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Huntingtin and Other Neurodegeneration-Associated Proteins in the Development of Intracellular Pathologies: Potential Target Search for Therapeutic Intervention. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232415533. [PMID: 36555175 PMCID: PMC9779313 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232415533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are currently incurable. Numerous experimental data accumulated over the past fifty years have brought us closer to understanding the molecular and cell mechanisms responsible for their development. However, these data are not enough for a complete understanding of the genesis of these diseases, nor to suggest treatment methods. It turns out that many cellular pathologies developing during neurodegeneration coincide from disease to disease. These observations give hope to finding a common intracellular target(s) and to offering a universal method of treatment. In this review, we attempt to analyze data on similar cellular disorders among neurodegenerative diseases in general, and polyglutamine neurodegenerative diseases in particular, focusing on the interaction of various proteins involved in the development of neurodegenerative diseases with various cellular organelles. The main purposes of this review are: (1) to outline the spectrum of common intracellular pathologies and to answer the question of whether it is possible to find potential universal target(s) for therapeutic intervention; (2) to identify specific intracellular pathologies and to speculate about a possible general approach for their treatment.
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Grimaldi I, Leser FS, Janeiro JM, da Rosa BG, Campanelli AC, Romão L, Lima FRS. The multiple functions of PrP C in physiological, cancer, and neurodegenerative contexts. J Mol Med (Berl) 2022; 100:1405-1425. [PMID: 36056255 DOI: 10.1007/s00109-022-02245-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Cellular prion protein (PrPC) is a highly conserved glycoprotein, present both anchored in the cell membrane and soluble in the extracellular medium. It has a diversity of ligands and is variably expressed in numerous tissues and cell subtypes, most notably in the central nervous system (CNS). Its importance has been brought to light over the years both under physiological conditions, such as embryogenesis and immune system homeostasis, and in pathologies, such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. During development, PrPC plays an important role in CNS, participating in axonal growth and guidance and differentiation of glial cells, but also in other organs such as the heart, lung, and digestive system. In diseases, PrPC has been related to several types of tumors, modulating cancer stem cells, enhancing malignant properties, and inducing drug resistance. Also, in non-neoplastic diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, PrPC seems to alter the dynamics of neurotoxic aggregate formation and, consequently, the progression of the disease. In this review, we explore in detail the multiple functions of this protein, which proved to be relevant for understanding the dynamics of organism homeostasis, as well as a promising target in the treatment of both neoplastic and degenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Izabella Grimaldi
- Glial Cell Biology Laboratory, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Felipe Saceanu Leser
- Glial Cell Biology Laboratory, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - José Marcos Janeiro
- Glial Cell Biology Laboratory, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Bárbara Gomes da Rosa
- Glial Cell Biology Laboratory, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Ana Clara Campanelli
- Glial Cell Biology Laboratory, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Luciana Romão
- Cell Morphogenesis Laboratory, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Flavia Regina Souza Lima
- Glial Cell Biology Laboratory, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
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3
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Matamoros-Angles A, Hervera A, Soriano J, Martí E, Carulla P, Llorens F, Nuvolone M, Aguzzi A, Ferrer I, Gruart A, Delgado-García JM, Del Río JA. Analysis of co-isogenic prion protein deficient mice reveals behavioral deficits, learning impairment, and enhanced hippocampal excitability. BMC Biol 2022; 20:17. [PMID: 35027047 PMCID: PMC8759182 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-01203-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Cellular prion protein (PrPC) is a cell surface GPI-anchored protein, usually known for its role in the pathogenesis of human and animal prionopathies. However, increasing knowledge about the participation of PrPC in prion pathogenesis contrasts with puzzling data regarding its natural physiological role. PrPC is expressed in a number of tissues, including at high levels in the nervous system, especially in neurons and glial cells, and while previous studies have established a neuroprotective role, conflicting evidence for a synaptic function has revealed both reduced and enhanced long-term potentiation, and variable observations on memory, learning, and behavior. Such evidence has been confounded by the absence of an appropriate knock-out mouse model to dissect the biological relevance of PrPC, with some functions recently shown to be misattributed to PrPC due to the presence of genetic artifacts in mouse models. Here we elucidate the role of PrPC in the hippocampal circuitry and its related functions, such as learning and memory, using a recently available strictly co-isogenic Prnp0/0 mouse model (PrnpZH3/ZH3). Results We performed behavioral and operant conditioning tests to evaluate memory and learning capabilities, with results showing decreased motility, impaired operant conditioning learning, and anxiety-related behavior in PrnpZH3/ZH3 animals. We also carried in vivo electrophysiological recordings on CA3-CA1 synapses in living behaving mice and monitored spontaneous neuronal firing and network formation in primary neuronal cultures of PrnpZH3/ZH3 vs wildtype mice. PrPC absence enhanced susceptibility to high-intensity stimulations and kainate-induced seizures. However, long-term potentiation (LTP) was not enhanced in the PrnpZH3/ZH3 hippocampus. In addition, we observed a delay in neuronal maturation and network formation in PrnpZH3/ZH3 cultures. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that PrPC promotes neuronal network formation and connectivity. PrPC mediates synaptic function and protects the synapse from excitotoxic insults. Its deletion may underlie an epileptogenic-susceptible brain that fails to perform highly cognitive-demanding tasks such as associative learning and anxiety-like behaviors. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-021-01203-0.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Matamoros-Angles
- Molecular and Cellular Neurobiotechnology, Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Cell Biology, Physiology, and Immunology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,CIBERNED (Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases), Institute of Health Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain.,Institute of Neuroscience, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - A Hervera
- Molecular and Cellular Neurobiotechnology, Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Cell Biology, Physiology, and Immunology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,CIBERNED (Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases), Institute of Health Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain.,Institute of Neuroscience, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Soriano
- Departament de Física de la Materia Condensada, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institute of Complex Systems (UBICS), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - E Martí
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Bioinformatics and Genomics, Center for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona, Spain
| | - P Carulla
- Molecular and Cellular Neurobiotechnology, Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Cell Biology, Physiology, and Immunology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,CIBERNED (Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases), Institute of Health Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain
| | - F Llorens
- CIBERNED (Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases), Institute of Health Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Neurology, University Medical School, Göttingen, Germany.,Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain
| | - M Nuvolone
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.,Amyloidosis Center, Foundation IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - A Aguzzi
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - I Ferrer
- CIBERNED (Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases), Institute of Health Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain.,Institute of Neuroscience, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Senior Consultant, Bellvitge University Hospital, IDIBELL (Bellvitge Biomedical Research Centre), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain.,Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Gruart
- Division of Neurosciences, Pablo de Olavide University, 41013, Seville, Spain
| | - J M Delgado-García
- Division of Neurosciences, Pablo de Olavide University, 41013, Seville, Spain.
| | - J A Del Río
- Molecular and Cellular Neurobiotechnology, Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. .,Department of Cell Biology, Physiology, and Immunology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. .,CIBERNED (Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases), Institute of Health Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain. .,Institute of Neuroscience, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
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Filip T, Mairinger S, Neddens J, Sauberer M, Flunkert S, Stanek J, Wanek T, Okamura N, Langer O, Hutter-Paier B, Kuntner C. Characterization of an APP/tau rat model of Alzheimer's disease by positron emission tomography and immunofluorescent labeling. Alzheimers Res Ther 2021; 13:175. [PMID: 34656177 PMCID: PMC8522096 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-021-00916-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To better understand the etiology and pathomechanisms of Alzheimer's disease, several transgenic animal models that overexpress human tau or human amyloid-beta (Aβ) have been developed. In the present study, we generated a novel transgenic rat model by cross-breeding amyloid precursor protein (APP) rats with tau rats. We characterized this model by performing positron emission tomography scans combined with immunofluorescent labeling and cerebrospinal fluid analyses. METHODS APP/Tau rats were generated by cross-breeding male McGill-R-Thy1-APP transgenic rats with female hTau-40/P301L transgenic rats. APP/Tau double transgenic rats and non-transgenic (ntg) littermates aged 7, 13, and 21 months were subjected to dynamic [11C] PiB scan and dynamic [18F]THK-5317 scans. For regional brain analysis, a template was generated from anatomical MR images of selected animals, which was co-registered with the PET images. Regional analysis was performed by application of the simplified reference tissue model ([11C]PiB data), whereas [18F]THK-5317 data were analyzed using a 2-tissue compartment model and Logan graphical analysis. In addition, immunofluorescent labeling (tau, amyloid) and cerebrospinal fluid analyses were performed. RESULTS [11C]PiB binding potential (BPND) and [18F]THK-5317 volume of distribution (VT) showed an increase with age in several brain regions in the APP/Tau group but not in the ntg control group. Immunohistochemical analysis of brain slices of PET-scanned animals revealed a positive correlation between Aβ labeling and [11C]PiB regional BPND. Tau staining yielded a trend towards higher levels in the cortex and hippocampus of APP/Tau rats compared with ntg littermates, but without reaching statistical significance. No correlation was found between tau immunofluorescence labeling results and the respective [18F]THK-5317 VT values. CONCLUSIONS We thoroughly characterized a novel APP/Tau rat model using combined PET imaging and immunofluorescence analysis. We observed an age-related increase in [11C]PiB and [18F]THK-5317 binding in several brain regions in the APP/Tau group but not in the ntg group. Although we were able to reveal a positive correlation between amyloid labeling and [11C]PiB regional brain uptake, we observed relatively low human tau and amyloid fibril expression levels and a somewhat unstable brain pathology which questions the utility of this animal model for further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Filip
- Preclinical Molecular Imaging, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, 2444, Seibersdorf, Austria
- Department of Biomedical Research, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Severin Mairinger
- Preclinical Molecular Imaging, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, 2444, Seibersdorf, Austria
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Joerg Neddens
- Neuropharmacology, QPS Austria GmbH, Grambach, Austria
| | - Michael Sauberer
- Preclinical Molecular Imaging, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, 2444, Seibersdorf, Austria
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Johann Stanek
- Preclinical Molecular Imaging, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, 2444, Seibersdorf, Austria
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Wanek
- Preclinical Molecular Imaging, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, 2444, Seibersdorf, Austria
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nobuyuki Okamura
- Division of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Oliver Langer
- Preclinical Molecular Imaging, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, 2444, Seibersdorf, Austria
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Claudia Kuntner
- Preclinical Molecular Imaging, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, 2444, Seibersdorf, Austria.
