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McLeish E, Slater N, Sooda A, Wilson A, Coudert JD, Lloyd TE, Needham M. Inclusion body myositis: The interplay between ageing, muscle degeneration and autoimmunity. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol 2022; 36:101761. [PMID: 35760741 DOI: 10.1016/j.berh.2022.101761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Inclusion body myositis (IBM) is a slowly progressive muscle disease affecting ageing individuals. IBM presents with a distinctive pattern of weakness involving the quadriceps and finger flexor muscles, although other muscles including pharyngeal muscles become affected over time. Pathological hallmarks of IBM include autoimmune features, including endomysial infiltration by highly differentiated T cells, as well as degenerative features marked by intramyofibre protein aggregates organised into inclusion bodies. Despite some progress in understanding the cellular pathways involved in IBM, it remains untreatable, and the progression of the disease leads to progressive weakness, disability, wheelchair dependency and loss of independence. Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve our understanding of the underlying mechanisms and pathways involved in this disease to identify new treatment targets. Here, we discuss the current understanding of aetiopathogenesis, the interrelationship between autoimmunity and degeneration, and how ageing is a major influencer of both these features.
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Affiliation(s)
- E McLeish
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Innovative Therapeutics, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia.
| | - N Slater
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Innovative Therapeutics, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - A Sooda
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Innovative Therapeutics, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - A Wilson
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - J D Coudert
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Innovative Therapeutics, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia; Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Perth, WA, Australia; School of Medicine, University of Notre Dame, Fremantle, WA, Australia
| | - T E Lloyd
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - M Needham
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Innovative Therapeutics, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia; Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Perth, WA, Australia; School of Medicine, University of Notre Dame, Fremantle, WA, Australia; Fiona Stanley Hospital, Department of Neurology, Perth, WA, Australia
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Zhang B, Hong X, Ji H, Tang WY, Kimmel M, Ji Y, Pearson C, Zuckerman B, Surkan PJ, Wang X. Maternal smoking during pregnancy and cord blood DNA methylation: new insight on sex differences and effect modification by maternal folate levels. Epigenetics 2018; 13:505-518. [PMID: 29945474 PMCID: PMC6140808 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2018.1475978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal smoking during pregnancy may affect newborn DNA methylation (DNAm). However, little is known about how these associations vary by a newborn's sex and/or maternal nutrition. To fill in this research gap, we investigated epigenome-wide DNAm associations with maternal smoking during pregnancy in African American mother-newborn pairs. DNAm profiling in cord (n = 379) and maternal blood (n = 300) were performed using the Illumina HumanMethylation450 BeadChip array. We identified 12 CpG sites whose DNAm levels in cord blood were associated with maternal smoking, at a false discovery rate <5%. The identified associations in the GFI1 gene were more pronounced in male newborns than in females (P = 0.002 for maternal smoking × sex interaction at cg18146737). We further observed that maternal smoking and folate level may interactively affect cord blood DNAm level at cg05575921 in the AHRR gene (P = 5.0 × 10-4 for interaction): compared to newborns unexposed to maternal smoking and with a high maternal folate level (>19.2 nmol/L), the DNAm level was about 0.03 lower (P = 3.6 × 10-4) in exposed newborns with a high maternal folate level, but was 0.08 lower (P = 1.2 × 10-8) in exposed newborns with a low maternal folate level. Our data suggest that adequate maternal folate levels may partly counteract the impact of maternal smoking on DNAm. These findings may open new avenues of inquiry regarding sex differences in response to environmental insults and novel strategies to mitigate their intergenerational health effects through optimization of maternal nutrition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boyang Zhang
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Xiumei Hong
- Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Center on the Early Life Origins of Disease, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Hongkai Ji
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Wan-yee Tang
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mary Kimmel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Yuelong Ji
- Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Center on the Early Life Origins of Disease, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Colleen Pearson
- Department of Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Barry Zuckerman
- Department of Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Pamela J. Surkan
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Xiaobin Wang
- Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Center on the Early Life Origins of Disease, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Division of General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Abstract
Early and accurate diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a necessary to distinguish this untreatable disease from treatable rapidly progressive dementias, and to prevent iatrogenic transmission. Currently, definitive diagnosis of CJD requires detection of the abnormally folded, CJD-specific form of protease-resistant prion protein (PrP(CJD)) in brain tissue obtained postmortem or via biopsy; therefore, diagnosis of sporadic CJD in clinical practice is often challenging. Supporting investigations, including MRI, EEG and conventional analyses of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, are helpful in the diagnostic work-up, but do not allow definitive diagnosis. Recently, novel ultrasensitive seeding assays, based on the amplified detection of PrP(CJD), have improved the diagnostic process; for example, real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) is a sensitive method to detect prion-seeding activity in brain homogenate from humans with any subtype of sporadic CJD. RT-QuIC can also be used for in vivo diagnosis of CJD: its diagnostic sensitivity in detecting PrP(CJD) in CSF samples is 96%, and its specificity is 100%. Recently, we provided evidence that RT-QuIC of olfactory mucosa brushings is a 97% sensitive and 100% specific for sporadic CJD. These assays provide a basis for definitive antemortem diagnosis of prion diseases and, in doing so, improve prospects for reducing the risk of prion transmission. Moreover, they can be used to evaluate outcome measures in therapeutic trials for these as yet untreatable infections.
