lHeim_B

Tau2E 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	Tau2E	PO4	-2.961	receptor_Tau2E_1	ALA-701 THR-703 ASP-704 HIS-705 GLY-706 ALA-707 GLU-708 ILE-709	THR-703
2	Tau2E	PO4	-2.53	receptor_Tau2E_12	GLU-659 LYS-660 LEU-661 ASP-662 PHE-663 ASP-665 ARG-666 VAL-667
3	Tau2E	PO4	-2.387	receptor_Tau2E_12	GLU-659 LYS-660 LEU-661 ASP-662 PHE-663 ASP-665 ARG-666 VAL-667
4	Tau2E	PO4	-2.355	receptor_Tau2E_13	VAL-604 GLN-605 SER-606 GLY-609 LYS-611 ASP-612	SER-606
5	Tau2E	PO4	-2.505	receptor_Tau2E_13	VAL-604 GLN-605 SER-606 GLY-609 LYS-611 ASP-612	SER-606
6	Tau2E	PO4	-2.285	receptor_Tau2E_10	ARG-222 ASP-223 VAL-224 ASP-225 LYS-480 GLY-481 GLN-482
7	Tau2E	PO4	-2.526	receptor_Tau2E_10	ARG-222 ASP-223 VAL-224 ASP-225 LYS-480 GLY-481 GLN-482
8	Tau2E	PO4	-2.557	receptor_Tau2E_10	ARG-222 ASP-223 VAL-224 ASP-225 LYS-480 GLY-481 GLN-482
9	Tau2E	PO4	-2.534	receptor_Tau2E_10	ARG-222 ASP-223 VAL-224 ASP-225 LYS-480 GLY-481 GLN-482