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Van den Broecke A, Decruyenaere A, Schuermans N, Verdin H, Ghijsels J, Sieben A, Dermaut B, Hemelsoet D. Pooled analysis of patients with inherited prion disease caused by two- to twelve-octapeptide repeat insertions in the prion protein gene (PRNP). J Neurol 2024; 271:263-273. [PMID: 37689591 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-023-11968-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
Inherited prion diseases caused by two- to twelve-octapeptide repeat insertions (OPRIs) in the prion protein gene (PRNP) show significant clinical heterogeneity. This study describes a family with two new cases with a 4-OPRI mutation and two asymptomatic mutation carriers. The pooled analysis summarizes all cases reported in the literature to date and describes the relation between survival, age of onset, number of OPRI and codon 129 polymorphism. MEDLINE and Google Scholar were queried from database inception up to December 31, 2022. Age of onset was compared per number of OPRI and per codon 129 polymorphism using the Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests, respectively. Disease duration was modeled non-parametrically by a Kaplan-Meier model and semi-parametrically by a Cox model. This study comprised 164 patients. Lower number of OPRI and presence of valine (cis-V) versus methionine (cis-M) on codon 129 were associated with an older age of onset (P < 0.001 and P = 0.025, respectively) and shorter disease duration (P < 0.001 and P = 0.003, respectively). Within patients with 5- or more OPRI codon cis-V remained significantly associated with a shorter disease duration. Codon 129 homozygosity versus heterozygosity was not significantly associated with age of onset or disease duration (P = 0.076 and P = 0.409, respectively). This study summarized the largest cohort of patients with two- to twelve-OPRI to date. Lower number of OPRI and codon 129 cis-V is associated with an older age of onset and shorter disease duration, while homozygosity or heterozygosity on codon 129 was not.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nika Schuermans
- Center for Medical Genetics, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Hannah Verdin
- Center for Medical Genetics, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jody Ghijsels
- Center for Medical Genetics, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Anne Sieben
- Born-Bunge Institute, Laboratory for Neuropathology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Bart Dermaut
- Center for Medical Genetics, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Naskar S, Gour N. Realization of Amyloid-like Aggregation as a Common Cause for Pathogenesis in Diseases. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:1523. [PMID: 37511898 PMCID: PMC10381831 DOI: 10.3390/life13071523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyloids were conventionally referred to as extracellular and intracellular accumulation of Aβ42 peptide, which causes the formation of plaques and neurofibrillary tangles inside the brain leading to the pathogenesis in Alzheimer's disease. Subsequently, amyloid-like deposition was found in the etiology of prion diseases, Parkinson's disease, type II diabetes, and cancer, which was attributed to the aggregation of prion protein, α-Synuclein, islet amyloid polypeptide protein, and p53 protein, respectively. Hence, traditionally amyloids were considered aggregates formed exclusively by proteins or peptides. However, since the last decade, it has been discovered that other metabolites, like single amino acids, nucleobases, lipids, glucose derivatives, etc., have a propensity to form amyloid-like toxic assemblies. Several studies suggest direct implications of these metabolite assemblies in the patho-physiology of various inborn errors of metabolisms like phenylketonuria, tyrosinemia, cystinuria, and Gaucher's disease, to name a few. In this review, we present a comprehensive literature overview that suggests amyloid-like structure formation as a common phenomenon for disease progression and pathogenesis in multiple syndromes. The review is devoted to providing readers with a broad knowledge of the structure, mode of formation, propagation, and transmission of different extracellular amyloids and their implications in the pathogenesis of diseases. We strongly believe a review on this topic is urgently required to create awareness about the understanding of the fundamental molecular mechanism behind the origin of diseases from an amyloid perspective and possibly look for a common therapeutic strategy for the treatment of these maladies by designing generic amyloid inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soumick Naskar
- Department of Chemistry, Indrashil University, Kadi, Mehsana 382740, Gujarat, India
| | - Nidhi Gour
- Department of Chemistry, Indrashil University, Kadi, Mehsana 382740, Gujarat, India
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Roy M, Nath AK, Pal I, Dey SG. Second Sphere Interactions in Amyloidogenic Diseases. Chem Rev 2022; 122:12132-12206. [PMID: 35471949 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Amyloids are protein aggregates bearing a highly ordered cross β structural motif, which may be functional but are mostly pathogenic. Their formation, deposition in tissues and consequent organ dysfunction is the central event in amyloidogenic diseases. Such protein aggregation may be brought about by conformational changes, and much attention has been directed toward factors like metal binding, post-translational modifications, mutations of protein etc., which eventually affect the reactivity and cytotoxicity of the associated proteins. Over the past decade, a global effort from different groups working on these misfolded/unfolded proteins/peptides has revealed that the amino acid residues in the second coordination sphere of the active sites of amyloidogenic proteins/peptides cause changes in H-bonding pattern or protein-protein interactions, which dramatically alter the structure and reactivity of these proteins/peptides. These second sphere effects not only determine the binding of transition metals and cofactors, which define the pathology of some of these diseases, but also change the mechanism of redox reactions catalyzed by these proteins/peptides and form the basis of oxidative damage associated with these amyloidogenic diseases. The present review seeks to discuss such second sphere modifications and their ramifications in the etiopathology of some representative amyloidogenic diseases like Alzheimer's disease (AD), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2Dm), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), and prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhuparna Roy
- School of Chemical Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, 2A & 2B, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, India
| | - Arnab Kumar Nath
- School of Chemical Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, 2A & 2B, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, India
| | - Ishita Pal
- School of Chemical Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, 2A & 2B, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, India
| | - Somdatta Ghosh Dey
- School of Chemical Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, 2A & 2B, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, India
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Brennecke N, Cali I, Mok TH, Speedy H, Hosszu LLP, Stehmann C, Cracco L, Puoti G, Prior TW, Cohen ML, Collins SJ, Mead S, Appleby BS. Characterization of Prion Disease Associated with a Two-Octapeptide Repeat Insertion. Viruses 2021; 13:1794. [PMID: 34578375 PMCID: PMC8473248 DOI: 10.3390/v13091794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic prion disease accounts for 10-15% of prion disease. While insertion of four or more octapeptide repeats are clearly pathogenic, smaller repeat insertions have an unclear pathogenicity. The goal of this case series was to provide an insight into the characteristics of the 2-octapeptide repeat genetic variant and to provide insight into the risk for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in asymptomatic carriers. 2-octapeptide repeat insertion prion disease cases were collected from the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center (US), the National Prion Clinic (UK), and the National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Registry (Australia). Three largescale population genetic databases were queried for the 2-octapeptide repeat insertion allele. Eight cases of 2-octapeptide repeat insertion were identified. The cases were indistinguishable from the sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob cases of the same molecular subtype. Western blot characterization of the prion protein in the absence of enzymatic digestion with proteinase K revealed that 2-octapeptide repeat insertion and sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease have distinct prion protein profiles. Interrogation of large-scale population datasets suggested the variant is of very low penetrance. The 2-octapeptide repeat insertion is at most a low-risk genetic variant. Predictive genetic testing for asymptomatic blood relatives is not likely to be justified given the low risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Brennecke
- Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University & University Hospitals Cleveland Medical, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; (N.B.); (M.L.C.)
