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Brunori M. From Kuru to Alzheimer: A personal outlook. Protein Sci 2021; 30:1776-1792. [PMID: 34118168 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Seventy years ago, we learned from Chris Anfinsen that the stereochemical code necessary to fold a protein is embedded into its amino acid sequence. In water, protein morphogenesis is a spontaneous reversible process leading from an ensemble of disordered structures to the ordered functionally competent protein; conforming to Aristotle's definition of substance, the synolon of matter and form. The overall process of folding is generally consistent with a two state transition between the native and the denatured protein: not only the denatured state is an ensemble of several structures, but also the native protein populates distinct functionally relevant conformational (sub)states. This two-state view should be revised, given that any globular protein can populate a peculiar third state called amyloid, characterized by an overall architecture that at variance with the native state, is by-and-large independent of the primary structure. In a nut shell, we should accept that beside the folded and unfolded states, any protein can populate a third state called amyloid which gained center stage being the hallmark of incurable neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases as well as others. These fatal diseases are characterized by clear-cut clinical differences, yet display some commonalities such as the presence in the brain of amyloid deposits constituted by one misfolded protein specific for each disease. Some aspects of this complex problem are summarized here as an excursus from the prion's fibrils observed in the brain of aborigines who died of Kuru to the amyloid detectable in the cortex of Alzheimer's patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurizio Brunori
- Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei and Dipartimento di Scienze Biochimiche "A. Rossi Fanelli,", Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
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Piazza M, Prior TW, Khalsa PS, Appleby B. A case report of genetic prion disease with two different PRNP variants. Mol Genet Genomic Med 2020; 8:e1134. [PMID: 31953922 PMCID: PMC7057106 DOI: 10.1002/mgg3.1134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Revised: 12/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Prion diseases are a group of lethal neurodegenerative conditions that occur when the normal, cellular form of the prion protein (PrPC) is converted into an abnormal, scrapie, form of the protein (PrPSc). Disease may be caused by genetic, infectious, or sporadic etiologies. The genetic form of prion disease comprises~10%–15% of all cases. Prion disease is typically inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. The low incidence of disease makes it highly unlikely that a patient would have two different pathogenic variants. However, we recently identified a case in which the patient did have two pathogenic PRNP variants and presented with an atypical phenotype. Methods The patient was evaluated at the Washington Hospital Healthcare System in Fremont, CA. The clinical information for this case report was obtained retrospectively. Variants in the PRNP were identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of exon two of the gene followed by bi‐directional sequence analysis. To determine the phase of the identified variants, a restriction enzyme digestion was utilized, followed by sequence analysis of the products. Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) was analyzed for surrogate markers of prion disease, 14–3–3 and Tau proteins. CSF real‐time quaking‐induced conversion (RT‐QuIC) assays were also performed. Results The patient was a compound heterozygote for the well‐characterized c.628G>A (p.Val210Ile) variant and the rare octapeptide deletion of two repeats [c.202_249del48 (p.P68_Q83del)]. Clinically, the patient presented with an early onset demyelinating peripheral neuropathy, followed by later onset cognitive symptoms. Conclusion This presentation is reminiscent of prion protein knockout mice whose predominate symptom, due to complete loss of PrP, was late‐onset peripheral neuropathy. To our knowledge this is the first case reported of a patient with prion disease who had two different pathogenic variants in PRNP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Piazza
- Center for Human Genetics Laboratory, Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Thomas W Prior
- Center for Human Genetics Laboratory, Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Prabhjot S Khalsa
- Fremont Neurology Medical Associates, Fremont, CA, USA.,Washington Hospital Healthcare System, Fremont, CA, USA.,University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Brian Appleby
- National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
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Abstract
Prion diseases are progressive, incurable and fatal neurodegenerative conditions. The term 'prion' was first nominated to express the revolutionary concept that a protein could be infectious. We now know that prions consist of PrPSc, the pathological aggregated form of the cellular prion protein PrPC. Over the years, the term has been semantically broadened to describe aggregates irrespective of their infectivity, and the prion concept is now being applied, perhaps overenthusiastically, to all neurodegenerative diseases that involve protein aggregation. Indeed, recent studies suggest that prion diseases (PrDs) and protein misfolding disorders (PMDs) share some common disease mechanisms, which could have implications for potential treatments. Nevertheless, the transmissibility of bona fide prions is unique, and PrDs should be considered as distinct from other PMDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Scheckel
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Adriano Aguzzi
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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4
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Zheng Z, Zhang M, Wang Y, Ma R, Guo C, Feng L, Wu J, Yao H, Lin D. Structural basis for the complete resistance of the human prion protein mutant G127V to prion disease. Sci Rep 2018; 8:13211. [PMID: 30181558 PMCID: PMC6123418 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-31394-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are caused by the propagation of misfolded cellular prion proteins (PrPs). A completely prion disease-resistant genotype, V127M129, has been identified in Papua New Guinea and verified in transgenic mice. To disclose the structural basis of the disease-resistant effect of the G127V mutant, we determined and compared the structural and dynamic features of the G127V-mutated human PrP (residues 91-231) and the wild-type PrP in solution. HuPrP(G127V) contains α1, α2 and α3 helices and a stretch-strand (SS) pattern comprising residues Tyr128-Gly131 (SS1) and Val161-Arg164 (SS2), with extending atomic distances between the SS1 and SS2 strands, and a structural rearrangement of the Tyr128 side chain due to steric hindrance of the larger hydrophobic side chain of Val127. The extended α1 helix gets closer to the α2 and α3 helices. NMR dynamics analysis revealed that Tyr128, Gly131 and Tyr163 underwent significant conformational exchanges. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that HuPrP(G127V) prevents the formation of stable β-sheets and dimers. Unique structural and dynamic features potentially inhibit the conformational conversion of the G127V mutant. This work is beneficial for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the complete resistance of the G127V mutant to prion disease and for developing new therapeutics for prion disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Zheng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Meilan Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Yongheng Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Rongsheng Ma
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Chenyun Guo
- MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Liubin Feng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Jihui Wu
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Hongwei Yao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Donghai Lin
- MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China.
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Abstract
Genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is associated with mutations in the human PrP gene (PRNP) on chromosome 20p12-pter. Pathogenic mutations have been identified in 10-15% of all CJD patients, who often have a family history of autosomal-dominant pattern of inheritance and variable penetrance. However, the use of genetic tests implemented by surveillance networks all over the world increasingly identifies unexpectedly PRNP mutations in persons apparently presenting with a sporadic form of CJD. A high phenotypic variability was reported in genetic prion diseases, which partly overlap with the features of sporadic CJD. Here we review recent advances on the epidemiologic, clinical, and neuropathologic features of cases that phenotypically resemble CJD linked to point and insert mutations of the PRNP gene. Multidisciplinary studies are still required to understand the phenotypic spectrum, penetrance, and significance of PRNP mutations.
