title: Cellular prion protein and caveolin-1 interaction in a neuronal cell line precedes Fyn/Erk 1/2 signal transduction.
abstract: It has been reported that cellular prion protein (PrPc) is enriched in caveolae or caveolae-like domains with caveolin-1 (Cav-1) participating to signal transduction events by Fyn kinase recruitment. By using the Glutathione-S-transferase (GST)-fusion proteins assay, we observed that PrPc strongly interacts in vitro with Cav-1. Thus, we ascertained the PrPc caveolar localization in a hypothalamic neuronal cell line (GN11), by confocal microscopy analysis, flotation on density gradient, and coimmunoprecipitation experiments. Following the anti-PrPc antibody-mediated stimulation of live GN11 cells, we observed that PrPc clustered on plasma membrane domains rich in Cav-1 in which Fyn kinase converged to be activated. After these events, a signaling cascade through p42/44 MAP kinase (Erk 1/2) was triggered, suggesting that following translocations from rafts to caveolae or caveolae-like domains PrPc could interact with Cav-1 and induce signal transduction events.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Biology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Mattia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toni
authors.forename: Enzo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Spisni
authors.forename: Cristiana
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Griffoni
authors.forename: Spartaco
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Santi
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Riccio
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lenaz
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tomasi