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Bernstein BW, Maloney MT, Bamburg JR. Actin and Diseases of the Nervous System. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2011; 5:201-234. [PMID: 35547659 PMCID: PMC9088176 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4419-7368-9_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Abnormal regulation of the actin cytoskeleton results in several pathological conditions affecting primarily the nervous system. Those of genetic origin arise during development, but others manifest later in life. Actin regulation is also affected profoundly by environmental factors that can have sustained consequences for the nervous system. Those consequences follow from the fact that the actin cytoskeleton is essential for a multitude of cell biological functions ranging from neuronal migration in cortical development and dendritic spine formation to NMDA receptor activity in learning and alcoholism. Improper regulation of actin, causing aggregation, can contribute to the neurodegeneration of amyloidopathies, such as Down's syndrome and Alzheimer's disease. Much progress has been made in understanding the molecular basis of these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara W Bernstein
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523
| | - Michael T Maloney
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523
| | - James R Bamburg
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523
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Davis RC, Furukawa R, Fechheimer M. A cell culture model for investigation of Hirano bodies. Acta Neuropathol 2008; 115:205-17. [PMID: 17978823 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-007-0275-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2007] [Revised: 07/24/2007] [Accepted: 07/26/2007] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Hirano bodies are paracrystalline F-actin-rich aggregations associated with a variety of conditions including aging, and neurodegenerative diseases. The composition and structure of these inclusions have been described by immunohistochemistry and ultrastructure, respectively. However, studies of the physiological function and dynamics of Hirano bodies have been hindered due to lack of a facile in vitro experimental system. We have developed a model for formation of Hirano bodies in mammalian cell cultures by expression of the carboxy-terminal fragment (CT) of a 34-kDa actin-bundling protein. Expression of the CT protein induces F-actin rearrangement in HEK 293, HeLa, Cos7 cells, neuroblastoma and astrocytic cells, and in primary neurons. We have termed these structures model Hirano bodies, since their composition and ultrastructure is quite similar to that reported in vivo. Model Hirano bodies in cell cultures sometimes appeared to be formed of a number of smaller domains, suggesting that small aggregates are intermediates in the formation of Hirano bodies. Stable lines expressing CT and bearing model Hirano bodies exhibit normal growth, morphology, and motility. This model provides a valuable system for the study of the dynamics of Hirano bodies, and their role in disease processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard C Davis
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, 724 Biological Sciences, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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Maselli A, Furukawa R, Thomson SAM, Davis RC, Fechheimer M. Formation of Hirano bodies induced by expression of an actin cross-linking protein with a gain-of-function mutation. EUKARYOTIC CELL 2003; 2:778-87. [PMID: 12912897 PMCID: PMC178389 DOI: 10.1128/ec.2.4.778-787.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2002] [Accepted: 04/22/2003] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Hirano bodies are paracrystalline actin filament-containing structures reported to be associated with a variety of neurodegenerative diseases. However, the biological function of Hirano bodies remains poorly understood, since nearly all prior studies of these structures were done with postmortem samples of tissue. In the present study, we generated a full-length form of a Dictyostelium 34-kDa actin cross-linking protein with point mutations in the first putative EF hand, termed 34-kDa DeltaEF1. The 34-kDa DeltaEF1 protein binds calcium normally but has activated actin binding that is unregulated by calcium. The expression of the 34-kDa DeltaEF1 protein in Dictyostelium induces the formation of Hirano bodies, as assessed by both fluorescence microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Dictyostelium cells bearing Hirano bodies grow normally, indicating that Hirano bodies are not associated with cell death and are not deleterious to cell growth. Moreover, the expression of the 34-kDa DeltaEF1 protein rescues the phenotypes of cells lacking the 34-kDa protein and cells lacking both the 34-kDa protein and alpha-actinin. Finally, the expression of the 34-kDa DeltaEF1 protein also initiates the formation of Hirano bodies in cultured mouse fibroblasts. These results show that the failure to regulate the activity and/or affinity of an actin cross-linking protein can provide a signal for the formation of Hirano bodies. More generally, the formation of Hirano bodies is a cellular response to or a consequence of aberrant function of the actin cytoskeleton.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Maselli
