Helix 3 is necessary and sufficient for prion protein's anti-Bax function

Luman contributes to brefeldin A-induced prion protein gene expression by interacting with the ERSE26 element

The cellular prion protein (PrP) is essential for transmissible prion diseases, but its exact physiological function remains unclear. Better understanding the regulation of the human prion protein gene (PRNP) expression can provide insight into this elusive function. Spliced XBP1 (sXBP1) was recently shown to mediate endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced PRNP expression. In this manuscript, we identify Luman, a ubiquitous, non-canonical unfolded protein response (UPR), as a novel regulator of ER stress-induced PRNP expression. Luman activity was transcriptionally and proteolytically activated by the ER stressing drug brefeldin A (BFA) in human neurons, astrocytes, and breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Over-expression of active cleaved Luman (ΔLuman) increased PrP levels, while siRNA-mediated Luman silencing decreased BFA-induced PRNP expression. Site-directed mutagenesis and chromatin immunoprecipitation demonstrated that ΔLuman regulates PRNP expression by interacting with the ER stress response element 26 (ERSE26). Co-over-expression and siRNA-mediated silencing experiments showed that sXBP1 and ΔLuman both up-regulate ER stress-induced PRNP expression. Attempts to understand the function of PRNP up-regulation by Luman excluded a role in atorvastatin-induced neuritogenesis, ER-associated degradation, or proteasomal inhibition-induced cell death. Overall, these results refine our understanding of ER stress-induced PRNP expression and function.

Cellular prion protein is present in mitochondria of healthy mice

Cellular prion protein (PrP^C) is a mammalian glycoprotein which is usually found anchored to the plasma membrane via a glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. PrP^C misfolds to a pathogenic isoform PrP^Sc, the causative agent of neurodegenerative prion diseases. The precise function of PrP^C remains elusive but may depend upon its cellular localization. Here we show that PrP^C is present in brain mitochondria from 6–12 week old wild-type and transgenic mice in the absence of disease. Mitochondrial PrP^C was fully processed with mature N-linked glycans and did not require the GPI anchor for localization. Protease treatment of purified mitochondria suggested that mitochondrial PrP^C exists as a transmembrane isoform with the C-terminus facing the mitochondrial matrix and the N-terminus facing the intermembrane space. Taken together, our data suggest that PrP^C can be found in mitochondria in the absence of disease, old age, mutation, or overexpression and that PrP^C may affect mitochondrial function.

Do prion protein gene polymorphisms induce apoptosis in non-mammals?

Genetic variations such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in prion protein coding gene, Prnp, greatly affect susceptibility to prion diseases in mammals. Here, the coding region of Prnp was screened for polymorphisms in redeared turtle, Trachemys scripta. Four polymorphisms, L203V, N205I, V225A and M237V, were common in 15 out of 30 turtles; in one sample, three SNPs, L203V, N205I and M237V, and in the remaining 14 samples, only L203V and N205I polymorphisms, were investigated. Besides, C658T, C664T, C670A and C823A SNPs were silent mutations. To elucidate the relationship between the SNPs and apoptosis, TUNEL assays and active caspase-3 immunodetection techniques in brain sections of the polymorphic samples were performed. The results revealed that TUNEL-positive cells and active caspase-3-positive cells in the turtles with four polymorphisms were significantly increased compared with those of the turtles with two polymorphisms (P less than 0.01 and P less than 0.05, respectively). In conclusion, this study provides preliminary information about the possible relationship between SNPs within the Prnp locus and apoptosis in a non-mammalian species, Trachemys scripta, in which prion disease has never been reported.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress induces PRNP prion protein gene expression in breast cancer

Introduction

High prion protein (PrP) levels are associated with breast, colon and gastric cancer resistance to treatment and with a poor prognosis for the patients. However, little is known about the underlying molecular mechanism(s) regulating human PrP gene (PRNP) expression in cancers. Because endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is associated with solid tumors, we investigated a possible regulation of PRNP gene expression by ER stress.