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Abstract
In certain sporadic, familial, and infectious prion diseases, the prion protein misfolds and aggregates in skeletal muscle in addition to the brain and spinal cord. In myocytes, prion aggregates accumulate intracellularly, yet little is known about clearance pathways. Here we investigated the clearance of prion aggregates in muscle of transgenic mice that develop prion disease de novo. In addition to neurodegeneration, aged mice developed a degenerative myopathy, with scattered myocytes containing ubiquitinated, intracellular prion inclusions that were adjacent to myocytes lacking inclusions. Myocytes also showed elevated levels of the endoplasmic reticulum chaperone Grp78/BiP, suggestive of impaired protein degradation and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Additionally, autophagy was induced, as indicated by increased levels of beclin-1 and LC3-II. In C2C12 myoblasts, inhibition of autophagosome maturation or lysosomal degradation led to enhanced prion aggregation, consistent with a role for autophagy in prion aggregate clearance. Taken together, these findings suggest that the induction of autophagy may be a central strategy for prion aggregate clearance in myocytes. IMPORTANCE In prion diseases, the prion protein misfolds and aggregates in the central nervous system and sometimes in other organs, including muscle, yet the cellular pathways of prion aggregate clearance are unclear. Here we investigated the clearance of prion aggregates in the muscle of a transgenic mouse model that develops profound muscle degeneration. We found that endoplasmic reticulum stress pathways were activated and that autophagy was induced. Blocking of autophagic degradation in cell culture models led to an accumulation of aggregated prion protein. Collectively, these findings suggest that autophagy has an instrumental role in prion protein clearance.
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Neumann M, Krasemann S, Schröck K, Steinbach K, Glatzel M. Myositis facilitates preclinical accumulation of pathological prion protein in muscle. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2013; 1:78. [PMID: 24299111 PMCID: PMC4046662 DOI: 10.1186/2051-5960-1-78] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2013] [Accepted: 11/01/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In human and animal prion diseases, pathological prion protein, PrPSc, as well as prion infectivity is mainly found in the central nervous system, but also in lymphoid organs and muscle. Pathophysiology of prion colonization of lymphoid organs has been studied intensively, yet how myositis influences prion accumulation in muscle is unknown. Result We have investigated the influence of myositis on PrPSc accumulation and prion infectivity in two distinct mouse models of experimental autoimmune myositis. Furthermore, we have addressed the relevance of PrPC expression in the lymphoreticular system in myositis by generating bone marrow chimeras. Here we show that myositis positively influences muscular PrPSc accumulation at preclinical time points and that PrPC-expression in the lymphoid system is critical for this. In muscle, PrPSc and prion infectivity are uncoupled with detectable PrPSc but no prion infectivity at preclinical time points. Muscle has an intrinsically high ability to clear PrPSc once myositis has ceased, possibly involving autophagy. Conclusion Our findings provide new insights into the pathophysiology of prion colonization in muscle pointing out that myositis leads to enhanced prion colonization of muscle in subclinical prion disease. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2051-5960-1-78) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Lack of prion infectivity in fixed heart tissue from patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease or amyloid heart disease. J Virol 2013; 87:9501-10. [PMID: 23785217 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00692-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In most forms of prion disease, infectivity is present primarily in the central nervous system or immune system organs such as spleen and lymph node. However, a transgenic mouse model of prion disease has demonstrated that prion infectivity can also be present as amyloid deposits in heart tissue. Deposition of infectious prions as amyloid in human heart tissue would be a significant public health concern. Although abnormal disease-associated prion protein (PrP(Sc)) has not been detected in heart tissue from several amyloid heart disease patients, it has been observed in the heart tissue of a patient with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (sCJD), the most common form of human prion disease. In order to determine whether prion infectivity can be found in heart tissue, we have inoculated formaldehyde fixed brain and heart tissue from two sCJD patients, as well as prion protein positive fixed heart tissue from two amyloid heart disease patients, into transgenic mice overexpressing the human prion protein. Although the sCJD brain samples led to clinical or subclinical prion infection and deposition of PrP(Sc) in the brain, none of the inoculated heart samples resulted in disease or the accumulation of PrP(Sc). Thus, our results suggest that prion infectivity is not likely present in cardiac tissue from sCJD or amyloid heart disease patients.
