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Christensen CS, Wang S, Li W, Yu D, Li HJ. Structural Variations of Prions and Prion-like Proteins Associated with Neurodegeneration. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2024; 46:6423-6439. [PMID: 39057026 PMCID: PMC11275340 DOI: 10.3390/cimb46070384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Neurodegeneration is becoming one of the leading causes of death worldwide as the population expands and grows older. There is a growing desire to understand the mechanisms behind prion proteins as well as the prion-like proteins that make up neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Both amyloid-β (Aβ) and hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau) proteins behave in ways similar to those of the infectious form of the prion protein, PrPSc, such as aggregating, seeding, and replicating under not yet fully understood mechanisms, thus the designation of prion-like. This review aims to highlight the shared mechanisms between prion-like proteins and prion proteins in the structural variations associated with aggregation and disease development. These mechanisms largely focus on the dysregulation of protein homeostasis, self-replication, and protein aggregation, and this knowledge could contribute to diagnoses and treatments for the given NDs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Henry James Li
- School of Arts and Sciences, New York University Shanghai, 567 West Yang Si Road, Shanghai 200122, China; (C.S.C.); (S.W.); (W.L.); (D.Y.)
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Vitale M, Migliore S, Tilahun B, Abdurahaman M, Tolone M, Sammarco I, Di Marco Lo Presti V, Gebremedhin EZ. Two novel amino acid substitutions in highly conserved regions of prion protein (PrP) and a high frequency of a scrapie protective variant in native Ethiopian goats. BMC Vet Res 2019; 15:128. [PMID: 31053138 PMCID: PMC6500044 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-019-1870-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Polymorphisms of the prion protein gene may influence scrapie susceptibility in small ruminants through modified protein conformation. At least 47 amino acid substitutions and 19 silent polymorphisms have been described in goat PRNP reported from several countries. The objective of this study was to investigate PRNP polymorphisms of native Ethiopian goat breeds and compare the results with other goat breeds. RESULTS The analysis of the prion protein gene PRNP in 229 goats belonging to three of the main Ethiopian native goat breeds showed a remarkably high frequency (> 34.6%) of p.(Asn146Ser) in these breeds, a variant involved in scrapie resistance in Cyprus. In addition, two novel amino-acid substitutions p.(Gly127Ala) and p.(Thr193Ile), with frequencies ranging from 1.5 to 7.3% were detected. Both amino acids are well conserved in prion proteins (PrP) of most species and these changes have never been reported before in goats worldwide. Residue 127 is within the N-terminal domain of PrP and is probably involved in the recruitment of neural cell adhesion molecules (NCAM). Residue 193 is within the highly conserved string of 4 threonines that plays a role in determining the efficiency of prion protein conversion towards its pathological form. CONCLUSION Two novel coding polymorphisms and a high frequency of a scrapie protective variant indicate a high level of genetic diversity in PRNP of Ethiopian goats. This finding increases the interest in exploring PRNP polymorphisms of native goat breeds in areas where cross breeding with foreign goats has rarely occurred.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Vitale
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Sicily, Laboratory of Genetics of Microorganisms, Via Gino Marinuzzi 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy
| | - Sergio Migliore
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Sicily, Laboratory of Genetics of Microorganisms, Via Gino Marinuzzi 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy
| | - Berhanu Tilahun
- Department of Parasitology, Haramaya University, College of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box 138, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia
| | - Mukarim Abdurahaman
- Jimma University, School of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box 307, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Marco Tolone
- Dipartimento Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Forestali, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Ignazio Sammarco
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Sicily, Laboratory of Genetics of Microorganisms, Via Gino Marinuzzi 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Di Marco Lo Presti
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Sicily, Laboratory of Genetics of Microorganisms, Via Gino Marinuzzi 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy
| | - Endrias Zewdu Gebremedhin
- Department of Veterinary Science, Ambo University, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, P.O. Box 19, Ambo, Ethiopia