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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Dexter E, Kong Q. Neuroprotective effect and potential of cellular prion protein and its cleavage products for treatment of neurodegenerative disorders part I. a literature review. Expert Rev Neurother 2021; 21:969-982. [PMID: 34470561 DOI: 10.1080/14737175.2021.1965881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The cellular prion protein (PrPC) is well known for its pathogenic roles in prion diseases, several other neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer's disease), and multiple types of cancer, but the beneficial aspects of PrPC and its cleavage products received much less attention. AREAS COVERED Here the authors will systematically review the literatures on the negative as well as protective aspects of PrPC and its derivatives (especially PrP N-terminal N1 peptide and shed PrP). The authors will dissect the current findings on N1 and shed PrP, including evidence for their neuroprotective effects, the categories of PrPC cleavage, and numerous cleavage enzymes involved. The authors will also discuss the protective effects and therapeutic potentials of PrPC-rich exosomes. The cited articles were obtained from extensive PubMed searches of recent literature, including peer-reviewed original articles and review articles. EXPERT OPINION PrP and its N-terminal fragments have strong neuroprotective activities that should be explored for therapeutics and prophylactics development against prion disease, Alzheimer's disease and a few other neurodegenerative diseases. The strategies to develop PrP-based therapeutics and prophylactics for these neurodegenerative diseases will be discussed in a companion article (Part II).
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Dexter
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA
| | - Qingzhong Kong
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA.,Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA
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Ferreira S, Pitman KA, Summers BS, Wang S, Young KM, Cullen CL. Oligodendrogenesis increases in hippocampal grey and white matter prior to locomotor or memory impairment in an adult mouse model of tauopathy. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 54:5762-5784. [PMID: 32181929 PMCID: PMC8451881 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Revised: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Myelin and axon losses are associated with cognitive decline in healthy ageing but are worse in people diagnosed with tauopathy. To determine whether tauopathy is also associated with enhanced myelin plasticity, we evaluated the behaviour of OPCs in mice that expressed a human pathological variant of microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPTP301S ). By 6 months of age (P180), MAPTP301S mice overexpressed hyperphosphorylated tau and had developed reactive gliosis in the hippocampus but had not developed overt locomotor or memory impairment. By performing cre-lox lineage tracing of adult OPCs, we determined that the number of newborn oligodendrocytes added to the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex and fimbria was equivalent in control and MAPTP301S mice prior to P150. However, between P150 and P180, significantly more new oligodendrocytes were added to these regions in the MAPTP301S mouse brain. This large increase in new oligodendrocyte number was not the result of increased OPC proliferation, nor did it alter oligodendrocyte density in the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex or fimbria, which was equivalent in P180 wild-type and MAPTP301S mice. Furthermore, the proportion of hippocampal and fimbria axons with myelin was unaffected by tauopathy. However, the proportion of myelinated axons that were ensheathed by immature myelin internodes was significantly increased in the hippocampus and fimbria of P180 MAPTP301S mice, when compared with their wild-type littermates. These data suggest that MAPTP301S transgenic mice experience significant oligodendrocyte turnover, with newborn oligodendrocytes compensating for myelin loss early in the development of tauopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Solène Ferreira
- Menzies Institute for Medical ResearchUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTasmaniaAustralia
| | - Kimberley A. Pitman
- Menzies Institute for Medical ResearchUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTasmaniaAustralia
| | - Benjamin S. Summers
- Menzies Institute for Medical ResearchUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTasmaniaAustralia
| | - Shiwei Wang
- Menzies Institute for Medical ResearchUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTasmaniaAustralia
| | - Kaylene M. Young
- Menzies Institute for Medical ResearchUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTasmaniaAustralia
| | - Carlie L. Cullen
- Menzies Institute for Medical ResearchUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTasmaniaAustralia
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Schmitt-Ulms G, Mehrabian M, Williams D, Ehsani S. The IDIP framework for assessing protein function and its application to the prion protein. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:1907-1932. [PMID: 33960099 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The quest to determine the function of a protein can represent a profound challenge. Although this task is the mandate of countless research groups, a general framework for how it can be approached is conspicuously lacking. Moreover, even expectations for when the function of a protein can be considered to be 'known' are not well defined. In this review, we begin by introducing concepts pertinent to the challenge of protein function assignments. We then propose a framework for inferring a protein's function from four data categories: 'inheritance', 'distribution', 'interactions' and 'phenotypes' (IDIP). We document that the functions of proteins emerge at the intersection of inferences drawn from these data categories and emphasise the benefit of considering them in an evolutionary context. We then apply this approach to the cellular prion protein (PrPC ), well known for its central role in prion diseases, whose function continues to be considered elusive by many investigators. We document that available data converge on the conclusion that the function of the prion protein is to control a critical post-translational modification of the neural cell adhesion molecule in the context of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and related plasticity programmes. Finally, we argue that this proposed function of PrPC has already passed the test of time and is concordant with the IDIP framework in a way that other functions considered for this protein fail to achieve. We anticipate that the IDIP framework and the concepts analysed herein will aid the investigation of other proteins whose primary functional assignments have thus far been intractable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerold Schmitt-Ulms
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5T 0S8, Canada.,Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | | | - Declan Williams
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5T 0S8, Canada
| | - Sepehr Ehsani
- Theoretical and Philosophical Biology, Department of Philosophy, University College London, Bloomsbury, London, WC1E 6BT, U.K.,Ronin Institute for Independent Scholarship, Montclair, NJ, 07043, U.S.A
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Prion Protein in Stem Cells: A Lipid Raft Component Involved in the Cellular Differentiation Process. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21114168. [PMID: 32545192 PMCID: PMC7312503 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21114168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2020] [Revised: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The prion protein (PrP) is an enigmatic molecule with a pleiotropic effect on different cell types; it is localized stably in lipid raft microdomains and it is able to recruit downstream signal transduction pathways by its interaction with various biochemical partners. Since its discovery, this lipid raft component has been involved in several functions, although most of the publications focused on the pathological role of the protein. Recent studies report a key role of cellular prion protein (PrPC) in physiological processes, including cellular differentiation. Indeed, the PrPC, whose expression is modulated according to the cell differentiation degree, appears to be part of the multimolecular signaling pathways of the neuronal differentiation process. In this review, we aim to summarize the main findings that report the link between PrPC and stem cells.
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Abstract
The cellular prion protein, PrPC, is a small, cell surface glycoprotein with a function that is currently somewhat ill defined. It is also the key molecule involved in the family of neurodegenerative disorders called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, which are also known as prion diseases. The misfolding of PrPC to a conformationally altered isoform, designated PrPTSE, is the main molecular process involved in pathogenesis and appears to precede many other pathologic and clinical manifestations of disease, including neuronal loss, astrogliosis, and cognitive loss. PrPTSE is also believed to be the major component of the infectious "prion," the agent responsible for disease transmission, and preparations of this protein can cause prion disease when inoculated into a naïve host. Thus, understanding the biochemical and biophysical properties of both PrPC and PrPTSE, and ultimately the mechanisms of their interconversion, is critical if we are to understand prion disease biology. Although entire books could be devoted to research pertaining to the protein, herein we briefly review the state of knowledge of prion biochemistry, including consideration of prion protein structure, function, misfolding, and dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C Gill
- School of Chemistry, Joseph Banks Laboratories, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom; Division of Neurobiology, The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
| | - Andrew R Castle
- Division of Neurobiology, The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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Song Z, Yang W, Cheng G, Zhou X, Yang L, Zhao D. Prion protein is essential for the RE1 silencing transcription factor (REST)-dependent developmental switch in synaptic NMDA receptors. Cell Death Dis 2018; 9:541. [PMID: 29748616 PMCID: PMC5945644 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-018-0576-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
It is important that the correct amounts of GluN2 subunits are maintained, as they determine NMDAR functional properties, which are crucial to neuronal communication, synaptogenesis and cognitive function. The transcriptional repressor RE1 silencing transcription factor (REST) is critical for the postnatal developmental switch in NMDARs. However, the mechanisms triggering REST and the link between NMDARs and REST are unclear. Here we show a new physiological essential role for cellular prion protein (PrPC) in REST-dependent homeostasis and the developmental switch of NMDARs. REST and REST-associated proteins were overactivated in the hippocampi of Prnp knockout mice (Prnp 0/0 ) compared with wild-type Prnp (Prnp +/+ ) mice. This coincided with the disruption of the normal developmental switch from GluN2B-to-GluN2A in vivo. PrPC co-located with REST under physiological environments and mediated the translocation of REST in conditioners of NMDARs in vitro in Prnp +/+ hippocampal neurons. Regardless of whether REST was knocked down or overexpressed, deletion of PrPC not only disrupted REST-mediated distribution of mitochondria, but also prevented REST-regulated expression of GluN2B and GluN2A in Prnp 0/0 . Importantly, these effects were rescued after overexpression of full-length PrPC through restoration of NMDAR2 subunits and their distributions in dendritic processes in Prnp 0/0 . Consistently, knockdown of PrPC in Prnp +/+ had a similar effect on Prnp 0/0 . Furthermore, PrPC colocalized with both GluN2B and GluN2A in Prnp +/+ . For the first time, we demonstrate that PrPC is essential for REST-regulated NMDARs. Confirming the regulation of NMDAR-modulating mechanisms could provide novel therapeutic targets against dysfunctions of glutamatergic transmission in the nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqi Song
- The State Key Laboratories for Agrobiotechnology, Key Lab of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonosis, Ministry of Agriculture, National Animal Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China
- Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) and Comparative Medicine Center, Peking Union Medical Collage (PUMC), Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Ministry of Health, 100021, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Yang
- The State Key Laboratories for Agrobiotechnology, Key Lab of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonosis, Ministry of Agriculture, National Animal Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China
- Hebei Institute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, 071000, Baoding, China
| | - Guangyu Cheng
- The State Key Laboratories for Agrobiotechnology, Key Lab of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonosis, Ministry of Agriculture, National Animal Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangmei Zhou
- The State Key Laboratories for Agrobiotechnology, Key Lab of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonosis, Ministry of Agriculture, National Animal Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Lifeng Yang
- The State Key Laboratories for Agrobiotechnology, Key Lab of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonosis, Ministry of Agriculture, National Animal Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Deming Zhao
- The State Key Laboratories for Agrobiotechnology, Key Lab of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonosis, Ministry of Agriculture, National Animal Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China.
