NR APJG
AU Lasmezas,C.I.
TI Putative functions of PrPc
QU British Medical Bulletin 2003; 66: 61-70
PT journal article; review; review, tutorial
AB While the exact function of the cellular prion protein (PrPc) remains unknown, there are several leads due to increasing knowledge on the localisation and interaction of PrPc with other molecules. This chapter will concentrate on these aspects. Identified ligands of PrPc mainly belong to the categories of heat-shock proteins, membrane-bound receptors, or heparan sulphates. The possible synaptic role of PrPc has been exemplified by electrophysiological findings in PrP(o/o) mice and the studies of PrPc as a copper-binding molecule that could regulate the copper content of the synaptic cleft. The latter property of PrPc may also endow PrPc with the activity of a copper-dependent superoxide dismutase. Binding of PrPc to signalling molecules suggests a role as a transmitter of information from the extracellular milieu to the cell and a trigger for a molecular cascade. This agrees with new data on PrPc receptors and the role of PrPc in cell survival.
ZR 72
MH Animals; Cell Differentiation; Cell Membrane/*metabolism; Cell Survival; Copper/metabolism; Glycosaminoglycans/metabolism; Heat-Shock Proteins/metabolism; Heparitin Sulfate/metabolism; Human; Neurons, Afferent/*metabolism; PrPc Proteins/metabolism/*physiology; Protein Binding; Receptors, Cell Surface/metabolism; Receptors, Laminin/metabolism; Signal Transduction/physiology
AD Laboratory for Prion Pathogenesis, Service de Neurovirologie, Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
SP englisch
PO England