title: Protease-sensitive conformers in broad spectrum of distinct PrPSc structures in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are indicator of progression rate.
abstract: The origin, range, and structure of prions causing the most common human prion disease, sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), are largely unknown. To investigate the molecular mechanism responsible for the broad phenotypic variability of sCJD, we analyzed the conformational characteristics of protease-sensitive and protease-resistant fractions of the pathogenic prion protein (PrP(Sc)) using novel conformational methods derived from a conformation-dependent immunoassay (CDI). In 46 brains of patients homozygous for polymorphisms in the PRNP gene and exhibiting either Type 1 or Type 2 western blot pattern of the PrP(Sc), we identified an extensive array of PrP(Sc) structures that differ in protease sensitivity, display of critical domains, and conformational stability. Surprisingly, in sCJD cases homozygous for methionine or valine at codon 129 of the PRNP gene, the concentration and stability of protease-sensitive conformers of PrP(Sc) correlated with progression rate of the disease. These data indicate that sCJD brains exhibit a wide spectrum of PrP(Sc) structural states, and accordingly argue for a broad spectrum of prion strains coding for different phenotypes. The link between disease duration, levels, and stability of protease-sensitive conformers of PrP(Sc) suggests that these conformers play an important role in the pathogenesis of sCJD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Chae
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Haldiman
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Janis
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blevins
authors.forename: Man-Sun
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Sy
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Jiri G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Safar
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003062:Codon / Q000235:genetics; D007562:Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome / Q000235:genetics*; D018450:Disease Progression; D000939:Epitopes / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006720:Homozygote; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008715:Methionine / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D018620:PrPSc Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D000072002:Prion Proteins; D011328:Prions / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D012044:Regression Analysis; D014633:Valine / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D003062:Codon; D000939:Epitopes; C512656:PRNP protein, human; D018620:PrPSc Proteins; D000072002:Prion Proteins; D011328:Prions; D008715:Methionine; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases; D014633:Valine