Facilitated cross-species transmission of prions in extraneural tissue

Prions are infectious pathogens essentially composed of PrP(Sc), an abnormally folded form of the host-encoded prion protein PrP(C). Constrained steric interactions between PrP(Sc) and PrP(C) are thought to provide prions with species specificity and to control cross-species transmission into other host populations, including humans. We compared the ability of brain and lymphoid tissues from ovine and human PrP transgenic mice to replicate foreign, inefficiently transmitted prions. Lymphoid tissue was consistently more permissive than the brain to prions such as those causing chronic wasting disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Furthermore, when the transmission barrier was overcome through strain shifting in the brain, a distinct agent propagated in the spleen, which retained the ability to infect the original host. Thus, prion cross-species transmission efficacy can exhibit a marked tissue dependence.     

Prevention of scrapie pathogenesis by transgenic expression of anti-prion protein antibodies

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy are initiated by extracerebral exposure to prions. Although prion transmission from extracerebral sites to the brain represents a potential target for prophylaxis, attempts at vaccination have been limited by the poor immunogenicity of prion proteins. To circumvent this, we expressed an anti-prion protein (anti-PrP) mu chain in Prnp(o/o) mice. Transgenic mice developed sustained anti-PrP titers, which were not suppressed by introduction of Prnp+ alleles. Transgene expression prevented pathogenesis of prions introduced by intraperitoneal injection in the spleen and brain. Expression of endogenous PrP (PrP(C)) in the spleen and brain was unaffected, suggesting that immunity was responsible for protection. This indicates the feasibility of immunological inhibition of prion disease in vivo.     

Synthetic mammalian prions

Recombinant mouse prion protein (recMoPrP) produced in Escherichia coli was polymerized into amyloid fibrils that represent a subset of beta sheet-rich structures. Fibrils consisting of recMoPrP(89-230) were inoculated intracerebrally into transgenic (Tg) mice expressing MoPrP(89-231). The mice developed neurologic dysfunction between 380 and 660 days after inoculation. Brain extracts showed protease-resistant PrP by Western blotting; these extracts transmitted disease to wild-type FVB mice and Tg mice overexpressing PrP, with incubation times of 150 and 90 days, respectively. Neuropathological findings suggest that a novel prion strain was created. Our results provide compelling evidence that prions are infectious proteins.     

Coincident scrapie infection and nephritis lead to urinary prion excretion

Prion infectivity is typically restricted to the central nervous and lymphatic systems of infected hosts, but chronic inflammation can expand the distribution of prions. We tested whether chronic inflammatory kidney disorders would trigger excretion of prion infectivity into urine. Urinary proteins from scrapie-infected mice with lymphocytic nephritis induced scrapie upon inoculation into noninfected indicator mice. Prionuria was found in presymptomatic scrapie-infected and in sick mice, whereas neither prionuria nor urinary PrP(Sc) was detectable in prion-infected wild-type or PrP(C)-overexpressing mice, or in nephritic mice inoculated with noninfectious brain. Thus, urine may provide a vector for horizontal prion transmission, and inflammation of excretory organs may influence prion spread.     

Depleting neuronal PrP in prion infection prevents disease and reverses spongiosis

The mechanisms involved in prion neurotoxicity are unclear, and therapies preventing accumulation of PrPSc, the disease-associated form of prion protein (PrP), do not significantly prolong survival in mice with central nervous system prion infection. We found that depleting endogenous neuronal PrPc in mice with established neuroinvasive prion infection reversed early spongiform change and prevented neuronal loss and progression to clinical disease. This occurred despite the accumulation of extraneuronal PrPSc to levels seen in terminally ill wild-type animals. Thus, the propagation of nonneuronal PrPSc is not pathogenic, but arresting the continued conversion of PrPc to PrPSc within neurons during scrapie infection prevents prion neurotoxicity.     