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11
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Matamoros-Angles A, Gayosso LM, Richaud-Patin Y, di Domenico A, Vergara C, Hervera A, Sousa A, Fernández-Borges N, Consiglio A, Gavín R, López de Maturana R, Ferrer I, López de Munain A, Raya Á, Castilla J, Sánchez-Pernaute R, Del Río JA. iPS Cell Cultures from a Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker Patient with the Y218N PRNP Mutation Recapitulate tau Pathology. Mol Neurobiol 2018; 55:3033-3048. [PMID: 28466265 PMCID: PMC5842509 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-017-0506-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2016] [Accepted: 03/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker (GSS) syndrome is a fatal autosomal dominant neurodegenerative prionopathy clinically characterized by ataxia, spastic paraparesis, extrapyramidal signs and dementia. In some GSS familiar cases carrying point mutations in the PRNP gene, patients also showed comorbid tauopathy leading to mixed pathologies. In this study we developed an induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell model derived from fibroblasts of a GSS patient harboring the Y218N PRNP mutation, as well as an age-matched healthy control. This particular PRNP mutation is unique with very few described cases. One of the cases presented neurofibrillary degeneration with relevant Tau hyperphosphorylation. Y218N iPS-derived cultures showed relevant astrogliosis, increased phospho-Tau, altered microtubule-associated transport and cell death. However, they failed to generate proteinase K-resistant prion. In this study we set out to test, for the first time, whether iPS cell-derived neurons could be used to investigate the appearance of disease-related phenotypes (i.e, tauopathy) identified in the GSS patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreu Matamoros-Angles
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Parc Científic de Barcelona, Baldiri Reixac 15-21, E-08028, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lucía Mayela Gayosso
- Stem cells and neural repair laboratory, Fundación Inbiomed, San Sebastian, Gipuzkoa, Spain
- Proteomics unit (Prion lab), CIC bioGUNE, Parque tecnológico de Bizkaia, 48160, Derio, Bizkaia, Spain
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - Yvonne Richaud-Patin
- Centre de Medicina Regenerativa de Barcelona, c/ Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBERBBN), Madrid, Spain
| | - Angelique di Domenico
- Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Dept. Patologia i Terapèutica Experimental, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristina Vergara
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Parc Científic de Barcelona, Baldiri Reixac 15-21, E-08028, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology (CP 620), ULB Neuroscience Institute. Université Libre de Bruxelles, Faculty of Medicine, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Arnau Hervera
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Parc Científic de Barcelona, Baldiri Reixac 15-21, E-08028, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Amaya Sousa
- Stem cells and neural repair laboratory, Fundación Inbiomed, San Sebastian, Gipuzkoa, Spain
| | - Natalia Fernández-Borges
- Proteomics unit (Prion lab), CIC bioGUNE, Parque tecnológico de Bizkaia, 48160, Derio, Bizkaia, Spain
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Bizkaia, Spain
- CISA-INIA, Center for Animal Health Research, Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonella Consiglio
- Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Dept. Patologia i Terapèutica Experimental, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Rosalina Gavín
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Parc Científic de Barcelona, Baldiri Reixac 15-21, E-08028, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Isidro Ferrer
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Dept. Patologia i Terapèutica Experimental, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Adolfo López de Munain
- Instituto Biodonostia-Hospital Universitario Donostia, San Sebastian, Gipuzkoa, Spain
- Neurosciences Department, University of the Basque Country UPV-EHU, Bilbao, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), San Sebastian, Gipuzkoa, Spain
| | - Ángel Raya
- Centre de Medicina Regenerativa de Barcelona, c/ Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBERBBN), Madrid, Spain.
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Joaquín Castilla
- Proteomics unit (Prion lab), CIC bioGUNE, Parque tecnológico de Bizkaia, 48160, Derio, Bizkaia, Spain.
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Bizkaia, Spain.
| | - Rosario Sánchez-Pernaute
- Stem cells and neural repair laboratory, Fundación Inbiomed, San Sebastian, Gipuzkoa, Spain.
- Andalusian Initiative for Advanced Therapies, Junta de Andalusia, Seville, Spain.
| | - José Antonio Del Río
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Parc Científic de Barcelona, Baldiri Reixac 15-21, E-08028, Barcelona, Spain.
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Spain.
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
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12
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Reiten MR, Malachin G, Kommisrud E, Østby GC, Waterhouse KE, Krogenæs AK, Kusnierczyk A, Bjørås M, Jalland CMO, Nekså LH, Røed SS, Stenseth EB, Myromslien FD, Zeremichael TT, Bakkebø MK, Espenes A, Tranulis MA. Stress Resilience of Spermatozoa and Blood Mononuclear Cells without Prion Protein. Front Mol Biosci 2018; 5:1. [PMID: 29417049 PMCID: PMC5787566 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2018.00001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The cellular prion protein PrPC is highly expressed in neurons, but also present in non-neuronal tissues, including the testicles and spermatozoa. Most immune cells and their bone marrow precursors also express PrPC. Clearly, this protein operates in highly diverse cellular contexts. Investigations into putative stress-protective roles for PrPC have resulted in an array of functions, such as inhibition of apoptosis, stimulation of anti-oxidant enzymes, scavenging roles, and a role in nuclear DNA repair. We have studied stress resilience of spermatozoa and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) derived from non-transgenic goats that lack PrPC (PRNPTer/Ter) compared with cells from normal (PRNP+/+) goats. Spermatozoa were analyzed for freeze tolerance, DNA integrity, viability, motility, ATP levels, and acrosome intactness at rest and after acute stress, induced by Cu2+ ions, as well as levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) after exposure to FeSO4 and H2O2. Surprisingly, PrPC-negative spermatozoa reacted similarly to normal spermatozoa in all read-outs. Moreover, in vitro exposure of PBMCs to Doxorubicin, H2O2 and methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), revealed no effect of PrPC on cellular survival or global accumulation of DNA damage. Similar results were obtained with human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cell lines stably expressing varying levels of PrPC. RNA sequencing of PBMCs (n = 8 of PRNP+/+ and PRNPTer/Ter) showed that basal level expression of genes encoding DNA repair enzymes, ROS scavenging, and antioxidant enzymes were unaffected by the absence of PrPC. Data presented here questions the in vitro cytoprotective roles previously attributed to PrPC, although not excluding such functions in other cell types or tissues during inflammatory stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malin R Reiten
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Giulia Malachin
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Elisabeth Kommisrud
- Faculty of Education and Natural Sciences, Inland University of Applied Sciences, Hamar, Norway
| | - Gunn C Østby
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Karin E Waterhouse
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway.,Spermvital AS Holsetgata, Hamar, Norway
| | - Anette K Krogenæs
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anna Kusnierczyk
- Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Clara M O Jalland
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Liv Heidi Nekså
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Susan S Røed
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Else-Berit Stenseth
- Faculty of Education and Natural Sciences, Inland University of Applied Sciences, Hamar, Norway
| | - Frøydis D Myromslien
- Faculty of Education and Natural Sciences, Inland University of Applied Sciences, Hamar, Norway
| | - Teklu T Zeremichael
- Faculty of Education and Natural Sciences, Inland University of Applied Sciences, Hamar, Norway
| | - Maren K Bakkebø
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Arild Espenes
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Michael A Tranulis
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
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13
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Mercer RCC, Daude N, Dorosh L, Fu ZL, Mays CE, Gapeshina H, Wohlgemuth SL, Acevedo-Morantes CY, Yang J, Cashman NR, Coulthart MB, Pearson DM, Joseph JT, Wille H, Safar JG, Jansen GH, Stepanova M, Sykes BD, Westaway D. A novel Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease mutation defines a precursor for amyloidogenic 8 kDa PrP fragments and reveals N-terminal structural changes shared by other GSS alleles. PLoS Pathog 2018; 14:e1006826. [PMID: 29338055 PMCID: PMC5786331 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2017] [Revised: 01/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
To explore pathogenesis in a young Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker Disease (GSS) patient, the corresponding mutation, an eight-residue duplication in the hydrophobic region (HR), was inserted into the wild type mouse PrP gene. Transgenic (Tg) mouse lines expressing this mutation (Tg.HRdup) developed spontaneous neurologic syndromes and brain extracts hastened disease in low-expressor Tg.HRdup mice, suggesting de novo formation of prions. While Tg.HRdup mice exhibited spongiform change, PrP aggregates and the anticipated GSS hallmark of a proteinase K (PK)-resistant 8 kDa fragment deriving from the center of PrP, the LGGLGGYV insertion also imparted alterations in PrP's unstructured N-terminus, resulting in a 16 kDa species following thermolysin exposure. This species comprises a plausible precursor to the 8 kDa PK-resistant fragment and its detection in adolescent Tg.HRdup mice suggests that an early start to accumulation could account for early disease of the index case. A 16 kDa thermolysin-resistant signature was also found in GSS patients with P102L, A117V, H187R and F198S alleles and has coordinates similar to GSS stop codon mutations. Our data suggest a novel shared pathway of GSS pathogenesis that is fundamentally distinct from that producing structural alterations in the C-terminus of PrP, as observed in other prion diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and scrapie. Prion diseases can be sporadic, infectious or genetic. The central event of all prion diseases is the structural conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) to its disease associated conformer, PrPSc. Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker Disease (GSS) is a genetic prion disease presenting as a multi-systemic neurological syndrome. A novel mutation, an eight amino acid insertion, was discovered in a young GSS patient. We created transgenic mice expressing this mutation and found that they recapitulate key features of the disease; namely PrP deposition in the brain and a low molecular weight proteinase K (PK) resistant internal PrP fragment. While structural investigations did not reveal a gross alteration in the conformation of this mutant PrP, the insertion lying at the boundary of the globular domain causes alterations in the unstructured amino terminal portion of the protein such that it becomes resistant to digestion by the enzyme thermolysin. We demonstrate by kinetic analysis and sequential digestion that this novel thermolysin resistant species is a precursor to the pathognomonic PK resistant fragment. Analysis of samples from other GSS patients revealed this same signature, suggesting a common molecular pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert C. C. Mercer
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Nathalie Daude
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Lyudmyla Dorosh
- National Research Council of Canada, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ze-Lin Fu
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Charles E. Mays
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Hristina Gapeshina
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Serene L. Wohlgemuth
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Jing Yang
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Neil R. Cashman
- Brain Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Michael B. Coulthart
- Canadian Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance System, Centre for Foodborne, Environmental and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Dawn M. Pearson
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jeffrey T. Joseph
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Calgary Laboratory Services, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Holger Wille
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jiri G. Safar
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, School of Medicine Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Gerard H. Jansen
- Canadian Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance System, Centre for Foodborne, Environmental and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Division of Anatomical Pathology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Maria Stepanova
- National Research Council of Canada, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Brian D. Sykes
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - David Westaway
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- * E-mail:
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14
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Hirsch TZ, Martin-Lannerée S, Mouillet-Richard S. Functions of the Prion Protein. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2017; 150:1-34. [PMID: 28838656 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2017.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Although initially disregarded compared to prion pathogenesis, the functions exerted by the cellular prion protein PrPC have gained much interest over the past two decades. Research aiming at unraveling PrPC functions started to intensify when it became appreciated that it would give clues as to how it is subverted in the context of prion infection and, more recently, in the context of Alzheimer's disease. It must now be admitted that PrPC is implicated in an incredible variety of biological processes, including neuronal homeostasis, stem cell fate, protection against stress, or cell adhesion. It appears that these diverse roles can all be fulfilled through the involvement of PrPC in cell signaling events. Our aim here is to provide an overview of our current understanding of PrPC functions from the animal to the molecular scale and to highlight some of the remaining gaps that should be addressed in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Théo Z Hirsch
- INSERM UMR 1124, Paris, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR 1124, Paris, France
| | - Séverine Martin-Lannerée
- INSERM UMR 1124, Paris, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR 1124, Paris, France
| | - Sophie Mouillet-Richard
- INSERM UMR 1124, Paris, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR 1124, Paris, France.