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
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4
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Maselli AG, Davis R, Furukawa R, Fechheimer M. Formation of Hirano bodies in Dictyostelium and mammalian cells induced by expression of a modified form of an actin-crosslinking protein. J Cell Sci 2002; 115:1939-49. [PMID: 11956325 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.115.9.1939] [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: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We report the serendipitous development of the first cultured cell models of Hirano bodies. Myc-epitope-tagged forms of the 34 kDa actin bundling protein (amino acids 1-295) and the CT fragment (amino acids 124-295) of the 34 kDa protein that exhibits activated actin binding and calcium-insensitive actin filament crosslinking activity were expressed in Dictyosteliumand mammalian cells to assess the behavior of these modified forms in vivo. Dictyostelium cells expressing the CT-myc fragment: (1) form ellipsoidal regions that contain ordered assemblies of F-actin, CT-myc, myosin II, cofilin and α-actinin; (2) grow and develop more slowly than wildtype, but produce normal morphogenetic structures; (3) perform pinocytosis and phagocytosis normally; and (4) produce a level of total actin equivalent to wildtype, but a higher level of F-actin. The paracrystalline inclusions bear a striking resemblance to Hirano bodies, which are associated with a number of pathological conditions. Furthermore, expression of the CT fragment in murine L cells results in F-actin rearrangements characterized by loss of stress fibers, accumulation of numerous punctate foci, and large perinuclear aggregates, the Hirano bodies. Thus, failure to regulate the activity and/or affinity of an actin crosslinking protein can provide a signal for formation of Hirano bodies. More generally, formation of Hirano bodies is a cellular response to or a consequence of aberrant function of the actin cytoskeleton. The results reveal that formation of Hirano bodies is not necessarily related to cell death. These cultured cell models should facilitate studies of the biochemistry, genetics and physiological effects of Hirano bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew G Maselli
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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Abstract
The tubulovesicular structures (TVS) are the only structures unique at the level of thin-section electron microscopy for all TSEs so far examined. They were first described in NIH Swiss mice infected intracerebrally with the "Chandler" strain of scrapie by David-Ferreira et al. in 1968 [Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 127:313-320]. TVS were described as "particles and rods ranging in diameter from 320 to 360 A(o)." The exact topology of TVS is not entirely clear. In most published electron micrographs, TVS appeared as spheres measuring between 20 and 40 nm in diameter. The number of neuritic processes containing TVS increases through the incubation period and has been shown to correlate with the incubation period and titre of infectivity in three longitudinal disease studies of scrapie and CJD. These studies, therefore, suggest that TVS may represent a primary pathogenetic event rather than a pathological product of disease. The predominant theory of the scrapie agent is now the "prion hypothesis" and its derivatives, which implies that a conformationally altered abnormal isoform (PrP(Sc) or PrP*) of a normal cellular membrane glycoprotein (PrP(c)) is the agent and its accumulation merely mimicks replication. If an abnormal fraction of PrP is indeed the infectious agent, (although it is no longer suggested in some quarters that protease resistant fraction of PrP(Sc) is the agent). The absence of stainable PrP in TVS, however, would indicate that they are not the ultrastructural correlate of the agent. However, TVS appear to be specific and unique to the TSEs, appearing before the earliest pathological changes and increasing in line with incubation period or titre. The very existence of TVS and their correlation with infectivity, therefore, urgently needs an explanation.
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Affiliation(s)
- P P Liberski
- Laboratory of Electron Microscopy and Neuropathology, Department of Molecular Biology, Chair of Oncology, Medical Academy Lódz, Lódz, Poland.