Creating a protein-based element of inheritance

Proteins capable of self-perpetuating changes in conformation and function (known as prions) can serve as genetic elements. To test whether novel prions could be created by recombinant methods, a yeast prion determinant was fused to the rat glucocorticoid receptor. The fusion protein existed in different heritable functional states, switched between states at a low spontaneous rate, and could be induced to switch by experimental manipulations. The complete change in phenotype achieved by transferring a prion determinant from one protein to another confirms the protein-only nature of prion inheritance and establishes a mechanism for engineering heritable changes in phenotype that should be broadly applicable.     

Presymptomatic detection of prions in blood

Prions are thought to be the proteinaceous infectious agents responsible for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). PrP(Sc), the main component of the infectious agent, is also the only validated surrogate marker for the disease, and its sensitive detection is critical for minimizing the spread of the disease. We detected PrP(Sc) biochemically in the blood of hamsters infected with scrapie during most of the presymptomatic phase of the disease. At early stages of the incubation period, PrP(Sc) detected in blood was likely to be from the peripheral replication of prions, whereas at the symptomatic phase, PrP(Sc) in blood was more likely to have leaked from the brain. The ability to detect prions biochemically in the blood of infected but not clinically sick animals offers a great promise for the noninvasive early diagnosis of TSEs.     

Human prion protein cDNA: molecular cloning, chromosomal mapping, and biological implications

A human complementary DNA whose protein product is considered to be the major component of scrapie-associated fibrils in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, kuru, and Gerstmann-Straussler syndrome has been identified and characterized. The extensive homology of this gene sequence to the hamster PrP 27- to 30-kilodalton prion protein complementary DNA clone, and its existence as a single copy in the human genome, leads to the conclusion that this is the human prion gene. This human prion gene has been mapped to human chromosome 20, negating a direct link between the prion protein and Down's syndrome or the amyloid of Alzheimer's disease.     

Neurotoxicity and neurodegeneration when PrP accumulates in the cytosol

Changes in prion protein (PrP) folding are associated with fatal neurodegenerative disorders, but the neurotoxic species is unknown. Like other proteins that traffic through the endoplasmic reticulum, misfolded PrP is retrograde transported to the cytosol for degradation by proteasomes. Accumulation of even small amounts of cytosolic PrP was strongly neurotoxic in cultured cells and transgenic mice. Mice developed normally but acquired severe ataxia, with cerebellar degeneration and gliosis. This establishes a mechanism for converting wild-type PrP to a highly neurotoxic species that is distinct from the self-propagating PrP(Sc) isoform and suggests a potential common framework for seemingly diverse PrP neurodegenerative disorders.     

Anchorless prion protein results in infectious amyloid disease without clinical scrapie

In prion and Alzheimer's diseases, the roles played by amyloid versus nonamyloid deposits in brain damage remain unresolved. In scrapie-infected transgenic mice expressing prion protein (PrP) lacking the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) membrane anchor, abnormal protease-resistant PrPres was deposited as amyloid plaques, rather than the usual nonamyloid form of PrPres. Although PrPres amyloid plaques induced brain damage reminiscent of Alzheimer's disease, clinical manifestations were minimal. In contrast, combined expression of anchorless and wild-type PrP produced accelerated clinical scrapie. Thus, the PrP GPI anchor may play a role in the pathogenesis of prion diseases.     

Balancing selection at the prion protein gene consistent with prehistoric kurulike epidemics

Kuru is an acquired prion disease largely restricted to the Fore linguistic group of the Papua New Guinea Highlands, which was transmitted during endocannibalistic feasts. Heterozygosity for a common polymorphism in the human prion protein gene (PRNP) confers relative resistance to prion diseases. Elderly survivors of the kuru epidemic, who had multiple exposures at mortuary feasts, are, in marked contrast to younger unexposed Fore, predominantly PRNP 129 heterozygotes. Kuru imposed strong balancing selection on the Fore, essentially eliminating PRNP 129 homozygotes. Worldwide PRNP haplotype diversity and coding allele frequencies suggest that strong balancing selection at this locus occurred during the evolution of modern humans.     