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Suardi S, Vimercati C, Casalone C, Gelmetti D, Corona C, Iulini B, Mazza M, Lombardi G, Moda F, Ruggerone M, Campagnani I, Piccoli E, Catania M, Groschup MH, Balkema-Buschmann A, Caramelli M, Monaco S, Zanusso G, Tagliavini F. Infectivity in skeletal muscle of cattle with atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy. PLoS One 2012; 7:e31449. [PMID: 22363650 PMCID: PMC3283643 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2011] [Accepted: 01/08/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The amyloidotic form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) termed BASE is caused by a prion strain whose biological properties differ from those of typical BSE, resulting in a clinically and pathologically distinct phenotype. Whether peripheral tissues of BASE-affected cattle contain infectivity is unknown. This is a critical issue since the BASE prion is readily transmissible to a variety of hosts including primates, suggesting that humans may be susceptible. We carried out bioassays in transgenic mice overexpressing bovine PrP (Tgbov XV) and found infectivity in a variety of skeletal muscles from cattle with natural and experimental BASE. Noteworthy, all BASE muscles used for inoculation transmitted disease, although the attack rate differed between experimental and natural cases (∼70% versus ∼10%, respectively). This difference was likely related to different prion titers, possibly due to different stages of disease in the two conditions, i.e. terminal stage in experimental BASE and pre-symptomatic stage in natural BASE. The neuropathological phenotype and PrPres type were consistent in all affected mice and matched those of Tgbov XV mice infected with brain homogenate from natural BASE. The immunohistochemical analysis of skeletal muscles from cattle with natural and experimental BASE showed the presence of abnormal prion protein deposits within muscle fibers. Conversely, Tgbov XV mice challenged with lymphoid tissue and kidney from natural and experimental BASE did not develop disease. The novel information on the neuromuscular tropism of the BASE strain, efficiently overcoming species barriers, underlines the relevance of maintaining an active surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Suardi
- Instituto Di Ricoveroe Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Foundation “Carlo Besta” Neurological Institute, Milano, Italy
| | - Chiara Vimercati
- Instituto Di Ricoveroe Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Foundation “Carlo Besta” Neurological Institute, Milano, Italy
| | - Cristina Casalone
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Torino, Italy
| | - Daniela Gelmetti
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia ed Emilia Romagna, Brescia, Italy
| | - Cristiano Corona
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Torino, Italy
| | - Barbara Iulini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Torino, Italy
| | - Maria Mazza
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Torino, Italy
| | - Guerino Lombardi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia ed Emilia Romagna, Brescia, Italy
| | - Fabio Moda
- Instituto Di Ricoveroe Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Foundation “Carlo Besta” Neurological Institute, Milano, Italy
| | - Margherita Ruggerone
- Instituto Di Ricoveroe Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Foundation “Carlo Besta” Neurological Institute, Milano, Italy
| | - Ilaria Campagnani
- Instituto Di Ricoveroe Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Foundation “Carlo Besta” Neurological Institute, Milano, Italy
| | - Elena Piccoli
- Instituto Di Ricoveroe Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Foundation “Carlo Besta” Neurological Institute, Milano, Italy
| | - Marcella Catania
- Instituto Di Ricoveroe Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Foundation “Carlo Besta” Neurological Institute, Milano, Italy
| | | | | | - Maria Caramelli
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Torino, Italy
| | | | | | - Fabrizio Tagliavini
- Instituto Di Ricoveroe Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Foundation “Carlo Besta” Neurological Institute, Milano, Italy
- * E-mail:
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Krasemann S, Neumann M, Geissen M, Bodemer W, Kaup FJ, Schulz-Schaeffer W, Morel N, Aguzzi A, Glatzel M. Preclinical deposition of pathological prion protein in muscle of experimentally infected primates. PLoS One 2010; 5:e13906. [PMID: 21085647 PMCID: PMC2978702 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0013906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2010] [Accepted: 10/18/2010] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are transmissible fatal neurodegenerative disorders affecting humans and animals. A central step in disease progression is the accumulation of a misfolded form (PrPSc) of the host encoded prion protein (PrPC) in neuronal and non-neuronal tissues. The involvement of peripheral tissues in preclinical states increases the risk of accidental transmission. On the other hand, detection of PrPSc in non-neuronal easy-accessible compartments such as muscle may offer a novel diagnostic tool. Primate models have proven invaluable to investigate prion diseases. We have studied the deposition of PrPSc in muscle and central nervous system of rhesus monkeys challenged with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), variant CJD (vCJD) and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in preclinical and clinical stage using biochemical and morphological methods. Here, we show the preclinical presence of PrPSc in muscle and central nervous system of rhesus monkeys experimentally infected with vCJD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Krasemann
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Melanie Neumann
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Markus Geissen
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Nathalie Morel
- CEA, IBitec-S, Service de Pharmacologie et dlmmunoanalyse, CEA/Saclay, Gif sur Yvette, France
| | - Adriano Aguzzi
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- * E-mail: (AA); , (MG)
| | - Markus Glatzel
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- * E-mail: (AA); , (MG)
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Salazar E, Monleón E, Bolea R, Acín C, Pérez M, Alvarez N, Leginagoikoa I, Juste R, Minguijón E, Reina R, Glaria I, Berriatua E, de Andrés D, Badiola JJ, Amorena B, Luján L. Detection of PrPSc in lung and mammary gland is favored by the presence of Visna/maedi virus lesions in naturally coinfected sheep. Vet Res 2010; 41:58. [PMID: 20423698 PMCID: PMC2881419 DOI: 10.1051/vetres/2010030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2010] [Accepted: 04/27/2010] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
There are few reports on the pathogenesis of scrapie (Sc) and Visna/maedi virus (VMV) coinfections. The aim of this work was to study in vivo as well as post mortem both diseases in 91 sheep. Diagnosis of Sc and VMV infections allowed the distribution of animals into five groups according to the presence (+) or absence (−) of infection by Sc and VMV: Sc−/VMV−, Sc−/VMV+, Sc+/VMV− and Sc+/VMV+. The latter was divided into two subgroups, with and without VMV-induced lymphoid follicle hyperplasia (LFH), respectively. In both the lung and mammary gland, PrPSc deposits were found in the germinal center of hyperplasic lymphoid follicles in the subgroup of Sc+/VMV+ having VMV-induced LFH. This detection was always associated with (and likely preceded by) PrPSc observation in the corresponding lymph nodes. No PrPSc was found in other VMV-associated lesions. Animals suffering from scrapie had a statistically significantly lower mean age than the scrapie free animals at the time of death, with no apparent VMV influence. ARQ/ARQ genotype was the most abundant among the 91 ewes and the most frequent in scrapie-affected sheep. VMV infection does not seem to influence the scrapie risk group distribution among animals from the five groups established in this work. Altogether, these data indicate that certain VMV-induced lesions can favor PrPSc deposits in Sc non-target organs such as the lung and the mammary gland, making this coinfection an interesting field that warrants further research for a better comprehension of the pathogenesis of both diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eider Salazar