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Liberski PP, Yanagihara R, Wells GA, Gibbs CJ, Gajdusek DC. Comparative ultrastructural neuropathology of naturally occurring bovine spongiform encephalopathy and experimentally induced scrapie and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. J Comp Pathol 1992; 106:361-81. [PMID: 1644932 DOI: 10.1016/0021-9975(92)90022-m] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
We report the ultrastructural neuropathology of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), a recently described slow virus disease first recognized in Friesian/Holstein cattle, and compare it to that of experimental scrapie and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The spongiform change, which was most pronounced in the central grey matter of the midbrain, consisted of membrane-bound vacuoles within neuronal processes, containing curled membrane fragments, secondary chambers and vesicles. Axons and dendrites accumulated whorls of neurofilaments and other subcellular organelles, such as mitochondria and dense bodies, which were entrapped within the filamentous masses. Other neurites accumulated electron-dense bodies, and still others electron-lucent cisterns and branching tubules. Membrane-bound neuronal inclusions, composed of tubules measuring 10 nm in diameter, were found in axonal terminals. Tubulovesicular structures were loosely packed and were occasionally surrounded by a common membrane, a finding previously described only in natural scrapie in sheep. Except for the intraneuronal inclusions, all of the ultrastructural features of BSE resembled those found in scrapie and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- P P Liberski
- Laboratory of Central Nervous System Studies, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
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Liberski PP, Budka H, Sluga E, Barcikowska M, Kwiecinski H. Tubulovesicular structures in human and experimental Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Eur J Epidemiol 1991; 7:551-5. [PMID: 1761114 DOI: 10.1007/bf00143138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Tubulovesicular structures (TVS) have been consistently observed in brain tissue of animals with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies such as natural and experimental scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and experimental Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). In this communication we demonstrate for the first time the presence of TVS in natural CJD. TVS were detected in all 3 CJD specimens. However, they were rare and were found only in one or two locations per grid. They were seen in distended pre- and postsynaptic terminals and measured approximately 35 nm in diameter, and they were smaller and of higher electron density than synaptic vesicles. Their occurrence in all types of spongiform encephalopathies irrespective of the affected host and the strain of infectious agent emphasizes their biological significance.
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Dal Canto MC. Human and experimental spongiform encephalopathies: recent progress in pathogenesis. ITALIAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES 1991; 12:147-53. [PMID: 1676992 DOI: 10.1007/bf02337026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The spongiform encephalopathies belong to the group of "slow virus infections" of the nervous system, characterized by a long incubation period, a protracted course and involvement of the nervous system with a lethal outcome. In contrast to the conventional virus infections, such as visna in sheep and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in humans, the etiological agent for the spongiform encephalopathies has not been clearly defined. The known forms in animals are scrapie in sheep and goats, transmissible mink encephalopathy, and chronic wasting disease of mule deer and elk. In humans, the three known forms are Kuru, now mainly of historical interest, Creutzfeldt-Jakob (CJ) disease and the syndrome of Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker (GSS). An important feature of these diseases is the lack of an immune response by the host, which is reflected in the absence of inflammatory infiltrates in the affected tissues. In this editorial the two most important hypotheses on the etiology and pathogenesis of this group of conditions will be discussed. The "prion" hypothesis considers the possibility that a protein, derived from a normal component of the neuronal membranes may have a leading role, not only in the infectivity and transmissibility of these diseases, but in the pathological changes that ensue. A single host gene would code for both the normal and altered proteins. The altered protein would be partially insoluble and would result in the deposition of fibrils and rods which would precipitate in the form of amyloid. Since the involved protein would be coded for by the host, there would be no immune response against it.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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9
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McKinley MP, Meyer RK, Kenaga L, Rahbar F, Cotter R, Serban A, Prusiner SB. Scrapie prion rod formation in vitro requires both detergent extraction and limited proteolysis. J Virol 1991; 65:1340-51. [PMID: 1704926 PMCID: PMC239910 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.65.3.1340-1351.1991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 215] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Scrapie prion infectivity can be enriched from hamster brain homogenates by using limited proteolysis and detergent extraction. Purified fractions contain both scrapie infectivity and the protein PrP 27-30, which is aggregated in the form of prion rods. During purification, PrP 27-30 is produced from a larger membrane protein, PrPSc, by limited proteolysis with proteinase K. Brain homogenates from scrapie-infected hamsters do not contain prion rods prior to exposure to detergents and proteases. To determine whether both detergent extraction and limited proteolysis are required for the formation of prion rods, microsomal membranes were prepared from infected brains in the presence of protease inhibitors. The isolated membranes were then detergent extracted as well as protease digested to evaluate the effects of these treatments on the formation of prion rods. Neither detergent (2% Sarkosyl) extraction nor limited proteinase K digestion of scrapie microsomes produced recognizable prion amyloid rods. Only after combining detergent extraction with limited proteolysis were numerous prion rods observed. Rod formation was influenced by the protease concentration, the specificity of the protease, and the duration of digestion. Rod formation also depended upon the detergent; some combinations of protease and detergent did not produce prion amyloid rods. Similar results were obtained with purified PrPSc fractions prepared by repeated detergent extractions in the presence of protease inhibitors. These fractions contained amorphous structures but not rods; however, prion rods were produced upon conversion of PrPSc to PrP 27-30 by limited proteolysis. We conclude that the formation of prion amyloid rods in vitro requires both detergent extraction and limited proteolysis. In vivo, amyloid filaments found in the brains of animals with scrapie resemble prion rods in their width and their labeling with prion protein (PrP) antisera; however, filaments are typically longer than rods. Whether limited proteolysis and some process equivalent to detergent extraction are required for amyloid filament formation in vivo remains to be established.