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Bagyinszky E, Giau VV, Youn YC, An SSA, Kim S. Characterization of mutations in PRNP (prion) gene and their possible roles in neurodegenerative diseases. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2018; 14:2067-2085. [PMID: 30147320 PMCID: PMC6097508 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s165445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Abnormal prion proteins are responsible for several fatal neurodegenerative diseases in humans and in animals, including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease, and fatal familial insomnia. Genetics is important in prion diseases, but in the most cases, cause of diseases remained unknown. Several mutations were found to be causative for prion disorders, and the effect of mutations may be heterogeneous. In addition, different prion mutations were suggested to play a possible role in additional phenotypes, such as Alzheimer's type pathology, spongiform encephalopathy, or frontotemporal dementia. Pathogenic nature of several prion mutations remained unclear, such as M129V and E219K. These two polymorphic sites were suggested as either risk factors for different disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), variant CJD, or protease-sensitive prionopathy, and they can also be disease-modifying factors. Pathological overlap may also be possible with AD or progressive dementia, and several patients with prion mutations were initially diagnosed with AD. This review also introduces briefly the diagnosis of prion diseases and the issues with their diagnosis. Since prion diseases have quite heterogeneous phenotypes, a complex analysis, a combination of genetic screening, cerebrospinal fluid biomarker analysis and imaging technologies could improve the early disease diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Bagyinszky
- Department of Bionano Technology, Gachon Bionano Research Institute, Gachon University, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea,
| | - Vo Van Giau
- Department of Bionano Technology, Gachon Bionano Research Institute, Gachon University, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea,
| | - Young Chul Youn
- Department of Neurology, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Seong Soo A An
- Department of Bionano Technology, Gachon Bionano Research Institute, Gachon University, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea,
| | - SangYun Kim
- Department of Neurology, Seoul National University College of Medicine & Neurocognitive Behavior Center, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, South Korea
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Diack AB, Bartz JC. Experimental models of human prion diseases and prion strains. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2018; 153:69-84. [PMID: 29887156 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-63945-5.00004-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Prion strains occur in natural prion diseases, including prion diseases of humans. Prion strains can correspond with differences in the clinical signs and symptoms of disease and the distribution of prion infectivity in the host and are hypothesized to be encoded by strain-specific differences in the conformation of the disease-specific isoform of the host-encoded prion protein, PrPTSE. Prion strains can differ in biochemical properties of PrPTSE that can include the relative sensitivity to digestion with proteinase K and conformational stability in denaturants. These strain-specific biochemical properties of field isolates are maintained upon transmission to experimental animal models of prion disease. Experimental human models of prion disease include traditional and gene-targeted mice that express endogenous PrPC. Transgenic mice that express different polymorphs of human PrPC or mutations in human PrPC that correspond with familial forms of human prion disease have been generated that can recapitulate the clinical, pathologic, and biochemical features of disease. These models aid in understanding disease pathogenesis, evaluating zoonotic potential of animal prion diseases, and assessing human-to-human transmission of disease. Models of sporadic or familial forms of disease offer an opportunity to define mechanisms of disease, identify key neurodegenerative pathways, and assess therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail B Diack
- Infection and Immunity, The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, United Kingdom.
| | - Jason C Bartz
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, United States
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Understanding the Effect of Disease-Related Mutations on Human Prion Protein Structure: Insights From NMR Spectroscopy. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2017; 150:83-103. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2017.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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9
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Minikel EV, Vallabh SM, Lek M, Estrada K, Samocha KE, Sathirapongsasuti JF, McLean CY, Tung JY, Yu LPC, Gambetti P, Blevins J, Zhang S, Cohen Y, Chen W, Yamada M, Hamaguchi T, Sanjo N, Mizusawa H, Nakamura Y, Kitamoto T, Collins SJ, Boyd A, Will RG, Knight R, Ponto C, Zerr I, Kraus TFJ, Eigenbrod S, Giese A, Calero M, de Pedro-Cuesta J, Haïk S, Laplanche JL, Bouaziz-Amar E, Brandel JP, Capellari S, Parchi P, Poleggi A, Ladogana A, O'Donnell-Luria AH, Karczewski KJ, Marshall JL, Boehnke M, Laakso M, Mohlke KL, Kähler A, Chambert K, McCarroll S, Sullivan PF, Hultman CM, Purcell SM, Sklar P, van der Lee SJ, Rozemuller A, Jansen C, Hofman A, Kraaij R, van Rooij JGJ, Ikram MA, Uitterlinden AG, van Duijn CM, Daly MJ, MacArthur DG. Quantifying prion disease penetrance using large population control cohorts. Sci Transl Med 2016; 8:322ra9. [PMID: 26791950 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aad5169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 228] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
More than 100,000 genetic variants are reported to cause Mendelian disease in humans, but the penetrance-the probability that a carrier of the purported disease-causing genotype will indeed develop the disease-is generally unknown. We assess the impact of variants in the prion protein gene (PRNP) on the risk of prion disease by analyzing 16,025 prion disease cases, 60,706 population control exomes, and 531,575 individuals genotyped by 23andMe Inc. We show that missense variants in PRNP previously reported to be pathogenic are at least 30 times more common in the population than expected on the basis of genetic prion disease prevalence. Although some of this excess can be attributed to benign variants falsely assigned as pathogenic, other variants have genuine effects on disease susceptibility but confer lifetime risks ranging from <0.1 to ~100%. We also show that truncating variants in PRNP have position-dependent effects, with true loss-of-function alleles found in healthy older individuals, a finding that supports the safety of therapeutic suppression of prion protein expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Vallabh Minikel
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. Analytical and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA. Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Prion Alliance, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Sonia M Vallabh
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Prion Alliance, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Monkol Lek
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. Analytical and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Karol Estrada
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. Analytical and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Kaitlin E Samocha
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. Analytical and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA. Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | | | - Cory Y McLean
- Research, 23andMe Inc., Mountain View, CA 94041, USA
| | - Joyce Y Tung
- Research, 23andMe Inc., Mountain View, CA 94041, USA
| | - Linda P C Yu
- Research, 23andMe Inc., Mountain View, CA 94041, USA
| | - Pierluigi Gambetti
- National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Janis Blevins
- National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Shulin Zhang
- University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Yvonne Cohen
- National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Wei Chen
- National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Masahito Yamada
- Department of Neurology and Neurobiology of Aging, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Hamaguchi
- Department of Neurology and Neurobiology of Aging, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - Nobuo Sanjo
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Science, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan
| | - Hidehiro Mizusawa
- National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 187-8551, Japan
| | - Yosikazu Nakamura
- Department of Public Health, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke 329-0498, Japan
| | - Tetsuyuki Kitamoto
- Department of Neurological Science, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8575, Japan
| | - Steven J Collins
- Australian National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Registry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Alison Boyd
- Australian National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Registry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Robert G Will
- National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Research & Surveillance Unit, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Richard Knight
- National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Research & Surveillance Unit, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Claudia Ponto
- National Reference Center for the Surveillance of Human Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, Georg-August-University, Goettingen 37073, Germany
| | - Inga Zerr
- National Reference Center for the Surveillance of Human Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, Georg-August-University, Goettingen 37073, Germany
| | - Theo F J Kraus
- Center for Neuropathology and Prion Research (ZNP), Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Sabina Eigenbrod
- Center for Neuropathology and Prion Research (ZNP), Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Armin Giese
- Center for Neuropathology and Prion Research (ZNP), Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Miguel Calero
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid 28031, Spain
| | - Jesús de Pedro-Cuesta
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid 28031, Spain
| | - Stéphane Haïk
- INSERM U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Universités, Pierre and Marie Curie University Paris 06 UMR S 1127, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, 75013 Paris, France. Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Cellule Nationale de Référence des Maladies de Creutzfeldt-Jakob, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, F-75013 Paris, France
| | - Jean-Louis Laplanche
- AP-HP, Service de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire, Hôpital Lariboisière, 75010 Paris, France
| | - Elodie Bouaziz-Amar