Infectious prions in the saliva and blood of deer with chronic wasting disease

A critical concern in the transmission of prion diseases, including chronic wasting disease (CWD) of cervids, is the potential presence of prions in body fluids. To address this issue directly, we exposed cohorts of CWD-na?ve deer to saliva, blood, or urine and feces from CWD-positive deer. We found infectious prions capable of transmitting CWD in saliva (by the oral route) and in blood (by transfusion). The results help to explain the facile transmission of CWD among cervids and prompt caution concerning contact with body fluids in prion infections.     

PrP106-126对BV-2小胶质细胞NO含量影响及作用机制

朊蛋白多肽PrP106-126可激活小胶质细胞并产生活性物质。探讨PrP106-126作用于BV-2小胶质细胞对NO生成状况影响,从酶学角度检测其作用机制。在细胞培养液中加入50μmol.L-1PrP106-126,培养48 h后检测培养液NO含量,采用实时定量RT-PCR检测细胞内iNOs和nNOs在mRNA表达水平。结果表明,PrP106-126显著提高细胞培养液中NO含量(9.34倍,P<0.01),且iNOs和nNOs表达水平均极显著提高(11.60倍和4.36倍,P<0.01),从而为解释朊病发生机制提供基础数据。     

PrP antibodies do not trigger mouse hippocampal neuron apoptosis

Intraperitoneal administration of ICSM18 and 35, monoclonal antibodies against prion protein (PrP), has been shown to significantly delay the onset of prion disease in mice, and humanized versions are candidate therapeutics for prion and Alzheimer's diseases. However, a previous report of severe and widespread apoptosis after intracerebral injection of anti-PrP monoclonal antibodies raised concerns about such therapy and led to an influential model of prion neurotoxicity via cross-linking of cell surface PrP by disease-related PrP aggregates. In extensive studies including ICSM18 and 35, fully humanized ICSM18, and the previously reported proapoptotic antibodies, we found no evidence of apoptosis, thereby questioning this model of prion neurotoxicity.     

细胞型朊蛋白PrP~C与浮舰蛋白flotillin功能的研究进展

朊蛋白和脂筏是当今研究的热点。细胞型朊蛋白(PrPC)能够通过构象转变生成致病型的朊病毒(PrPSc),导致海绵状脑病的发生,但是目前关于PrPC的转变机制还不清楚。PrPC也是重要的信号转导蛋白,引发众多的信号转导事件。Flotillin属于新被命名为SPFH(stomatin/prohibitin/flotillin/HflK/C)的蛋白家族,是重要的脂筏标识性蛋白,它们不仅被动地担当着非胞膜窖脂筏的脚架,为蛋白质的相互作用和蛋白质复合体的组装以及信号转导提供平台,而且本身还主动地扮演着信号蛋白的角色,在许多的细胞事件中发挥重要作用。PrPC与flotillin能够发生相互作用,flotillin蛋白为PrPC的跨膜信号转导和PrPC转变成PrPSc提供了环境。本文重点综述了近5年来关于PrPC和flotillin蛋白功能的研究进展,尤其是信号转导方面的研究。     

牛羊朊蛋白基因（PRNP）多态性与抗病性的研究进展

 朊蛋白（PRNP）是近年来造成人和部分哺乳动物传染性海绵状脑病(TSE)的主要根源,该基因的多态性显著影响了人和动物对TSE的易感性或抗病性。本文分析了朊蛋白基因及其编码蛋白的结构与功能;简要介绍了绵羊基因编码区突变与致病性的关系;系统分析了牛科动物启动子区域内23bp的插入/缺失、第一内含子区域内12bp的插入/缺失及其与疯牛病（BSE）抗病性的作用机制;全面总结了全球已经报道的牛科动物12和23bp插入/缺失的等位基因与单倍体频率,评价了其发病的可能性。该研究将为牛的分子育种提供指导。     