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Affiliation(s)
- M P McKinley
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco 94143
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Izumiyama N, Ohtsubo K, Tachikawa T, Nakamura H. Elucidation of three-dimensional ultrastructure of Hirano bodies by the quick-freeze, deep-etch and replica method. Acta Neuropathol 1991; 81:248-54. [PMID: 2058363 DOI: 10.1007/bf00305865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
To clarify the yet controversial fine structure of Hirano bodies, we made three-dimensional observations of the tissues from the right hippocampus obtained at autopsy of elderly patients by the quick-freeze, deep-etch and replica method. The basic structure of Hirano bodies was a unit lamella, a closely attached pair of sheets composed of parallel-running smooth filaments, 10 to 12 nm in diameter with 12-nm interspaces. In the unit lamella, filaments from each of the overlapping sheets crossed obliquely at acute or obtuse angles to form lattice-like meshworks. The unit lamellae were arranged in a folded, waved or concentric manner, and connected or supported by cross-linking filaments of the same width. The distance between these unit lamellae was about 50 nm. Occasionally the sheets were separated or fused making layers of one to three sheets. At the periphery of the bodies parallel filaments were dispersed into individual filaments of similar size or directly attached to the cytoplasmic membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Izumiyama
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Japan
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11
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Affiliation(s)
- M P McKinley
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco 94143
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12
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Liberski PP, Yanagihara R, Gibbs CJ, Gajdusek DC. Appearance of tubulovesicular structures in experimental Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and scrapie precedes the onset of clinical disease. Acta Neuropathol 1990; 79:349-54. [PMID: 2160182 DOI: 10.1007/bf00308710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
We have consistently observed tubulovesicular structures in brain tissues during the terminal stages of naturally occurring and experimentally induced spongiform encephalopathies, irrespective of the host species and virus strain. In NIH Swiss mice inoculated intracerebrally or intraocularly with the Fujisaki strain of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) virus, tubulovesicular structures, measuring 20-50 nm in diameter, were particularly prominent in dilated, pre- and postsynaptic neuronal processes, occasionally being mixed with synaptic vesicles. These structures appeared 13 weeks following intracerebral inoculation, 5 weeks before the onset of clinical signs, when spongiform changes were also detected. The number and density of tubulovesicular structures increased steadily during the course of clinical disease, and were particularly abundant in mice 47 to 51 weeks after intraocular inoculation. In hamsters infected with the 263 K strain of scrapie virus, these structures were initially detected 3 weeks following intracerebral inoculation and increased dramatically at 10 weeks postinoculation. The appearance of tubulovesicular structures before the onset of overt disease in mice inoculated with CJD virus by either the intracerebral or intraocular route, and before the appearance of other neuropathological changes in hamsters infected with scrapie virus, indicate that they represent either a part or aggregate of the infectious virus or a pathological product of the infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- P P Liberski
- Laboratory of Central Nervous System Studies, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
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Gibson PH, Doughty LA. An electron microscopic study of inclusion bodies in synaptic terminals of scrapie-infected animals. Acta Neuropathol 1989; 77:420-5. [PMID: 2540611 DOI: 10.1007/bf00687377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Inclusion bodies consisting of vesicles of about 25 nm diameter and occurring in the synaptic terminals of scrapie-infected animals have been described by a number of people. In the present study these inclusion bodies were looked for in the neocortex, hippocampus and corpus callosum in a variety of strains of mice (C3H, LM, RIII, IM, VL) infected with different strains of scrapie agent (22C, 79A, ME7, 87V) after intracerebral inoculation. In plaque-bearing