- AP-HP, Service de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire, Hôpital Lariboisière, 75010 Paris, France
| | - Jean-Philippe Brandel
- INSERM U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Universités, Pierre and Marie Curie University Paris 06 UMR S 1127, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, 75013 Paris, France. Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Cellule Nationale de Référence des Maladies de Creutzfeldt-Jakob, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, F-75013 Paris, France
| | - Sabina Capellari
- Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Bologna 40123, Italy. Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna 40126, Italy
| | - Piero Parchi
- Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Bologna 40123, Italy. Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna 40126, Italy
| | - Anna Poleggi
- Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Anna Ladogana
- Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Anne H O'Donnell-Luria
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. Analytical and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA. Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Konrad J Karczewski
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. Analytical and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Jamie L Marshall
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. Analytical and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Michael Boehnke
- Department of Biostatistics and Center for Statistical Genetics, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Markku Laakso
- Department of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio 70210, Finland
| | - Karen L Mohlke
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Anna Kähler
- Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm SE-171 77, Sweden
| | - Kimberly Chambert
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Steven McCarroll
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Patrick F Sullivan
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm SE-171 77, Sweden
| | | | - Shaun M Purcell
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Pamela Sklar
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Sven J van der Lee
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center (MC), Rotterdam 3000 CA, Netherlands
| | - Annemieke Rozemuller
- Dutch Surveillance Centre for Prion Diseases, Department of Pathology, University Medical Center, Utrecht 3584 CX, Netherlands
| | - Casper Jansen
- Dutch Surveillance Centre for Prion Diseases, Department of Pathology, University Medical Center, Utrecht 3584 CX, Netherlands
| | - Albert Hofman
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center (MC), Rotterdam 3000 CA, Netherlands
| | - Robert Kraaij
- Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam 3000 CA, Netherlands
| | | | - M Arfan Ikram
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center (MC), Rotterdam 3000 CA, Netherlands
| | - André G Uitterlinden
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center (MC), Rotterdam 3000 CA, Netherlands. Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam 3000 CA, Netherlands
| | - Cornelia M van Duijn
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center (MC), Rotterdam 3000 CA, Netherlands
| | | | - Mark J Daly
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. Analytical and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Daniel G MacArthur
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. Analytical and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
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10
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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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11
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Brunori M, Gianni S. Molecular medicine - To be or not to be. Biophys Chem 2016; 214-215:33-46. [PMID: 27214761 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2016.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2016] [Revised: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 05/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Molecular medicine is founded on the synergy between Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Medicine, with the ambitious goal of tackling diseases from a molecular perspective. This Review aims at retracing a personal outlook of the birth and development of molecular medicine, as well as at highlighting some of the most urgent challenges linked to aging and represented by incurable neurodegenerative diseases caused by protein misfolding. Furthermore, we emphasize the emerging role of the retromer dysfunctions and improper protein sorting in Alzheimer's disease and other important neurological disordered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurizio Brunori
- Istituto Pasteur - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti and Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari del CNR, Dipartimento di Scienze Biochimiche "A. Rossi Fanelli", Sapienza Università di Roma, 00185 Rome, Italy.
| | - Stefano Gianni
- Istituto Pasteur - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti and Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari del CNR, Dipartimento di Scienze Biochimiche "A. Rossi Fanelli", Sapienza Università di Roma, 00185 Rome, Italy.
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12
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Watts JC, Giles K, Serban A, Patel S, Oehler A, Bhardwaj S, Guan S, Greicius MD, Miller BL, DeArmond SJ, Geschwind MD, Prusiner SB. Modulation of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease prion propagation by the A224V mutation. Ann Neurol 2015; 78:540-53. [PMID: 26094969 DOI: 10.1002/ana.24463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2015] [Accepted: 06/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Mutations in the gene encoding the prion protein (PrP) are responsible for approximately 10 to 15% of cases of prion disease in humans, including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Here, we report on the discovery of a previously unreported C-terminal PrP mutation (A224V) in a CJD patient exhibiting a disease similar to the rare VV1 subtype of sporadic (s) CJD and investigate the role of this mutation in prion replication and transmission. METHODS We generated transgenic (Tg) mice expressing human PrP with the V129 polymorphism and A224V mutation, denoted Tg(HuPrP,V129,A224V) mice, and inoculated them with different subtypes of sCJD prions. RESULTS Transmission of sCJD VV2 or MV2 prions was accelerated in Tg(HuPrP,V129,A224V) mice, compared to Tg(HuPrP,V129) mice, with incubation periods of ∼110 and ∼210 days, respectively. In contrast, sCJD MM1 prions resulted in longer incubation periods in Tg(HuPrP,V129,A224V) mice, compared to Tg(HuPrP,V129) mice (∼320 vs. ∼210 days). Prion strain fidelity was maintained in Tg(HuPrP,V129,A224V) mice inoculated with sCJD VV2 or MM1 prions, despite the altered replication kinetics. INTERPRETATION Our results suggest that A224V is a risk factor for prion disease and modulates the transmission behavior of CJD prions in a strain-specific manner, arguing that residues near the C-terminus of PrP are important for controlling the kinetics of prion replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel C Watts
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases.,Departments of Neurology
| | - Kurt Giles
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases.,Departments of Neurology
| | - Ana Serban
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases
| | | | | | | | - Shenheng Guan
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases.,Pharmaceutical Chemistry
| | - Michael D Greicius
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
| | | | | | | | - Stanley B Prusiner
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases.,Departments of Neurology.,Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
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13
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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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14
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Abstract
Human prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders that are characterized by spongiform changes, astrogliosis, and the accumulation of an abnormal prion protein (PrP(Sc)). Approximately 10%-15% of human prion diseases are familial variants that are caused by pathogenic mutations in the prion protein gene (PRNP). Point mutations or the insertions of one or more copies of a 24 bp repeat are associated with familial human prion diseases including familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome, and fatal familial insomnia. These mutations vary significantly in frequency between countries. Here, we compare the frequency of PRNP mutations between European countries and East Asians. Associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of several candidate genes including PRNP and CJD have been reported. The SNP of PRNP at codon 129 has been shown to be associated with sporadic, iatrogenic, and variant CJD. The SNPs of several genes other than PRNP have been showed contradictory results. Case-control studies and genome-wide association studies have also been performed to identify candidate genes correlated with variant and/or sporadic CJD. This review provides a general overview of the genetic mutations and polymorphisms that have been analyzed in association with human prion diseases to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Byung-Hoon Jeong
- Korea Zoonosis Research Institute, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, Korea
| | - Yong-Sun Kim
- Ilsong Institute of Life Science, Hallym University, Anyang, Korea
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15
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Van Everbroeck B, Boons J, De Leenheir E, Lübke U, Cras P. Molecular diagnostic tools in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and other prion disorders. Expert Rev Mol Diagn 2014; 4:351-9. [PMID: 15137902 DOI: 10.1586/14737159.4.3.351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Clinical criteria and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for the diagnosis of human prion diseases (sporadic, iatrogenic or variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and genetic inherited transmissible spongiform encephalopathies) are now widely available and show a sensitivity and specificity of approximately 98%. Final diagnosis of prion diseases is obtained by post-mortem examination upon identification of the pathological conformer of the prion protein (PrPSc) in the brain. Several diagnostic kits are now available that facilitate the immunochemical measurement of PrPSc. Several new molecular diagnostic techniques, aimed at increasing the sensitivity and specificity of PrPSc detection and at identifying markers of disease other than PrPSc, are the subject of ongoing studies. The aim of these studies is to develop preclinical screening tests for the identification of infected but still healthy individuals. These tests are also essential to investigate the safety of blood or blood-derived products and to ensure meat safety in European countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bart Van Everbroeck
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Borne Bunge Foundation, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium.
