{
  "id": 3856840,
  "title": "A conserved serotonin receptor pathway is a druggable modifier of Tau pathology, neural circuit formation and neurodegeneration",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/a-conserved-serotonin-receptor-pathway-is-a-druggable-modifier-of-tau",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-27T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.24.746720v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Tauopathies, a group of devastating neurodegenerative disorders, are characterized by Tau hyperphosphorylation, the formation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), neuronal dysfunction, and cognitive decline. A new Drosophila model has been developed to study these conditions by expressing eGFP-tagged human TauWT or the disease-associated TauP301L variant in the nervous system. This model exhibits behaviors and physiological changes that mirror those seen in tauopathies, such as elevated Tau hyperphosphorylation, the accumulation of NFT-like pTau-positive assemblies, reduced lifespan, hyperactivity, sleep loss, progressive locomotor decline, and age-dependent brain degeneration.\n\nOne particularly noteworthy observation from the model is the disruption of the mushroom body architecture, a learning- and memory-related circuit in Drosophila. This early disruption of neural circuit formation is distinct from the adult neurodegenerative phenotypes observed in the model. Through their research, the team discovered that suppressing the serotonin 5-HT7R-CDK5 signaling pathway, either via genetic knockdown or pharmacological inhibition with an inverse agonist, rescues Tau-induced behavioral and anatomical phenotypes. This finding suggests that 5-HT7R signaling serves as a conserved and druggable modifier of Tau toxicity. The development of this model serves as a powerful in vivo platform for exploring the mechanistic aspects of tauopathies and discovering potential therapeutic targets.",
  "summary": "Tauopathies are devastating neurodegenerative disorders characterized by Tau hyperphosphorylation, neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) formation, neuronal dysfunction, and cognitive decline. Here, we establish a new Drosophila tauopathy model expressing eGFP-tagged human TauWT or the disease-associated TauP301L variant in the nervous system. TauP301L expression recapitulates key pathological and…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}