| | - Ignazio Cali
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA;
- National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center (NPDPSC), Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Tze How Mok
- MRC Prion Unit at University College London, Institute of Prion Diseases, London W1W 7FF, UK; (T.H.M.); (H.S.); (L.L.P.H.); (S.M.)
| | - Helen Speedy
- MRC Prion Unit at University College London, Institute of Prion Diseases, London W1W 7FF, UK; (T.H.M.); (H.S.); (L.L.P.H.); (S.M.)
| | | | - Laszlo L. P. Hosszu
- MRC Prion Unit at University College London, Institute of Prion Diseases, London W1W 7FF, UK; (T.H.M.); (H.S.); (L.L.P.H.); (S.M.)
| | - Christiane Stehmann
- Australian National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Registry, The Florey Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia; (C.S.); (S.J.C.)
| | - Laura Cracco
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA;
| | - Gianfranco Puoti
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 81100 Caserta, Italy;
- Prion Disease Diagnosis and Surveillance Center (PDDSC), University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Thomas W. Prior
- Center for Human Genetics Laboratory, Case Western Reserve University & University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA;
| | - Mark L. Cohen
- Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University & University Hospitals Cleveland Medical, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; (N.B.); (M.L.C.)
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA;
- National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center (NPDPSC), Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Steven J. Collins
- Australian National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Registry, The Florey Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia; (C.S.); (S.J.C.)
| | - Simon Mead
- MRC Prion Unit at University College London, Institute of Prion Diseases, London W1W 7FF, UK; (T.H.M.); (H.S.); (L.L.P.H.); (S.M.)
| | - Brian S. Appleby
- Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University & University Hospitals Cleveland Medical, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; (N.B.); (M.L.C.)
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA;
- National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center (NPDPSC), Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University & University Hospitals, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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Abstract
Genetic prion diseases (gPrDs) caused by mutations in the prion protein gene (PRNP) have been classified as genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease, or fatal familial insomnia. Mutations in PRNP can be missense, nonsense, and/or octapeptide repeat insertions or, possibly, deletions. These mutations can produce diverse clinical features. They may also show varying ancillary testing results and neuropathological findings. Although the majority of gPrDs have a rapid progression with a short survival time of a few months, many also present as ataxic or parkinsonian disorders, which have a slower decline over a few to several years. A few very rare mutations manifest as neuropsychiatric disorders, with systemic symptoms that include gastrointestinal disorders and neuropathy; these forms can progress over years to decades. In this review, we classify gPrDs as rapid, slow, or mixed types based on their typical rate of progression and duration, and we review the broad spectrum of phenotypes manifested by these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mee-Ohk Kim
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Leonel T Takada
- Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology Unit, Department of Neurology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, 05403-900, Brazil
| | - Katherine Wong
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Sven A Forner
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Michael D Geschwind
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158
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Takada LT, Kim MO, Metcalf S, Gala II, Geschwind MD. Prion disease. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2018; 148:441-464. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-64076-5.00029-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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Takada LT, Kim MO, Cleveland RW, Wong K, Forner SA, Gala II, Fong JC, Geschwind MD. Genetic prion disease: Experience of a rapidly progressive dementia center in the United States and a review of the literature. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2017; 174:36-69. [PMID: 27943639 PMCID: PMC7207989 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2016] [Accepted: 10/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Although prion diseases are generally thought to present as rapidly progressive dementias with survival of only a few months, the phenotypic spectrum for genetic prion diseases (gPrDs) is much broader. The majority have a rapid decline with short survival, but many patients with gPrDs present as slowly progressive ataxic or parkinsonian disorders with progression over a few to several years. A few very rare mutations even present as neuropsychiatric disorders, sometimes with systemic symptoms such as gastrointestinal disorders and neuropathy, progressing over years to decades. gPrDs are caused by mutations in the prion protein gene (PRNP), and have been historically classified based on their clinicopathological features as genetic Jakob-Creutzfeldt disease (gJCD), Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker (GSS), or Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI). Mutations in PRNP can be missense, nonsense, and octapeptide repeat insertions or a deletion, and present with diverse clinical features, sensitivities of ancillary testing, and neuropathological findings. We present the UCSF gPrD cohort, including 129 symptomatic patients referred to and/or seen at UCSF between 2001 and 2016, and compare the clinical features of the gPrDs from 22 mutations identified in our cohort with data from the literature, as well as perform a literature review on most other mutations not represented in our cohort. E200K is the most common mutation worldwide, is associated with gJCD, and was the most common in the UCSF cohort. Among the GSS-associated mutations, P102L is the most commonly reported and was also the most common at UCSF. We also had several octapeptide repeat insertions (OPRI), a rare nonsense mutation (Q160X), and three novel mutations (K194E, E200G, and A224V) in our UCSF cohort. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonel T. Takada
- Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology Unit, Department of Neurology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mee-Ohk Kim
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94107
| | - Ross W. Cleveland
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Vermont Children’s Hospital, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05401
| | - Katherine Wong
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94107
| | - Sven A. Forner
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94107
| | - Ignacio Illán Gala
- Department of Neurology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jamie C. Fong
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94107
| | - Michael D. Geschwind
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94107
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Schmitz M, Dittmar K, Llorens F, Gelpi E, Ferrer I, Schulz-Schaeffer WJ, Zerr I. Hereditary Human Prion Diseases: an Update. Mol Neurobiol 2016; 54:4138-4149. [PMID: 27324792 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-016-9918-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2016] [Accepted: 05/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Prion diseases in humans are neurodegenerative diseases which are caused by an accumulation of abnormal, misfolded cellular prion protein known as scrapie prion protein (PrPSc). Genetic, acquired, or spontaneous (sporadic) forms are known. Pathogenic mutations in the human prion protein gene (PRNP) have been identified in 10-15 % of CJD patients. These mutations may be single point mutations, STOP codon mutations, or insertions or deletions of octa-peptide repeats. Some non-coding mutations and new mutations in the PrP gene have been identified without clear evidence for their pathogenic significance. In the present review, we provide an updated overview of PRNP mutations, which have been documented in the literature until now, describe the change in the DNA, the family history, the pathogenicity, and the number of described cases, which has not been published in this complexity before. We also provide a description of each genetic prion disease type, present characteristic histopathological features, and the PrPSc isoform expression pattern of various familial/genetic prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Schmitz
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Göttingen, Germany. .,Department of Neuropathology, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Kathrin Dittmar
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Göttingen, Germany
| | - Franc Llorens
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ellen Gelpi
- Neurological Tissue Bank, Biobanc-Hospital Clinic-IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Isidre Ferrer