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16
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Tajima Y, Satoh C, Mito Y, Kitamoto T. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with a codon 210 mutation: first pathological observation in a Japanese patient. Intern Med 2014; 53:483-7. [PMID: 24583440 DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.53.0916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
We herein report a case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) with a V210I mutation and discuss the pathological findings. The patient's clinical course was quite similar to that of patients with sporadic CJD. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) disclosed a high signal intensity in the basal ganglia and cerebral cortices. Pathologically, spongiform degeneration of neurons and their processes with reactive astrocytosis was observed. Prion protein immunostaining revealed diffuse positive and plaque-type patterns. Only one Japanese case of CJD with this type of mutation has been reported to date, but without any pathological examination results. Therefore, this report is considered to be highly significant for understanding CJD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasutaka Tajima
- Department of Neurology, Brain Science Center, Sapporo City General Hospital, Japan
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17
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Schelzke G, Stoeck K, Eigenbrod S, Grasbon-Frodl E, Raddatz LM, Ponto C, Kretzschmar HA, Zerr I. Report about four novel mutations in the prion protein gene. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 2013; 35:229-37. [PMID: 23467330 DOI: 10.1159/000345991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS Since detection of the prion protein gene (PRNP) more than 30 mutations have been discovered. Some have only been found in single case reports without known intrafamilial accumulation or neuropathological proof so that the causal connection between mutation and disease could not be proved. Those patients often present atypical clinical phenotypes, and it is not unusual that they are classified as diseases other than Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). METHODS Cases of suspected CJD have been reported to the national reference center for prion diseases. Clinical and diagnostic data were collected, and a classification of definite, possible or probable prion disease was made. Molecular analysis of PRNP was performed by capillary sequencing. RESULTS We have described 4 cases with atypical clinical and diagnostic findings and unknown mutations in PRNP so far. CONCLUSION Three patients fulfilled the criteria of probable CJD, and 1 patient fulfilled the criteria of possible CJD but the clinical picture in none of the patients was typical CJD; hence, it remained questionable whether the mutations were causal of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabi Schelzke
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Dementia Center, Georg August University Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany. epicjd @ med.uni-goettingen.de
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18
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Jahandideh S, Zhi D. Systematic investigation of predicted effect of nonsynonymous SNPs in human prion protein gene: a molecular modeling and molecular dynamics study. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2013; 32:289-300. [PMID: 23527686 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2012.763216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Nonsynonymous mutations in the human prion protein (HuPrP) gene contribute to the conversion of HuPrP(C) to HuPrP(Sc) and amyloid formation which in turn leads to prion diseases such as familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease. In order to better understand and predict the role of HuPrP mutations, we developed the following procedure: first, we consulted the Human Genome Variation database and dbSNP databases, and we reviewed literature for the retrieval of aggregation-related nsSNPs of the HuPrP gene. Next, we used three different methods - Polymorphism Phenotyping (PolyPhen), PANTHER, and Auto-Mute - to predict the effect of nsSNPs on the phenotype. We compared the predictions against experimentally reported effects of these nsSNPs to evaluate the accuracy of the three methods: PolyPhen predicted 17 out of 22 nsSNPs as "probably damaging" or "possibly damaging"; PANTHER predicted 8 out of 22 nsSNPs as "Deleterious"; and Auto-Mute predicted 9 out of 20 nsSNPs as "Disease". Finally, structural analyses of the native protein against mutated models were investigated using molecular modeling and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation methods. In addition to comparing predictor methods, our results show the applicability of our procedure for the prediction of damaging nsSNPs. Our study also elucidates the obvious relationship between predicted values of aggregation-related nsSNPs in HuPrP gene and molecular modeling and MD simulations results. In conclusion, this procedure would enable researchers to select outstanding candidates for extensive MD simulations in order to decipher more details of HuPrP aggregation. An animated interactive 3D complement (I3DC) is available in Proteopedia at http://proteopedia.org/w/Journal:JBSD:34.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samad Jahandideh
- a Section on Statistical Genetics, Department of Biostatistics , School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham , Birmingham , AL , 35294 , USA
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19
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Arena G, La Mendola D, Pappalardo G, Sóvágó I, Rizzarelli E. Interactions of Cu2+ with prion family peptide fragments: Considerations on affinity, speciation and coordination. Coord Chem Rev 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ccr.2012.03.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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20
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Biljan I, Ilc G, Giachin G, Plavec J, Legname G. Structural Rearrangements at Physiological pH: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Insights from the V210I Human Prion Protein Mutant. Biochemistry 2012; 51:7465-74. [DOI: 10.1021/bi3009856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Biljan
- Slovenian NMR Centre, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, SI-1000
Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Gregor Ilc
- Slovenian NMR Centre, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, SI-1000
Ljubljana, Slovenia
- EN→FIST Centre of Excellence, Dunajska 156, SI-1001 Ljubljana,
Slovenia
| | - Gabriele Giachin
- Laboratory of Prion
Biology, Department
of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), via Bonomea 265, Trieste, Italy
| | - Janez Plavec
- Slovenian NMR Centre, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, SI-1000
Ljubljana, Slovenia
- EN→FIST Centre of Excellence, Dunajska 156, SI-1001 Ljubljana,
Slovenia
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical
Technology, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva
cesta 5, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Giuseppe Legname
- Laboratory of Prion
Biology, Department
of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), via Bonomea 265, Trieste, Italy
- ELETTRA Laboratory, Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., I-34149 Basovizza, Trieste,
Italy
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21
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Jossé L, Marchante R, Zenthon J, von der Haar T, Tuite MF. Probing the role of structural features of mouse PrP in yeast by expression as Sup35-PrP fusions. Prion 2012; 6:201-10. [PMID: 22449853 DOI: 10.4161/pri.19214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a tractable model organism in which both to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the generation of disease-associated protein misfolding and to map the cellular responses to potentially toxic misfolded proteins. Specific targets have included proteins which in certain disease states form amyloids and lead to neurodegeneration. Such studies are greatly facilitated by the extensive 'toolbox' available to the yeast researcher that provides a range of cell engineering options. Consequently, a number of assays at the cell and molecular level have been set up to report on specific protein misfolding events associated with endogenous or heterologous proteins. One major target is the mammalian prion protein PrP because we know little about what specific sequence and/or structural feature(s) of PrP are important for its conversion to the infectious prion form, PrP (Sc) . Here, using a study of the expression in yeast of fusion proteins comprising the yeast prion protein Sup35 fused to various regions of mouse PrP protein, we show how PrP sequences can direct the formation of non-transmissible amyloids and focus in particular on the role of the mouse octarepeat region. Through this study we illustrate the benefits and limitations of yeast-based models for protein misfolding disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyne Jossé
