity	Pocket ID	Residues that formed the binding pocket	Presence of SER, THR, TYR
1	Tau10D	PO4	-3.091	receptor_Tau10D_5	VAL-604 GLN-605 SER-606 CYS-608 GLY-609 SER-610 LYS-611 ASP-612	SER-606 SER-610
2	Tau10D	PO4	-2.758	receptor_Tau10D_2	LYS-700 ALA-701 THR-703 ASP-704 HIS-705 GLY-706 ALA-707 GLU-708	THR-703
3	Tau10D	PO4	-2.588	receptor_Tau10D_2	LYS-700 ALA-701 THR-703 ASP-704 HIS-705 GLY-706 ALA-707 GLU-708	THR-703
4	Tau10D	PO4	-2.585	receptor_Tau10D_8	ASP-270 PHE-271 LEU-272 SER-273 LYS-274	SER-273
5	Tau10D	PO4	-2.534	receptor_Tau10D_7	MET-736 VAL-737 ASP-738 SER-739 PRO-740 LEU-742	SER-739
6	Tau10D	PO4	-2.431	receptor_Tau10D_3	LEU-272 SER-273 LYS-274 VAL-275 SER-276	SER-273 SER-276
7	Tau10D	PO4	-2.425	receptor_Tau10D_20	GLN-668 SER-669 GLY-672 LEU-674 ASP-675	SER-669
8	Tau10D	PO4	-2.415	receptor_Tau10D_21	VAL-573 LYS-574 SER-575 GLY-578 THR-580 GLU-581	SER-575 THR-580
9	Tau10D	PO4	-2.379	receptor_Tau10D_3	LEU-272 SER-273 LYS-274 VAL-275 SER-276	SER-273 SER-276