National Institute of Animal Health (NIAH)

Topics in Animal Health Research 2011

16. Strain-specific effects of reducing agents on the cell-free conversion of recombinant prion protein into a protease-resistant form

Japanese

  The effects of reducing agents on the conformational conversion of Escherichia coli recombinant prion protein (PrP) into proteinase K-resistant PrP (PrPres) in in vitro cell-free conversion assays were different between prion strains. A reduction state in the reaction mixture had no influence on the conversion of PrP in cell-free conversion assays using mouse-adapted scrapie, Chandler strain as a disease-associated PrP (PrPSc) seed but significantly enhanced conversion by a mouse-adapted BSE strain. The differences of PrPSc accumulation patterns in brain tissue were observed between Chandler PrPSc- and mouse-adapted BSE PrPSc-inoculated mice. The in vivo conversion of normal cellular PrP (PrPC) to PrPSc is thought to occur at the plasma membrane under oxidizing conditions and in endosomes/lysosomes under reducing conditions. Therefore, the difference in the conversion efficiencies of prion strains that is due to the oxidation-reduction state may be related to differences between the patterns of PrPSc accumulation in the brain associated with the characteristics of the prion amplification of PrPSc.
(Prion Disease Research Center)

References:

Imamura M. et al (2011) Microbiol. Immunol. 55(9):633-640

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