- Department of Animal Pathology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Zaragoza, 177 Miguel Servet street, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
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Hajj GNM, Santos TG, Cook ZSP, Martins VR. Developmental expression of prion protein and its ligands stress-inducible protein 1 and vitronectin. J Comp Neurol 2010; 517:371-84. [PMID: 19760599 DOI: 10.1002/cne.22157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Prion protein (PrP(C)) is the normal isoform of PrP(Sc), a protein involved in neurodegenerative disorders. PrP(C) participates in neuritogenesis, neuroprotection, and memory consolidation through its interaction with the secreted protein stress-inducible protein 1 (STI1) and the extracellular matrix protein vitronectin (Vn). Although PrP(C) mRNA expression has been documented during embryogenesis, its protein expression patterns have not been evaluated. Furthermore, little is known about either Vn or STI protein expression. In this study, PrP(C), STI1, and Vn protein expression was explored throughout mouse embryonic life. We found that the distributions of the three proteins were spatiotemporally related. STI1 and Vn expression became evident at E8, earlier than PrP(C), in the nervous system and heart. At E10, we observed, in the spinal cord, a gradient of expression of the three proteins, more abundant in the notochord and floor plate, suggesting that they can have a role in axonal growth. As development proceeded, the three proteins were detected in other organs, suggesting that they may play a role in the development of nonneural tissues as well. Finally, although STI1 and Vn are PrP(C) ligands, their expression was not altered in PrP(C)-null mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glaucia N M Hajj
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, São Paulo 01323-903, Brazil
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Abstract
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are inevitably lethal neurodegenerative diseases that affect humans and a large variety of animals. The infectious agent responsible for TSEs is the prion, an abnormally folded and aggregated protein that propagates itself by imposing its conformation onto the cellular prion protein (PrPC) of the host. PrPCis necessary for prion replication and for prion-induced neurodegeneration, yet the proximal causes of neuronal injury and death are still poorly understood. Prion toxicity may arise from the interference with the normal function of PrPC, and therefore, understanding the physiological role of PrPCmay help to clarify the mechanism underlying prion diseases. Here we discuss the evolution of the prion concept and how prion-like mechanisms may apply to other protein aggregation diseases. We describe the clinical and the pathological features of the prion diseases in human and animals, the events occurring during neuroinvasion, and the possible scenarios underlying brain damage. Finally, we discuss potential antiprion therapies and current developments in the realm of prion diagnostics.
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Nuvolone M, Aguzzi A, Heikenwalder M. Cells and prions: A license to replicate. FEBS Lett 2009; 583:2674-84. [DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2009.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2009] [Revised: 06/01/2009] [Accepted: 06/09/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Kovacs GG, Budka H. Molecular pathology of human prion diseases. Int J Mol Sci 2009; 10:976-99. [PMID: 19399233 PMCID: PMC2672014 DOI: 10.3390/ijms10030976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2009] [Revised: 02/27/2009] [Accepted: 03/04/2009] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative conditions in humans and animals. In this review, we summarize the molecular background of phenotypic variability, relation of prion protein (PrP) to other proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases, and pathogenesis of neuronal vulnerability. PrP exists in different forms that may be present in both diseased and non-diseased brain, however, abundant disease-associated PrP together with tissue pathology characterizes prion diseases and associates with transmissibility. Prion diseases have different etiological background with distinct pathogenesis and phenotype. Mutations of the prion protein gene are associated with genetic forms. The codon 129 polymorphism in combination with the Western blot pattern of PrP after proteinase K digestion serves as a basis for molecular subtyping of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Tissue damage may result from several parallel, interacting or subsequent pathways that involve cellular systems associated with synapses, protein processing, oxidative stress, autophagy, and apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Herbert Budka
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail:
; Tel. +43-1-40400-5500; Fax: +43-1-40400-5511
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Heikenwalder M, Kurrer MO, Margalith I, Kranich J, Zeller N, Haybaeck J, Polymenidou M, Matter M, Bremer J, Jackson WS, Lindquist S, Sigurdson CJ, Aguzzi A. Lymphotoxin-Dependent Prion Replication in Inflammatory Stromal Cells of Granulomas. Immunity 2008; 29:998-1008. [DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2008.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2008] [Revised: 09/10/2008] [Accepted: 10/13/2008] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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15
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Inclusion Body Myositis: A View from the Caenorhabditis elegans Muscle. Mol Neurobiol 2008; 38:178-98. [DOI: 10.1007/s12035-008-8041-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2008] [Accepted: 08/16/2008] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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Small-ruminant lentivirus enhances PrPSc accumulation in cultured sheep microglial cells. J Virol 2008; 82:9839-47. [PMID: 18684809 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01137-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Sheep scrapie is the prototypical transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (prion disease), which has a fundamental pathogenesis involving conversion of normal cellular prion protein (PrP(C) [C superscript stands for cellular]) to disease-associated prion protein (PrP(Sc) [Sc superscript stands for sheep scrapie]). Sheep microglial cell cultures, derived from a prnp 136VV/171QQ near-term fetal brain, were developed to study sheep scrapie in the natural host and to investigate potential cofactors in the prion conversion process. Two culture systems, a primary cell culture and a cell line transformed with the large T antigen of simian virus 40, were developed, and both were identified as microglial in origin as indicated by expression of several microglial phenotype markers. Following exposure to PrP(Sc), sheep microglial cells demonstrated relatively low levels (transformed cell line) to high levels (primary cell line) of PrP(Sc) accumulation over time. The accumulated PrP(Sc) demonstrated protease resistance, an inferred beta-sheet conformation (as determined by a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), specific inhibition by anti-PrP antibodies, and was transmissible in a dose-dependent manner. Primary microglia coinfected with a small-ruminant lentivirus (caprine arthritis encephalitis virus-Cork strain) and PrP(Sc) demonstrated an approximately twofold increase in PrP(Sc) accumulation compared to that of primary microglia infected with PrP(Sc) alone. The results demonstrate the in vitro utility of PrP(Sc)-permissive sheep microglial cells in investigating the biology of natural prion diseases and show that small-ruminant lentiviruses enhance prion conversion in cultured sheep microglia.