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15
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Abstract
The misfolding of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) causes fatal neurodegenerative diseases. Yet PrPC is highly conserved in mammals, suggesting that it exerts beneficial functions preventing its evolutionary elimination. Ablation of PrPC in mice results in well-defined structural and functional alterations in the peripheral nervous system. Many additional phenotypes were ascribed to the lack of PrPC, but some of these were found to arise from genetic artifacts of the underlying mouse models. Here, we revisit the proposed physiological roles of PrPC in the central and peripheral nervous systems and highlight the need for their critical reassessment using new, rigorously controlled animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Angela Wulf
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 100, CH-8091, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Assunta Senatore
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 100, CH-8091, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Adriano Aguzzi
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 100, CH-8091, Zürich, Switzerland.
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16
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Castle AR, Gill AC. Physiological Functions of the Cellular Prion Protein. Front Mol Biosci 2017; 4:19. [PMID: 28428956 PMCID: PMC5382174 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2017.00019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2017] [Accepted: 03/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The prion protein, PrPC, is a small, cell-surface glycoprotein notable primarily for its critical role in pathogenesis of the neurodegenerative disorders known as prion diseases. A hallmark of prion diseases is the conversion of PrPC into an abnormally folded isoform, which provides a template for further pathogenic conversion of PrPC, allowing disease to spread from cell to cell and, in some circumstances, to transfer to a new host. In addition to the putative neurotoxicity caused by the misfolded form(s), loss of normal PrPC function could be an integral part of the neurodegenerative processes and, consequently, significant research efforts have been directed toward determining the physiological functions of PrPC. In this review, we first summarise important aspects of the biochemistry of PrPC before moving on to address the current understanding of the various proposed functions of the protein, including details of the underlying molecular mechanisms potentially involved in these functions. Over years of study, PrPC has been associated with a wide array of different cellular processes and many interacting partners have been suggested. However, recent studies have cast doubt on the previously well-established links between PrPC and processes such as stress-protection, copper homeostasis and neuronal excitability. Instead, the functions best-supported by the current literature include regulation of myelin maintenance and of processes linked to cellular differentiation, including proliferation, adhesion, and control of cell morphology. Intriguing connections have also been made between PrPC and the modulation of circadian rhythm, glucose homeostasis, immune function and cellular iron uptake, all of which warrant further investigation.
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17
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ONODERA T. Dual role of cellular prion protein in normal host and Alzheimer's disease. PROCEEDINGS OF THE JAPAN ACADEMY. SERIES B, PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2017; 93:155-173. [PMID: 28413194 PMCID: PMC5489426 DOI: 10.2183/pjab.93.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2016] [Accepted: 01/26/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Using PrPC-knockout cell lines, it has been shown that the inhibition of apoptosis through STI1 is mediated by PrPC-dependent SOD activation. Antioxidant PrPC may contribute to suppression of inflammasome activation. PrPC is functionally involved in copper metabolism, signal transduction, neuroprotection, and cell maturation. Recently several reports have shown that PrPC participates in trans-membrane signaling processes associated with hematopoietic stem cell replication and neuronal differentiation. In another role, PrPC also tends to function as a neurotoxic protein. Aβ oligomer, which is associated with neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD), has also been reported to act as a ligand of PrPC. However, the physiological role of PrPC as an Aβ42-binding protein is not clear. Actually, PrPC is critical in Aβ42-mediated autophagy in neurons. PrPC shows a beneficial role in lipid rafts to promote autophagy. Further search for PrPC-interaction molecules using Prnp-/- mice and various types of Prnp-/- cell lines under various conditions may elucidate other important PrPC important functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi ONODERA
- Research Center for Food Safety, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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18
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Mehrabian M, Hildebrandt H, Schmitt-Ulms G. NCAM1 Polysialylation: The Prion Protein's Elusive Reason for Being? ASN Neuro 2016; 8:8/6/1759091416679074. [PMID: 27879349 PMCID: PMC5122176 DOI: 10.1177/1759091416679074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2016] [Revised: 09/08/2016] [Accepted: 10/02/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Much confusion surrounds the physiological function of the cellular prion protein (PrPC). It is, however, anticipated that knowledge of its function will shed light on its contribution to neurodegenerative diseases and suggest ways to interfere with the cellular toxicity central to them. Consequently, efforts to elucidate its function have been all but exhaustive. Building on earlier work that uncovered the evolutionary descent of the prion founder gene from an ancestral ZIP zinc transporter, we recently investigated a possible role of PrPC in a morphogenetic program referred to as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). By capitalizing on PrPC knockout cell clones in a mammalian cell model of EMT and using a comparative proteomics discovery strategy, neural cell adhesion molecule-1 emerged as a protein whose upregulation during EMT was perturbed in PrPC knockout cells. Follow-up work led us to observe that PrPC regulates the polysialylation of the neural cell adhesion molecule NCAM1 in cells undergoing morphogenetic reprogramming. In addition to governing cellular migration, polysialylation modulates several other cellular plasticity programs PrPC has been phenotypically linked to. These include neurogenesis in the subventricular zone, controlled mossy fiber sprouting and trimming in the hippocampal formation, hematopoietic stem cell renewal, myelin repair and maintenance, integrity of the circadian rhythm, and glutamatergic signaling. This review revisits this body of literature and attempts to present it in light of this novel contextual framework. When approached in this manner, a coherent model of PrPC acting as a regulator of polysialylation during specific cell and tissue morphogenesis events comes into focus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohadeseh Mehrabian
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Herbert Hildebrandt
- Institute for Cellular Chemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Gerold Schmitt-Ulms
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada .,Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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19
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Martin-Lannerée S, Halliez S, Hirsch TZ, Hernandez-Rapp J, Passet B, Tomkiewicz C, Villa-Diaz A, Torres JM, Launay JM, Béringue V, Vilotte JL, Mouillet-Richard S. The Cellular Prion Protein Controls Notch Signaling in Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells. Stem Cells 2016; 35:754-765. [PMID: 27641601 DOI: 10.1002/stem.2501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2015] [Revised: 08/29/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The prion protein is infamous for its involvement in a group of neurodegenerative diseases known as Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies. In the longstanding quest to decipher the physiological function of its cellular isoform, PrPC , the discovery of its participation to the self-renewal of hematopoietic and neural stem cells has cast a new spotlight on its potential role in stem cell biology. However, still little is known on the cellular and molecular mechanisms at play. Here, by combining in vitro and in vivo murine models of PrPC depletion, we establish that PrPC deficiency severely affects the Notch pathway, which plays a major role in neural stem cell maintenance. We document that the absence of PrPC in a neuroepithelial cell line or in primary neurospheres is associated with drastically reduced expression of Notch ligands and receptors, resulting in decreased levels of Notch target genes. Similar alterations of the Notch pathway are recovered in the neuroepithelium of Prnp-/- embryos during a developmental window encompassing neural tube closure. In addition, in line with Notch defects, our data show that the absence of PrPC results in altered expression of Nestin and Olig2 as well as N-cadherin distribution. We further provide evidence that PrPC controls the expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) downstream from Notch. Finally, we unveil a negative feedback action of EGFR on both Notch and PrPC . As a whole, our study delineates a molecular scenario through which PrPC takes part to the self-renewal of neural stem and progenitor cells. Stem Cells 2017;35:754-765.
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Affiliation(s)
- Séverine Martin-Lannerée
- INSERM UMR 1124, Paris, France.,Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR 1124, Paris, France
| | - Sophie Halliez
- VIM, UR 892, INRA, Université Paris-Saclay, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Théo Z Hirsch
- INSERM UMR 1124, Paris, France.,Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR 1124, Paris, France
| | - Julia Hernandez-Rapp
- INSERM UMR 1124, Paris, France.,Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR 1124, Paris, France
| | - Bruno Passet
- Department of Pharma Research, INRA UMR 1313, Génétique animale et biologie intégrative, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Céline Tomkiewicz
- INSERM UMR 1124, Paris, France.,Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR 1124, Paris, France
| | - Ana Villa-Diaz
- Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal-INIA, U 942 Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Jean-Marie Launay
- AP-HP Service de Biochimie, Fondation FondaMental, INSERM U942 Hôpital Lariboisière, Paris, France.,Pharma Research Department, F. Hoffmann-La-Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Vincent Béringue
- VIM, UR 892, INRA, Université Paris-Saclay, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Jean-Luc Vilotte
- Department of Pharma Research, INRA UMR 1313, Génétique animale et biologie intégrative, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Sophie Mouillet-Richard
- INSERM UMR 1124, Paris, France.,Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR 1124, Paris, France
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20
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Halliez S, Martin-Lannerée S, Passet B, Hernandez-Rapp J, Castille J, Urien C, Chat S, Laude H, Vilotte JL, Mouillet-Richard S, Béringue V. Prion protein localizes at the ciliary base during neural and cardiovascular development, and its depletion affects α-tubulin post-translational modifications. Sci Rep 2015; 5:17146. [PMID: 26679898 PMCID: PMC4683536 DOI: 10.1038/srep17146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2015] [Accepted: 10/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Although conversion of the cellular form of the prion protein (PrPC) into a misfolded isoform is the underlying cause of prion diseases, understanding PrPC physiological functions has remained challenging. PrPC depletion or overexpression alters the proliferation and differentiation properties of various types of stem and progenitor cells in vitro by unknown mechanisms. Such involvement remains uncertain in vivo in the absence of any drastic phenotype of mice lacking PrPC. Here, we report PrPC enrichment at the base of the primary cilium in stem and progenitor cells from the central nervous system and cardiovascular system of developing mouse embryos. PrPC depletion in a neuroepithelial cell line dramatically altered key cilium-dependent processes, such as Sonic hedgehog signalling and α-tubulin post-translational modifications. These processes were also affected over a limited time window in PrPC–ablated embryos. Thus, our study reveals PrPC as a potential actor in the developmental regulation of microtubule dynamics and ciliary functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Halliez
- INRA (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique), UR892, Virologie Immunologie Moléculaires, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | | | - Bruno Passet
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | | | - Johan Castille
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Céline Urien
- INRA (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique), UR892, Virologie Immunologie Moléculaires, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Sophie Chat
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, Jouy-en-Josas, France.,INRA, Plateforme MIMA2, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Hubert Laude
- INRA (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique), UR892, Virologie Immunologie Moléculaires, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Jean-Luc Vilotte
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | | | - Vincent Béringue
- INRA (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique), UR892, Virologie Immunologie Moléculaires, Jouy-en-Josas, France
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21
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Bakkebø MK, Mouillet-Richard S, Espenes A, Goldmann W, Tatzelt J, Tranulis MA. The Cellular Prion Protein: A Player in Immunological Quiescence. Front Immunol 2015; 6:450. [PMID: 26388873 PMCID: PMC4557099 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2015.00450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2015] [Accepted: 08/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite intensive studies since the 1990s, the physiological role of the cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) remains elusive. Here, we present a novel concept suggesting that PrP(C) contributes to immunological quiescence in addition to cell protection. PrP(C) is highly expressed in diverse organs that by multiple means are particularly protected from inflammation, such as the brain, eye, placenta, pregnant uterus, and testes, while at the same time it is expressed in most cells of the lymphoreticular system. In this paradigm, PrP(C) serves two principal roles: to modulate the inflammatory potential of immune cells and to protect vulnerable parenchymal cells against noxious insults generated through inflammation. Here, we review studies of PrP(C) physiology in view of this concept.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maren K. Bakkebø
- Department of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Arild Espenes
- Department of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Wilfred Goldmann
- The Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jörg Tatzelt
- Biochemistry of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Institute of Biochemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Michael A. Tranulis
