The peptidyl prolyl cis/trans-isomerase Pin1 recognizes the phospho-Thr212-Pro213 site on Tau

The interaction between the neuronal Tau protein and the Pin1 prolyl cis/trans-isomerase is dependent on the phosphorylation state of the former. The interaction site was mapped to the unique phospho-Thr231-Pro232 motif, despite the presence of many other Thr/Ser-Pro phosphorylation sites in Tau and structural evidence that the interaction site does not significantly extend beyond those very two residues. We demonstrate here by NMR and fluorescence mapping that the Alzheimer's disease specific epitope centered around the phospho-Thr212-Pro213 motif is also an interaction site, and that the sole phospho-Thr-Pro motif is already sufficient for interaction. Because a detectable fraction of the Pro213 amide bond in the peptide centered around the phospho-Thi-212-Pro213 motif is in the cis conformation, catalysis of the isomerization by the catalytic domain of Pin I could be investigated via NMR spectroscopy.