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Aguzzi A, Sigurdson C, Heikenwaelder M. Molecular mechanisms of prion pathogenesis. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PATHOLOGY-MECHANISMS OF DISEASE 2008; 3:11-40. [PMID: 18233951 DOI: 10.1146/annurev.pathmechdis.3.121806.154326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 253] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Prion diseases are infectious neurodegenerative diseases occurring in humans and animals with an invariably lethal outcome. One fundamental mechanistic event in prion diseases is the aggregation of aberrantly folded prion protein into large amyloid plaques and fibrous structures associated with neurodegeneration. The cellular prion protein (PrPC) is absolutely required for disease development, and prion knockout mice are not susceptible to prion disease. Prions accumulate not only in the central nervous system but also in lymphoid organs, as shown for new variant and sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob patients and for some animals. To date it is largely accepted that prions consist primarily of PrPSc, a misfolded and aggregated beta-sheet-rich isoform of PrPC. However, PrPSc may or may not be completely congruent with the infectious moiety. Here, we discuss the molecular mechanisms leading to neurodegeneration, the role of the immune system in prion pathogenesis, and the existence of prion strains that appear to have different tropisms and biochemical characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriano Aguzzi
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital of Zürich, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland.
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18
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Kovacs GG, Budka H. Prion diseases: from protein to cell pathology. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2008; 172:555-65. [PMID: 18245809 DOI: 10.2353/ajpath.2008.070442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Prion diseases or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are fatal neurodegenerative conditions in humans and animals that originate spontaneously, genetically or by infection. Conformational change of the normal (cellular) form of prion protein (PrP c) to a pathological, disease-associated form (PrP TSE) is considered central to pathogenesis and formation of the infectious agent or prion. Neuronal damage is central to clinical manifestation of prion diseases but poorly understood. In this review, we analyze the major pathogenetic pathways that lead to tissue pathology in different forms of disease. Neuropathogenesis of prion diseases evolves in complex ways on several front lines, most but not all of which exist also in other neurodegenerative as well as infectious diseases. Whereas intracellular accumulation of PrP forms might significantly impair cell function and lead to cytopathology, mere extracellular deposition of PrP TSE is questionable as a direct cytotoxic factor. Tissue damage may result from several parallel, interacting, or subsequent pathways. Future studies should clarify the trigger(s) and sequence of these processes and whether, and which, one is dominating or decisive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabor G Kovacs
- Institute of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, AKH 4J, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, POB 48, 1097 Vienna, Austria
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Ligios C, Cancedda GM, Margalith I, Santucciu C, Madau L, Maestrale C, Basagni M, Saba M, Heikenwalder M. Intraepithelial and interstitial deposition of pathological prion protein in kidneys of scrapie-affected sheep. PLoS One 2007; 2:e859. [PMID: 17848990 PMCID: PMC1964536 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0000859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2007] [Accepted: 08/13/2007] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Prions have been documented in extra-neuronal and extra-lymphatic tissues of humans and various ruminants affected by Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE). The presence of prion infectivity detected in cervid and ovine blood tempted us to reason that kidney, the organ filtrating blood derived proteins, may accumulate disease associated PrPSc. We collected and screened kidneys of experimentally, naturally scrapie-affected and control sheep for renal deposition of PrPSc from distinct, geographically separated flocks. By performing Western blot, PET blot analysis and immunohistochemistry we found intraepithelial (cortex, medulla and papilla) and occasional interstitial (papilla) deposition of PrPSc in kidneys of scrapie-affected sheep. Interestingly, glomerula lacked detectable signals indicative of PrPSc. PrPSc was also detected in kidneys of subclinical sheep, but to significantly lower degree. Depending on the stage of the disease the incidence of PrPSc in kidney varied from approximately 27% (subclinical) to 73.6% (clinical) in naturally scrapie-affected sheep. Kidneys from flocks without scrapie outbreak were devoid of PrPSc. Here we demonstrate unexpectedly frequent deposition of high levels of PrPSc in ovine kidneys of various flocks. Renal deposition of PrPSc is likely to be a pre-requisite enabling prionuria, a possible co-factor of horizontal prion-transmission in sheep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ciriaco Ligios
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sardegna, Sassari, Italy
- * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: (CL); (MH)
| | | | - Ilan Margalith
- Department of Pathology, Institute of Neuropathology, UniversitätsSpital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Cinzia Santucciu
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sardegna, Sassari, Italy
| | - Laura Madau
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sardegna, Sassari, Italy
| | | | | | - Mariangela Saba
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sardegna, Sassari, Italy
| | - Mathias Heikenwalder
- Department of Pathology, Institute of Neuropathology, UniversitätsSpital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: (CL); (MH)
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Novakofski J, Brewer MS, Mateus-Pinilla N, Killefer J, McCusker RH. Prion biology relevant to bovine spongiform encephalopathy. J Anim Sci 2007; 83:1455-76. [PMID: 15890824 DOI: 10.2527/2005.8361455x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and chronic wasting disease (CWD) of deer and elk are a threat to agriculture and natural resources, as well as a human health concern. Both diseases are transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), or prion diseases, caused by autocatalytic conversion of endogenously encoded prion protein (PrP) to an abnormal, neurotoxic conformation designated PrPsc. Most mammalian species are susceptible to TSE, which, despite a range of species-linked names, is caused by a single highly conserved protein, with no apparent normal function. In the simplest sense, TSE transmission can occur because PrPsc is resistant to both endogenous and environmental proteinases, although many details remain unclear. Questions about the transmission of TSE are central to practical issues such as livestock testing, access to international livestock markets, and wildlife management strategies, as well as intangible issues such as consumer confidence in the safety of the meat supply. The majority of BSE cases seem to have been transmitted by feed containing meat and bone meal from infected animals. In the United Kingdom, there was a dramatic decrease in BSE cases after neural tissue and, later, all ruminant tissues were banned from ruminant feed. However, probably because of heightened awareness and widespread testing, there is growing evidence that new variants of BSE are arising "spontaneously," suggesting ongoing surveillance will continue to find infected animals. Interspecies transmission is inefficient and depends on exposure, sequence homology, TSE donor strain, genetic polymorphism of the host, and architecture of the visceral nerves if exposure is by an oral route. Considering the low probability of interspecies transmission, the low efficiency of oral transmission, and the low prion levels in nonnervous tissues, consumption of conventional animal products represents minimal risk. However, detection of rare events is challenging, and TSE literature is characterized by subsequently unsupported claims of species barriers or absolute tissue safety. This review presents an overview of TSE and summarizes recent research on pathogenesis and transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Novakofski
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801-4737, USA.