- Department of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway,*Correspondence: Michael A. Tranulis, Department of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Campus Adamstuen, Oslo 0033, Norway,
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22
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Satoh K, Abe-Dohmae S, Yokoyama S, St George-Hyslop P, Fraser PE. ATP-binding cassette transporter A7 (ABCA7) loss of function alters Alzheimer amyloid processing. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:24152-65. [PMID: 26260791 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.655076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The ATP-binding cassette transporter A7 (ABCA7) has been identified as a susceptibility factor of late onset Alzheimer disease in genome-wide association studies. ABCA7 has been shown to mediate phagocytosis and affect membrane trafficking. The current study examined the impact of ABCA7 loss of function on amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing and generation of amyloid-β (Aβ). Suppression of endogenous ABCA7 in several different cell lines resulted in increased β-secretase cleavage and elevated Aβ. ABCA7 knock-out mice displayed an increased production of endogenous murine amyloid Aβ42 species. Crossing ABCA7-deficient animals to an APP transgenic model resulted in significant increases in the soluble Aβ as compared with mice expressing normal levels of ABCA7. Only modest changes in the amount of insoluble Aβ and amyloid plaque densities were observed once the amyloid pathology was well developed, whereas Aβ deposition was enhanced in younger animals. In vitro studies indicated a more rapid endocytosis of APP in ABCA7 knock-out cells that is mechanistically consistent with the increased Aβ production. These in vitro and in vivo findings indicate a direct role of ABCA7 in amyloid processing that may be associated with its primary biological function to regulate endocytic pathways. Several potential loss-of-function ABCA7 mutations and deletions linked to Alzheimer disease that in some instances have a greater impact than apoE allelic variants have recently been identified. A reduction in ABCA7 expression or loss of function would be predicted to increase amyloid production and that may be a contributing factor in the associated Alzheimer disease susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanayo Satoh
- From the Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5T 2S8, Canada,
| | - Sumiko Abe-Dohmae
- Biochemistry, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya 467-8601, Japan
| | - Shinji Yokoyama
- Nutritional Health Science Research Center, Chubu University, Matsumoto-cho 1200, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan
| | - Peter St George-Hyslop
- From the Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5T 2S8, Canada, Departments of Medicine (Neurology) and Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1L7, Canada, and Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0XY, United Kingdom
| | - Paul E Fraser
- From the Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5T 2S8, Canada, Departments of Medicine (Neurology) and Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1L7, Canada, and
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23
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Lee YJ, Baskakov IV. The cellular form of the prion protein guides the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into neuron-, oligodendrocyte-, and astrocyte-committed lineages. Prion 2014; 8:266-75. [PMID: 25486050 DOI: 10.4161/pri.32079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion protein, PrP(C), is a glycoprotein that is expressed on the cell surface beginning with the early stages of embryonic stem cell differentiation. Previously, we showed that ectopic expression of PrP(C) in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) triggered differentiation toward endodermal, mesodermal, and ectodermal lineages, whereas silencing of PrP(C) suppressed differentiation toward ectodermal but not endodermal or mesodermal lineages. Considering that PrP(C) might be involved in controlling the balance between cells of different lineages, the current study was designed to test whether PrP(C) controls differentiation of hESCs into cells of neuron-, oligodendrocyte-, and astrocyte-committed lineages. PrP(C) was silenced in hESCs cultured under three sets of conditions that were previously shown to induce hESCs differentiation into predominantly neuron-, oligodendrocyte-, and astrocyte-committed lineages. We found that silencing of PrP(C) suppressed differentiation toward all three lineages. Similar results were observed in all three protocols, arguing that the effect of PrP(C) was independent of differentiation conditions employed. Moreover, switching PrP(C) expression during a differentiation time course revealed that silencing PrP(C) expression during the very initial stage that corresponds to embryonic bodies has a more significant impact than silencing at later stages of differentiation. The current work illustrates that PrP(C) controls differentiation of hESCs toward neuron-, oligodendrocyte-, and astrocyte-committed lineages and is likely involved at the stage of uncommitted neural progenitor cells rather than lineage-committed neural progenitors.
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Key Words
- CNTF, ciliary neurotrophic factor
- EBs, embryoid bodies
- EFG, epidermal growth factor
- ESCs, embryonic stem cells
- GFAP, glial fibrillary acidic protein
- GRM, glial restrictive medium
- Lenti-ShPrPC, lentiviral vector expressing short hairpin RNA against PrPC
- Lenti-ShScram, lentiviral vector expressing scrambled shRNA
- Lenti-TetR, lentiviral vector expressing tetracycline repressor
- MEF-CM, mouse embryonic feeder-conditioned medium
- MEFs, mouse embryonic fibroblasts
- NDM, neuronal differentiation medium
- NIM, neural induction medium
- NPM, neural proliferation medium
- Olig1, a marker of oligodendrocyte-committed lineages
- PrPC, normal, cellular isoform of the prion protein
- RA, retinoic acid
- Syn, synapsin I
- TH, tyrosine hydroxylase
- Tet, tetracycline
- TetR, tetracycline repressor
- bFGF, basic fibroblast growth factor
- hES+TetR+ShPrPC, hESCs transfected with Lenti-TetR and Lenti-ShPrPC
- hES+TetR+ShScram, hESCs transfected with Lenti-TetR and Lenti-ShScram
- hESCs, human ESCs
- human embryonic stem cells
- neural progenitor cells
- neuron-committed lineages
- prion protein
- stem cell differentiation
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Affiliation(s)
- Young Jin Lee
- a Center for Biomedical Engineering and; Technology Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology ; University of Maryland School of Medicine ; Baltimore , MD USA
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24
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Halliez S, Passet B, Martin-Lannerée S, Hernandez-Rapp J, Laude H, Mouillet-Richard S, Vilotte JL, Béringue V. To develop with or without the prion protein. Front Cell Dev Biol 2014; 2:58. [PMID: 25364763 PMCID: PMC4207017 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2014.00058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2014] [Accepted: 09/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The deletion of the cellular form of the prion protein (PrPC) in mouse, goat, and cattle has no drastic phenotypic consequence. This stands in apparent contradiction with PrPC quasi-ubiquitous expression and conserved primary and tertiary structures in mammals, and its pivotal role in neurodegenerative diseases such as prion and Alzheimer's diseases. In zebrafish embryos, depletion of PrP ortholog leads to a severe loss-of-function phenotype. This raises the question of a potential role of PrPC in the development of all vertebrates. This view is further supported by the early expression of the PrPC encoding gene (Prnp) in many tissues of the mouse embryo, the transient disruption of a broad number of cellular pathways in early Prnp−/− mouse embryos, and a growing body of evidence for PrPC involvement in the regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation in various types of mammalian stem cells and progenitors. Finally, several studies in both zebrafish embryos and in mammalian cells and tissues in formation support a role for PrPC in cell adhesion, extra-cellular matrix interactions and cytoskeleton. In this review, we summarize and compare the different models used to decipher PrPC functions at early developmental stages during embryo- and organo-genesis and discuss their relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Halliez
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, U892 Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Bruno Passet
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, UMR1313 Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Séverine Martin-Lannerée
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, UMR-S1124 Paris, France ; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR-S1124 Paris, France
| | - Julia Hernandez-Rapp
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, UMR-S1124 Paris, France ; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR-S1124 Paris, France
| | - Hubert Laude
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, U892 Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Sophie Mouillet-Richard
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, UMR-S1124 Paris, France ; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR-S1124 Paris, France
| | - Jean-Luc Vilotte
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, UMR1313 Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Vincent Béringue
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, U892 Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires Jouy-en-Josas, France
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25
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Martin-Lannerée S, Hirsch TZ, Hernandez-Rapp J, Halliez S, Vilotte JL, Launay JM, Mouillet-Richard S. PrP(C) from stem cells to cancer. Front Cell Dev Biol 2014; 2:55. [PMID: 25364760 PMCID: PMC4207012 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2014.00055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2014] [Accepted: 09/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The cellular prion protein PrP(C) was initially discovered as the normal counterpart of the pathological scrapie prion protein PrP(Sc), the main component of the infectious agent of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies. While clues as to the physiological function of this ubiquitous protein were greatly anticipated from the development of knockout animals, PrP-null mice turned out to be viable and to develop without major phenotypic abnormalities. Notwithstanding, the discovery that hematopoietic stem cells from PrP-null mice have impaired long-term repopulating potential has set the stage for investigating into the role of PrP(C) in stem cell biology. A wealth of data have now exemplified that PrP(C) is expressed in distinct types of stem cells and regulates their self-renewal as well as their differentiation potential. A role for PrP(C) in the fate restriction of embryonic stem cells has further been proposed. Paralleling these observations, an overexpression of PrP(C) has been documented in various types of tumors. In line with the contribution of PrP(C) to stemness and to the proliferation of cancer cells, PrP(C) was recently found to be enriched in subpopulations of tumor-initiating cells. In the present review, we summarize the current knowledge of the role played by PrP(C) in stem cell biology and discuss how the subversion of its function may contribute to cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Séverine Martin-Lannerée
- Toxicology, Pharmacology and Cellular Signaling, INSERM UMR-S1124 Paris, France ; Toxicology, Pharmacology and Cellular Signaling, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR-S1124 Paris, France
| | - Théo Z Hirsch
- Toxicology, Pharmacology and Cellular Signaling, INSERM UMR-S1124 Paris, France ; Toxicology, Pharmacology and Cellular Signaling, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR-S1124 Paris, France
| | - Julia Hernandez-Rapp
- Toxicology, Pharmacology and Cellular Signaling, INSERM UMR-S1124 Paris, France ; Toxicology, Pharmacology and Cellular Signaling, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR-S1124 Paris, France ; Université Paris Sud 11, ED419 Biosigne Orsay, France
| | - Sophie Halliez
- U892 Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, INRA Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Jean-Luc Vilotte
- UMR1313 Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Jean-Marie Launay
- AP-HP Service de Biochimie, Fondation FondaMental, INSERM U942 Hôpital Lariboisière Paris, France ; Pharma Research Department, F. Hoffmann-La-Roche Ltd. Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sophie Mouillet-Richard
- Toxicology, Pharmacology and Cellular Signaling, INSERM UMR-S1124 Paris, France ; Toxicology, Pharmacology and Cellular Signaling, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR-S1124 Paris, France
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26
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Makzhami S, Passet B, Halliez S, Castille J, Moazami-Goudarzi K, Duchesne A, Vilotte M, Laude H, Mouillet-Richard S, Béringue V, Vaiman D, Vilotte JL. The prion protein family: a view from the placenta. Front Cell Dev Biol 2014; 2:35. [PMID: 25364742 PMCID: PMC4207016 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2014.00035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2014] [Accepted: 07/22/2014] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Based on its developmental pattern of expression, early studies suggested the implication of the mammalian Prion protein PrP, a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored ubiquitously expressed and evolutionary conserved glycoprotein encoded by the Prnp gene, in early embryogenesis. However, gene invalidation in several species did not result in obvious developmental abnormalities and it was only recently that it was associated in mice with intra-uterine growth retardation and placental dysfunction. A proposed explanation for this lack of easily detectable developmental-related phenotype is the existence in the genome of one or more gene (s) able to compensate for the absence of PrP. Indeed, two other members of the Prnp gene family have been recently described, Doppel and Shadoo, and the consequences of their invalidation alongside that of PrP tested in mice. No embryonic defect was observed in mice depleted for Doppel and PrP. Interestingly, the co-invalidation of PrP and Shadoo in two independent studies led to apparently conflicting observations, with no apparent consequences in one report and the observation of a developmental defect of the ectoplacental cone that leads to early embryonic lethality in the other. This short review aims at summarizing these recent, apparently conflicting data highlighting the related biological questions and associated implications in terms of animal and human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samira Makzhami
- INRA, UMR1313 Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Bruno Passet
- INRA, UMR1313 Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Sophie Halliez
- INRA, U892 Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Johan Castille
- INRA, UMR1313 Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | | | - Amandine Duchesne
- INRA, UMR1313 Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Marthe Vilotte
- INRA, UMR1313 Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Hubert Laude
- INRA, U892 Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Sophie Mouillet-Richard
- INSERM, UMR-S1124 Signalisation et Physiopathologie Neurologique, Université Paris Descartes Paris, France
| | - Vincent Béringue
- INRA, U892 Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Daniel Vaiman