- Kent Fungal Group, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
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22
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Nozaki I, Sakai K, Kitamoto T, Yamada M. Reply: Prion protein gene M232R variation is probably an uncommon polymorphism rather than a pathogenic mutation. Brain 2011. [DOI: 10.1093/brain/awr295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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23
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Biljan I, Ilc G, Giachin G, Raspadori A, Zhukov I, Plavec J, Legname G. Toward the Molecular Basis of Inherited Prion Diseases: NMR Structure of the Human Prion Protein with V210I Mutation. J Mol Biol 2011; 412:660-73. [PMID: 21839748 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2011.07.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2011] [Revised: 07/28/2011] [Accepted: 07/28/2011] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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24
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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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25
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van der Kamp MW, Daggett V. Pathogenic mutations in the hydrophobic core of the human prion protein can promote structural instability and misfolding. J Mol Biol 2010; 404:732-48. [PMID: 20932979 PMCID: PMC2994014 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2010.09.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2010] [Accepted: 09/27/2010] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, or prion diseases, are caused by misfolding and aggregation of the prion protein PrP. These diseases can be hereditary in humans and four of the many disease-associated missense mutants of PrP are in the hydrophobic core: V180I, F198S, V203I and V210I. The T183A mutation is related to the hydrophobic core mutants as it is close to the hydrophobic core and known to cause instability. We used extensive molecular dynamics simulations of these five PrP mutants to compare their dynamics and conformations to those of the wild type PrP. The simulations highlight the changes that occur upon introduction of mutations and help to rationalize experimental findings. Changes can occur around the mutation site, but they can also be propagated over long distances. In particular, the F198S and T183A mutations lead to increased flexibility in parts of the structure that are normally stable, and the short β-sheet moves away from the rest of the protein. Mutations V180I, V210I and, to a lesser extent, V203I cause changes similar to those observed upon lowering the pH, which has been linked to misfolding. Early misfolding is observed in one V180I simulation. Overall, mutations in the hydrophobic core have a significant effect on the dynamics and stability of PrP, including the propensity to misfold, which helps to explain their role in the development of familial prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc W. van der Kamp
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA 98195-5013
| | - Valerie Daggett
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA 98195-5013
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26
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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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27
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Adrover M, Pauwels K, Prigent S, de Chiara C, Xu Z, Chapuis C, Pastore A, Rezaei H. Prion fibrillization is mediated by a native structural element that comprises helices H2 and H3. J Biol Chem 2010; 285:21004-12. [PMID: 20375014 PMCID: PMC2898372 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m110.111815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2010] [Revised: 03/21/2010] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggregation and misfolding of the prion protein (PrP) are thought to be the cause of a family of lethal neurodegenerative diseases affecting humans and other animals. Although the structures of PrP from several species have been solved, still little is known about the mechanisms that lead to the misfolded species. Here, we show that the region of PrP comprising the hairpin formed by the helices H2 and H3 is a stable independently folded unit able to retain its secondary and tertiary structure also in the absence of the rest of the sequence. We also prove that the isolated H2H3 is highly fibrillogenic and forms amyloid fibers morphologically similar to those obtained for the full-length protein. Fibrillization of H2H3 but not of full-length PrP is concomitant with formation of aggregates. These observations suggest a "banana-peeling" mechanism for misfolding of PrP in which H2H3 is the aggregation seed that needs to be first exposed to promote conversion from a helical to a beta-rich structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miquel Adrover
- From the MRC National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
- the Departament de Química, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma de Mallorca E-07122, Spain
| | - Kris Pauwels
- From the MRC National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
| | - Stephanie Prigent
- the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Jouy-en-Josas F-78352, France, and
| | - Cesira de Chiara
- From the MRC National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
| | - Zhou Xu
- the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Jouy-en-Josas F-78352, France, and
- the Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique, Fontenay-aux-Roses F-92265, France
| | - Céline Chapuis
- the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Jouy-en-Josas F-78352, France, and
| | - Annalisa Pastore
- From the MRC National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
- the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Jouy-en-Josas F-78352, France, and
| | - Human Rezaei
- the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Jouy-en-Josas F-78352, France, and
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28
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IFRD1 is a candidate gene for SMNA on chromosome 7q22-q23. Am J Hum Genet 2009; 84:692-7. [PMID: 19409521 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2009.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2009] [Revised: 04/04/2009] [Accepted: 04/13/2009] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
We have established strong linkage evidence that supports mapping autosomal-dominant sensory/motor neuropathy with ataxia (SMNA) to chromosome 7q22-q32. SMNA is a rare neurological disorder whose phenotype encompasses both the central and the peripheral nervous system. In order to identify a gene responsible for SMNA, we have undertaken a comprehensive genomic evaluation of the region of linkage, including evaluation for repeat expansion and small deletions or duplications, capillary sequencing of candidate genes, and massively parallel sequencing of all coding exons. We excluded repeat expansion and small deletions or duplications as causative, and through microarray-based hybrid capture and massively parallel short-read sequencing, we identified a nonsynonymous variant in the human interferon-related developmental regulator gene 1 (IFRD1) as a disease-causing candidate. Sequence conservation, animal models, and protein structure evaluation support the involvement of IFRD1 in SMNA. Mutation analysis of IFRD1 in additional patients with similar phenotypes is needed for demonstration of causality and further evaluation of its importance in neurological diseases.