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21
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Beekes M, McBride PA. The spread of prions through the body in naturally acquired transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. FEBS J 2007; 274:588-605. [PMID: 17288548 DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2007.05631.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are fatal neurodegenerative diseases that are caused by unconventional pathogens and affect the central nervous system of animals and humans. Several different forms of these diseases result from natural infection (i.e. exposure to transmissible spongiform encephalopathy agents or prions, present in the natural environment of the respective host). This holds true also for scrapie in sheep, bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle, chronic wasting disease in elk and deer, or variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, all of which are assumed to originate predominantly from peroral prion infection. This article intends to provide an overview of the current state of knowledge on the spread of scrapie, chronic wasting disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease agents through the body in naturally affected hosts, and in model animals experimentally challenged via the alimentary tract. Special attention is given to the tissue components and spreading pathways involved in the key stages of prion routing through the body, such as intestinal uptake, neuroinvasion of nerves and the central nervous system, and centrifugal spread from the brain and spinal cord to peripheral sites (e.g. sensory ganglia or muscles). The elucidation of the pathways and mechanisms by which prions invade a host and spread through the organism can contribute to efficient infection control strategies and the improvement of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy diagnostics. It may also help to identify prophylactic or therapeutic approaches that would impede naturally acquired transmissible spongiform encephalopathy infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Beekes
- Robert Koch-Institut (P24 - Transmissible Spongiforme Enzephalopathien), Berlin, Germany.
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Aguzzi A, Heikenwalder M. Pathogenesis of prion diseases: current status and future outlook. Nat Rev Microbiol 2006; 4:765-75. [PMID: 16980938 DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro1492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 164] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The prion, a conformational variant of a host protein, is the infectious particle responsible for transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE), a fatal neurodegenerative disease of humans and animals. The principal target of prion pathology is the brain, yet most TSEs also display prion replication at extra-cerebral locations, including secondary lymphoid organs and sites of chronic inflammation. Despite significant progress in our understanding of this infectious agent, many fundamental questions relating to the nature of the prion, including the mechanism of replication and the molecular events underlying brain damage, remain unanswered. Here we focus on the unresolved issues pertaining to prion pathogenesis, particularly on the role played by the immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriano Aguzzi
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital of Zürich, Schmelzbergstrasse 12, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland.
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23
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Finsterer J, Gelpi E. Creatine kinase elevation in creutzfeldt-jakob disease. Gerontology 2006; 52:264-6. [PMID: 16849870 DOI: 10.1159/000093659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2005] [Accepted: 01/16/2006] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is not only a disorder of the central nervous system but also affects the skeletal muscle. Subclinical skeletal muscle involvement, manifesting as hyper-creatine-kinase (CK)-emia, is rare. CASE REPORT The patient, a 60-year-old male, developed progressive dementia, accompanied by dysphagia and bursts of aggression, disorientation and optic hallucinations. Five months after onset of the cognitive decline, hyper-CK-emia of 117 U/l (normal: <81 U/l) was noted for the first time. During 12 months until decease, hyper-CK-emia was permanently present and reached a maximum of 354 U/l. Hyper-CK-emia was attributed to subclinical involvement of the skeletal muscle in CJD. Hyper-CK-emia due to progressive brain damage, double trouble of an additional primary myopathy or due to excessive myoclonic jerking was excluded. CONCLUSIONS This case shows that CJD may be present with mild hyper-CK-emia in individual patients, most likely due to concomitant undiagnosed involvement of the skeletal muscle in the primary disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josef Finsterer
- Neurological Department, Neurological Hospital Rosenhugel, Vienna, Austria
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Peden AH, Ritchie DL, Head MW, Ironside JW. Detection and localization of PrPSc in the skeletal muscle of patients with variant, iatrogenic, and sporadic forms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2006; 168:927-35. [PMID: 16507908 PMCID: PMC1606529 DOI: 10.2353/ajpath.2006.050788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) differs from other human prion diseases in that the pathogenic prion protein PrP(Sc) can be detected to a greater extent at extraneuronal sites throughout the body, principally within lymphoid tissues. However, a recent study using a high-sensitivity Western blotting technique revealed low levels of PrP(Sc) in skeletal muscle from a quarter of Swiss patients with sporadic CJD (sCJD). This posed the question of whether PrP(Sc) in muscle could also be detected in vCJD, sCJD, and iatrogenic (iCJD) patients from other populations. Therefore, we have used the same high-sensitivity Western blotting technique, in combination with paraffin-embedded tissue blotting, to screen for PrP(Sc) in muscle tissue specimens taken at autopsy from 49 CJD patients in the United Kingdom. These techniques identified muscle PrP(Sc) in 8 of 17 vCJD, 7 of 26 sCJD, and 2 of 5 iCJD patients. Paraffin-embedded tissue blotting analysis showed PrP(Sc) in skeletal muscle in localized anatomical structures that had the morphological and immunohistochemical characteristics of nerve fibers. The detection of PrP(Sc) in muscle tissue from all forms of CJD indicates the possible presence of infectivity in these tissues, suggesting important implications for assessing the potential risk of iatrogenic spread via contaminated surgical instruments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander H Peden
