title: Neuronal phosphorylated RNA-dependent protein kinase in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
abstract: The mechanisms of neuronal apoptosis in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and their relationship to accumulated prion protein (PrP) are unclear. A recent cell culture study showed that intracytoplasmic PrP may induce phosphorylated RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR(p))-mediated cell stress. The double-stranded RNA protein kinase PKR is a proapoptotic and stress kinase that accumulates in degenerating neurons in Alzheimer disease. To determine whether neuronal apoptosis in human CJD is associated with activation of the PKR(p) signaling pathway, we assessed in situ end labeling and immunocytochemistry for PrP, glial fibrillary acidic protein, CD68, activated caspase 3, and phosphorylated PKR (Thr451) in samples of frontal, occipital, and temporal cortex, striatum, and cerebellum from 6 patients with sporadic CJD and 5 controls. Neuronal immunostaining for activated PKR was found in all CJD cases. The most staining was in nuclei and, in contrast to findings in Alzheimer disease, cytoplasmic labeling was not detected. Both the number and distribution of PKR(p)-positive neurons correlated closely with the extent of neuronal apoptosis, spongiosis, astrocytosis, and microglial activation and with the phenotype and disease severity. There was no correlation with the type, topography, or amount of extracellular PrP deposits. These findings suggest that neuronal apoptosis in human CJD may result from PKR(p)-mediated cell stress and are consistent with recent studies supporting a pathogenic role for intracellular or transmembrane PrP.
authors.affiliation: Service Central d'Anatomie et de Cytologie Pathologiques, APHP, Hôpital Lariboisière-Université Paris VII, France.
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Paquet
authors.forename: Anindita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bose
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Polivka
authors.forename: Katell
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peoc'h
authors.forename: Jean Philippe
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Brouland
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Keohane
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hugon
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gray
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D007562:Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D005911:Gliosis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000201:enzymology / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011328:Prions / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000502:physiology; D019892:eIF-2 Kinase / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D011328:Prions; D019892:eIF-2 Kinase; D053148:Caspase 3