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Prion Protein Biology Through the Lens of Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation. J Mol Biol 2021; 434:167368. [PMID: 34808226 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Conformational conversion of the α-helix-rich cellular prion protein into the misfolded, β-rich, aggregated, scrapie form underlies the molecular basis of prion diseases that represent a class of invariably fatal, untreatable, and transmissible neurodegenerative diseases. However, despite the extensive and rigorous research, there is a significant gap in the understanding of molecular mechanisms that contribute to prion pathogenesis. In this review, we describe the historical perspective of the development of the prion concept and the current state of knowledge of prion biology including structural, molecular, and cellular aspects of the prion protein. We then summarize the putative functional role of the N-terminal intrinsically disordered segment of the prion protein. We next describe the ongoing efforts in elucidating the prion phase behavior and the emerging role of liquid-liquid phase separation that can have potential functional relevance and can offer an alternate non-canonical pathway involving conformational conversion into a disease-associated form. We also attempt to shed light on the evolutionary perspective of the prion protein highlighting the potential role of intrinsic disorder in prion protein biology and summarize a few important questions associated with the phase transitions of the prion protein. Delving deeper into these key aspects can pave the way for a detailed understanding of the critical molecular determinants of the prion phase transition and its relevance to physiology and neurodegenerative diseases.
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Alsiary RA, Alghrably M, Saoudi A, Al-Ghamdi S, Jaremko L, Jaremko M, Emwas AH. Using NMR spectroscopy to investigate the role played by copper in prion diseases. Neurol Sci 2020; 41:2389-2406. [PMID: 32328835 PMCID: PMC7419355 DOI: 10.1007/s10072-020-04321-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Prion diseases are a group of rare neurodegenerative disorders that develop as a result of the conformational conversion of normal prion protein (PrPC) to the disease-associated isoform (PrPSc). The mechanism that actually causes disease remains unclear. However, the mechanism underlying the conformational transformation of prion protein is partially understood-in particular, there is strong evidence that copper ions play a significant functional role in prion proteins and in their conformational conversion. Various models of the interaction of copper ions with prion proteins have been proposed for the Cu (II)-binding, cell-surface glycoprotein known as prion protein (PrP). Changes in the concentration of copper ions in the brain have been associated with prion diseases and there is strong evidence that copper plays a significant functional role in the conformational conversion of PrP. Nevertheless, because copper ions have been shown to have both a positive and negative effect on prion disease onset, the role played by Cu (II) ions in these diseases remains a topic of debate. Because of the unique properties of paramagnetic Cu (II) ions in the magnetic field, their interactions with PrP can be tracked even at single atom resolution using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Various NMR approaches have been utilized to study the kinetic, thermodynamic, and structural properties of Cu (II)-PrP interactions. Here, we highlight the different models of copper interactions with PrP with particular focus on studies that use NMR spectroscopy to investigate the role played by copper ions in prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rawiah A. Alsiary
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia/King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mawadda Alghrably
- Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdelhamid Saoudi
- Oncology, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia/King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Suliman Al-Ghamdi
- Oncology, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia/King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Lukasz Jaremko
- Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Mariusz Jaremko
- Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdul-Hamid Emwas
- Imaging and Characterization Core Lab, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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Zhang TL, Wan XR, Wu R, Wang C. Effects of PrP C on DF-1 cells' biological processes and RNA-seq-based analysis of differential genes. J Cell Physiol 2018; 233:6671-6682. [PMID: 29319183 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.26447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2017] [Accepted: 01/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
To reveal the effects of PrPC on cells' biological processes and on gene expression. We established stable DF-1 (PrPC -knockdown (KD)) cells, and combined with DF-1 (wt) and DF-1 (PrPC -overexpression (OE)) cells that we previously established we studied the effects of chicken PrPC (PrPC ) on DF-1 cells' processes. Then by using high throughput sequencing technology (HTS) and bioinformatics, we analyzed the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between these cells. The results show that compared with DF-1 (wt) and DF-1 (PrPC -scramble), DF-1 (PrPC -KD) are significantly decreased in adhesion, proliferation, formation rate of colony and cells number of colony, scratch wound healing rate, cells number of invasion and migration, S phase cell populations, but the apoptosis rate and G1 phase cell populations are significantly increased. Conversely, all of these features in DF-1 (PrPC -OE) are opposite. In addition, compared with DF-1 (wt), we found that there are totally 1055 DE genes between DF-1 (PrPC -KD) and DF-1 (PrPC -OE) cells. After Go and pathway enrichment analysis, we know that these DEGs are significantly enriched in cell, cell part, cellular process, and metabolic pathway. In short, we found that PrPC can promote DF-1 cells' processes except apoptosis. Furthermore, PrPC involves in the focal adhesion, cancer, ribosome, metabolic pathways, and so forth, and the overexpression of PrPC can promote the pathway of amoebiasis, but its down-regulation can promote the pathway of serotonergic synapse. However, the details are keeping unknown and that would be our next research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian-Liang Zhang