Methods

Published microarray databases of breast cancer tissues and breast carcinoma cell lines were analyzed for PrP mRNA and ER stress marker immunoglobulin heavy chain binding protein (BiP) levels. Breast cancer tissue microarrays (TMA) were immunostained for BiP and PrP. Breast carcinoma MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, HS578T and HCC1500 cells were treated with three different ER stressors - Brefeldin A, Tunicamycin, Thapsigargin - and levels of PrP mRNA or protein assessed by RT-PCR and Western blot analyses. A human PRNP promoter-luciferase reporter was used to assess transcriptional activation by ER stressors. Site-directed mutagenesis identified the ER stress response elements (ERSE). Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analyses were done to identify the ER stress-mediated transcriptional regulators. The role of cleaved activating transcription factor 6α (ΔATF6α) and spliced X-box protein-1 (sXBP1) in PRNP gene expression was assessed with over-expression or silencing techniques. The role of PrP protection against ER stress was assessed with PrP siRNA and by using Prnp null cell lines.

Results

We find that mRNA levels of BiP correlated with PrP transcript levels in breast cancer tissues and breast carcinoma cell lines. PrP mRNA levels were enriched in the basal subtype and were associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. Higher PrP and BiP levels correlated with increasing tumor grade in TMA. ER stress was a positive regulator of PRNP gene transcription in MCF-7 cells and luciferase reporter assays identified one ER stress response element (ERSE) conserved among primates and rodents and three primate-specific ERSEs that regulated PRNP gene expression. Among the various transactivators of the ER stress-regulated unfolded protein response (UPR), ATF6α and XBP1 transactivated PRNP gene expression, but the ability of these varied in different cell types. Functionally, PrP delayed ER stress-induced cell death.

Conclusions

These results establish PRNP as a novel ER stress-regulated gene that could increase survival in breast cancers.

Loss of anti-Bax function in Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome-associated prion protein mutants

Previously, we have shown the loss of anti-Bax function in Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (CJD)-associated prion protein (PrP) mutants that are unable to generate cytosolic PrP (CyPrP). To determine if the anti-Bax function of PrP modulates the manifestation of prion diseases, we further investigated the anti-Bax function of eight familial Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker Syndrome (GSS)-associated PrP mutants. These PrP mutants contained their respective methionine (^M) or valine (^V) at codon 129. All of the mutants lost their ability to prevent Bax-mediated chromatin condensation or DNA fragmentation in primary human neurons. In the breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells, the F198S^V, D202N^V, P102L^V and Q217R^V retained, whereas the P102L^M, P105L^V, Y145stop^M and Q212P^M PrP mutants lost their ability to inhibit Bax-mediated condensed chromatin. The inhibition of Bax-mediated condensed chromatin depended on the ability of the mutants to generate cytosolic PrP. However, except for the P102L^V, none of the mutants significantly inhibited Bax-mediated caspase activation. These results show that the cytosolic PrP generated from the GSS mutants is not as efficient as wild type PrP in inhibiting Bax-mediated cell death. Furthermore, these results indicate that the anti-Bax function is also disrupted in GSS-associated PrP mutants and is not associated with the difference between CJD and GSS.

Prion protein: From physiology to cancer biology

Prion protein (PrPc) was originally viewed solely as being involved in prion disease, but now several intriguing lines of evidence have emerged indicating that it plays a fundamental role not only in the nervous system, but also throughout the human body. PrPc is expressed most abundantly in the brain, but has also been detected in other non-neuronal tissues as diverse as lymphoid cells, lung, heart, kidney, gastrointestinal tract, muscle, and mammary glands. Recent data indicate that PrPc may be implicated in biology of glioblastoma, breast cancer, prostate and gastric cancer. Over expression of PrPc is correlated to the acquisition by tumor cells of a phenotype for resistance to cell death induced by TNF alpha and TRAIL or antitumor drugs such as paclitaxel and anthracyclines. PrPc may promote tumorigenesis, proliferation and G1/S transition in gastric cancer cells. This review revisits the physiological functions of PrPc, and its possible implications for cancer biology.