title: Extracellular copper ions regulate cellular prion protein (PrPC) expression and metabolism in neuronal cells.
abstract: The physiological functions of cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) remain unclear. It has been demonstrated that PrP(C) is a copper binding protein and proposed that its functions could be strictly linked to copper metabolism and neuroprotection. The aim of this study was to clarify how extracellular copper modifies PrP(C) expression and metabolism in cultured neurones. We reported here that copper delivered at physiological concentrations significantly decreases PrP(C) mRNA expression in GN11 neurones. Moreover, copper increases the release of PrP(C) into the culture medium. These results indicate that extracellular copper strongly affects the amount of cellular PrP and might represent an interesting strategy to decrease the expression of PrP(C) in neurones and its conversion in the pathological isoform PrP(Sc).
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Biology, University of Bologna, Via Selmi 3, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Mattia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toni
authors.forename: Maria Lina
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Massimino
authors.forename: Cristiana
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Griffoni
authors.forename: Benedetto
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Salvato
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tomasi
authors.forename: Enzo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Spisni
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002460:Cell Line; D003300:Copper / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D018621:PrPC Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018621:PrPC Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D003300:Copper