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Fernández-Borges N, Parra B, Vidal E, Eraña H, Sánchez-Martín MA, de Castro J, Elezgarai SR, Pumarola M, Mayoral T, Castilla J. Unraveling the key to the resistance of canids to prion diseases. PLoS Pathog 2017; 13:e1006716. [PMID: 29131852 PMCID: PMC5703577 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Revised: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 10/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the characteristics of prions is their ability to infect some species but not others and prion resistant species have been of special interest because of their potential in deciphering the determinants for susceptibility. Previously, we developed different in vitro and in vivo models to assess the susceptibility of species that were erroneously considered resistant to prion infection, such as members of the Leporidae and Equidae families. Here we undertake in vitro and in vivo approaches to understand the unresolved low prion susceptibility of canids. Studies based on the amino acid sequence of the canine prion protein (PrP), together with a structural analysis in silico, identified unique key amino acids whose characteristics could orchestrate its high resistance to prion disease. Cell- and brain-based PMCA studies were performed highlighting the relevance of the D163 amino acid in proneness to protein misfolding. This was also investigated by the generation of a novel transgenic mouse model carrying this substitution and these mice showed complete resistance to disease despite intracerebral challenge with three different mouse prion strains (RML, 22L and 301C) known to cause disease in wild-type mice. These findings suggest that dog D163 amino acid is primarily, if not totally, responsible for the prion resistance of canids. Detection of individuals or whole species resistant to any infectious disease is vital to understand the determinants of susceptibility and to develop appropriate therapeutic and preventative strategies. Canids have long been considered resistant to prion infection given the absence of clinical disease despite exposure to the causal agent. Through extensive analysis of the canine prion protein we have detected a key amino acid that might be responsible for their universal resistance to prion disease. Using in vitro and in vivo models we demonstrated that the presence of this residue confers resistance to prion infection when introduced to susceptible animals, opening the way to develop a new therapeutic approach against these, at present, untreatable disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Beatriz Parra
- Laboratorio Central de Veterinaria (LCV), Madrid, Spain
| | - Enric Vidal
- Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), UAB-IRTA, Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Hasier Eraña
- CIC bioGUNE, Parque tecnológico de Bizkaia, Derio, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - Manuel A. Sánchez-Martín
- Servicio de Transgénesis, Nucleus, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
- IBSAL, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Jorge de Castro
- Department of Infectology, Scripps Florida, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America
| | | | - Martí Pumarola
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Veterinary faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Madrid, Spain
| | - Tomás Mayoral
- Laboratorio Central de Veterinaria (LCV), Madrid, Spain
| | - Joaquín Castilla
- CIC bioGUNE, Parque tecnológico de Bizkaia, Derio, Bizkaia, Spain
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Bizkaia, Spain
- * E-mail:
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Espargaró A, Busquets MA, Estelrich J, Sabate R. Predicting the aggregation propensity of prion sequences. Virus Res 2015; 207:127-35. [PMID: 25747492 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2015.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2014] [Revised: 02/19/2015] [Accepted: 03/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The presence of prions can result in debilitating and neurodegenerative diseases in mammals and protein-based genetic elements in fungi. Prions are defined as a subclass of amyloids in which the self-aggregation process becomes self-perpetuating and infectious. Like all amyloids, prions polymerize into fibres with a common core formed of β-sheet structures oriented perpendicular to the fibril axes which form a structure known as a cross-β structure. The intermolecular β-sheet propensity, a characteristic of the amyloid pattern, as well as other key parameters of amyloid fibril formation can be predicted. Mathematical algorithms have been proposed to predict both amyloid and prion propensities. However, it has been shown that the presence of amyloid-prone regions in a polypeptide sequence could be insufficient for amyloid formation. It has also often been stated that the formation of amyloid fibrils does not imply that these are prions. Despite these limitations, in silico prediction of amyloid and prion propensities should help detect potential new prion sequences in mammals. In addition, the determination of amyloid-prone regions in prion sequences could be very useful in understanding the effect of sporadic mutations and polymorphisms as well as in the search for therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alba Espargaró
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Avda. Joan XXIII 27-31, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology of the University of Barcelona (IN(2)UB), Spain
| | - Maria Antònia Busquets
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Avda. Joan XXIII 27-31, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology of the University of Barcelona (IN(2)UB), Spain
| | - Joan Estelrich
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Avda. Joan XXIII 27-31, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology of the University of Barcelona (IN(2)UB), Spain
| | - Raimon Sabate
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Avda. Joan XXIII 27-31, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology of the University of Barcelona (IN(2)UB), Spain.
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