lHeim_B

Tau5D 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	Tau5D	PO4	-2.903	receptor_Tau5D_1	ALA-701 LYS-702 THR-703 ASP-704 HIS-705 GLY-706 ALA-707 GLU-708	THR-703
2	Tau5D	PO4	-2.817	receptor_Tau5D_17	SER-602 VAL-604 GLN-605 SER-606 CYS-608 GLY-609 LYS-611 ASP-612	SER-602 SER-606
3	Tau5D	PO4	-2.678	receptor_Tau5D_6	ILE-734 ASP-735 MET-736 VAL-737 ASP-738 SER-739 PRO-740 LEU-742 ALA-743	SER-739
4	Tau5D	PO4	-2.46	receptor_Tau5D_13	VAL-667 GLN-668 SER-669 ILE-671 GLY-672 LEU-674 ASP-675	SER-669
5	Tau5D	PO4	-2.364	receptor_Tau5D_5	PRO-722 ARG-723 HIS-724 LEU-725 SER-726	SER-726
6	Tau5D	PO4	-2.623	receptor_Tau5D_3	HIS-724 LEU-725 SER-726 ASN-727 VAL-728	SER-726
7	Tau5D	PO4	-2.539	receptor_Tau5D_5	PRO-722 ARG-723 HIS-724 LEU-725 SER-726	SER-726
8	Tau5D	PO4	-2.296	receptor_Tau5D_17	SER-602 VAL-604 GLN-605 SER-606 CYS-608 GLY-609 LYS-611 ASP-612	SER-602 SER-606
9	Tau5D	PO4	-2.525	receptor_Tau5D_17	SER-602 VAL-604 GLN-605 SER-606 CYS-608 GLY-609 LYS-611 ASP-612	SER-602 SER-606