The Role of PrP in Health and Disease

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) such as scrapie in sheep, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle or Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD) and Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS) in humans, are caused by an infectious agent designated prion. The "protein only" hypothesis states that the prion consists partly or entirely of a conformational isoform of the normal host protein PrPc and that the abnormal conformer, when introduced into the organism, causes the conversion of PrPc into a likeness of itself. Since the proposal of the "protein only" hypothesis more than three decades ago, cloning of the PrP gene, studies on PrP knockout mice and on mice transgenic for mutant PrP genes allowed deep insights into prion biology. Reverse genetics on PrP knockout mice containing modified PrP transgenes was used to address a variety of problems: mapping PrP regions required for prion replication, studying PrP mutations affecting the species barrier, modeling familial forms of human prion disease, analysing the cell specificity of prion propagation and investigating the physiological role of PrP by structure-function studies. Many questions regarding the role of PrP in susceptibility to prions have been elucidated, however the physiological role of PrP and the pathological mechanisms of neurodegeneration in prion diseases are still elusive.

A quantitative, highly sensitive cell-based infectivity assay for mouse scrapie prions

Prions are usually quantified by bioassays based on intracerebral inoculation of mice that are slow, imprecise, and costly. We have isolated neuroblastoma N2a sublines highly susceptible to mouse prions, as evidenced by accumulation of infectivity and the scrapie form of prion protein (PrPSc), and developed quantitative in vitro assays for prion infectivity. In the scrapie cell (SC) assay, susceptible N2a cells are exposed to prion-containing samples for 3 days, grown to confluence, and split 1:10 three times, and the proportion of PrPSc-containing cells is determined with automated counting equipment. In a log/log plot, the dose-response is linear over two logs of prion concentrations. The SC assay is about as sensitive as the mouse bioassay, 10 times faster, >2 orders of magnitude less expensive, and suitable for robotization. SC assays performed in a more time-consuming end point titration format extend the sensitivity and show that infectivity titers measured in tissue culture and in the mouse are similar.

PrP knock-out and PrP transgenic mice in prion research

Spongiform encephalopathies such as scrapie in sheep, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle or Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD) and Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS) in humans is caused by a transmissible agent designated prion. The 'protein only' hypothesis proposes that the prion consists partly or entirely of a conformational isoform of the normal host protein PrP(C), designated PrP(*)(1) and that the abnormal conformer, when introduced into the organism, causes the conversion of PrP(C) into a likeness of itself. PrP(*) may be congruent with PrP(Sc), a protease-resistant, aggregated conformer of PrP that accumulates mainly in brain of almost all prion-infected organisms. PrP(C) consists of a flexible N-terminal half, comprising Cu(2+)-binding octapeptide repeats, and a globular domain consisting of three alpha-helices, one short antiparallel beta-sheet and a single disulphide bond. It is anchored at the outer cell-surface by a glycosyl phosphatidylinositol (GPI) tail and is present in almost all tissues, however, mainly in brain. Compelling linkage between the prion and PrP was established by biochemical and genetic data and led to the prediction that animals devoid of PrP should be resistant to experimental scrapie and fail to propagate infectivity. This prediction was indeed borne out, adding substantial support to the 'protein only' hypothesis. In addition, the availability of PrP knock-out mice provided an approach to carry out reverse genetics on PrP, both in regard to prion disease and to its physiological role.

Transmission of prions

The "protein only" hypothesis states that the infectious agent causing transmissible spongiform encephalopathies is a conformational isomer of PrP, a host protein predominantly expressed in brain, and is strongly supported by many lines of evidence. Prion diseases are so far unique among conformational diseases in that they are transmissible, not only experimentally but also by natural routes, mainly by ingestion. A striking feature of prions is their extraordinary resistance to conventional sterilization procedures, and their capacity to bind to surfaces of metal and plastic without losing infectivity. This property, first observed in a clinical setting, is now being investigated in experimental settings, both in animals and in cell culture.

Transmission of prions

The "protein only" hypothesis holds that the infectious agent causing transmissible spongiform encephalopathies is a conformational isomer of PrP, a host protein that is predominantly expressed in the brain. This hypothesis is strongly supported by many lines of evidence. To date, prion diseases are unique among conformational diseases in that they are transmissible-experimentally and by natural routes (mainly by ingestion). The pathway of prions to the brain has been elucidated in outline. A striking feature of prions is their extraordinary resistance to conventional sterilization procedures and their capacity to bind to surfaces of metal and plastic without losing infectivity. This property, first observed in a clinical setting, is now being investigated in experimental settings, both in animals and in cell culture.

