Dataset Information

Detection of the GPI-anchorless prion protein fragment PrP226* in human brain.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The accumulation of the misfolded forms of cellular prion protein, i.e. prions (PrPSc), in the brain is one of the crucial characteristics of fatal neurodegenerative disorders, called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Cellular prion protein is normally linked to the cell surface by the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. There is accumulating evidence that the GPI-anchorless prion protein may act as an accelerator of formation and propagation of prions. In the TSE affected human brain we have previously discovered a novel GPI-anchorless prion protein fragment, named PrP226*, which ends with the tyrosine 226. This fragment can be labeled specifically by the monoclonal antibody V5B2.

Methods

We developed a DELFIA based assay for quick and sensitive detection of the PrP226* fragment in human brain tissue homogenates. By calculating the ratio between the signals of native (N) and denatured (D) samples applied to the assay we were able to observe significant difference between 24 TSE affected brains and 10 control brains. The presence of PrP226* in brain tissue was confirmed by western blot.

Results

Our results demonstrate that PrP226* is present in small quantities in healthy human brain, whereas in degenerated brain it accumulates in prion aggregates, proportionally to PrPSc. Samples with high D/N ratio generally comprised more proteinase K resistant PrP, while no correlation was found between the quantity of PrP226* and standard classification of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).

Conclusions

In the present study we show that the PrP226* fragment accumulates in prion aggregates and after being released from them by a denaturation procedure, could serve as a proteinase K digestion independent biomarker for human TSEs. The PrP226* assay described in this paper offers a tool to follow and study this unique anchorless PrP fragment in various parts of human brain and possibly also in other tissues and body fluids.

SUBMITTER: Dvorakova E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3849060 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Detection of the GPI-anchorless prion protein fragment PrP226* in human brain.

Dvorakova Eva E Vranac Tanja T Janouskova Olga O Černilec Maja M Koren Simon S Lukan Anja A Nováková Jana J Matej Radoslav R Holada Karel K Čurin Šerbec Vladka V

BMC neurology 20130925

<h4>Background</h4>The accumulation of the misfolded forms of cellular prion protein, i.e. prions (PrPSc), in the brain is one of the crucial characteristics of fatal neurodegenerative disorders, called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Cellular prion protein is normally linked to the cell surface by the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. There is accumulating evidence that the GPI-anchorless prion protein may act as an accelerator of formation and propagation of prions. ...[more]

PMID: 24063733

Similar Datasets

Project description:Prion-related encephalopathies are characterized by the intracerebral accumulation of an abnormal isoform of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) named scrapie prion protein (PrPSc). The pathological forms of this protein and its cellular precursor are not only expressed in the brain but also, at lower concentrations, in peripheral tissues. We recently showed that a synthetic peptide corresponding to residues 106-126 [PrP-(106-126)] of the human PrP is toxic to neurons and trophic to astrocytes in vitro. Our experiments were aimed at verifying whether PrP-(106-126) and other peptides corresponding to fragments of the amyloid protein purified from brains of patients with Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease-namely PrP-(89-106), PrP-(106-114), PrP-(127-147)-were capable of stimulating circulating leucocytes. Native PrP expression in human lymphocytes, monocytes and neutrophils was first confirmed using PCR amplification of total RNA, after reverse transcription, and immunoblot analysis of cell extracts with anti-PrP antibodies. PrP-(106-126), but not the other peptides, increased membrane microviscosity, intracellular Ca2+ concentration and cell migration in circulating leucocytes, and O2-. production in monocytes and neutrophils. Membrane microviscosity was determined by the fluorescence polarization technique, using diphenylhexatriene as a probe, 300 s after the addition of PrP-(106-126) to the cell suspension in the concentration range 5-50 microM. The increase in intracellular Ca2+ elicited by PrP-(106-126) was dose-dependent in the range 5-500 microM. PrP-(106-126) stimulated O2-. production in monocytes and neutrophils in a dose- (10-300 microM) and time-(5-30 min) dependent manner in the presence of 10 microM dihydrocytochalasin B. Both the increase in Ca2+ concentration and the O2-. production were partially sensitive to pertussis toxin. PrP-(106-126) stimulated leucocyte migration in a dose-dependent (30-300 microM) manner and, at the highest concentration used, this migration was comparable with that elicited by 2.5 nM interleukin 8 or 10 nM fMet-Leu-Phe peptide.

Dataset Information

Detection of the GPI-anchorless prion protein fragment PrP226* in human brain.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Detection of the GPI-anchorless prion protein fragment PrP226* in human brain.

Similar Datasets

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