Tau is a classical microtubule-associated protein known to regulatemicrotubule stability in neurons. In our study, we have addressed the putativecrosstalk between tau and End binding proteins 1 and 3 (EB1/3), the coremicrotubule plus-end tracking proteins (+TIPs), in differentiating neuronalcells. We show that tau and EB proteins interact directly and that the cellulardistribution and mobility of EB proteins depends on tau localization andexpression levels. Moreover, our data reveal that tau is essential for theproper localization of EB1 at the medial-distal region of the axon shaft indeveloping neurons.

In summary, we provide evidence for a new function of tau protein as adirect regulator of EB1/3 proteins. This further indicates that the interplaybetween classical MAPs and core +TIPs may be important for the fi ne-tunedregulation of microtubule dynamics and stability during neuronal differentiation.