- Faculté Paris Descartes, UMR8104 CNRS, U1016 INSERM, Institut Cochin Paris, France
| | - Jean-Luc Vilotte
- INRA, UMR1313 Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative Jouy-en-Josas, France
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27
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Deletion of the prion gene Prnp affects offensive aggression in mice. Behav Brain Res 2014; 266:216-21. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2013] [Revised: 02/27/2014] [Accepted: 03/03/2014] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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28
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Rabadán MA, Usieto S, Lavarino C, Martí E. Identification of a putative transcriptome signature common to neuroblastoma and neural crest cells. Dev Neurobiol 2013; 73:815-27. [PMID: 23776185 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2013] [Accepted: 05/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma, the most common extracranial tumor in children, is caused by genetic lesions in neural crest precursors of the peripheral nervous system. However, since neural crest cells are neither present after birth and nor are they readily accessible for analysis, very little is known about the genetic networks they might share with neuroblastoma cells during their development, despite their common embryonic origin. Here we have developed a novel resource for lineage tracing and for the isolation of neural crest cells in the chick embryo, enabling us to perform a genome-wide expression screen in neural crest progenitors. In this analysis, we efficiently retrieved known neural crest specific genes that validate our screening strategy and we identified new genes that participate in diverse cell activities, yet with a strong representation of genes associated to cell signaling and cell mobility, two hallmarks of migratory cells. We crossed this transcriptome data with that in the neuroblastoma gene server to search for the human orthologues of these genes associated with neuroblastoma. Accordingly, we retrieved 54 genes expressed strongly in both populations, from which we were able to validate a total of 27 genes expressed in the neural crest that are relevant to neuroblastoma formation. We propose that neural crest and neuroblastoma tumor cells share a common genetic signature that might serve to characterize neuroblastoma cancer stem cells, thereby contributing to the identification of specific targets against which new therapeutic strategies can be designed.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Angeles Rabadán
- Instituto de Biología Molecular de Barcelona, CSIC, Parc Científic de Barcelona, C/Baldiri i Reixac 20, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
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29
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Llorens F, Ferrer I, del Río JA. Gene expression resulting from PrPC ablation and PrPC overexpression in murine and cellular models. Mol Neurobiol 2013; 49:413-23. [PMID: 23949728 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-013-8529-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2013] [Accepted: 08/05/2013] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) plays a key role in prion diseases when it converts to the pathogenic form scrapie prion protein. Increasing knowledge of its participation in prion infection contrasts with the elusive and controversial data regarding its physiological role probably related to its pleiotropy, cell-specific functions, and cellular-specific milieu. Multiple approaches have been made to the increasing understanding of the molecular mechanisms and cellular functions modulated by PrP(C) at the transcriptomic and proteomic levels. Gene expression analyses have been made in several mouse and cellular models with regulated expression of PrP(C) resulting in PrP(C) ablation or PrP(C) overexpression. These analyses support previous functional data and have yielded clues about new potential functions. However, experiments on animal models have shown moderate and varied results which are difficult to interpret. Moreover, studies in cell cultures correlate little with in vivo counterparts. Yet, both animal and cell models have provided some insights on how to proceed in the future by using more refined methods and selected functional experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franc Llorens
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital Bellvitge-Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain,
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30
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Miranda A, Ramos-Ibeas P, Pericuesta E, Ramirez MA, Gutierrez-Adan A. The role of prion protein in stem cell regulation. Reproduction 2013; 146:R91-9. [PMID: 23740082 DOI: 10.1530/rep-13-0100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) has been well described as an essential partner of prion diseases due to the existence of a pathological conformation (PrP(Sc)). Recently, it has also been demonstrated that PrP(C) is an important element of the pluripotency and self-renewal matrix, with an increasing amount of evidence pointing in this direction. Here, we review the data that demonstrate its role in the transcriptional regulation of pluripotency, in the differentiation of stem cells into different lineages (e.g. muscle and neurons), in embryonic development, and its involvement in reproductive cells. Also highlighted are recent results from our laboratory that describe an important regulation by PrP(C) of the major pluripotency gene Nanog. Together, these data support the appearance of new strategies to control stemness, which could represent an important advance in the field of regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Miranda
- Departamento de Reproducción Animal, INIA, Avenida Puerta de Hierro no. 12, Local 10, Madrid 28040, Spain
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31
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Peralta OA, Huckle WR, Eyestone WH. Developmental expression of the cellular prion protein (PrP(C) ) in bovine embryos. Mol Reprod Dev 2013; 79:488-98. [PMID: 22674901 DOI: 10.1002/mrd.22057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The mammalian cellular prion protein (PrP(C) ) is a highly conserved glycoprotein that may undergo conversion into a conformationally altered isoform (scrapie prion protein or PrP(Sc) ), widely believed to be the pathogenic agent of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Although much is known about PrP(Sc) conversion and its role in TSEs, the normal function of PrP(C) has not been elucidated. In adult mammals, PrP(C) is most abundant in the central nervous tissue, with intermediate levels in the intestine and heart, and lower levels in the pancreas and liver. PrP(C) is expressed during neurogenesis throughout development, and it has recently been proposed that PrP(C) participates in neural cell differentiation during embryogenesis. In order to establish the developmental timing and to address the cell-specific expression of PrP(C) during mammalian development, we examined PrP(C) expression in bovine gametes and embryos through gestation Day 39. Our data revealed differential levels of Prnp mRNA at Days 4 and 18 in pre-attachment embryos. PrP(C) was detected in the developing central and peripheral nervous systems in Day-27, 32-, and -39 embryos. PrP(C) was particularly expressed in differentiated neural cells located in the marginal regions of the central nervous system, but was absent from mitotically active, periventricular areas. Moreover, a PrP(C) cell-specific pattern of expression was detected in non-nervous tissues, including liver and mesonephros, during these stages. The potential participation of PrP(C) in neural cell differentiation is supported by its specific expression in differentiated states of neurogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar A Peralta
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
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Passet B, Halliez S, Béringue V, Laude H, Vilotte JL. The prion protein family: looking outside the central nervous system. Prion 2012; 7:127-30. [PMID: 23154632 PMCID: PMC3609118 DOI: 10.4161/pri.22851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the pivotal implication of the host-encoded Prion protein, PrP, in the neuropathology of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy is known for decades, its biological role remains mostly elusive. Genetic inactivation is one way to assess such issue but, so far, PrP-knockout mice did not help much. However, recent reports involving (1) further studies of these mice during embryogenesis, (2) knockdown experiments in Zebrafish and (3) knockdown of Shadoo, a protein with PrP-like functional domains, in PrP-knockout mice, all suggested a role of the Prion protein family in early embryogenesis. This view is challenged by the recent report that PrP/Shadoo knockout mice are healthy and fertile. Although puzzling, these apparently contradictory data may on the contrary help at deciphering the Prion protein family role through focusing scientific attention outside the central nervous system and by helping the identification of other loci involved in the genetic robustness associated with PrP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Passet
- UMR1313 Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, Institut Nationale de la Recherche Agronomique, Jouy-en-Josas, France
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Lee YJ, Baskakov IV. The cellular form of the prion protein is involved in controlling cell cycle dynamics, self-renewal, and the fate of human embryonic stem cell differentiation. J Neurochem 2012; 124:310-22. [PMID: 22860629 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2012.07913.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2012] [Revised: 08/02/2012] [Accepted: 08/03/2012] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Prion protein (PrP(C) ), is a glycoprotein that is expressed on the cell surface. The current study examines the role of PrP(C) in early human embryogenesis using human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and tetracycline-regulated lentiviral vectors that up-regulate or suppresses PrP(C) expression. Here, we show that expression of PrP(C) in pluripotent hESCs cultured under self-renewal conditions induced cell differentiation toward lineages of three germ layers. Silencing of PrP(C) in hESCs undergoing spontaneous differentiation altered the dynamics of the cell cycle and changed the balance between the lineages of the three germ layers, where differentiation toward ectodermal lineages was suppressed. Moreover, over-expression of PrP(C) in hESCs undergoing spontaneous differentiation inhibited differentiation toward lineages of all three germ layers and helped to preserve high proliferation activity. These results illustrate that PrP(C) is involved in key activities that dictate the status of hESCs including regulation of cell cycle dynamics, controlling the switch between self-renewal and differentiation, and determining the fate of hESCs differentiation. This study suggests that PrP(C) is at the crossroads of several signaling pathways that regulate the switch between preservation of or departure from the self-renewal state, control cell proliferation activity, and define stem cell fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young Jin Lee
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology and Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Passet B, Young R, Makhzami S, Vilotte M, Jaffrezic F, Halliez S, Bouet S, Marthey S, Khalifé M, Kanellopoulos-Langevin C, Béringue V, Le Provost F, Laude H, Vilotte JL. Prion protein and Shadoo are involved in overlapping embryonic pathways and trophoblastic development. PLoS One 2012; 7:e41959. [PMID: 22860039 PMCID: PMC3408428 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0041959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2012] [Accepted: 06/27/2012] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The potential requirement of either the Prion or Shadoo protein for early mouse embryogenesis was recently suggested. However, the current data did not allow to precise the developmental process that was affected in the absence of both proteins and that led to the observed early lethal phenotype. In the present study, using various Prnp transgenic mouse lines and lentiviral vectors expressing shRNAs that target the Shadoo-encoding mRNA, we further demonstrate the specific requirement of at least one of these two PrP-related proteins at early developmental stages. Histological analysis reveals developmental defect of the ectoplacental cone and important hemorrhage surrounding the Prnp-knockout-Sprn-knockdown E7.5 embryos. By restricting the RNA interference to the trophoblastic cell lineages, the observed lethal phenotype could be attributed to the sole role of these proteins in this trophectoderm-derived compartment. RNAseq analysis performed on early embryos of various Prnp and Sprn genotypes indicated that the simultaneous down-regulation of these two proteins affects cell-adhesion and inflammatory pathways as well as the expression of ectoplacental-specific genes. Overall, our data provide biological clues in favor of a crucial and complementary embryonic role of the prion protein family in Eutherians and emphasizes the need to further evaluate its implication in normal and pathological human placenta biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Passet
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Rachel Young
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Samira Makhzami
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Marthe Vilotte
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Florence Jaffrezic
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Sophie Halliez
- INRA, UR892, Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Stéphan Bouet
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Sylvain Marthey
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Manal Khalifé
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Colette Kanellopoulos-Langevin
- Laboratory of Inflammation, Gestation and Autoimmunity, J. Monod Institute, UMR 7592 (CNRS and University Diderot), Paris, France
| | - Vincent Béringue
- INRA, UR892, Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Fabienne Le Provost
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Hubert Laude
- INRA, UR892, Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Jean-Luc Vilotte
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
- * E-mail:
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Motor neuron rescue in spinal muscular atrophy mice demonstrates that sensory-motor defects are a consequence, not a cause, of motor neuron dysfunction. J Neurosci 2012; 32:3818-29. [PMID: 22423102 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5775-11.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 151] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The loss of motor neurons (MNs) is a hallmark of the neuromuscular disease spinal muscular atrophy (SMA); however, it is unclear whether this phenotype autonomously originates within the MN. To address this question, we developed an inducible mouse model of severe SMA that has perinatal lethality, decreased motor function, motor unit pathology, and hyperexcitable MNs. Using an Hb9-Cre allele, we increased Smn levels autonomously within MNs and demonstrate that MN rescue significantly improves all phenotypes and pathologies commonly described in SMA mice. MN rescue also corrects hyperexcitability in SMA motor neurons and prevents sensory-motor synaptic stripping. Survival in MN-rescued SMA mice is extended by only 5 d, due in part to failed autonomic innervation of the heart. Collectively, this work demonstrates that the SMA phenotype autonomously originates in MNs and that sensory-motor synapse loss is a consequence, not a cause, of MN dysfunction.