Similar turnover and shedding of the cellular prion protein in primary lymphoid and neuronal cells

The cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) is essential for pathogenesis and transmission of prion diseases. Although prion replication in the brain is accompanied by neurodegeneration, prions multiply efficiently in the lymphoreticular system without any detectable pathology. We have used pulse-chase metabolic radiolabeling experiments to investigate the turnover and processing of PrP(C) in primary cell cultures derived from lymphoid and nervous tissues. Similar kinetics of PrP(C) degradation were observed in these tissues. This indicates that the differences between these two organs with respect to their capacity to replicate prions is not due to differences in the turnover of PrP(C). Substantial amounts of a soluble form of PrP that lacks the glycolipid anchor appeared in the medium of splenocytes and cerebellar granule cells. Soluble PrP was detected in murine and human serum, suggesting that it might be of physiological relevance.

Transmission of scrapie by steel-surface-bound prions

BACKGROUND

Prions are unusually resistant to conventional disinfection procedures. An electrode used intracerebrally on a Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) patient transmitted the disease to two patients in succession and finally to a chimpanzee, despite attempted disinfection. Concerns that surgical instruments may transmit variant CJD have been raised by the finding of PrP(Sc), a surrogate marker for infectivity, in various tissues other than brain.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Stainless steel wire was exposed to scrapie-infected brain or brain homogenate, washed exhaustively and inserted into the brain of indicator mice to measure infectivity.

RESULTS

A contact time of 5 min with scrapie-infected mouse brain suffices to render steel wire highly infectious and insertion of infectious wire into the brain of an indicator mouse for 30 min suffices to cause disease. Infectivity bound to wires persists far longer in the brain than when injected as homogenate, which can explain the extraordinary efficiency of wire-mediated infection. No detectable amounts of PrP could be eluted with NaOH, however the presence of PrP on infectious wires was demonstrated by chemiluminescence. Several recommended sterilisation procedures inactivated wire-bound mouse prions, but exposure to 10% formaldehyde was insufficient.

CONCLUSIONS

Prions are readily and tightly bound to stainless steel surfaces and can transmit scrapie to recipient mice after short exposure times. This system mimics contaminated surgical instruments and will allow an assessment of sterilisation procedures.

Scrapie prion protein accumulation by scrapie-infected neuroblastoma cells abrogated by exposure to a prion protein antibody

Exposure of susceptible neuroblastoma N2a cells to mouse scrapie prions leads to infection, as evidenced by the continued presence of the scrapie form of the prion protein (PrP(Sc)) and infectivity after 300 or more cell doublings. We find that exposure to phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PIPLC) or to the monoclonal anti-prion protein (PrP) antibody 6H4 not only prevents infection of susceptible N2a cells but also cures chronically scrapie-infected cultures, as judged by the long-term abrogation of PrP(Sc) accumulation after cessation of treatment. A nonpassaged, stationary infected culture rapidly loses PrP(Sc) when exposed to the antibody or PIPLC, indicating that the PrP(Sc) level is determined by steady state equilibrium between formation and degradation, and that depletion of the cellular form of PrP can interrupt the propagation of PrP(Sc). These findings encourage the belief that passive immunization may provide a therapeutic approach to prion disease.

B lymphocyte-restricted expression of prion protein does not enable prion replication in prion protein knockout mice

Prion replication in spleen and neuroinvasion after i.p. inoculation of mice is impaired in forms of immunodeficiency where mature B lymphocytes are lacking. In spleens of wild-type mice, infectivity is associated with B and T lymphocytes and stroma but not with circulating lymphocytes. We generated transgenic prion protein knockout mice overexpressing prion protein in B lymphocytes and found that they failed to accumulate prions in spleen after i.p. inoculation. We conclude that splenic B lymphocytes are not prion-replication competent and that they acquire prions from other cells, most likely follicular dendritic cells with which they closely associate and whose maturation depends on them.