- Gansu Agricultural University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Xue-Rui Wan
- Gansu Agricultural University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Run Wu
- Gansu Agricultural University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Chuan Wang
- Gansu Agricultural University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
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Pocanschi CL, Ehsani S, Mehrabian M, Wille H, Reginold W, Trimble WS, Wang H, Yee A, Arrowsmith CH, Bozóky Z, Kay LE, Forman-Kay JD, Rini JM, Schmitt-Ulms G. The ZIP5 ectodomain co-localizes with PrP and may acquire a PrP-like fold that assembles into a dimer. PLoS One 2013; 8:e72446. [PMID: 24039764 PMCID: PMC3765157 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2013] [Accepted: 07/18/2013] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) was recently observed to co-purify with members of the LIV-1 subfamily of ZIP zinc transporters (LZTs), precipitating the surprising discovery that the prion gene family descended from an ancestral LZT gene. Here, we compared the subcellular distribution and biophysical characteristics of LZTs and their PrP-like ectodomains. When expressed in neuroblastoma cells, the ZIP5 member of the LZT subfamily was observed to be largely directed to the same subcellular locations as PrP(C) and both proteins were seen to be endocytosed through vesicles decorated with the Rab5 marker protein. When recombinantly expressed, the PrP-like domain of ZIP5 could be obtained with yields and levels of purity sufficient for structural analyses but it tended to aggregate, thereby precluding attempts to study its structure. These obstacles were overcome by moving to a mammalian cell expression system. The subsequent biophysical characterization of a homogeneous preparation of the ZIP5 PrP-like ectodomain shows that this protein acquires a dimeric, largely globular fold with an α-helical content similar to that of mammalian PrP(C). The use of a mammalian cell expression system also allowed for the expression and purification of stable preparations of Takifugu rubripes PrP-1, thereby overcoming a key hindrance to high-resolution work on a fish PrP(C).
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Affiliation(s)
- Cosmin L. Pocanschi
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sepehr Ehsani
- 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
| | - 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
| | - Holger Wille
- Department of Biochemistry and Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - William Reginold
- 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
| | - William S. Trimble
- Program in Cell Biology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hansen Wang
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Adelinda Yee
- Structural Genomics Consortium, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Zoltán Bozóky
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Molecular Structure and Function Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lewis E. Kay
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Molecular Structure and Function Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Julie D. Forman-Kay
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Molecular Structure and Function Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - James M. Rini
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - 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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Abstract
The human cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchored membrane glycoprotein with two N-glycosylation sites at residues 181 and 197. This protein migrates in several bands by Western blot analysis (WB). Interestingly, PNGase F treatment of human brain homogenates prior to the WB, which is known to remove the N-glycosylations, unexpectedly gives rise to two dominant bands, which are now known as C-terminal (C1) and N-terminal (N1) fragments. This resembles the β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) in Alzheimer disease (AD), which can be physiologically processed by α-, β-, and γ-secretases. The processing of APP has been extensively studied, while the identity of the cellular proteases involved in the proteolysis of PrP(C) and their possible role in prion biology has remained limited and controversial. Nevertheless, there is a strong correlation between the neurotoxicity caused by prion proteins and the blockade of their normal proteolysis. For example, expression of non-cleavable PrP(C) mutants in transgenic mice generates neurotoxicity, even in the absence of infectious prions, suggesting that PrP(C) proteolysis is physiologically and pathologically important. As many mouse models of prion diseases have recently been developed and the knowledge about the proteases responsible for the PrP(C) proteolysis is accumulating, we examine the historical experimental evidence and highlight recent studies that shed new light on this issue.
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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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