models of scrapie, terminals containing synaptic inclusion bodies were frequently found surrounding the amyloid plaque cores in the neocortex but not in the corpus callosum. In non-plaque-bearing models, terminals containing synaptic inclusion bodies were found in the neuropil of the neocortex and hippocampus. For all models, these bodies were either presynaptic or postsynaptic but were not, as a rule, found on both sides of the same synapse. Fibrillary material was frequently seen in the postsynaptic terminals containing the inclusion bodies in both the plaque- and non-plaque-bearing models. On one occasion fibrillary material was seen, together with the inclusion bodies, in a neuron cell body. Inclusion bodies were also seen in the neocortex of hamsters infected with the 263K strain of scrapie agent and a Cheviot sheep infected with the ME7 strain of agent. The inclusion bodies and the fibrillary material were thought to be derived from the breakdown of neurotubules.
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Affiliation(s)
- P H Gibson
- AFRC and MRC Neuropathogenesis Unit, Edinburgh, Great Britain
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Gajdusek DC. Fantasy of a "virus" from the inorganic world: pathogenesis of cerebral amyloidoses by polymer nucleating agents and/or "viruses". HAEMATOLOGY AND BLOOD TRANSFUSION 1989; 32:481-99. [PMID: 2696692 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-74621-5_82] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- D C Gajdusek
- Laboratory of Central Nervous System Studies, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD 20892
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Gajdusek DC. Transmissible and non-transmissible amyloidoses: autocatalytic post-translational conversion of host precursor proteins to beta-pleated sheet configurations. J Neuroimmunol 1988; 20:95-110. [PMID: 3143742 DOI: 10.1016/0165-5728(88)90140-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- D C Gajdusek
- Laboratory of Central Nervous System Studies, National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD 20892
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Affiliation(s)
- S B Prusiner
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco 94143
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Abstract
Prions cause scrapie and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD); these infectious pathogens are composed largely, if not entirely, of protein molecules. No prion-specific polynucleotide has been identified. Purified preparations of scrapie prions contain high titers (greater than or equal to 10(9.5) ID50/ml), one protein (PrP 27-30) and amyloid rods (10-20 nm in diameter X 100-200 nm in length). Considerable evidence indicates that PrP 27-30 is required for and inseparable from scrapie infectivity. PrP 27-30 is encoded by a cellular gene and is derived from a larger protein, denoted PrPSc or PrP 33-35Sc, by protease digestion. A cellular isoform, designated PrPC or PrP 33-35C, is encoded by the same gene as PrPSc and both proteins appear to be translated from the same 2.1 kb mRNA. Monoclonal antibodies to PrP 27-30, as well as antisera to PrP synthetic peptides, specifically react with both PrPC and PrPSc, establishing their relatedness. PrPC is digested by proteinase K, while PrPSc is converted to PrP 27-30 under the same conditions. Prion proteins are synthesized with signal peptides and are integrated into membranes. Detergent extraction of microsomal membranes isolated from scrapie-infected hamster brains solubilizes PrPC but induces PrPSc to polymerize into amyloid rods. This procedure allows separation of the two prion protein isoforms and the demonstration that PrPSc accumulates during scrapie infection, while the level of PrPC does not change. The prion amyloid rods generated by detergent extraction are identical morphologically, except for length, to extracellular collections of prion amyloid filaments which form plaques in scrapie- and CJD-infected brains. The prion amyloid plaques stain with antibodies to PrP 27-30 and PrP peptides. PrP 33-35C does not accumulate in the extracellular space. Prion rods composed of PrP 27-30 can be dissociated into phospholipid vesicles with full retention of scrapie infectivity. The murine PrP gene (Prn-p) is linked to the Prn-i gene which controls the length of the scrapie incubation period. Prolonged incubation times are a cardinal feature of scrapie and CJD. While the central role of PrPSc in scrapie pathogenesis is well established, the chemical as well as conformational differences between PrPC and PrPSc are unknown but probably arise from post-translational modifications.