Prion protein devoid of the octapeptide repeat region restores susceptibility to scrapie in PrP knockout mice

Mice devoid of PrP are resistant to scrapie and fail to replicate the agent. Introduction of transgenes expressing PrP into such mice restores susceptibility to scrapie. We find that truncated PrP devoid of the five copper binding octarepeats still sustains scrapie infection; however, incubation times are longer and prion titers and protease-resistant PrP are about 30-fold lower than in wild-type mice. Surprisingly, brains of terminally ill animals show no histopathology typical for scrapie. However, in the spinal cord, infectivity, gliosis, and motor neuron loss are as in scrapie-infected wild-type controls. Thus, while the region comprising the octarepeats is not essential for mediating pathogenesis and prion replication, it modulates the extent of these events and of disease presentation.

Adenoviral and adeno-associated viral transfer of genes to the peripheral nervous system

Targeted expression of foreign genes to the peripheral nervous system is interesting for many applications, including gene therapy of neuromuscular diseases, neuroanatomical studies, and elucidation of mechanisms of axonal flow. Here we describe a microneurosurgical technique for injection of replication-defective viral vectors into dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Adenovirus- and adeno-associated virus-based vectors with transcriptional competence for DRG neurons led to expression of the gene of interest throughout the first neuron of the sensory system, from the distal portions of the respective sensory nerve to the ipsilateral nucleus gracilis and cuneatus, which contains the synapses to the spinothalamic tracts. Use of Rag-1 ablated mice, which lack all B and T lymphocytes, allowed for sustained expression for periods exceeding 100 days. In immunocompetent mice, long-term (52 days) expression was achieved with similar efficiency by using adeno-associated viral vectors. DRG injection was vastly superior to intraneural injection into the sciatic nerve, which mainly transduced Schwann cells in the vicinity of the site of inoculation site but only inefficiently transduced nerve fibers, whereas i.m. injection did not lead to any significant expression of the reporter gene in nerve fibers. The versatile and efficient transduction of genes of interest should enable a wide variety of functional studies of peripheral nervous system pathophysiology.

PrP-dependent association of prions with splenic but not circulating lymphocytes of scrapie-infected mice

An intact immune system, and particularly the presence of mature B lymphocytes, is crucial for mouse scrapie pathogenesis in the brain after peripheral exposure. Prions are accumulated in the lymphoreticular system (LRS), but the identity of the cells containing infectivity and their role in neuroinvasion have not been determined. We show here that although prion infectivity in the spleen is associated with B and T lymphocytes and to a lesser degree with the stroma, no infectivity could be detected in lymphocytes from blood. In wild-type mice, which had been irradiated and reconstituted with PrP-deficient lymphohaematopoietic stem cells and inoculated with scrapie prions, infectivity in the spleen was present in the stroma but not in lymphocytes. Therefore, splenic B and T lymphocytes can either synthesize prions or acquire them from another source, but only when they express PrP.

Infectivity of scrapie prions bound to a stainless steel surface

BACKGROUND

The transmissible agent of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is not readily destroyed by conventional sterilization and transmissions by surgical instruments have been reported. Decontamination studies have been carried out thus far on solutions or suspensions of the agent and may not reflect the behavior of surface-bound infectivity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

As a model for contaminated surgical instruments, thin stainless-steel wire segments were exposed to scrapie agent, washed exhaustively with or without treatment with 10% formaldehyde, and implanted into the brains of indicator mice. Infectivity was estimated from the time elapsing to terminal disease.

RESULTS

Stainless steel wire (0.15 x 5 mm) exposed to scrapie-infected mouse brain homogenate and washed extensively with PBS retained the equivalent of about 10(5) LD50 units per segment. Treatment with 10% formaldehyde for 1 hr reduced this value by only about 30-fold.

CONCLUSIONS

The model system we have devised confirms the anecdotal reports that steel instruments can retain CJD infectivity even after formaldehyde treatment. It lends itself to a systematic study of the conditions required to effectively inactivate CJD, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and scrapie agent adsorbed to stainless steel surfaces such as those of surgical instruments.

