Trimming away tau in neurodegeneration

Tau quality control by tripartite motif 11 (TRIM11) protects neurons in mice Biological quality control systems eliminate potentially harmful misfolded proteins and prevent them from disrupting cell homeostasis. Defective protein quality control in neurodegenerative diseases, including tauopathies such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), leads to the accumulation of misfolded proteins that drive pathology ( 1 ). However, the importance of these systems to the pathogenesis of disease and therefore their utility as therapeutic targets are not known. On page 413 of this issue, Zhang et al. ( 2 ) identify tripartite motif 11 (TRIM11) as a key regulator of tau aggregate accumulation in neurodegenerative disease. Their work highlights TRIM11 as a potential therapeutic target for ameliorating tau-associated neurodegeneration.