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Abstract
Prion protein (PrP) can be considered a pivotal molecule because it interacts with several partners to perform a diverse range of critical biological functions that might differ in embryonic and adult cells. In recent years, there have been major advances in elucidating the putative role of PrP in the basic biology of stem cells in many different systems. Here, we review the evidence indicating that PrP is a key molecule involved in driving different aspects of the potency of embryonic and tissue-specific stem cells in self-perpetuation and differentiation in many cell types. It has been shown that PrP is involved in stem cell self-renewal, controlling pluripotency gene expression, proliferation, and neural and cardiomyocyte differentiation. PrP also has essential roles in distinct processes that regulate tissue-specific stem cell biology in nervous and hematopoietic systems and during muscle regeneration. Results from our own investigations have shown that PrP is able to modulate self-renewal and proliferation in neural stem cells, processes that are enhanced by PrP interactions with stress inducible protein 1 (STI1). Thus, the available data reveal the influence of PrP in acting upon the maintenance of pluripotent status or the differentiation of stem cells from the early embryogenesis through adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilene H Lopes
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute of Biomedical Science, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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Young R, Bouet S, Polyte J, Le Guillou S, Passet B, Vilotte M, Castille J, Beringue V, Le Provost F, Laude H, Vilotte JL. Expression of the prion-like protein Shadoo in the developing mouse embryo. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2011; 416:184-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2011.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2011] [Accepted: 11/04/2011] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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Santos TG, Silva IR, Costa-Silva B, Lepique AP, Martins VR, Lopes MH. Enhanced neural progenitor/stem cells self-renewal via the interaction of stress-inducible protein 1 with the prion protein. Stem Cells 2011; 29:1126-36. [PMID: 21608082 DOI: 10.1002/stem.664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Prion protein (PrP(C) ), when associated with the secreted form of the stress-inducible protein 1 (STI1), plays an important role in neural survival, neuritogenesis, and memory formation. However, the role of the PrP(C) -STI1 complex in the physiology of neural progenitor/stem cells is unknown. In this article, we observed that neurospheres cultured from fetal forebrain of wild-type (Prnp(+/+) ) and PrP(C) -null (Prnp(0/0) ) mice were maintained for several passages without the loss of self-renewal or multipotentiality, as assessed by their continued capacity to generate neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. The homogeneous expression and colocalization of STI1 and PrP(C) suggest that they may associate and function as a complex in neurosphere-derived stem cells. The formation of neurospheres from Prnp(0/0) mice was reduced significantly when compared with their wild-type counterparts. In addition, blockade of secreted STI1, and its cell surface ligand, PrP(C) , with specific antibodies, impaired Prnp(+/+) neurosphere formation without further impairing the formation of Prnp(0/0) neurospheres. Alternatively, neurosphere formation was enhanced by recombinant STI1 application in cells expressing PrP(C) but not in cells from Prnp(0/0) mice. The STI1-PrP(C) interaction was able to stimulate cell proliferation in the neurosphere-forming assay, while no effect on cell survival or the expression of neural markers was observed. These data suggest that the STI1-PrP(C) complex may play a critical role in neural progenitor/stem cells self-renewal via the modulation of cell proliferation, leading to the control of the stemness capacity of these cells during nervous system development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago G Santos
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, International Center for Research and Education, Antonio Prudente Foundation, A. C. Camargo Hospital and National Institute for Translational Neuroscience (CNPq/MCT), São Paulo, Brazil
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Khalifé M, Young R, Passet B, Halliez S, Vilotte M, Jaffrezic F, Marthey S, Béringue V, Vaiman D, Le Provost F, Laude H, Vilotte JL. Transcriptomic analysis brings new insight into the biological role of the prion protein during mouse embryogenesis. PLoS One 2011; 6:e23253. [PMID: 21858045 PMCID: PMC3156130 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2011] [Accepted: 07/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The biological function of the Prion protein remains largely unknown but recent data revealed its implication in early zebrafish and mammalian embryogenesis. To gain further insight into its biological function, comparative transcriptomic analysis between FVB/N and FVB/N Prnp knockout mice was performed at early embryonic stages. RNAseq analysis revealed the differential expression of 73 and 263 genes at E6.5 and E7.5, respectively. The related metabolic pathways identified in this analysis partially overlap with those described in PrP1 and PrP2 knockdown zebrafish embryos and prion-infected mammalian brains and emphasize a potentially important role for the PrP family genes in early developmental processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manal Khalifé
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Rachel Young
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Bruno Passet
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Sophie Halliez
- INRA, UR892, Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Marthe Vilotte
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Florence Jaffrezic
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Sylvain Marthey
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Vincent Béringue
- INRA, UR892, Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | | | - Fabienne Le Provost
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Hubert Laude
- INRA, UR892, Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Jean-Luc Vilotte
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
- * E-mail:
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Peralta OA, Huckle WR, Eyestone WH. Expression and knockdown of cellular prion protein (PrPC) in differentiating mouse embryonic stem cells. Differentiation 2011; 81:68-77. [PMID: 20926176 DOI: 10.1016/j.diff.2010.09.181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2010] [Revised: 08/06/2010] [Accepted: 09/06/2010] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The mammalian cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) is a highly conserved glycoprotein that may undergo conversion into a conformationally altered isoform (scrapie prion protein or PrP(Sc)), widely believed to be the pathogenic agent of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Although much is known about pathogenic PrP conversion and its role in TSEs, the normal function of PrP(C) is poorly understood. Given the abundant expression of PrP(C) in the developing mammalian CNS and the spatial association with differentiated stages of neurogenesis, recently it has been proposed that PrP(C) participates in neural cell differentiation. In the present study, we investigated the role of PrP(C) in neural development during early embryogenesis. In bovine fetuses, PrP(C) was differentially expressed in the neuroepithelium, showing higher levels at the intermediate and marginal layers where more differentiated states of neurogenesis were located. We utilized differentiating mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells to test whether PrP(C) contributed to the process of neural differentiation during early embryogenesis. PrP(C) showed increasing levels of expression starting on Day 9 until Day 18 of ES cell differentiation. PrP(C) expression was negatively correlated with pluripotency marker Oct-4 confirming that ES cells had indeed differentiated. Induction of ES cells differentiation by retinoic acid (RA) resulted in up-regulation of PrP(C) at Day 20 and nestin at Day 12. PrP(C) expression was knocked down in PrP-targeted siRNA ES cells between Days 12 and 20. PrP(C) knockdown in ES cells resulted in nestin reduction at Days 16 and 20. Analysis of bovine fetuses suggests the participation of PrP(C) in neural cell differentiation during early embryogenesis. The positive association between PrP(C) and nestin expression provide evidence for the contribution of PrP(C) to ES cell differentiation into neural progenitor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar A Peralta
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0442, USA.
