Evidence for the role of PrPC helix 1 in the hydrophilic seeding of prion aggregates
AUTOR(ES)
Morrissey, M. P.
FONTE
The National Academy of Sciences
RESUMO
Prions are mammalian proteins (PrPs) with a unique pathogenic property: a nonendogenous isoform PrPSc can catalyze conversion of the endogenous PrPC isoform into additional PrPSc. In this work, we demonstrate that PrPC helix 1 has certain properties (hydrophilicity, charge distribution) that make it unique among all naturally occurring α-helices, and which are indicative of a highly specific model of prion infectivity. The β-nucleation model proposes that PrPSc is an aggregate with a hydrophilic core, consisting of a β-sheet-like arrangement of constituent helix 1 components. It is suggested by using structural arguments, and confirmed by using charmm energy calculations, that aggregate formation from two PrPC molecules is highly unfavorable, but the addition of chains to an existing aggregate is favorable. The β-nucleation model is shown to be consistent with the prion species-barrier, as well as with infectivity data. Sequence analysis of all known protein structures indicates that PrP is uniquely suited to β-nucleation, in contrast to the many proteins that readily form less favorable (often nonspecific) hydrophobic aggregates.
ACESSO AO ARTIGO
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=18027Documentos Relacionados
- Prion protein PrPc interacts with molecular chaperones of the Hsp60 family.
- Efficient Lymphoreticular Prion Propagation Requires PrPc in Stromal and Hematopoietic Cells
- Insight into the PrPC → PrPSc conversion from the structures of antibody-bound ovine prion scrapie-susceptibility variants
- Normal host prion protein (PrPC) is required for scrapie spread within the central nervous system
- Overexpression of active Syrian golden hamster prion protein PrPc as a glutathione S-transferase fusion in heterologous systems.