- Institute of Neuropathology, Bellvitge University Hospital, CIBERNED, Hospitalet de Llobregat, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Walter J Schulz-Schaeffer
- Department of Neuropathology, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Inga Zerr
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Göttingen, Germany
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Acevedo-Morantes CY, Wille H. The structure of human prions: from biology to structural models-considerations and pitfalls. Viruses 2014; 6:3875-92. [PMID: 25333467 PMCID: PMC4213568 DOI: 10.3390/v6103875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2014] [Revised: 10/14/2014] [Accepted: 10/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are a family of transmissible, progressive, and uniformly fatal neurodegenerative disorders that affect humans and animals. Although cross-species transmissions of prions are usually limited by an apparent “species barrier”, the spread ofa prion disease to humans by ingestion of contaminated food, or via other routes of exposure, indicates that animal prions can pose a significant public health risk. The infectious agent responsible for the transmission of prion diseases is a misfolded conformer of the prion protein, PrPSc, a pathogenic isoform of the host-encoded, cellular prion protein,PrPC. The detailed mechanisms of prion conversion and replication, as well as the high-resolution structure of PrPSc, are unknown. This review will discuss the general background related to prion biology and assess the structural models proposed to date,while highlighting the experimental challenges of elucidating the structure of PrPSc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Y Acevedo-Morantes
- Department of Biochemistry and Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada.
| | - Holger Wille
- Department of Biochemistry and Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada.
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Xiao X, Cali I, Dong Z, Puoti G, Yuan J, Qing L, Wang H, Kong Q, Gambetti P, Zou WQ. Protease-sensitive prions with 144-bp insertion mutations. Aging (Albany NY) 2013; 5:155-73. [PMID: 23515139 PMCID: PMC3629288 DOI: 10.18632/aging.100543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Insertion of 144-base pair (bp) containing six extra octapeptide repeats between residues 51 and 91 of prion protein (PrP) gene is associated with inherited prion diseases. Most cases linked to this insertion examined by Western blotting showed detectable proteinase K-resistant PrPSc (rPrPSc) resembling PrPSc type 1 and type 2 in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), or PrP7-8 in Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease. However, cases lacking detectable rPrPSc also have been reported. Which PrP conformer is associated with neuropathological changes in the cases without detectable rPrPSc remains to be determined. Here we report that while all six but one subjects with the 144-bp insertion mutations examined display the pathognomonic PrP patches in the cerebellum, one of them exhibits no detectable typical rPrPSc even in PrPSc-enriched preparations. Instead, a large amount of abnormal PrP is captured from this case by gene 5 protein and sodium phosphotungstate, reagents that have been proved to specifically capture abnormal PrP. All captured abnormal PrP from the cerebellum and other brain regions is virtually sensitive to PK-digestion (termed sPrPSc). The presence of the predominant sPrPSc but absence of rPrPSc in this 144-bp insertion-linked inherited CJD case suggests that mutant sPrPSc is the main component of the PrP deposit patches and sPrPSc is sufficient to cause neurotoxicity and prion disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangzhu Xiao
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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Pongor LS, Pintér F, Peták I. HeurAA: accurate and fast detection of genetic variations with a novel heuristic amplicon aligner program for next generation sequencing. PLoS One 2013; 8:e54294. [PMID: 23349847 PMCID: PMC3548894 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2012] [Accepted: 12/10/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Next generation sequencing (NGS) of PCR amplicons is a standard approach to detect genetic variations in personalized medicine such as cancer diagnostics. Computer programs used in the NGS community often miss insertions and deletions (indels) that constitute a large part of known human mutations. We have developed HeurAA, an open source, heuristic amplicon aligner program. We tested the program on simulated datasets as well as experimental data from multiplex sequencing of 40 amplicons in 12 oncogenes collected on a 454 Genome Sequencer from lung cancer cell lines. We found that HeurAA can accurately detect all indels, and is more than an order of magnitude faster than previous programs. HeurAA can compare reads and reference sequences up to several thousand base pairs in length, and it can evaluate data from complex mixtures containing reads of different gene-segments from different samples. HeurAA is written in C and Perl for Linux operating systems, the code and the documentation are available for research applications at http://sourceforge.net/projects/heuraa/
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Affiliation(s)
- Lőrinc S. Pongor
- KPS Medical Biotechnology and Healthcare Service Ltd, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ferenc Pintér
- KPS Medical Biotechnology and Healthcare Service Ltd, Budapest, Hungary
| | - István Peták
- KPS Medical Biotechnology and Healthcare Service Ltd, Budapest, Hungary
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12
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Ma D, Li L. Searching for reliable premortem protein biomarkers for prion diseases: progress and challenges to date. Expert Rev Proteomics 2013; 9:267-80. [PMID: 22809206 DOI: 10.1586/epr.12.20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Prion diseases are a unique family of fatal neurodegenerative diseases caused by abnormal folding of normal cellular prion proteins in the brain. Due to the high risk of prion disease transmission and the lack of effective treatment to cure or delay the disease progression, prion diseases pose a serious threat to public health. To control and prevent prion diseases, an early diagnosis is urgently needed. Proteomic analysis has emerged as a powerful technology to decipher biological and pathophysiological processes and identify protein biomarkers indicative of disease. In this article, the authors review the use of the latest proteomic technologies for the identification of promising prion disease biomarkers, the challenges that exist in biomarker development pipelines and the new directions for utilizing proteomics for future biomarker discovery in the context of prion disease diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Ma
- School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin at Madison, 777 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705, USA
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13
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Prion diseases. Neurogenetics 2012. [DOI: 10.1017/cbo9781139087711.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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14
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Rigter A, Priem J, Langeveld JPM, Bossers A. Prion protein self-interaction in prion disease therapy approaches. Vet Q 2011; 31:115-28. [PMID: 22029882 DOI: 10.1080/01652176.2011.604976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion diseases are unique disorders that are not caused by infectious micro-organisms (bacteria or fungi), viruses or parasites, but rather seem to be the result of an infectious protein. TSEs are comprised of fatal neurodegenerative disorders affecting both human and animals. Prion diseases cause sponge-like degeneration of neuronal tissue and include (among others) Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease in humans, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle and scrapie in sheep. TSEs are characterized by the formation and accumulation of transmissible (infectious) disease-associated protease-resistant prion protein (PrP(Sc)), mainly in tissues of the central nervous system. The exact molecular processes behind the conversion of PrP(C) into PrP(Sc) are not clearly understood. Correlations between prion protein polymorphisms and disease have been found, however in what way these polymorphisms influence the conversion processes remains an enigma; is stabilization or destabilization of the prion protein the basis for a higher conversion propensity? Apart from the disease-associated polymorphisms of the prion protein, the molecular processes underlying conversion are not understood. There are some notions as to which regions of the prion protein are involved in refolding of PrP(C) into PrP(Sc) and where the most drastic structural changes take place. Direct interactions between PrP(C) molecules and/or PrP(Sc) are likely at the basis of conversion, however which specific amino acid domains are involved and to what extent these domains contribute to conversion resistance/sensitivity of the prion protein or the species barrier is still unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan Rigter
- Department of Infection Biology, Central Veterinary Institute of Wageningen UR, Lelystad, The Netherlands.