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Roeber S, Grasbon-Frodl EM, Windl O, Krebs B, Xiang W, Vollmert C, Illig T, Schröter A, Arzberger T, Weber P, Zerr I, Kretzschmar HA. Evidence for a pathogenic role of different mutations at codon 188 of PRNP. PLoS One 2008; 3:e2147. [PMID: 18478114 PMCID: PMC2366066 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2007] [Accepted: 03/19/2008] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Clinical and pathological changes in familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) cases may be similar or indistinguishable from sporadic CJD. Therefore determination of novel mutations in PRNP remains of major importance. We identified two different rare mutations in codon 188 of the prion protein gene (PRNP) in four patients suffering from a disease clinically very similar to the major subtype of sporadic CJD. Both mutations result in an exchange of the amino acid residue threonine for a highly basic residue, either arginine (T188R) or lysine (T188K). The T188R mutation was found in one patient and the T188K mutation in three patients. The prevalence of mutations at codon 188 of PRNP was tested in 593 sporadic CJD cases and 735 healthy individuals. Neither mutation was found. The data presented here argue in favor of T188K being a pathogenic mutation causing genetic CJD. Since one individual with this mutation, who is the father of a clinically affected patient with T188K mutation, is now 79 years old and shows no signs of disease, this mutation is likely associated with a penetrance under 100%. Further observations will have to show whether T188R is a pathogenic mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sigrun Roeber
- Center for Neuropathology and Prion Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, München, Germany
| | - Eva-Maria Grasbon-Frodl
- Center for Neuropathology and Prion Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, München, Germany
| | - Otto Windl
- Center for Neuropathology and Prion Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, München, Germany
| | - Bjarne Krebs
- Center for Neuropathology and Prion Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, München, Germany
| | - Wei Xiang
- Center for Neuropathology and Prion Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, München, Germany
| | - Caren Vollmert
- Institute for Epidemiology, Forschungszentrum für Umwelt und Gesundheit (GSF) München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Illig
- Institute for Epidemiology, Forschungszentrum für Umwelt und Gesundheit (GSF) München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Andreas Schröter
- Department of Neurology, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Arzberger
- Center for Neuropathology and Prion Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, München, Germany
| | - Petra Weber
- Center for Neuropathology and Prion Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, München, Germany
| | - Inga Zerr
- Department of Neurology, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Hans A. Kretzschmar
- Center for Neuropathology and Prion Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, München, Germany
- * E-mail:
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30
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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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31
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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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32
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Maras B, Barra D, Schininà ME, Cardone F, Pocchiari M. Prion (PrPres) allotypes profiling: a new perspectives from mass spectrometry. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY (CHICHESTER, ENGLAND) 2004; 10:371-382. [PMID: 15187296 DOI: 10.1255/ejms.602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Biochemical methods employed for PrPres allotypes profiling are reviewed and compared with the latest mass spectrometric approaches. Emphasis is put on the advantages offered by a recently proposed electrospray strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Maras
- Dipartmento de Scienze Biochemiche A Rossi Fnelli, Università La Sapienza, Rome, Italy
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33
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Sauer H, Wefer K, Vetrugno V, Pocchiari M, Gissel C, Sachinidis A, Hescheler J, Wartenberg M. Regulation of intrinsic prion protein by growth factors and TNF-alpha: the role of intracellular reactive oxygen species. Free Radic Biol Med 2003; 35:586-94. [PMID: 12957651 DOI: 10.1016/s0891-5849(03)00360-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Function and regulation of the intrinsic prion protein (PrPc) are largely unknown. In the present study the regulation of PrPc expression by growth factors and cytokines that increase intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels was studied in glioma and neuroblastoma cells grown as multicellular tumor spheroids. PrPc protein was significantly increased when glioma spheroids were treated with either ATP, nerve growth factor (NGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), whereas mRNA levels as evaluated by Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) remained unchanged. ATP, NGF, EGF, and TNF-alpha raised intracellular ROS levels as evaluated using the redox-sensitive fluorescence dye 2'7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (H2DCFDA). The observed elevation in PrPc was completely abolished in the presence of the free radical scavengers vitamin E and ebselen, as well as following pretreatment with the NADPH-oxidase inhibitor diphenylen iodonium chloride (DPI), indicating that PrPc levels are regulated by intracellular ROS. The correlation of PrPc expression to the intracellular ROS levels was investigated by the use of neuroblastoma cells overexpressing either mutant V210I PrP, or wild-type PrPc. It was observed that the intracellular redox state was significantly reduced in PrPc as well as V210I PrP overexpressing cells as compared to non-transfected cells. Consequently, the observed elevation of ROS following treatment with ATP was completely abolished in PrP overexpressing cells. Our data are in line with the assumption that PrPc plays a role as free radical scavenger and/or sensor molecule for oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heinrich Sauer
- Department of Neurophysiology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
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34
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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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35
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Abstract
Prion diseases are unique transmissible neurodegenerative diseases that have diverse phenotypes and can be familial, sporadic, or acquired by infection. Recent findings indicate that the PrP genotype and the PrP(Sc) type have a major influence on the disease phenotype in both sporadic and familial human prion diseases. This review attempts to classify and characterise sporadic and familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) as a function of these two disease determinants. Based on the genotype at codon 129 on both PRNP alleles, the size of protease resistant PrP(Sc) fragments and disease phenotype, we divide sporadic CJD into six subtypes: sCJDMM1/sCJDMV1, sCJDVV2, sCJDMV2, sCJDMM2, sCJDVV1, and sporadic fatal insomnia (sFI). Familial CJD is classified into many haplotypes based on the PRNP mutation and codon 129 (and other polymorphic codons) on the mutant allele. The clinical and pathological features are summarised for each sporadic CJD subtype and familial CJD haplotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierluigi Gambetti
- Division of Neuropathology, Institute of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
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36
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Ingrosso L, Vetrugno V, Cardone F, Pocchiari M. Molecular diagnostics of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Trends Mol Med 2002; 8:273-80. [PMID: 12067613 DOI: 10.1016/s1471-4914(02)02358-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Clinical criteria for the diagnosis of sporadic, iatrogenic and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob diseases are now available and show an excellent sensitivity and specificity ( approximately 98%). Post-mortem diagnosis, based upon the identification in the brain of the pathological conformer of the prion protein (PrP(Sc)), is also very accurate, and several diagnostic kits are now available that facilitate the immunochemical measurement of PrP(Sc). Several new molecular diagnostic techniques aimed at increasing the sensitivity and specificity of PrP(Sc) detection, and at identifying markers of disease that are other than PrP(Sc), are the subject of ongoing studies. The aim of these studies is to develop preclinical screening tests for the identification of infected, but still healthy, individuals. These tests are also badly needed to check the safety of blood or blood-derived products, and to ensure meat safety in European countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loredana Ingrosso
- Laboratory of Virology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
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37
