The cover image for the July 15 issue of Biophysical Journal shows confocal microscopy images of tau biosensor cells under different treatment conditions. The green fluorescence resonance energy transfer–positive signals indicate intracellular tau aggregation, while the blue fluorescence marks the nuclei.

 This image from our recent research captures the seeded misfolding of endogenous tau protein in biosensor cells, triggered by exposure to synthetic peptide fibrils. The pattern of green puncta offers a direct visual of a prion-like propagation mechanism, wherein misfolded proteins induce further misfolding in otherwise healthy cells.

The contrasting fluorescence signals make the process of tau aggregation visually interpretable, highlighting how misfolded proteins can trigger further misfolding inside cells.

To learn more about our group and the research at our institute, please visit: https://www.imtm.cz.

— Viswanath Das, Luisa Diomede, Lukáš Malina, Michele Mosconi, and Narendran Annadurai