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Kumar N, Boeve BF, Boot BP, Orr CF, Duffy J, Woodruff BK, Nair AK, Ellison J, Kuntz K, Kantarci K, Jack CR, Westmoreland BF, Fields JA, Baker M, Rademakers R, Parisi JE, Dickson DW. Clinical characterization of a kindred with a novel 12-octapeptide repeat insertion in the prion protein gene. ARCHIVES OF NEUROLOGY 2011; 68:1165-70. [PMID: 21911696 PMCID: PMC3326586 DOI: 10.1001/archneurol.2011.187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To report the clinical, electroencephalographic, and neuroradiologic findings in a kindred with a novel insertion in the prion protein gene, PRNP. DESIGN Clinical description of a kindred. SETTING Mayo Clinic Alzheimer Disease Research Center (Rochester, Minnesota). SUBJECTS Two pathologically confirmed cases and their relatives. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Clinical features, electroencephalographic patterns, magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities, genetic analyses, and neuropathologic features. RESULTS The proband was a woman with clinical and neuroimaging features of atypical frontotemporal dementia and ataxia. Generalized tonic-clonic seizures developed later in the disease course, and electroencephalography revealed spike and wave discharges but no periodic sharp-wave complexes. Her affected sister and father also exhibited frontotemporal dementia-like features, and both experienced generalized tonic-clonic seizures and gait ataxia late in the disease course. Genetic analyses in the proband identified a novel defect in PRNP, with 1 mutated allele carrying a 288-base pair insertion consisting of 12 octapeptide repeats. Neuropathologic examination of the proband and her sister revealed prion protein-positive plaques and widespread tau-positive tangles. CONCLUSIONS This kindred has a unique combination of clinical and neuropathologic features associated with the largest base pair insertion identified to date in PRNP and underscores the need to consider familial prion disease in the differential diagnosis of a familial frontotemporal dementia-like syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neeraj Kumar
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
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Capellari S, Strammiello R, Saverioni D, Kretzschmar H, Parchi P. Genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and fatal familial insomnia: insights into phenotypic variability and disease pathogenesis. Acta Neuropathol 2011; 121:21-37. [PMID: 20978903 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-010-0760-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2010] [Revised: 09/17/2010] [Accepted: 10/11/2010] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Human prion diseases are a group of rare neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the conversion of the constitutively expressed prion protein, PrP(C), into an abnormally aggregated isoform, called PrP(Sc). While most people who develop a prion disease have no identifiable cause and a few acquire the disease through an identified source of infection, about 10-15% of patients are affected by a genetic form and carry either a point mutation or an insertion of octapeptide repeats in the prion protein gene. Prion diseases show the highest extent of phenotypic heterogeneity among neurodegenerative disorders and comprise three major disease entities with variable though overlapping phenotypic features: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), fatal insomnia and the Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome. Both CJD and fatal insomnia are fully transmissible diseases, a feature that led to the isolation and characterization of different strains of the agent or prion showing distinctive clinical and neuropathological features after transmission to syngenic animals. Here, we review the current knowledge of the effects of the pathogenic mutations linked to genetic CJD and fatal familial insomnia on the prion protein metabolism and physicochemical properties, the disease phenotype and the strain characteristics. The data derived from studies in vitro and from those using cell and animal models are compared with those obtained from the analyses of the naturally occurring disease. The extent of phenotypic variation in genetic prion disease is analyzed in comparison to that of the sporadic disease, which has recently been the topic of a systematic and detailed characterization.
