NR AECG
AU Forloni,G.; Angeretti,N.; Malesani,P.; Peressini,E.; Rodriguez Martin,T.; Della Torre,P.; Salmona,M.
TI Influence of mutations associated with familial prion-related encephalopathies on biological activity of prion protein peptides
QU Annals of Neurology 1999 Apr; 45(4): 489-94
PT journal article
AB In transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), an altered form of prion protein (PrP), PrPres, aggregates in amyloid fibrils and accumulates in the brain. Several point mutations of the PrP gene have been associated with the TSEs, so, to investigate how the mutations affect the biological activity of PrP, we analyzed the biological effects and chemicophysical characteristics of the peptide homologous to the wild-type and mutated sequence of PrP fragments. The mutation P102L altered the biological activity of PrP 89-106, which became neurotoxic without changing its fibrillogenic capacity. The mutation (D178N) in the PrP 169-185 strongly increased the neurotoxic activity of the native sequence. In this case, there was also a clear alteration of the structural conformation. None of the other mutations considered, including A117V, seemed to influence the biological activities of the respective peptides. These data identify new neurotoxic fragments of PrP in the mutated form and elucidate their genetic influence on the pathogenesis of TSEs.
ZR 20
MH Amino Acid Sequence; Animal; Brain/pathology/ultrastructure; Brain Diseases/*genetics/pathology; Microscopy, Electron; Molecular Sequence Data; *Mutation; Prion Diseases/*genetics/pathology; Prions/*genetics; Rats; Sequence Analysis; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
AD G.Forloni, N.Angeretti, E.Peressini, T.Rodriguez Martin, Laboratory of Biology of Neurodegenerative Disorders, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy; P.Malesani, Mario Salmona, Laboratory of Enzymology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy; P.Della Torre, Worldwide Toxicology, Pharmacia-Upjohn, Nerviano, Italy
SP englisch
PO USA