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Christoudia N, Bekas N, Kanata E, Chatziefsthathiou A, Pettas S, Karagianni K, Da Silva Correia SM, Schmitz M, Zerr I, Tsamesidis I, Xanthopoulos K, Dafou D, Sklaviadis T. Αnti-prion effects of anthocyanins. Redox Biol 2024; 72:103133. [PMID: 38565068 PMCID: PMC10990977 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2024.103133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases, also known as Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs), are protein-based neurodegenerative disorders (NDs) affecting humans and animals. They are characterized by the conformational conversion of the normal cellular prion protein, PrPC, into the pathogenic isoform, PrPSc. Prion diseases are invariably fatal and despite ongoing research, no effective prophylactic or therapeutic avenues are currently available. Anthocyanins (ACNs) are unique flavonoid compounds and interest in their use as potential neuroprotective and/or therapeutic agents against NDs, has increased significantly in recent years. Therefore, we investigated the potential anti-oxidant and anti-prion effects of Oenin and Myrtillin, two of the most common anthocyanins, using the most accepted in the field overexpressing PrPScin vitro model and a cell free protein aggregation model. Our results, indicate both anthocyanins as strong anti-oxidant compounds, upregulating the expression of genes involved in the anti-oxidant response, and reducing the levels of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), produced due to pathogenic prion infection, through the activation of the Keap1-Nrf2 pathway. Importantly, they showcased remarkable anti-prion potential, as they not only caused the clearance of pathogenic PrPSc aggregates, but also completely inhibited the formation of PrPSc fibrils in the Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) of patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Therefore, Oenin and Myrtillin possess pleiotropic effects, suggesting their potential use as promising preventive and/or therapeutic agents in prion diseases and possibly in the spectrum of neurodegenerative proteinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikoletta Christoudia
- Department of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24, Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Nikolaos Bekas
- Department of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24, Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Eirini Kanata
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24, Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Athanasia Chatziefsthathiou
- Department of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24, Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Spyros Pettas
- Department of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24, Thessaloniki, Greece; Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24, Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Korina Karagianni
- Department of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24, Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Susana Margarida Da Silva Correia
- Department of Neurology, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), University Medicine Goettingen, 37075, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Matthias Schmitz
- Department of Neurology, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), University Medicine Goettingen, 37075, Goettingen, Germany.
| | - Inga Zerr
- Department of Neurology, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), University Medicine Goettingen, 37075, Goettingen, Germany.
| | - Ioannis Tsamesidis
- Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24, Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Konstantinos Xanthopoulos
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24, Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Dimitra Dafou
- Department of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24, Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Theodoros Sklaviadis
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24, Thessaloniki, Greece.
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Kell DB, Pretorius E. Are fibrinaloid microclots a cause of autoimmunity in Long Covid and other post-infection diseases? Biochem J 2023; 480:1217-1240. [PMID: 37584410 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20230241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
It is now well established that the blood-clotting protein fibrinogen can polymerise into an anomalous form of fibrin that is amyloid in character; the resultant clots and microclots entrap many other molecules, stain with fluorogenic amyloid stains, are rather resistant to fibrinolysis, can block up microcapillaries, are implicated in a variety of diseases including Long COVID, and have been referred to as fibrinaloids. A necessary corollary of this anomalous polymerisation is the generation of novel epitopes in proteins that would normally be seen as 'self', and otherwise immunologically silent. The precise conformation of the resulting fibrinaloid clots (that, as with prions and classical amyloid proteins, can adopt multiple, stable conformations) must depend on the existing small molecules and metal ions that the fibrinogen may (and is some cases is known to) have bound before polymerisation. Any such novel epitopes, however, are likely to lead to the generation of autoantibodies. A convergent phenomenology, including distinct conformations and seeding of the anomalous form for initiation and propagation, is emerging to link knowledge in prions, prionoids, amyloids and now fibrinaloids. We here summarise the evidence for the above reasoning, which has substantial implications for our understanding of the genesis of autoimmunity (and the possible prevention thereof) based on the primary process of fibrinaloid formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas B Kell
- Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Systems Biology, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, U.K
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet 200, 2800 Kgs Lyngby, Denmark
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1 Matieland, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa
| | - Etheresia Pretorius
- Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Systems Biology, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, U.K
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1 Matieland, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa
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Coysh T, Mead S. The Future of Seed Amplification Assays and Clinical Trials. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:872629. [PMID: 35813946 PMCID: PMC9257179 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.872629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion-like seeded misfolding of host proteins is the leading hypothesised cause of neurodegenerative diseases. The exploitation of the mechanism in the protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) and real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assays have transformed prion disease research and diagnosis and have steadily become more widely used for research into other neurodegenerative disorders. Clinical trials in adult neurodegenerative diseases have been expensive, slow, and disappointing in terms of clinical benefits. There are various possible factors contributing to the failure to identify disease-modifying treatments for adult neurodegenerative diseases, some of which include: limited accuracy of antemortem clinical diagnosis resulting in the inclusion of patients with the “incorrect” pathology for the therapeutic; the role of co-pathologies in neurodegeneration rendering treatments targeting one pathology alone ineffective; treatment of the primary neurodegenerative process too late, after irreversible secondary processes of neurodegeneration have become established or neuronal loss is already extensive; and preclinical models used to develop treatments not accurately representing human disease. The use of seed amplification assays in clinical trials offers an opportunity to tackle these problems by sensitively detecting in vivo the proteopathic seeds thought to be central to the biology of neurodegenerative diseases, enabling improved diagnostic accuracy of the main pathology and co-pathologies, and very early intervention, particularly in patients at risk of monogenic forms of neurodegeneration. The possibility of quantifying proteopathic seed load, and its reduction by treatments, is an attractive pharmacodynamic biomarker in the preclinical and early clinical stages of drug development. Here we review some potential applications of seed amplification assays in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Coysh
- MRC Prion Unit at UCL, UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
- National Prion Clinic, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Simon Mead
- MRC Prion Unit at UCL, UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
- National Prion Clinic, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
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Defining the Protein Seeds of Neurodegeneration using Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion Assays. Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10091233. [PMID: 32854212 PMCID: PMC7564261 DOI: 10.3390/biom10091233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the accumulation of disease-related misfolded proteins. It is now widely understood that the characteristic self-amplifying (i.e., seeding) capacity once only attributed to the prions of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy diseases is a feature of other misfolded proteins of neurodegenerative diseases, including tau, Aβ, and αSynuclein (αSyn). Ultrasensitive diagnostic assays, known as real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assays, exploit these seeding capabilities in order to exponentially amplify protein seeds from various biospecimens. To date, RT-QuIC assays have been developed for the detection of protein seeds related to known prion diseases of mammals, the αSyn aggregates of Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy, and the tau aggregates of Alzheimer’s disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and other tauopathies including progressive supranuclear palsy. Application of these assays to premortem human biospecimens shows promise for diagnosis of neurodegenerative disease and is an area of active investigation. RT-QuIC assays are also powerful experimental tools that can be used to dissect seeding networks within and between tissues and to evaluate how protein seed distribution and quantity correlate to disease-related outcomes in a host. As well, RT-QuIC application may help characterize molecular pathways influencing protein seed accumulation, transmission, and clearance. In this review we discuss the application of RT-QuIC assays as diagnostic, experimental, and structural tools for detection and discrimination of PrP prions, tau, and αSyn protein seeds.