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Benvegnù S, Roncaglia P, Agostini F, Casalone C, Corona C, Gustincich S, Legname G. Developmental influence of the cellular prion protein on the gene expression profile in mouse hippocampus. Physiol Genomics 2011; 43:711-25. [PMID: 21406608 DOI: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00205.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) to an abnormal and protease-resistant isoform is the key event in prion diseases. Mice lacking PrP(C) are resistant to prion infection, and downregulation of PrP(C) during prion infection prevents neuronal loss and the progression to clinical disease. These results are suggestive of the potential beneficial effect of silencing PrP(C) during prion diseases. However, the silencing of a protein that is widely expressed throughout the central nervous system could be detrimental to brain homeostasis. The physiological role of PrP(C) remains still unclear, but several putative functions (e.g., neuronal development and maintenance) have been proposed. To assess the influence of PrP(C) on gene expression profile in the mouse brain, we undertook a microarray analysis by using RNA isolated from the hippocampus at two different developmental stages: newborn (4.5-day-old) and adult (3-mo-old) mice, both from wild-type and Prnp(0/0) animals. Comparing the different datasets allowed us to identify "commonly" co-regulated genes and "uniquely" deregulated genes during postnatal development. The absence of PrP(C) affected several biological pathways, the most representative being cell signaling, cell-cell communication and transduction processes, calcium homeostasis, nervous system development, synaptic transmission, and cell adhesion. However, there was only a moderate alteration of the gene expression profile in our animal models. PrP(C) deficiency did not lead to a dramatic alteration of gene expression profile and produced moderately altered gene expression levels from young to adult animals. Thus, our results may provide additional support to silencing endogenous PrP(C) levels as therapeutic approach to prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Benvegnù
- Laboratory of Prion Biology, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste
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Chadi S, Young R, Le Guillou S, Tilly G, Bitton F, Martin-Magniette ML, Soubigou-Taconnat L, Balzergue S, Vilotte M, Peyre C, Passet B, Béringue V, Renou JP, Le Provost F, Laude H, Vilotte JL. Brain transcriptional stability upon prion protein-encoding gene invalidation in zygotic or adult mouse. BMC Genomics 2010; 11:448. [PMID: 20649983 PMCID: PMC3091645 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-11-448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2010] [Accepted: 07/22/2010] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The physiological function of the prion protein remains largely elusive while its key role in prion infection has been expansively documented. To potentially assess this conundrum, we performed a comparative transcriptomic analysis of the brain of wild-type mice with that of transgenic mice invalidated at this locus either at the zygotic or at the adult stages. RESULTS Only subtle transcriptomic differences resulting from the Prnp knockout could be evidenced, beside Prnp itself, in the analyzed adult brains following microarray analysis of 24 109 mouse genes and QPCR assessment of some of the putatively marginally modulated loci. When performed at the adult stage, neuronal Prnp disruption appeared to sequentially induce a response to an oxidative stress and a remodeling of the nervous system. However, these events involved only a limited number of genes, expression levels of which were only slightly modified and not always confirmed by RT-qPCR. If not, the qPCR obtained data suggested even less pronounced differences. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the physiological function of PrP is redundant at the adult stage or important for only a small subset of the brain cell population under classical breeding conditions. Following its early reported embryonic developmental regulation, this lack of response could also imply that PrP has a more detrimental role during mouse embryogenesis and that potential transient compensatory mechanisms have to be searched for at the time this locus becomes transcriptionally activated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sead Chadi
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, F-78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
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Benvegnù S, Poggiolini I, Legname G. Neurodevelopmental expression and localization of the cellular prion protein in the central nervous system of the mouse. J Comp Neurol 2010; 518:1879-91. [PMID: 20394048 DOI: 10.1002/cne.22357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are neurodegenerative disorders caused by PrP(Sc), or prion, an abnormally folded form of the cellular prion protein (PrP(C)). The abundant expression of PrP(C) in the central nervous system (CNS) is a requirement for prion replication, yet despite years of intensive research the physiological function of PrP(C) still remains unclear. Several routes of investigation point out a potential role for PrP(C) in axon growth and neuronal development. Thus, we undertook a detailed analysis of the spatial and temporal expression of PrP(C) during mouse CNS development. Our findings show regional differences of the expression of PrP, with some specific white matter structures showing the earliest and highest expression of PrP(C). Indeed, all these regions are part of the thalamolimbic neurocircuitry, suggesting a potential role of PrP(C) in the development and functioning of this specific brain system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Benvegnù
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati-International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA-ISAS), Neurobiology Sector, I-34151 Trieste, Italy
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Seelig DM, Mason GL, Telling GC, Hoover EA. Pathogenesis of chronic wasting disease in cervidized transgenic mice. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2010; 176:2785-97. [PMID: 20395435 DOI: 10.2353/ajpath.2010.090710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal, endemic prion disease of wild and captive cervids, including deer, elk, and moose. Typical of prion diseases, CWD is characterized by the conversion of the native, protease-sensitive protein PrP(C) to a protease-resistant isoform, denoted as PrP(RES). Here we have studied the expression of cervid PrP(C) and the pathogenesis of CWD infection in transgenic mice expressing the normal cervid prion protein (Tg[CerPrP] mice). Using tissue-based in situ immunohistochemistry protocols, we first identified cervid PrP(C) expression in the lymphoid, nervous, hemopoietic, endocrine, and certain epithelial tissues of Tg[CerPrP] mice. Tg[CerPrP] mice were then inoculated with CWD via one of four routes (intracerebral, intravenous, intraperitoneal, or oral); all groups developed spongiform encephalopathy, although the oral route required a larger infecting dose. Incubation periods were 184 +/- 13, 218 +/- 15, 200 +/- 7, and 350 +/- 27 days after inoculation, respectively. In longitudinal studies, we tracked the appearance of PrP(RES) in the brain, spleen, Peyer's patches, lymph nodes, pancreatic islets of Langerhans, bone marrow, and salivary glands of preclinical and terminal mice. In addition, we documented horizontal transmission of CWD from inoculated mice and to un-inoculated cohabitant cage-mates. This work documents the multiroute susceptibility, pathogenesis, and lateral transmission of CWD infection in Tg[CerPrP] mice, affirming this model as a robust system to study this cervid transmissible spongiform encephalopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davis M Seelig
- Colorado State University, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, 1619 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
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Rane NS, Chakrabarti O, Feigenbaum L, Hegde RS. Signal sequence insufficiency contributes to neurodegeneration caused by transmembrane prion protein. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 188:515-26. [PMID: 20156965 PMCID: PMC2828915 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.200911115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Improving the efficiency of PrP translocation into the ER decreases levels of transmembrane bound protein and rescues mice from prion disease. Protein translocation into the endoplasmic reticulum is mediated by signal sequences that vary widely in primary structure. In vitro studies suggest that such signal sequence variations may correspond to subtly different functional properties. Whether comparable functional differences exist in vivo and are of sufficient magnitude to impact organism physiology is unknown. Here, we investigate this issue by analyzing in transgenic mice the impact of signal sequence efficiency for mammalian prion protein (PrP). We find that replacement of the average efficiency signal sequence of PrP with more efficient signals rescues mice from neurodegeneration caused by otherwise pathogenic PrP mutants in a downstream hydrophobic domain (HD). This effect is explained by the demonstration that efficient signal sequence function precludes generation of a cytosolically exposed, disease-causing transmembrane form of PrP mediated by the HD mutants. Thus, signal sequences are functionally nonequivalent in vivo, with intrinsic inefficiency of the native PrP signal being required for pathogenesis of a subset of disease-causing PrP mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neena S Rane
- Cell Biology and Metabolism Program, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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Abstract
Hereditary dystonias in humans are frequently related to a specific mutation of the DYT1 gene that encodes torsinA. This mutation has been shown to disrupt neuronal cell migration during development. We compared adult neurogenesis, occurring in the hippocampus and the olfactory bulb, in transgenic mice overexpressing either the wild-type or mutant form of human torsinA. Neurogenesis was assessed by quantification of bromodeoxyuridine-labeled cells. Both transgenic mouse models displayed perinuclear inclusions in the brainstem and in mitral cells of the olfactory bulb, altered striatal dopamine levels, and behavioral abnormalities. However, both hippocampal and olfactory neurogenesis levels were unchanged compared with control animals. We conclude that overexpression of human wild-type or mutant torsinA does not affect the survival of adult newborn neurons.
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Lee YJ, Baskakov IV. Treatment with normal prion protein delays differentiation and helps to maintain high proliferation activity in human embryonic stem cells. J Neurochem 2010; 114:362-73. [PMID: 20089130 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2010.06601.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The normal cellular form of prion protein (PrP(C)) has been shown to exhibit a diverse range of biological activities. Several recent studies highlighted potential involvement of PrP(C) in embryogenesis or in regulating stem cell self-renewal and proliferation. In the current study, we employed human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) for assessing the potential role of prion protein in early human development. Here, we showed that treatment of hESCs with full-length recombinant PrP folded into an alpha-helical conformation similar to that of PrP(C) delayed the spontaneous differentiation of hESCs and helped to maintain their high proliferation activity during spontaneous differentiation. Considering that administration of alpha-rPrP was also found to down-regulate the expression of endogenous PrP(C), the effects of alpha-rPrP were likely to be indirect, i.e. executed by endogenous PrP(C). Together with previous observations, these work support the hypothesis that PrP(C) is involved in regulating self-renewal/differentiation status of stem cells including hESCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young Jin Lee
- Medical Biotechnology Center, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
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Hidaka K, Shirai M, Lee JK, Wakayama T, Kodama I, Schneider MD, Morisaki T. The cellular prion protein identifies bipotential cardiomyogenic progenitors. Circ Res 2009; 106:111-9. [PMID: 19910576 DOI: 10.1161/circresaha.109.209478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The paucity of specific surface markers for cardiomyocytes and their progenitors has impeded the development of embryonic or pluripotent stem cell-based transplantation therapy. Identification of relevant surface markers may also enhance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying differentiation. OBJECTIVE Here, we show that cellular prion protein (PrP) serves as an effective surface marker for isolating nascent cardiomyocytes as well as cardiomyogenic progenitors. METHODS AND RESULTS Embryonic stem (or embryo-derived) cells were analyzed using flow cytometry to detect surface expression of PrP and intracellular myosin heavy chain (Myhc) proteins. Sorted cells were then analyzed for their differentiation potential. CONCLUSIONS PrP+ cells from beating embryoid bodies (EBs) frequently included nascent Myhc+ cardiomyocytes. Cultured PrP+ cells further differentiated, giving rise to cardiac troponin I+ definitive cardiomyocytes with either an atrial or a ventricular identity. These cells were electrophysiologically functional and able to survive in vivo after transplantation. Combining PrP with a second marker, platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR)alpha, enabled us to identify an earlier cardiomyogenic population from prebeating EBs, the PrP+PDGFRalpha+ (PRa) cells. The Myhc- PRa cells expressed cardiac transcription factors, such as Nkx2.5, T-box transcription factor 5, and Isl1 (islet LIM homeobox 1), although they were not completely committed. In mouse embryos, PRa cells in cardiac crescent at the 1 to 2 somite stage were Myhc+, whereas they were Myhc- at headfold stages. PRa cells clonally expanded in methlycellulose cultures. Furthermore, single Myhc- PRa cell-derived colonies contained both cardiac and smooth muscle cells. Thus, PrP demarcates a population of bipotential cardiomyogenic progenitor cells that can differentiate into cardiac or smooth muscle cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyoko Hidaka
- Department of Bioscience, National Cardiovascular Center Research Institute, Suita, Osaka, Japan
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Young R, Passet B, Vilotte M, Cribiu EP, Béringue V, Le Provost F, Laude H, Vilotte JL. The prion or the related Shadoo protein is required for early mouse embryogenesis. FEBS Lett 2009; 583:3296-300. [PMID: 19766638 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2009.09.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2009] [Accepted: 09/14/2009] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The prion protein PrP has a key role in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies but its biological function remains largely unknown. Recently, a related protein, Shadoo, was discovered. Its biological properties and brain distribution partially overlap that of PrP. We report that the Shadoo-encoding gene knockdown in PrP-knockout mouse embryos results in a lethal phenotype, occurring between E8 and E11, not observed on the wild-type genetic background. It reveals that these two proteins play a shared, crucial role in mammalian embryogenesis, explaining the lack of severe phenotype in PrP-knockout mammals, an appreciable step towards deciphering the biological role of this protein family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Young
- INRA-UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France
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Manfredi I, Zani AD, Rampoldi L, Pegorini S, Bernascone I, Moretti M, Gotti C, Croci L, Consalez GG, Ferini-Strambi L, Sala M, Pattini L, Casari G. Expression of mutant β2 nicotinic receptors during development is crucial for epileptogenesis. Hum Mol Genet 2009; 18:1075-88. [DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddp004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
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