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Prusiner SB. Prions are novel infectious pathogens causing scrapie and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Bioessays 1986; 5:281-6. [PMID: 3551942 DOI: 10.1002/bies.950050612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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Mori H, Tomonaga M, Baba N, Kanaya K. The structure analysis of Hirano bodies by digital processing on electron micrographs. Acta Neuropathol 1986; 71:32-7. [PMID: 3022535 DOI: 10.1007/bf00687959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
To clarify the structure of Hirano bodies, electron micrographs of Hirano bodies taken at various tilting angles have been studied by digital image analysis. On the electron micrographs, the beaded filaments of Hirano bodies were turned into a pattern of lattice-like arrays by changing the tilting angles. Based on computer-processed diffraction patterns and filtered images, it is proposed that the filaments of Hirano bodies are helical strands with a pitch of 185 A. A model for the helical strand drawn by microcomputer at various angles of rotation is in accordance with the filtered images of the tilted filaments. Computer simulation also reveals that the helical strands appear to be lattice-like when they are arranged in parallel.
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McKinley MP, Prusiner SB. Biology and structure of scrapie prions. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 1986; 28:1-57. [PMID: 3100471 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7742(08)60105-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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DeArmond SJ, McKinley MP, Barry RA, Braunfeld MB, McColloch JR, Prusiner SB. Identification of prion amyloid filaments in scrapie-infected brain. Cell 1985; 41:221-35. [PMID: 3922627 DOI: 10.1016/0092-8674(85)90076-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 211] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Extracellular collections of abnormal filaments composed of prion proteins have been identified in the brains of scrapie-infected hamsters using immunoelectron microscopy. Some of the filaments were 1500 nm in length; generally, they exhibited a uniform diameter of 16 nm. Rarely, the filaments had a twisted appearance, raising the possibility that they are flattened cylinders or are composed of helically wound protofilaments. The prion filaments possess the same diameter and limited twisting as the shorter rod-shaped particles observed in purified preparations of prions. Both the filaments and rods are composed of PrP 27-30 molecules, as determined by immunoelectron microscopy using affinity-purified antibodies. The ultrastructural features of the prion filaments are similar to those reported for amyloid in many tissues including brain. These results provide the first evidence that prion proteins assemble into filaments within the brain and that these filaments accumulate in extracellular spaces to form amyloid plaques.
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22
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Bendheim PE, Bockman JM, McKinley MP, Kingsbury DT, Prusiner SB. Scrapie and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease prion proteins share physical properties and antigenic determinants. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1985; 82:997-1001. [PMID: 2579394 PMCID: PMC397180 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.82.4.997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Scrapie of sheep and goats as well as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) of humans are neurologic disorders caused by slow infectious pathogens. The novel molecular properties of the pathogen causing scrapie have prompted introduction of the term "prion" to denote a small proteinaceous infectious particle that resists inactivation by nucleic acid-modifying procedures. Antiserum to the major hamster scrapie prion protein (PrP 27-30) was found to cross-react with murine CJD proteins. The CJD proteins had molecular weights similar to those observed for scrapie prion proteins as determined by NaDodSO4 gel electrophoresis. In addition, the CJD proteins were resistant to digestion by proteinase K and appear to polymerize into rod-shaped particles. The purification procedure developed for scrapie prions was found to be useful in purifying the CJD agent. Purification of the two infectious pathogens by virtually identical procedures provided further evidence for similarities in their molecular structures. We conclude that the molecular and biologic properties of the CJD agent are sufficiently similar to those of the scrapie prion protein that CJD should be classified as a prion disease.