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Dominguez-Meijide A, Vasili E, König A, Cima-Omori MS, Ibáñez de Opakua A, Leonov A, Ryazanov S, Zweckstetter M, Griesinger C, Outeiro TF. Effects of pharmacological modulators of α-synuclein and tau aggregation and internalization. Sci Rep 2020; 10:12827. [PMID: 32732936 PMCID: PMC7393090 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69744-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are common neurodegenerative disorders of the elderly and, therefore, affect a growing number of patients worldwide. Both diseases share, as a common hallmark, the accumulation of characteristic protein aggregates, known as Lewy bodies (LB) in PD, and neurofibrillary tangles in AD. LBs are primarily composed of misfolded α-synuclein (aSyn), and neurofibrillary tangles are primarily composed of tau protein. Importantly, upon pathological evaluation, most AD and PD/Lewy body dementia cases exhibit mixed pathology, with the co-occurrence of both LB and neurofibrillary tangles, among other protein inclusions. Recent studies suggest that both aSyn and tau pathology can spread and propagate through neuronal connections. Therefore, it is important to investigate the mechanisms underlying aggregation and propagation of these proteins for the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Here, we assessed the effects of different pharmacological interventions on the aggregation and internalization of tau and aSyn. We found that anle138b and fulvic acid decrease aSyn and tau aggregation, that epigallocatechin gallate decreases aSyn aggregation, and that dynasore reduces tau internalization. Establishing the effects of small molecules with different chemical properties on the aggregation and spreading of aSyn and tau will be important for the development of future therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Dominguez-Meijide
- Department of Experimental Neurodegeneration, Center for Biostructural Imaging of Neurodegeneration, University Medical Center Goettingen, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.,Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Experimental Neurology, Department of Morphological Sciences, CIMUS, IDIS, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.,Networking Research Center on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Eftychia Vasili
- Department of Experimental Neurodegeneration, Center for Biostructural Imaging of Neurodegeneration, University Medical Center Goettingen, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Annekatrin König
- Department of Experimental Neurodegeneration, Center for Biostructural Imaging of Neurodegeneration, University Medical Center Goettingen, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Maria-Sol Cima-Omori
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Str. 3a, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Alain Ibáñez de Opakua
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Str. 3a, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Andrei Leonov
- Department for NMR-Based Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Faßberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Sergey Ryazanov
- Department for NMR-Based Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Faßberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Markus Zweckstetter
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Str. 3a, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.,Department for NMR-Based Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Faßberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, University of Göttingen, Waldweg 33, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christian Griesinger
- Department for NMR-Based Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Faßberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Tiago F Outeiro
- Department of Experimental Neurodegeneration, Center for Biostructural Imaging of Neurodegeneration, University Medical Center Goettingen, 37073, Göttingen, Germany. .,Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany. .,Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK.
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Ruf VC, Shi S, Schmidt F, Weckbecker D, Nübling GS, Ködel U, Mollenhauer B, Giese A. Potential sources of interference with the highly sensitive detection and quantification of alpha-synuclein seeds by qRT-QuIC. FEBS Open Bio 2020; 10:883-893. [PMID: 32190992 PMCID: PMC7193167 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.12844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Revised: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease which is histologically characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and deposition of aggregated alpha‐synuclein (aSyn) in the brain. The detection of aSyn in well accessible fluids has been one of the central approaches in the development of biomarkers for PD. Recently, real‐time quaking‐induced conversion (RT‐QuIC) has been successfully adapted for use with aSyn seeds. Here, we systematically analysed parameters potentially impacting the reliability of this assay by using quantitative real‐time quaking‐induced conversion (qRT‐QuIC) with in vitro‐formed aSyn seeds. Seeds diluted in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accelerated the seeding reaction and slightly increased the sensitivity without affecting specificity. Repeated freeze–thaw cycles decreased the apparent lag times of seeds diluted in ddH2O but did not alter the seeding activity of seeds diluted in CSF. High levels of artificial contamination with blood resulted in prolonged apparent lag times, while sensitivity and specificity were unaffected. Altogether, qRT‐QuIC with aSyn seems to be robust concerning sensitivity and specificity in our model system, but quantitative interpretation might be limited under certain conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktoria C Ruf
- Center for Neuropathology and Prion Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Song Shi
- Center for Neuropathology and Prion Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | | | | | - Georg S Nübling
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Uwe Ködel
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Brit Mollenhauer
- Paracelsus-Elena-Klinik, Kassel, Germany.,University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Armin Giese
- Center for Neuropathology and Prion Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,MODAG GmbH, Wendelsheim, Germany
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Detection of Pathognomonic Biomarker PrP Sc and the Contribution of Cell Free-Amplification Techniques to the Diagnosis of Prion Diseases. Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10030469. [PMID: 32204429 PMCID: PMC7175149 DOI: 10.3390/biom10030469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Revised: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies or prion diseases are rapidly progressive neurodegenerative diseases, the clinical manifestation of which can resemble other promptly evolving neurological maladies. Therefore, the unequivocal ante-mortem diagnosis is highly challenging and was only possible by histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis of the brain at necropsy. Although surrogate biomarkers of neurological damage have become invaluable to complement clinical data and provide more accurate diagnostics at early stages, other neurodegenerative diseases show similar alterations hindering the differential diagnosis. To solve that, the detection of the pathognomonic biomarker of disease, PrPSc, the aberrantly folded isoform of the prion protein, could be used. However, the amounts in easily accessible tissues or body fluids at pre-clinical or early clinical stages are extremely low for the standard detection methods. The solution comes from the recent development of in vitro prion propagation techniques, such as Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification (PMCA) and Real Time-Quaking Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC), which have been already applied to detect minute amounts of PrPSc in different matrixes and make early diagnosis of prion diseases feasible in a near future. Herein, the most relevant tissues and body fluids in which PrPSc has been detected in animals and humans are being reviewed, especially those in which cell-free prion propagation systems have been used with diagnostic purposes.
