lHeim_B

Tau20D 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	Tau20D	PO4	-2.969	receptor_Tau20D_4	SER-602 ASN-603 VAL-604 GLN-605 SER-606 LYS-607 CYS-608 GLY-609 LYS-611 ASP-612	SER-602 SER-606
2	Tau20D	PO4	-2.893	receptor_Tau20D_8	LYS-700 ALA-701 THR-703 ASP-704 HIS-705 GLY-706 ALA-707	THR-703
3	Tau20D	PO4	-2.823	receptor_Tau20D_8	LYS-700 ALA-701 THR-703 ASP-704 HIS-705 GLY-706 ALA-707	THR-703
4	Tau20D	PO4	-2.636	receptor_Tau20D_19	VAL-667 GLN-668 SER-669 ILE-671 GLY-672 LEU-674 ASP-675	SER-669
5	Tau20D	PO4	-2.609	receptor_Tau20D_8	LYS-700 ALA-701 THR-703 ASP-704 HIS-705 GLY-706 ALA-707	THR-703
6	Tau20D	PO4	-2.537	receptor_Tau20D_11	ILE-734 ASP-735 MET-736 ASP-738 SER-739 LEU-742	SER-739
7	Tau20D	PO4	-2.625	receptor_Tau20D_11	ILE-734 ASP-735 MET-736 ASP-738 SER-739 LEU-742	SER-739
8	Tau20D	PO4	-2.523	receptor_Tau20D_15	VAL-680 PRO-681 GLY-682 GLY-683 GLY-684 ASN-685
9	Tau20D	PO4	-2.355	receptor_Tau20D_18	VAL-573 LYS-574 SER-575 GLY-578 THR-580 GLU-581	SER-575 THR-580