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Bockman JM, Kingsbury DT, McKinley MP, Bendheim PE, Prusiner SB. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease prion proteins in human brains. N Engl J Med 1985; 312:73-8. [PMID: 3917302 DOI: 10.1056/nejm198501103120202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 158] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is caused by a slow infectious pathogen, or prion. We found that purified fractions from the brains of two patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease contained protease-resistant proteins ranging in apparent molecular weight from 10,000 to 50,000. These proteins reacted with antibodies raised against the scrapie prion protein PrP 27-30. Rod-shaped particles were found in the brain tissue of the patients that were similar to those isolated from rodents with either scrapie or experimental Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. After being stained with Congo red dye, the protein polymers from patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease exhibited green birefringence when examined under polarized light. Our findings suggest that the amyloid plaques found in the brains of patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease may be composed of paracrystalline arrays of prions similar to those in prion diseases in laboratory animals.
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Yamamoto T, Hirano A. Hirano bodies in the perikaryon of the Purkinje cell in a case of Alzheimer's disease. Acta Neuropathol 1985; 67:167-9. [PMID: 4024868 DOI: 10.1007/bf00688139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Cylindrical forms of Hirano bodies were observed in the perikaryon of a Purkinje cell in a case of Alzheimer's disease. Scattered, typical senile plaques were also seen in the cerebellar cortex.
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Sima AA, Hinton D. Hirano-bodies in the distal symmetric polyneuropathy of the spontaneously diabetic BB-Wistar rat. Acta Neurol Scand 1983; 68:107-12. [PMID: 6314728 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0404.1983.tb04824.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Lattice-like cytoplasmic inclusions have been demonstrated in a variety of pathologic conditions of the CNS and PNS in both man and animals. We describe 2 types of such inclusions occurring in association with the distal central-peripheral symmetric polyneuropathy of the spontaneously diabetic BB-Wistar rat. In the literature, both these lattice-like inclusions have been referred to as Hirano-bodies, but have not been separated on the basis of different measurements, locations or possible origins.
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Beal JA. Morphogenesis of the Hirano body in neurons of the squirrel monkey dorsal horn. JOURNAL OF NEUROCYTOLOGY 1978; 7:395-403. [PMID: 211205 DOI: 10.1007/bf01173987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Electron microscopic investigation of laminae I-III in the lumbosacral region of the squirrel monkey spinal cord has disclosed possible stages in the morphogenesis of the Hirano body. These bodies occur occasionally in nerve cell bodies and dendrites. They are round to oval in shape, measure up to 2.2 micrometer in diameter and are composed of circular layers of 10 nm filaments. In several instances in the present study, Hirano bodies were observed in close association with the Golgi apparatus. Here Golgi-related vesicles were attached to the external surface of the Hirano bodies. In one instance a cluster of developing Hirano bodies of various sizes was observed. The smaller bodies were located nearest the Golgi apparatus while the larger were further away. In this case several short filaments, which may be precursors of the longer filaments which make up the layers of the inclusion, were observed in the cytoplasm between the Golgi cisternae and the smaller Hirano bodies. These observations suggest that the Golgi apparatus plays a major role in the production of the Hirano body. The significance of the occurrence of these inclusions is discussed.
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Gibson PH. Light and electron microscopic observations on the relationship between Hirano bodies, neuron and glial perikarya in the human hippocampus. Acta Neuropathol 1978; 42:165-71. [PMID: 209657 DOI: 10.1007/bf00690353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Hippocampi from two intellectually normal and four demented subjects were examined in autopsy material. Large Hirano bodies seen by light and electron microscopy were thought to be glial in origin and not to be produced by the perikarya of neurons as has been suggested in the literature. Myelination of two Hirano bodies found in the stratum lacunosum-granulosum where neuron perikarya are rare suggests that these bodies are produced by oligodendroglia. Hirano bodies were found to be associated with neurons showing granulovaculoar degeneration. With electron microscope they were frequently seen to be divided by clefts filled with amorphous material which possibly consisted of free ribosomes.