- National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit and Division of Pathology, School of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
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Thomzig A, Cardone F, Krüger D, Pocchiari M, Brown P, Beekes M. Pathological prion protein in muscles of hamsters and mice infected with rodent-adapted BSE or vCJD. J Gen Virol 2006; 87:251-254. [PMID: 16361438 DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.81277-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, pathological prion protein (PrP(TSE)) was detected in muscle from sheep infected with scrapie, the archetype of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). This finding has highlighted the question of whether mammalian muscle may potentially also provide a reservoir for TSE agents related to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD). Here, results are reported from studies in hamsters and mice that provide direct experimental evidence, for the first time, of BSE- and vCJD-associated PrP(TSE) deposition in muscles. Our findings emphasize the need for further assessment of possible public-health risks from TSE involvement of skeletal muscle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Achim Thomzig
- Robert Koch-Institut (P24 - Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies), Nordufer 20, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Franco Cardone
- Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Dominique Krüger
- Robert Koch-Institut (P24 - Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies), Nordufer 20, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Maurizio Pocchiari
- Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Paul Brown
- 7815 Exeter Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Michael Beekes
- Robert Koch-Institut (P24 - Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies), Nordufer 20, 13353 Berlin, Germany
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW We provide an update of progress gained from research into sporadic inclusion body myositis (s-IBM). RECENT FINDINGS Most research on s-IBM has focused on the inflammatory reaction or the accumulation of pathological proteins in vacuolated muscle fibres. The inflammatory reaction is characterized by clonal expansions of lymphocytes, predominantly CD8 cytotoxic T cells, which invade and destroy muscle fibres. That costimulatory molecules have been identified demonstrates that muscle fibres can act as antigen presenting cells, and the expression of various chemokines in muscle indicates their importance in the immunopathogenesis of s-IBM. The region of interest for a susceptibility gene in the major histocompatibility complex has been narrowed, and for the first time it has been demonstrated that a chronic viral infection can trigger the inflammatory process leading to s-IBM. The nature of the accumulated material associated with the vacuoles has been extensively investigated over the past few years. Amyloid-beta and phosphorylated tau protein in intracellular inclusions are a characteristic finding in s-IBM, which may lead to calcium dyshomeostasis and endoplasmic reticulum stress. The proteasomal system is upregulated, including immunoproteasomes. 'Molecular misreading' leading to ubiquitin mRNA mutations and accumulation of pathological ubiquitin in muscle fibres may be associated with proteasomal dysfunction. There is still no efficient treatment for s-IBM, but the effects of new, more specific immunotherapies have begun to be explored. SUMMARY Recent findings indicate that both inflammatory reaction and abnormal protein accumulation are important for the pathogenesis in s-IBM. The link between them continues to await elucidation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Oldfors
- Göteborg Neuromuscular Center, Department of Pathology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden.
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Abstract
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, there was widespread exposure of the UK population to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)-contaminated food products, which has led to over 150 deaths from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). Although the pathogenesis in humans is not fully understood, data from animal models and, to a lesser extent, patients with vCJD suggest that oral exposure to BSE is rapidly followed by accumulation of PrP(res) in gut-associated lymphoid tissue, then, after haematogenous spread, throughout the lymphoreticular system. Spread to the central nervous system may not occur for several years, but blood from individuals in the pre-clinical phase appears to be able to transmit disease. The incidence of vCJD has remained low and is in decline, but it is known from iatrogenic CJD and kuru that human prion disease can have incubation periods of up to 40 years. Cases of vCJD are therefore likely to occur for many more years and alternative phenotypes may develop in individuals with different PRNP genotypes to those seen to date. Studies in transgenic mice have shown that sub-clinical infection is frequent following oral exposure to BSE and a study looking at the accumulation of PrP in anonymized human lymphoid tissue samples found positive cases. There are likely to be a number of asymptomatic 'carriers' of disease within the UK and although it is unclear whether these individuals will develop clinical disease, there is a potential for iatrogenic spread to others. These uncertainties highlight the importance of developing a reliable blood test for vCJD and the continued need for surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Hilton
- Department of Histopathology, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, UK.