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Abstract
The prion diseases are a family of rare neurodegenerative disorders that result from the accumulation of a misfolded isoform of the prion protein (PrP), a normal constituent of the neuronal membrane. Five subtypes constitute the known human prion diseases; kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS), fatal insomnia (FI), and variant CJD (vCJD). These subtypes are distinguished, in part, by their clinical phenotype, but primarily by their associated brain histopathology. Evidence suggests these phenotypes are defined by differences in the pathogenic conformation of misfolded PrP. Although the vast majority of cases are sporadic, 10% to 15% result from an autosomal dominant mutation of the PrP gene (PRNP). General phenotype-genotype correlations can be made for the major subtypes of CJD, GSS, and FI. This paper will review some of the general background related to prion biology and detail the clinical and pathologic features of the major prion diseases, with a particular focus on the genetic aspects that result in prion disease or modification of its risk or phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khalilah Brown
- Center for Comprehensive Care and Research on Memory Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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Dimitrijević R, Čadež I, Keckarević-Marković M, Keckarević D, Kecmanović M, Dobričić V, Savić-Pavićević D, Brajušković G, Romac S. Polymorphisms of the Prion Protein Gene ( PRNP) in a Serbian Population. Int J Neurosci 2010; 120:496-501. [DOI: 10.3109/00207451003765907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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Rigter A, Priem J, Timmers-Parohi D, Langeveld JPM, van Zijderveld FG, Bossers A. Prion protein self-peptides modulate prion interactions and conversion. BMC BIOCHEMISTRY 2009; 10:29. [PMID: 19943977 PMCID: PMC2789745 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2091-10-29] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2009] [Accepted: 11/30/2009] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Background Molecular mechanisms underlying prion agent replication, converting host-encoded cellular prion protein (PrPC) into the scrapie associated isoform (PrPSc), are poorly understood. Selective self-interaction between PrP molecules forms a basis underlying the observed differences of the PrPC into PrPSc conversion process (agent replication). The importance of previously peptide-scanning mapped ovine PrP self-interaction domains on this conversion was investigated by studying the ability of six of these ovine PrP based peptides to modulate two processes; PrP self-interaction and conversion. Results Three peptides (octarepeat, binding domain 2 -and C-terminal) were capable of inhibiting self-interaction of PrP in a solid-phase PrP peptide array. Three peptides (N-terminal, binding domain 2, and amyloidogenic motif) modulated prion conversion when added before or after initiation of the prion protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) reaction using brain homogenates. The C-terminal peptides (core region and C-terminal) only affected conversion (increased PrPres formation) when added before mixing PrPC and PrPSc, whereas the octarepeat peptide only affected conversion when added after this mixing. Conclusion This study identified the putative PrP core binding domain that facilitates the PrPC-PrPSc interaction (not conversion), corroborating evidence that the region of PrP containing this domain is important in the species-barrier and/or scrapie susceptibility. The octarepeats can be involved in PrPC-PrPSc stabilization, whereas the N-terminal glycosaminoglycan binding motif and the amyloidogenic motif indirectly affected conversion. Binding domain 2 and the C-terminal domain are directly implicated in PrPC self-interaction during the conversion process and may prove to be prime targets in new therapeutic strategy development, potentially retaining PrPC function. These results emphasize the importance of probable PrPC-PrPC and required PrPC-PrPSc interactions during PrP conversion. All interactions are probably part of the complex process in which polymorphisms and species barriers affect TSE transmission and susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan Rigter
- Department of Bacteriology and TSEs, Central Veterinary Institute (CVI) of Wageningen UR, Lelystad, 8200 AB, the Netherlands.
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The number of octapeptide repeat affects the expression and conversion of prion protein. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2009; 382:715-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2009.03.093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2009] [Accepted: 03/17/2009] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Abstract
Prion diseases have stimulated intense scientific scrutiny since it was proposed that the infectious agent was devoid of nucleic acid. Despite this finding, genetics has played a key role in understanding the pathobiology and clinical aspects of prion disease through the effects of a series of polymorphisms and mutations in the prion protein gene (PRNP). The advent of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease has confirmed one of the most powerful human genetic susceptibility factors, as all tested patients have an identical genotype at polymorphic codon 129 of PRNP. This review will also consider the accrued reports of inherited prion disease and attempt a genotype-phenotype correlation. The prospects for detection of novel genetic susceptibility factors using mouse models and human genetic association studies will be explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Mead
- MRC Prion Unit, Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
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Castro RMRPS, Landemberger MC, Walz R, Carlotti CG, Huang N, Cunha DR, Moura R, Caballero OL, Sakamoto AC, Nitrini R, Brentani RR, Martins VR. High capacity and low cost detection of prion protein gene variant alleles by denaturing HPLC. J Neurosci Methods 2005; 139:263-9. [PMID: 15488240 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2004.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2004] [Accepted: 05/06/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Mutations in the human prion protein gene (PRNP) are responsible for hereditary diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) and a polymorphic site at codon 129 determines sensitivity to infectious forms of these maladies. More recently, codon 129 has been related to cognition performance in the elderly, in Alzheimer disease (AD) and in Down syndrome. Furthermore, a rare polymorphism at codon 171 was described in 23% of patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy related to hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE-HS), the most common form of surgically remediable epileptic syndrome. Thus, a method that permits fast and efficient screening of PRNP mutations and polymorphisms in patients, in high risk populations, and in family members is desirable. In the present study, we established the conditions for analysis of the PRNP open reading frame using denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC), whereby unpurified PCR products were subjected to denaturing and reannealing steps leading to heteroduplex formation. We described specific profiles for the PRNP polymorphisms at codons 129 (M/V), 117 (A/A silent), 219 (E/K), 171 (N/S), and the octarepeat deletion using amplified DNA from 562 samples. The chromatograms for TSE-associated mutations at codons 102 (P/L), 183 (T/A), and 210 (V/I) were also determined. Specificity of the DHPLC profile for each PRNP variant allele was confirmed in 100% of the samples by direct and cloned DNA sequencing in addition to endonuclease digestion when applicable. Therefore, the present study shows that DHPLC is a rapid, highly accurate and efficient technique for the detection of PRNP genetic variants.
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Castilla J, Gutiérrez-Adán A, Brun A, Pintado B, Parra B, Ramírez MA, Salguero FJ, Díaz San Segundo F, Rábano A, Cano MJ, Torres JM. Different behavior toward bovine spongiform encephalopathy infection of bovine prion protein transgenic mice with one extra repeat octapeptide insert mutation. J Neurosci 2004; 24:2156-64. [PMID: 14999066 PMCID: PMC6730430 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3811-03.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In humans, insert mutations within the repetitive octapeptide region of the prion protein gene (Prnp) are often associated with familial spongiform encephalopathies. In this study, transgenic mice expressing bovine PrP (boTg mice) bearing an additional octapeptide insertion to the wild type (seven octapeptide repeats instead of six) showed an altered course of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) infection, reflected as reduced incubation times when compared with boTg mice expressing similar levels of the wild-type six-octapeptide protein. In both boTg mouse lines (bo6ORTg and bo7ORTg), incubation times were affected drastically depending on transgene expression levels and the inoculum used. In accordance with the lack of an interspecies barrier to BSE infection, we detected the typical signs of CNS spongiform degeneration by histopathological analysis and the presence of the bovine prion PrP(res) by Western blot or immunohistochemical analyses. When 7OR-PrP(res) was propagated in bo7ORTg mice, a similar earlier onset of clinical signs was observed compared with bo6ORTg mice. Proteins PrP(C) and PrP(res) containing seven octapeptides (7OR-PrP(C) and 7OR-PrP(res)) showed similar protease sensitivity and insolubility in nondenaturing detergents to homologous 6OR-PrP(C) and 6OR-PrP(res). In addition, bo7ORTg mice showed a higher sensitivity than bo6ORTg mice for detecting prion infection in specimens previously diagnosed as negative by conventional biochemical techniques. In the absence of clinical signs of disease, 7OR-PrP(res) could be detected as early as 120 d after inoculation by immunohistochemical and Western blot analyses. These findings may help us improve the current mouse bioassays and understand the role of the octapeptide repeat region in susceptibility to disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Castilla