Effective gene transfer of lacZ and P0 into Schwann cells of P0-deficient mice

Mutations in the gene encoding for the myelinating Schwann cell protein P0 have been linked to inherited peripheral neuropathies, including the Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 1B disease (CMT1B) and Dejerine-Sottas syndrome (DSS). Recently generated mice deficient in the P0 gene (P0-/- mice) resemble cases of CMT1B and DSS with impaired myelin dosage (Martini et al., 1995a). Potential approaches to treat such diseases include the introduction of the normal gene in the nerves of strongly affected patients. In the present study we used P0-/- mice to evaluate the efficiency of a replication-defective, E1-deleted adenovirus vector carrying the lacZ (Ad-RSV-lacZ) or P0 (Ad-RSV-P0) gene to infect abnormally myelinating Schwann cells. The Ad-RSV-lacZ vector suspension was injected into the left sciatic nerve ofPO-/- mice and the nerves examined for beta-galactosidase activity by X-gal histochemistry. Contralateral nerves injected with vehicle solution or non-injected served as controls. Beta-galactosidase activity was detected in nerves injected with the Ad-RSV-lacZ vector up to 2 weeks post-injection. Immunosuppressing the mice with FK506 to decrease the infiltration of activated T-cells in infected nerves lengthened beta-galactosidase activity to 8 weeks, the longest time point examined. Ultrastructural analysis indicated that X-gal crystals were present mostly in abnormally myelinating Schwann cells. These findings demonstrate that an adenovirus vector can successfully infect Schwann cells in P0-/- mice and expression can be maintained for several weeks. The Ad-RSV-P0 suspension was then injected in the sciatic nerve of immunosuppressed P0-/- mice. Two and four weeks post-injection both P0 mRNA and protein could be detected by in situ hybridization and Western blotting in some of the nerves. Furthermore, P0 protein expression was observed in myelin-like structures and onion bulb-like cells by immunohistochemistry. These results indicate that Schwann cells in P0-/- mice can be induced to produce P0 protein after gene transfer. Genetic repair of abnormal Schwann cells by using adenovirus vectors might be a possible technique to treat animal models of inherited peripheral neuropathies.

PrP expression in B lymphocytes is not required for prion neuroinvasion

Prion diseases are typically initiated by infection of peripheral sites, as in the case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, kuru and most cases of iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. In mouse scrapie, prion infectivity accumulates in lymphoid organs, and the absence of mature B lymphocytes prevents peripherally administered prions from inducing central nervous system disease. We have now assessed whether expression of the cellular prion protein, PrPc, is required for B lymphocytes to mediate neuroinvasion. We found that repopulation of SCID and Rag-1(-/-) mice with fetal liver cells from either PrP-expressing or PrP-deficient mice and from T-cell deficient mice, but not from B-cell deficient mice, is equally efficient in restoring neuroinvasion after intraperitoneal inoculation of scrapie prions. These results indicate that cells whose maturation depends on B cells or their products, such as follicular dendritic cells, may enhance neuroinvasion. Alternatively, B cells may transport prions to the nervous system by a PrP-independent mechanism.

Expression of amino-terminally truncated PrP in the mouse leading to ataxia and specific cerebellar lesions

The physiological role of prion protein (PrP) remains unknown. Mice devoid of PrP develop normally but are resistant to scrapie; introduction of a PrP transgene restores susceptibility to the disease. To identify the regions of PrP necessary for this activity, we prepared PrP knockout mice expressing PrPs with amino-proximal deletions. Surprisingly, PrP lacking residues 32-121 or 32-134, but not with shorter deletions, caused severe ataxia and neuronal death limited to the granular layer of the cerebellum as early as 1-3 months after birth. The defect was completely abolished by introducing one copy of a wild-type PrP gene. We speculate that these truncated PrPs may be nonfunctional and compete with some other molecule with a PrP-like function for a common ligand.

A crucial role for B cells in neuroinvasive scrapie

Although prion proteins are most efficiently propagated through intracerebral inoculation, peripheral administration has caused the diseases kuru, iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and new-variant CJD. The development of neurological disease after peripheral inoculation depends on prion expansion within cells of the lymphoreticular system. Here we investigate the identity of these cells by using a panel of immune-deficient mice inoculated with prions intraperitoneally: we found that defects affecting only T lymphocytes had no apparent effect, but that all mutations that disrupted the differentiation and response of B lymphocytes prevented the development of clinical scrapie. As an absence of B cells and of antibodies correlates with severe defects in follicular dendritic cells, a lack of any of these three components may prevent the development of clinical scrapie. However, we found that scrapie developed after peripheral inoculation in mice expressing immunoglobulins that were exclusively of the M subclass and without detectable specificity for the normal form of the prion PrPC, and in mice which had differentiated B cells but no functional follicular dendritic cells. We conclude that differentiated B cells are crucial for neuroinvasion by scrapie, regardless of the specificity of their receptors.