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Neurofilaments in blood and CSF for diagnosis and prediction of onset in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Sci Rep 2016; 6:38737. [PMID: 27929120 PMCID: PMC5144074 DOI: 10.1038/srep38737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2016] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
While cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) are established and partly included in the diagnostic criteria, no blood biomarkers are available. Here, we assessed the utility of serum neurofilament light chain (NF-L) and tau protein in comparison to CSF markers (NF-L and phosphorylated NF heavy chain (pNF-H), tau, S100B, 14-3-3) and prion conversion assay (real-time quaking induced conversion (RT-QuIC)) for sporadic and genetic CJD. Importantly, a Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker mutation carrier in the asymptomatic phase and at disease onset was included as well. Both NF-L and tau were markedly increased in CJD serum, reaching similar or even better performance as in CSF (sensitivity and specificity for serum NF-L 100% and 85.5%, and for serum tau 84.6% and 96.2%, respectively). Serum S100B showed high sensitivity as well (84.2%), but lower specificity (63%). CSF neurofilaments were increased before symptom onset, while prion seeding assay was negative. Just before a clinical diagnosis could be made, all CSF markers and NF-L in the serum were increased and CSF prion conversion assay was positive. The data suggest that neurofilaments are sensitive and specific blood markers for the diagnosis of genetic and sporadic CJD and might represent promising tools to predict disease onset.
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Abstract
Prion diseases are neurodegenerative diseases affecting both humans and animal species. The phenotypic spectrum is broad and includes Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and its variant zoonotic form (vCJD) in humans, while in animals, scrapie of sheep and goats, bovine spongiform encephalopathy and chronic wasting disease of deer, elk and moose are naturally occurring forms. Transmission and pathogenesis appear causally linked to the misfolding of the normal form of the prion protein (PrPC) into disease associated conformers (PrPD), the latter enriched in β-strand secondary structure. Over the past 10 years two protein amplification techniques, the protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) assay and real-time quaking induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assay have been developed and successfully deployed in prion biology across a range of scientific and clinical applications, including generation of de novo prions, quantitation of prion infectivity and ultra-sensitive detection of PrPD. While PMCA utilises sonication to facilitate protein amplification, RT-QuIC employs vigorous shaking to achieve this outcome, with both techniques sharing the ability to amplify miniscule quantities of PrPD seed present in various tissues and body fluids to levels detectable using routine biochemical methods. The enhanced specificity of the RT-QuIC for detection of PrPD in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has spawned international collaborations to rigorously assess and validate the assay for clinical diagnostic purposes. In parallel with collaborative CSF validation studies have been successful efforts to refine the RT-QuIC allowing its use for more accessible body fluids or tissues such as urine and nasal brushings, as well as promote higher sample throughput, shorten assay times and offer accurate quantification of PrPD even at levels below those detectable by animal bioassays. Animal studies support the generic capacity of the RT-QuIC for PrPD detection, underpinning the utility of this assay for studying prion disease and the high likelihood of inter-convertibility of technical refinements for human and animal use.
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