- Center of Animal Health Investigation, National Institute of Agricultural Technology and Investigation, Valdeolmos, 28130 Madrid, Spain
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Hundt C, Gauczynski S, Leucht C, Riley ML, Weiss S. Intra- and interspecies interactions between prion proteins and effects of mutations and polymorphisms. Biol Chem 2003; 384:791-803. [PMID: 12817476 DOI: 10.1515/bc.2003.088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Recently, crystallization of the prion protein in a dimeric form was reported. Here we show that native soluble homogeneous FLAG-tagged prion proteins from hamster, man and cattle expressed in the baculovirus system are predominantly dimeric. The PrP/PrP interaction was confirmed in Semliki Forest virus-RNA transfected BHK cells co-expressing FLAG- and oligohistidine-tagged human PrP. The yeast two-hybrid system identified the octarepeat region and the C-terminal structured domain (aa90-aa230) of PrP as PrP/PrP interaction domains. Additional octarepeats identified in patients suffering from fCJD reduced (wtPrP versus PrP + 9OR) and completely abolished (PrP + 9OR versus PrP + 9OR) the PrP/PrP interaction in the yeast two-hybrid system. In contrast, the Met/Val polymorphism (aa129), the GSS mutation Pro102Leu and the FFI mutation Asp178Asn did not affect PrP/PrP interactions. Proof of interactions between human or sheep and bovine PrP, and sheep and human PrP, as well as lack of interactions between human or bovine PrP and hamster PrP suggest that interspecies PrP interaction studies in the yeast two-hybrid system may serve as a rapid pre-assay to investigate species barriers in prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Hundt
- Laboratorium für Molekulare Biologie-Genzentrum, Institut für Biochemie der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Feodor-Lynen-Strasse 25, D-81377 München, Germany
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Abstract
Studies on hereditary CJD and FFI have contributed greatly to the understanding of all forms of prion disease. Most importantly, they have provided strong support for the prion hypothesis [2]. The linkage of pathogenic PRNP mutations to human prion disease strengthens the notion that a change in PrP conformation is a key event that triggers the development of the disease. Although hereditary CJD and FFI account for only 10% of all cases of human prion disease, they provide a unique opportunity for studying disease pathogenesis initiated by perturbation in the PrP structure. An understanding of the events that accompany a change in PrP conformation has far-reaching implications for sCJD (the most common form of the disease) and for sporadic fatal insomnia. A wealth of available evidence indicates that a common pathway in disease pathogenesis may be shared by both the sporadic and the hereditary forms of prion disease, except that the initiating events are stochastic in the former, rather than predetermined by the presence of a germ-line mutation. In addition, investigations of hereditary CJD and FFI have provided plausible mechanisms of phenotypic heterogeneity in prion disease, a phenomenon analogous to the "prion strain" diversity in animal prion disease. Although many other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Huntington's chorea are fairly homogeneous in disease phenotype, prion disease includes many clinically and pathologically distinct disease entities. In hereditary prion disease, the disease phenotype is likely to be determined by the combined effect of pathogenic mutations, codon 129 polymorphism, and the type of PrPSc. The pathogenic mutations include point mutations that are located mostly in the central and C-terminal region of PrP, and deletion and insertion mutations that are located in the N-terminal region. It is conceivable that these distinct types of mutations may result in differential changes in conformation or stability of PrP. The codon 129 polymorphism plays a twofold role in modulating the disease outcome. On the mutant allele, it determines the basic features of the disease phenotype--as in the case of FFI and CJD178--that result respectively from the coupling of M or V at codon 129 with the D178N mutation. On the normal allele, it may modulate the severity of the phenotype. A PrPSc subtype is encoded by the PRNP haplotype, and subsequently is generated by a conformational conversion process that transforms the cellular isoform to the pathogenic protein. The site for the formation of a specific PrPSc conformer and its accumulation in different brain regions are likely to contribute to the clinical features and pathologic lesions. The phenotypic homogeneity in other neurologic diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, may be due, in part, to the lack of a powerful genetic modifier such as the codon 129 polymorphism in the PrP gene, and the lack of the ability of affected gene products such as PrP to assume multiple protein conformations. Clearly, the remaining issue in the understanding of pathogenesis of prion disease is a detailed and accurate knowledge of the in vivo processes and conditions for the formation of PrPSc that inevitably lead to the development and expression of the disease. This knowledge will enable the development of a rational and effective strategy for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierluigi Gambetti
- Institute of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, and National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, 2085 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH 44106-4907, USA
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26
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Abstract
Aggregates of dysfunctional proteins and peptides in or between brain neurons are key neuropathological features of dementia and are believed to directly cause or substantially contribute to the development of these diseases. Fundamental parts of the mechanisms underlying the dysregulation of proteins in Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, prion diseases and other dementing disorders are now well characterized, mainly due to the discovery of genes causing dominantly inherited disease forms (Table 1). As of today, no efficient pharmacotherapies are available, but new insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms are providing strategies to prevent or even cure these devastating disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Ingelsson
- Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown 02129, USA
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27
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Skworc KH, Windl O, Schulz-Schaeffer WJ, Giese A, Bergk J, N�gele A, Vieregge P, Zerr I, Poser S, Kretzschmar HA. Familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with a novel 120-bp insertion in the prion protein gene. Ann Neurol 2001. [DOI: 10.1002/1531-8249(199911)46:5<693::aid-ana3>3.0.co;2-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Lueck CJ, McIlwaine GG, Zeidler M. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and the eye. II. Ophthalmic and neuro-ophthalmic features. Eye (Lond) 2000; 14 ( Pt 3A):291-301. [PMID: 11026988 DOI: 10.1038/eye.2000.76] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- C J Lueck
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK.
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29
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Lueck CJ, McIlwaine GG, Zeidler M. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and the eye. I. Background and patient management. Eye (Lond) 2000; 14 ( Pt 3A):263-90. [PMID: 11026987 DOI: 10.1038/eye.2000.75] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
This article attempts to summarise our current understanding of TSEs as they affect man. Specific aspects relevant to ophthalmological practice, in particular the management of patients in day-to-day clinical practice and with respect to corneal transplantation, have been discussed. In the companion article we discuss the specific ophthalmic and neuro-ophthalmic features of these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- C J Lueck
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK.