利用PRNP-/-羊制备朊蛋白多克隆抗体及其特性分析

【目的】利用朊蛋白双基因敲除（PRNP-/-）羊制备朊蛋白多克隆抗体,并对其特性进行分析。【方法】构建山羊朊蛋白（PrP）原核表达载体,转入大肠杆菌并诱导表达,纯化获得羊PrP;将获得的PrP免疫PRNP-/-山羊,制备朊蛋白特异性的多克隆抗体;并对获得的朊蛋白多克隆抗体进行ELISA及Western-blot检测。【结果】获得了大量的朊蛋白特异性抗血清,间接ELASA检测抗血清中朊蛋白多克隆抗体的效价为25600;Western-blot检测显示所制备抗体不仅可以识别鼠、牛、羊脑组织内源性朊蛋白,而且能识别鼠脑组织内朊病毒。【结论】PRNP-/-转基因山羊可用于制备大量高亲和力朊蛋白多克隆抗体,获得的抗体可用于多种动物朊蛋白及朊病毒类疾病的检测。     

抗朊蛋白单克隆抗体的免疫学特性研究

以牛、羊重组朊蛋白(PrP)、正常牛、羊的脑组织匀浆、牛海绵状脑病(BSE)及羊痒病阳性的脑组织匀浆及切片为抗原,测定9株抗朊蛋白单克隆抗体的ELISA、免疫印迹及免疫组化等免疫学反应特性.结果表明:5株单抗可用于BSE及羊痒病的ELISA、免疫印迹检测;3株单抗可用于BSE及羊痒病的免疫组化检测;1株单抗在免疫印迹试验中只与羊痒病PrP~(Sc)的核心片段反应,结合该株单抗所识别的抗原表位PrP第78～93氨基酸(aa),证实BSE与羊痒病PrP~(Sc)的蛋白酶K消化位点存在差异.     

Prions in skeletal muscles of deer with chronic wasting disease

The emergence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer and elk in an increasingly wide geographic area, as well as the interspecies transmission of bovine spongiform encephalopathy to humans in the form of variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease, have raised concerns about the zoonotic potential of CWD. Because meat consumption is the most likely means of exposure, it is important to determine whether skeletal muscle of diseased cervids contains prion infectivity. Here bioassays in transgenic mice expressing cervid prion protein revealed the presence of infectious prions in skeletal muscles of CWD-infected deer, demonstrating that humans consuming or handling meat from CWD-infected deer are at risk to prion exposure.     

偶蹄动物朊蛋白基因变异性和其系统发生关系分析

【目的】为明了偶蹄动物PrP基因的结构特征及其变异与结构、功能和朊粒病传染种间屏障的关系以及系统发生关系;【方法】利用DNAstar和Clustalx程序及treev32软件进行了22种偶蹄动物的43个完整PrP基因序列的同源性分析、多重排比和进化树构建;【结果】不同种属偶蹄动物的PrP基因完整ORF大小有所差异,范围为768～795 bp,可编码255～264个氨基酸的朊蛋白。核苷酸和氨基酸序列的同源性,偶蹄动物间≥88.6%和≥93.3%,反刍动物间≥95.4%和≥96.5%。共发现40个点突变和2个突变区。在N-端柔韧无序"尾"区(25～135)以八肽重复缺失为主,球形结构域区(136～241)以点突变为主,点突变主要簇聚在S1 -折叠前的柔韧无规卷曲区的C-端部分和HC -螺旋内。氨基酸104～135区和球形结构域区存在有8个高突变位点。已知PrP肽基元和功能位点如芳烃回文序列基元、2个N-连接糖基化位点、2个苏氨酸磷酸化位点、1个酪氨酸硫化位点、形成二硫键的2个半胱氨酸以及GPI锚锚着点丝氨酸为偶蹄动物所共有,各种间变异体的各结构模式非常一致。进化关系分析,可将偶蹄动物PrP基因区分为3大类,反刍动物PrP基因分为3小类。令人意外的是,2个双峰驼PrP基因的进化关系与牛属动物基因同源。【结论】偶蹄动物的PrP基因是一个保守基因,氨基酸104～135区和球形结构域区内的8个高突变位点可能是影响分子间相互作用、形成朊粒病传染种间屏障的主要位点,物种间各氨基酸变异并不影响PrP的主要结构和功能。