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Huang N, Marie SK, Kok F, Nitrini R. Familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease associated with a point mutation at codon 210 of the prion protein gene. ARQUIVOS DE NEURO-PSIQUIATRIA 2001; 59:932-5. [PMID: 11733840 DOI: 10.1590/s0004-282x2001000600017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), the most known human prion disease, is usually sporadic but approximately 15% of the cases are familial. To date, seven CJD cases with codon 210 mutation (GTT to ATT) have been reported in the literature. We describe a case of a 57 year-old woman who presented gait disturbances and rapidly progressive dementia, leading to death four months after onset. Electroencephalogram revealed periodic activity, diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging showed hypersignal in basal ganglia, and test for 14-3-3 protein was strongly positive in the CSF. The complete prion protein gene coding region was sequenced after PCR amplification, showing a point mutation in codon 210. This is the first case of CJD with codon 210 mutation diagnosed in Brazil. We emphasize the role of genetic search for prion protein gene mutation, even in patients presenting clinical features resembling sporadic CJD.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Huang
- Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology Unit and Laboratory for Neurologic Investigations, Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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38
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Ladogana A, Almonti S, Petraroli R, Giaccaglini E, Ciarmatori C, Liù QG, Bevivino S, Squitieri F, Pocchiari M. Mutation of the PRNP gene at codon 211 in familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS 2001; 103:133-7. [PMID: 11568919 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.1511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) belongs to a group of chronic, progressive, neurodegenerative disorders that may be hereditary, infectious, or sporadic. Hereditary CJDs are associated with mutations in the PRNP gene on chromosome 20p12-pter. We report a family in which four patients developed classical clinical signs of CJD, including severe cognitive decline, cerebellar signs, myoclonic jerks, and synchronic periodic discharges on electroencephalogram. The E211Q mutation has been identified in family members, but not in 97 sporadic CJD patients referred to the Italian registry of CJD nor in 205 healthy normal subjects, suggesting a pathogenic role for this mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Ladogana
- Laboratory of Virology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
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39
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Mastrangelo P, Westaway D. The prion gene complex encoding PrP(C) and Doppel: insights from mutational analysis. Gene 2001; 275:1-18. [PMID: 11574147 DOI: 10.1016/s0378-1119(01)00627-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
The prion protein gene, Prnp, encodes PrP(Sc), the major structural component of prions, infectious pathogens causing a number of disorders including scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (or BSE). Missense mutations in the human Prnp gene cause inherited prion diseases such as familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. In uninfected animals Prnp encodes a glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored protein denoted PrP(C) and in prion infections PrP(C) is converted to PrP(Sc) by templated refolding. Though Prnp is conserved in mammalian species, attempts to verify interactions of putative PrP binding proteins by genetic means have proven frustrating and the ZrchI and Npu lines of Prnp gene-ablated mice (Prnp(0/0) mice) lacking PrP(C) remain healthy throughout development. This indicates that PrP(C) serves a function that is not apparent in a laboratory setting or that other molecules have overlapping functions. Current possibilities involve shuttling or sequestration of synaptic Cu(II) via binding to N-terminal octapeptide residues and/or signal transduction involving the fyn kinase. A new point of entry into the issue of prion protein function has emerged from identification of a paralogue, Prnd, with 24% coding sequence identity to Prnp. Prnd lies downstream of Prnp and encodes the doppel (Dpl) protein. Like PrP(C), Dpl is presented on the cell surface via a GPI anchor and has three alpha-helices: however, it lacks the conformationally plastic and octapeptide repeat domains present in its well-known relative. Interestingly, Dpl is overexpressed in the Ngsk and Rcm0 lines of Prnp(0/0) mice via intergenic splicing events. These lines of Prnp(0/0) mice exhibit ataxia and apoptosis of cerebellar cells, indicating that ectopic synthesis of Dpl protein is toxic to central nervous system neurons: this inference has now been confirmed by the construction of transgenic mice expressing Dpl under the direct control of the PrP promoter. Remarkably, Dpl-programmed ataxia is rescued by wild-type Prnp transgenes. The interaction between the Prnp and Prnd genes in mouse cerebellar neurons may have a physical correlate in competition between Dpl and PrP(C) within a common biochemical pathway that when mis-regulated leads to apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Mastrangelo
- Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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40
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Nitrini R, Mendonça RA, Huang N, LeBlanc A, Livramento JA, Marie SK. Diffusion-weighted MRI in two cases of familial Creutzfeldt--Jakob disease. J Neurol Sci 2001; 184:163-7. [PMID: 11239951 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-510x(01)00432-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) has been described as a useful tool for the diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt--Jakob disease (CJD). To our knowledge, DWI abnormalities have not previously been reported in familial CJD. In two patients with familial CJD associated with distinct mutations at codon 183 and at codon 210 of the prion protein gene, DWI showed a high signal in the basal ganglia and in the cerebral cortex. These abnormalities are similar to those described in sporadic CJD. This observation expands the value of DWI for the diagnosis of some forms of familial CJD. It remains to be investigated whether this finding also holds for CJD associated with other mutations of the prion protein gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Nitrini
- Department of Neurology, São Paulo Medical School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
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41
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Minghetti L, Greco A, Cardone F, Puopolo M, Ladogana A, Almonti S, Cunningham C, Perry VH, Pocchiari M, Levi G. Increased brain synthesis of prostaglandin E2 and F2-isoprostane in human and experimental transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2000; 59:866-71. [PMID: 11079776 DOI: 10.1093/jnen/59.10.866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The levels of 2 arachidonic acid metabolites formed either by enzymatic activity of cyclooxygenase, i.e. prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), or by free radical-catalyzed peroxidation, i.e. F2-isoprostane 8-epi-prostaglandin F2alpha (8-epi-PGF2alpha), were measured in the CSF of subjects with sporadic and familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and in brain homogenates of scrapie-infected mice. The CSF levels of both metabolites were increased in sporadic CJD (n = 52) and familial CJD (n = 10) patients when compared with a group of patients with noninflammatory disorders. Similarly, PGE2 and 8-epi-PGF2alpha levels were higher in brain homogenates obtained from C57BL/6J mice infected with the ME7 scrapie strain than in brain homogenates from control animals. As PGE2 is 1 of the most abundant prostaglandins released during inflammation and 8-epi-PGF2alpha is a quantitative marker of lipid peroxidation, our results provide in vivo biochemical evidence for the occurrence of inflammation and oxidative stress in human and experimental transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), a concept so far based mainly on histopathological and in vitro evidence. Interestingly, in sporadic CJD patients, high CSF levels of PGE2, but not 8-epi-PGF2alpha, correlated with short survival time, suggesting that the inflammatory response correlates with the clinical duration of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Minghetti
- Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
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42
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Parchi P, Capellari S, Gambetti P. Intracerebral distribution of the abnormal isoform of the prion protein in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and fatal insomnia. Microsc Res Tech 2000; 50:16-25. [PMID: 10871544 DOI: 10.1002/1097-0029(20000701)50:1<16::aid-jemt4>3.0.co;2-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Molecular genetics and protein chemistry have led to major advances in our understanding of the molecular basis of phenotypic variability of prion diseases. A large body of evidence indicates that a common methionine/valine polymorphism at codon 129 in the prion protein gene (PRNP), alone or in conjunction with PRNP mutations, modulates both disease susceptibility and phenotypic expression of human prion diseases. In addition, there are physicochemical properties of the abnormal isoform of the prion protein (PrP(sc)), such as relative molecular mass and glycosylation, that correlate with distinct phenotypes even in subjects carrying the same PRNP genotype. Different PrP(sc) "type"-PRNP genotype combinations are found associated with pathological phenotypes that differ in the relative severity of lesions among distinct brain regions, the presence and morphology of certain lesions such as amyloid plaques, and the pattern of intracerebral and tissue deposition of PrP(sc). This review summarizes the currently available data on the molecular pathology of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the most common human prion disease, and fatal insomnia, a more recently defined entity that has rapidly become one of the best characterized of the human prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Parchi
- Division of Neuropathology, Institute of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA.