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Yanai A, Meiner Z, Gahali I, Gabizon R, Taraboulos A. Subcellular trafficking abnormalities of a prion protein with a disrupted disulfide loop. FEBS Lett 1999; 460:11-6. [PMID: 10571052 DOI: 10.1016/s0014-5793(99)01316-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The single disulfide loop (Cys178-Cys213) of the prion protein (PrP) may stabilize the conformation of this protein by bridging the C-terminal alpha-helices. The substitution mutant Cys178Ala fails to form the prion isoform PrPSc when expressed in scrapie-infected neuroblastoma ScN2a cells (Muramoto et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93, 15457-15462). To investigate the reasons for this failure, we introduced the C178A substitution in the full length mouse PrP gene as well as in its N-terminally truncated delta23-88 version. The resulting mutants (C178A and deltaC178A, respectively) were transiently expressed in N2a and CHO cells. Wild-type PrP, wild-type delta23-88 and the point mutant E199K served as controls in these experiments. Compared to the wild-type controls, the C178A mutants were markedly resistant to proteolysis and they were also vastly insoluble in sarcosyl. Studying the metabolic fate of the C178A mutants, we found that in contrast to control PrP molecules, these mutants (i) remained sensitive to the diagnostic endoglycosidase EndoH, (ii) failed to reach the cell surface and (iii) congregated in large juxtanuclear spots. We surmise that these severe trafficking abnormalities may contribute both to the spontaneous aggregation of the C178A mutants and to their reported inability to form PrP(Sc).
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Affiliation(s)
- A Yanai
- Department of Molecular Biology, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
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31
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Mastrianni JA. The prion diseases: Creutzfeldt-Jakob, Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker, and related disorders. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 1999; 11:78-97. [PMID: 9877529 DOI: 10.1177/089198879801100206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The prion diseases are an interesting group of neurodegenerative disorders for a variety of reasons. The most obvious is their property of transmissibility, but beyond that they constitute a fascinating example of the diversity of disease expression possible from a common etiologic factor. Thought of as "strains" in animals and phenotypes in humans, these varied expressions of prion disease are most likely due to subtle conformational changes in the pathogenic form of the prion protein. These strain-like characteristics are best exemplified in the genetic varieties of human prion disease in which specific mutations are associated with specific phenotypic profiles. This review attempts to highlight the clinical and pathologic features of the prion diseases with a particular focus on the genetic determinants that define the various familial forms and that modify sporadic and iatrogenic forms of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Mastrianni
- Department of Neurology, University of Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
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Ghetti B, Gambetti P. Chapter 5 Human Prion Diseases. GENETIC ABERRANCIES AND NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS 1999. [DOI: 10.1016/s1566-3124(08)60025-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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Priola SA, Chesebro B. Abnormal properties of prion protein with insertional mutations in different cell types. J Biol Chem 1998; 273:11980-5. [PMID: 9565627 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.273.19.11980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Inherited forms of the human transmissible spongiform encephalopathy Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) have been associated with mutations in the normal soluble, protease-sensitive form of the host prion protein (PrP-sen). Normal PrP protein contains five copies of a repeating eight-amino acid region, and PrP molecules with six or more copies of this region are associated with disease in familial CJD. It has been hypothesized that these mutations might facilitate spontaneous formation of the abnormal, aggregated protease-resistant PrP isoform, PrP-res, associated with clinical CJD and other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE). In the present experiments, hamster PrP molecules with 5 (wild-type), 7, 9, or 11 copies of this repeat region were generated and expressed in mouse fibroblast cells or mouse neuroblastoma cells. In mouse fibroblast cells, mutant hamster PrP molecules expressing 7, 9, and 11 copies of the octapeptide repeat sequence showed altered cell surface expression, but both mutant and wild-type hamster PrP-sen molecules demonstrated abnormal properties of aggregation and increased protease resistance. By contrast in mouse neuroblastoma cells, hamster PrP-sen with 5, 9, and 11 octapeptide repeats were expressed normally on the cell surface, but only PrP-sen molecules with 9 or 11 copies of the repeat motif had abnormal properties of aggregation and increased protease resistance. Overall, regardless of cell type, hamster PrP molecules with greater than 7 octapeptide repeats were more aggregated and more protease-resistant than molecules with 7 repeats or less. However, these abnormal molecules were at least 1000-fold less protease-resistant than bona fide PrP-res derived from TSE-infected brain tissue, and they showed no increased ability to form PrP-res in a cell-free system.
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Affiliation(s)
- S A Priola
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Hamilton, Montana 59840, USA.
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Abstract
Prions are unprecedented infectious pathogens that cause a group of invariably fatal, neurodegenerative diseases by an entirely novel mechanism. Prion diseases may present as genetic, infectious, or sporadic disorders, all of which involve modification of the prion protein (PrP). The human prion disease Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) generally presents as a progressive dementia, whereas scrapie of sheep and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) are manifest as ataxic illnesses. Prions are devoid of nucleic acid and seem to be composed exclusively of a modified isoform of PrP designated PrPSc. The normal, cellular PrP designated PrPC is converted into PrPSc through a process whereby some of its alpha-helical structure is converted into beta-sheet. The species of a particular prion is encoded by the sequence of the chromosomal PrP gene of the mammals in which it last replicated. In contrast to pathogens with a nucleic acid genome, prions encipher strain-specific properties in the tertiary structure of PrPSc. Transgenetic studies argue that PrPSc acts as a template upon which PrPC is refolded into a nascent PrPSc molecule through a process facilitated by another protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- S B Prusiner
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco 94143, USA
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35
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Smith CJ, Drake AF, Banfield BA, Bloomberg GB, Palmer MS, Clarke AR, Collinge J. Conformational properties of the prion octa-repeat and hydrophobic sequences. FEBS Lett 1997; 405:378-84. [PMID: 9108322 DOI: 10.1016/s0014-5793(97)00220-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
We have used circular dichroism to study synthetic peptides from two important regions of the prion protein: the N-terminal octa-repeat domain and a highly conserved hydrophobic section. Our results show that the octa-repeat sequence in free solution can adopt a non-random, extended conformation with properties similar to the poly-L-proline type II left-handed helix. We also show that the conformation can be changed by temperature, organic solvents (e.g. acetonitrile) and on binding to phospholipid vesicles. We compared CD data from two peptides corresponding to the hydrophobic region between residues 106 and 136 which contained either methionine or valine at position 129. This variation represents a common polymorphism in humans which has been shown to influence predisposition towards iatrogenic and sporadic CJD. There was no detectable difference between the CD spectra of these peptides irrespective of the solvent conditions we used.