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28
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Massimino ML, Ferrari J, Sorgato MC, Bertoli A. Heterogeneous PrPC metabolism in skeletal muscle cells. FEBS Lett 2006; 580:878-84. [PMID: 16430889 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2006.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2005] [Revised: 12/13/2005] [Accepted: 01/03/2006] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Recent reports have shown that prions, the causative agent of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, accumulate in the skeletal muscle of diseased animals and man. In an attempt to characterise in this tissue the prion protein (PrP(C)), whose conformational rearrangement governs the generation of prions, we have analysed the protein in primary cultured murine myocytes and in different skeletal muscle types. Our results indicate that the expression and cellular processing of PrP(C) change during myogenesis, and in muscle fibres with different contractile properties. These findings imply a potential role for PrP(C) in the skeletal muscle physiology, but may also explain the different capability of muscles to sustain prion replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Lina Massimino
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Padova, viale G. Colombo 3, 35121 Padova, Italy
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29
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Oliver SP. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Foodborne Pathog Dis 2005; 1:65-72. [PMID: 15992264 DOI: 10.1089/153531404772914482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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30
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The etiology and much about the pathogenesis of the inflammatory myopathies remain a mystery. In this review, we investigate recent research efforts to understand the pathogenesis of the diverse entities of polymyositis (PM), dermatomyositis (DM), and inclusion body myositis (IBM), diseases that result from interactions between environmental risk factors and genetic susceptibility. RECENT FINDINGS Over the past year, there has been considerable progress toward better understanding of IBM, with relatively few developments toward understanding PM and DM. Although these diseases may share some common clinical phenotypic and serologic components, they differ on a molecular and cellular level. SUMMARY The need for definitive, safer therapies in these diseases makes vital the search for defining detailed pathogenesis of inflammation and muscle fiber damage at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Christopher-Stine
- Division of Rheumatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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31
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Sigurdson C, Glatzel M, Aguzzi A. Comment on "Failure to detect prion protein (PrPres) by immunohistochemistry in striated muscle tissues of animals experimentally inoculated with agents of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy". Vet Pathol 2005; 42:107. [PMID: 15657284 DOI: 10.1354/vp.42-1-107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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32
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Kovács GG, Kalev O, Gelpi E, Haberler C, Wanschitz J, Strohschneider M, Molnár MJ, László L, Budka H. The prion protein in human neuromuscular diseases. J Pathol 2004; 204:241-7. [PMID: 15476279 DOI: 10.1002/path.1633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The basis of human prion diseases affecting the nervous system is accumulation of a disease-associated conformer (PrPSc) of the normal cellular prion protein (PrPC). Earlier studies demonstrated increased expression of PrPC in inclusion body myositis (IBM), dermato-, and polymyositis, as well as neurogenic muscle atrophy. To define the spectrum and reliability of PrPC immunoreactivity, its expression was examined systematically in a series of pathologically characterized muscular disorders by means of immunohistochemistry, confocal laser microscopy, and immunogold electron microscopy. Anti-PrPC immunolabelling of rimmed vacuoles was observed in IBM, inclusions of myofibrillary myopathy, targets, regenerating, and atrophic fibres, mononuclear cells, in addition to ragged red fibres in mitochondrial myopathies, and focal sarcolemmal immunostaining in non-diseased controls. Quantitative analysis demonstrated that, in neurogenic muscle lesions, anti-PrPC staining detects a significantly broader spectrum of fibres than anti-vimentin or anti-NCAM. In dystrophic muscle, PrPC expression was mainly restricted to regenerating fibres. In IBM, PrPC expression was not confined to rimmed vacuoles or vacuolated fibres and only a small percentage (7.1%) of rimmed vacuoles were PrPC positive. Ultrastructurally, PrPC was observed in the cytoplasm of lymphocytes, in the myofibrillar network of targets, and in rimmed vacuoles. Knowledge of disease circumstances with altered expression of PrPC is important in the setting of a potentially increased chance for extraneural PrPC-PrPSc conversion. In addition, our observations suggest that PrPC may have a general stress-response effect in various neuromuscular disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gábor G Kovács
- National Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Budapest, Hungary
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33
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Budka H. Concern about Mad Cow Disease: End of the beginning, or beginning of the end? Wien Klin Wochenschr 2004; 116:505-7. [PMID: 15471175 DOI: 10.1007/bf03217701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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34
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Thomzig A, Schulz-Schaeffer W, Kratzel C, Mai J, Beekes M. Preclinical deposition of pathological prion protein PrPSc in muscles of hamsters orally exposed to scrapie. J Clin Invest 2004. [DOI: 10.1172/jci200421083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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35
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Thomzig A, Schulz-Schaeffer W, Kratzel C, Mai J, Beekes M. Preclinical deposition of pathological prion protein PrPSc in muscles of hamsters orally exposed to scrapie. J Clin Invest 2004; 113:1465-72. [PMID: 15146244 PMCID: PMC406533 DOI: 10.1172/jci21083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2004] [Accepted: 04/02/2004] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, pathological prion protein PrP(Sc), the putative key constituent of infectious agents causing transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), was found in muscles of rodents experimentally infected with scrapie and in patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). For the assessment of risk scenarios originating from these findings (e.g., alimentary transmission of pathogens associated with bovine spongiform encephalopathy [BSE] and chronic wasting disease [CWD] via tainted beef and game or iatrogenic dissemination of CJD agent through contaminated surgical instruments) more detailed information about the time course of PrP(Sc) accumulation in muscles at preclinical and clinical stages of incubation is needed. Here we show that PrP(Sc) in muscles of hamsters fed with scrapie can be detected prior to the onset of clinical symptoms, but that the bulk of PrP(Sc) was deposited late in clinical disease. Additionally, regarding the question of how muscles become invaded, we report on the intramuscular location of PrP(Sc) and substantial indications for centrifugal spread of infection from spinal motor neurons to myofibers. Our findings in a well-established animal model for TSEs contribute to a better assessment of the risks for public health emanating from "Prions in skeletal muscle" and provide new insights into the pathophysiological spread of TSE agents through the body.
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Affiliation(s)
- Achim Thomzig
- Robert Koch-Institut, P26--Pathogenese und Diagnostik Transmissibler Spongiformer Enzephalopathien, Berlin, Germany
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