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Tomonaga M, Saito M, Yoshimura M, Shimada H, Tohgi H. Ultrastructure of the Bunina bodies in anterior horn cells of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Acta Neuropathol 1978; 42:81-6. [PMID: 654889 DOI: 10.1007/bf00690971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Light and electron microscopic studies were made on the anterior horn cells in a case o amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Eosinophilic inclusions of Bunina type were observed almost selectively in the motor neurons of spinal cord, as well as of brain stem, at the light microscopic level. Fine structural study revealed the presence of two types of cytoplasmic inclusions. The first, mainly corresponding to the light microscopic inclusions, were homogeneous, electron-dense, round- or oval-shaped bodies with vesicular or tubular rims and ribosome particles, about 2-5 mu in diameter, which contained filaments or other cytoplasmic componenets in the clear areas within them. The second were lamellar structures (laminated cytoplasmic bodies, Morales) which appeared to be originating from endoplasmic reticulum. There was no distinct transition in these two types of inclusions and the relationship to each other is not clear. The significance of Bunina body is unknown, but some manifestation of a primary disorder, e.g., protein metabolism, rather than a secondary degenerative change in the motor neurons in amyotorophic lateral sclerosis.
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HIRANO A, DEMBITZER HM. EOSINOPHILIC ROD-LIKE STRUCTURES IN MYELINATED FIBERS OF HAMSTER SPINAL ROOTS. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 1976. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2990.1976.tb00499.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Abstract
In an electron microscopic study of brain biopsy material from 6 patients with Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, virus-like particles resembling herpes have been seen. These particles were found only in reactive astrocytes. In 2 out of 6 Creutzfeldt-Jacob brain biopsies some profiles were filled with tubular structures resembling the nucleocapsid of paramyxovirus. The findings are compared with other neurological conditions.
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Abstract
A 63 year old female with the ataxic form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is presented. In addition to amyloid plaques which were not associated with Alzheimer's neurofibrillary tangles, rare profiles similar to those reported in Scrapie were also seen. To our knowledge, these profiles have never been observed in CJD and their presence in this condition adds a further morphologic similarity between the human and animal forms of subacute spongiform "viral" encephalopathies.
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Dayan AD, Majumdar S, Hughes W, Heathfield KW. An unusual intranuclear structure (? viral nucleocapsid) in the brain in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1974; 37:201-6. [PMID: 4594797 PMCID: PMC494612 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp.37.2.201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
A brain biopsy was examined from a 7 year old boy with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. Intranuclear deposits of measles antigens were demonstrated in parenchymal cells by immunofluorescence. Electron microscopy showed viral nucleocapsids in nucleoliform inclusions and unusual rod-like intranuclear structures which resemble structures previously described only in tissue cultures infected with measles virus.
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Lamar CH, Gustafson DP, Krasovich M, Hinsman EJ. Ultrastructural studies of spleens, brains, and brain cell cultures of mice with scrapie. Vet Pathol 1974; 11:13-9. [PMID: 4215206 DOI: 10.1177/030098587401100102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Mouse brains, cell cultures of mouse brains, and spleens from mice with scrapie were examined by electron microscopy. Brains and spleens of 10 scrapie-inoculated and control mice were studied. Seven brain-cell cultures, four of which were from mice inoculated intracerebrally or subcutaneously with scrapie, were examined. Status spongiosus and vacuolated neurons were found in the brains. Structures 35 nm in diameter were seen in the brains of mice inoculated intracerebrally. They were not evident in cell cultures, although a vacuolated structure was found in one such culture. No significant changes were found in the spleens.
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Narang HK. Ruthenium red and lanthanum nitrate a possible tracer and negative stain for scrapie "particles"? Acta Neuropathol 1974; 29:37-43. [PMID: 4140674 DOI: 10.1007/bf00684389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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Narang HK. An electron microscopic study of natural scrapie sheep brain: further observations on virus-like particles and paramyxovirus-like tubules. Acta Neuropathol 1974; 28:317-29. [PMID: 4446935 DOI: 10.1007/bf00685286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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Narang HK, Field EJ. An electron-microscopic study of multiple sclerosis biopsy material: some unusual inclusions. J Neurol Sci 1973; 18:287-300. [PMID: 4572744 DOI: 10.1016/0022-510x(73)90077-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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Narang HK, Field EJ. Paramyxovirus like tubules in multiple sclerosis biopsy material. Acta Neuropathol 1973; 25:281-90. [PMID: 4584305 DOI: 10.1007/bf00691756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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