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Affiliation(s)
- C J Smith
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medical Sciences, University of Bristol, UK
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Muramoto T, Scott M, Cohen FE, Prusiner SB. Recombinant scrapie-like prion protein of 106 amino acids is soluble. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1996; 93:15457-62. [PMID: 8986833 PMCID: PMC26426 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.93.26.15457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/06/1996] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The N terminus of the scrapie isoform of prion protein (PrPSc) can be truncated without loss of scrapie infectivity and, correspondingly, the truncation of the N terminus of the cellular isoform, PrPC, still permits conversion into PrPSc. To assess whether additional segments of the PrP molecule can be deleted, we previously removed regions of putative secondary structure in PrPC; in the present study we found that deletion of each of the four predicted helices prevented PrPSc formation, as did deletion of the stop transfer effector region and the C178A mutation. Removal of a 36-residue loop between helices 2 and 3 did not prevent formation of protease-resistant PrP; the resulting scrapie-like protein, designated PrPSc106, contained 106 residues after cleavage of an N-terminal signal peptide and a C-terminal sequence for glycolipid anchor addition. Addition of the detergent Sarkosyl to cell lysates solubilized PrPSc106, which retained resistance to digestion by proteinase K. These results suggest that all the regions of proposed secondary structure in PrP are required for PrPSc formation, as is the disulfide bond stabilizing helices 3 and 4. The discovery of PrPSc106 should facilitate structural studies of PrPSc, investigations of the mechanism of PrPSc formation, and the production of PrPSc-specific antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Muramoto
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco 94143, USA
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Baldwin MA, Cohen FE, Prusiner SB. Prion protein isoforms, a convergence of biological and structural investigations. J Biol Chem 1995; 270:19197-200. [PMID: 7642588 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.270.33.19197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- M A Baldwin
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0518, USA
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Liberski PP. Prions, beta-sheets and transmissible dementias: is there still something missing? Acta Neuropathol 1995; 90:113-25. [PMID: 7484085 DOI: 10.1007/bf00294309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- P P Liberski
- Laboratory of Electron Microscopic & Neuropathology, Medical Academy Lodz, Poland
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Oda T, Kitamoto T, Tateishi J, Mitsuhashi T, Iwabuchi K, Haga C, Oguni E, Kato Y, Tominaga I, Yanai K. Prion disease with 144 base pair insertion in a Japanese family line. Acta Neuropathol 1995; 90:80-6. [PMID: 7572084 DOI: 10.1007/bf00294463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
We describe an insert mutation in the prion protein (PrP) gene in a Japanese family line that encodes six octapeptide repeats. This is the second report to date of an inherited prion disease with a 144-base pair insertion, although the order of the repeat sequences differ from that reported for the disease in an English family line. The clinical features, like those of the English patients, were characterized by a slowly progressive generalized dementia with some neurological signs and cortical focal symptoms. Postmortem examination disclosed diffuse atrophy of cerebral gray matter and the cerebellar cortex; histologically, there were marked patchy and regional neuronal loss with astrocytosis in the frontal cortex, amygdala and hippocampus and PrP-immunoreactive plaques in the molecular layer of the cerebellum. These plaques were different from typical kuru plaques. The prion disease in the present Japanese family line is compared with that in the English family line.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Oda
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, National Shimofusa Sanatorium, Chiba, Japan
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Nicholl D, Windl O, de Silva R, Sawcer S, Dempster M, Ironside JW, Estibeiro JP, Yuill GM, Lathe R, Will RG. Inherited Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in a British family associated with a novel 144 base pair insertion of the prion protein gene. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1995; 58:65-9. [PMID: 7823070 PMCID: PMC1073270 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp.58.1.65] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
A case of familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease associated with a 144 base pair insertion in the open reading frame of the prion protein gene is described. Sequencing of the mutated allele showed an arrangement of six octapeptide repeats, distinct from that of a recently described British family with an insertion of similar size. Thirteen years previously the brother of the proband had died from "Huntington's disease", but re-examination of his neuropathology revealed spongiform encephalopathy and anti-prion protein immunocytochemistry gave a positive result. The independent evolution of at least two distinct pathological 144 base pair insertions in Britain is proposed. The importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion of inherited Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in cases of familial neurodegenerative disease is stressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Nicholl
- North Manchester General Hospital, Crumpsall, UK
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Gajdusek DC. Nucleation of amyloidogenesis in infectious and noninfectious amyloidoses of brain. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1994; 724:173-90. [PMID: 8030940 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1994.tb38909.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- D C Gajdusek
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
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Gajdusek DC. Spontaneous generation of infectious nucleating amyloids in the transmissible and nontransmissible cerebral amyloidoses. Mol Neurobiol 1994; 8:1-13. [PMID: 8086124 DOI: 10.1007/bf02778003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The unconventional viruses of the transmissible subacute spongiform encephalopathies (kuru-CJD-GSS-FFI-scrapie-BSE) are nucleants spontaneously generated from host precursor proteins altered to beta-pleated sheet configuration that polymerize into insoluble infectious amyloid fibrils. The de novo conversion to infectious amyloids is facilitated or accelerated by many different point mutations causing amino acid changes, a stop codon, or octapeptide inserts that increase the likelihood of spontaneous conversion to infectious configuration by many orders of magnitude. Similar nucleating induction of configurational change to amyloid probably occurs in other amyloidoses of brain and in systemic amyloidoses. Thus, all amyloids, particularly so-called fibrillar amyloid enhancing factors, may be considered to be infectious scrapie-like agents. These events probably occur extracellularly, thus we are attempting to reproduce them in vitro, even from synthetic polypeptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- D C Gajdusek
- Laboratory of Central Nervous System Studies, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
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Abstract
Prion diseases, also known as transmissible subacute spongiform encephalopathies (TSSE), are rare neurodegenerative disorders of both humans and animals. Their biochemical hallmark is an accumulation in the brain of an abnormal form of the host-encoded prion protein (PrP). This pathological accumulation could result from a protein conformational change under the influence of unknown factors. The normal function of PrP is unknown. The abnormal form is thought to induce neurodegeneration when experimentally or accidentally introduced in recipient hosts. Such a possibility would explain the transmissible character of these diseases illustrated in humans by iatrogenic contamination. Considerable attention has been focused on the host PrP gene and its relation with the genetic susceptibility of humans and animals. Mutations in PRNP, the gene which encodes PrP in humans, are present in 17% of the patients and might be causative. In patients without any PRNP mutation, a coding polymorphism (129 Met/Val) defines a predisposing factor. Since few years, important progress in the molecular genetics of TSSE in both humans and animals have been performed and point out that the development of different forms of these diseases, experimental, iatrogenic or spontaneous, are strongly dependent on the primary structure of the host PrP.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Pocchiari
- Section of Persistent and Slow Virus Infections, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
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