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43
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Petraroli R, Vaccari G, Pocchiari M. A rapid and efficient method for the detection of point mutations of the human prion protein gene (PRNP) by direct sequencing. J Neurosci Methods 2000; 99:59-63. [PMID: 10936643 DOI: 10.1016/s0165-0270(00)00216-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and related disorders occur in sporadic, acquired and inherited forms. In sporadic, iatrogenic and new variant CJD the polymorphic codon 129 of the prion protein gene (PRNP) plays an important role for the susceptibility to the disease and for the clinical and neuropathological manifestations. All the inherited forms of CJD and related disorders are linked to point or insert mutations of PRNP. The analysis of PRNP is therefore important for a correct classification of these disorders and for the identification of novel mutations. The aim of the present study is to describe a fast and easy to perform method for the direct sequencing of the PCR amplified PRNP open reading frame, by using M13 tailed primers which allow a direct and rapid method of sequencing. The goodness of this method is demonstrated in the analysis of three sporadic CJD patients with different genotypes at codon 129 and three inherited cases bearing different point mutations of PRNP: the Pro102Leu mutation linked to Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker-syndrome, the Val210Ile mutation and a novel mutation at codon 211 (Gln211Glu) both associated to familial CJD.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Petraroli
- Laboratorio di Virologia, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Roma, Italy
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44
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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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45
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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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46
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Abstract
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), the first transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) to be described in humans, occurs in a sporadic, familial, or iatrogenic form. Other TSEs in humans, shown to be associated with specific prion protein gene mutations, have been reported in different parts of the world. These TSEs compose a heterogeneous group of familial diseases that traditionally have been classified as familial CJD, Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome, or fatal familial insomnia. In 1996, a newly recognized variant form of CJD among young patients (median age, 28 years) with unusual clinical features and a unique neuropathologic profile was reported in the United Kingdom. In the absence of known CJD risk factors or prion protein gene abnormalities, the UK government concluded that the clustering of these cases may represent transmission to humans of the agent causing bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Additional epidemiologic and recent laboratory data strongly support the UK government's conclusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- E D Belay
- Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA.
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47
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Mouillet-Richard S, Teil C, Lenne M, Hugon S, Taleb O, Laplanche JL. Mutation at codon 210 (V210I) of the prion protein gene in a North African patient with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. J Neurol Sci 1999; 168:141-4. [PMID: 10526198 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-510x(99)00179-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
A point mutation at codon 210 of the prion protein gene (PRNP), resulting in the substitution of isoleucine for valine (V210I) has been found in a 54-year-old Moroccan patient affected with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). This patient is the first carrier of the PRNP V210I mutation reported from North Africa. The clinical presentation of the patient was rather similar to that seen in classical CJD, except that unusual early sensory symptoms were observed. The mother of the proband, aged 72, is a further example of an asymptomatic elderly carrier of the PRNP V210I mutation, suggesting an incomplete penetrance of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Mouillet-Richard
- Centre de Recherche C. Bernard, IFR 6, Service de Biochimie (Pr. J. -M. Launay), Hôpital Lariboisière, 2 rue A. Paré, 75475, Paris, France
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48
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Cardone F, Liu QG, Petraroli R, Ladogana A, D'Alessandro M, Arpino C, Di Bari M, Macchi G, Pocchiari M. Prion protein glycotype analysis in familial and sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patients. Brain Res Bull 1999; 49:429-33. [PMID: 10483920 DOI: 10.1016/s0361-9230(99)00077-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are characterised by the accumulation of a pathological conformer of PrP, named PrPsc. Molecular weight and glycosylation of the protease-resistant core of PrPsc (PrP27-30) are heterogeneous in different forms of TSEs. We analysed PrP27-30 glycotypes in a large number of TSE-affected patients: 50 sporadic CJD (sCJD), 1 iatrogenic CJD, 1 Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS) with the Pro102Leu mutation of PrP, 3 familial CJD (fCJD) with the Glu200Lys mutation and, for the first time, 7 fCJD with the Val210ll3e mutation. All patients were screened for the polymorphic codon 129 of the PrP gene. PrP27-30 deglycosylation and PrPsc immunohistochemistry were performed in selected cases. We found that two PrP27-30 glycotypes (type 1A and type 2A) are produced in sCJD. Type 1A is more frequently associated with methionine than valine in position 129. Type 1A is also formed in Val210lle fCJD. In Glu200Lys fCJD and GSS patients, we found that PrP27-30 has the same mobility of type 1 but different glycosylation ratios (type 1B). Our findings indicate that the polymorphic residue 129 of PrP has a leading role in determining the proteinase degradation site of PrPsc while mutant residues 102 or 200 influence only the glycosylation pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Cardone
- Laboratory of Virology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
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Vetrugno V, Malchow M, Liu Q, Marziali G, Battistini A, Pocchiari M. Expression of wild-type and V210I mutant prion protein in human neuroblastoma cells. Neurosci Lett 1999; 270:41-4. [PMID: 10454141 DOI: 10.1016/s0304-3940(99)00460-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The conversion of the host-encoded prion protein (PrPc) into the insoluble, protease-resistant isoform (PrPsc) is the main pathogenic mechanism of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. They are fatal neurodegenerative disorders, which in human occur as sporadic, inherited or familial forms. These last forms are linked to insert or point mutations of PrPc which may facilitate the spontaneous conversion into PrPsc. We have established stably transfected human neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) expressing mutant V210I, or wild-type PrPc. Both proteins were expressed and attached to the cell surface. The mutation in position 210 did not alter the biochemical properties of the protein in comparison with the wild-type protein nor induced any conformational changes similar to those observed in PrPsc.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Vetrugno
- Laboratory of Virology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
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50
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Forloni G, Angeretti N, Malesani P, Peressini E, Rodriguez Martin T, Della Torre P, Salmona M. Influence of mutations associated with familial prion-related encephalopathies on biological activity of prion protein peptides. Ann Neurol 1999; 45:489-94. [PMID: 10211473 DOI: 10.1002/1531-8249(199904)45:4<489::aid-ana10>3.0.co;2-o] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
In transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), an altered form of prion protein (PrP), PrPres, aggregates in amyloid fibrils and accumulates in the brain. Several point mutations of the PrP gene have been associated with the TSEs, so, to investigate how the mutations affect the biological activity of PrP, we analyzed the biological effects and chemicophysical characteristics of the peptide homologous to the wild-type and mutated sequence of PrP fragments. The mutation P102L altered the biological activity of PrP 89-106, which became neurotoxic without changing its fibrillogenic capacity. The mutation (D178N) in the PrP 169-185 strongly increased the neurotoxic activity of the native sequence. In this case, there was also a clear alteration of the structural conformation. None of the other mutations considered, including A117V, seemed to influence the biological activities of the respective peptides. These data identify new neurotoxic fragments of PrP in the mutated form and elucidate their genetic influence on the pathogenesis of TSEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Forloni
- Laboratory of Biology of Neurodegenerative Disorders, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy
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