title: Animal models for prion-like diseases.
abstract: Prion diseases or Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) are a group of fatal neurodegenerative disorders affecting several mammalian species being Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (CJD) the most representative in human beings, scrapie in ovine, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in bovine and Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in cervids. As stated by the "protein-only hypothesis", the causal agent of TSEs is a self-propagating aberrant form of the prion protein (PrP) that through a misfolding event acquires a β-sheet rich conformation known as PrP(Sc) (from scrapie). This isoform is neurotoxic, aggregation prone and induces misfolding of native cellular PrP. Compelling evidence indicates that disease-specific protein misfolding in amyloid deposits could be shared by other disorders showing aberrant protein aggregates such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD), Parkinson's Disease (PD), Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and systemic Amyloid A amyloidosis (AA amyloidosis). Evidences of shared mechanisms of the proteins related to each disease with prions will be reviewed through the available in vivo models. Taking prion research as reference, typical prion-like features such as seeding and propagation ability, neurotoxic species causing disease, infectivity, transmission barrier and strain evidences will be analyzed for other protein-related diseases. Thus, prion-like features of amyloid β peptide and tau present in AD, α-synuclein in PD, SOD-1, TDP-43 and others in ALS and serum α-amyloid (SAA) in systemic AA amyloidosis will be reviewed through models available for each disease.
authors.affiliation: CIC bioGUNE, Parque tecnológico de Bizkaia, Derio 48160, Bizkaia, Spain.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fernández-Borges
authors.affiliation: CIC bioGUNE, Parque tecnológico de Bizkaia, Derio 48160, Bizkaia, Spain.
authors.forename: Hasier
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Eraña
authors.affiliation: CIC bioGUNE, Parque tecnológico de Bizkaia, Derio 48160, Bizkaia, Spain.
authors.forename: Vanesa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Venegas
authors.affiliation: CIC bioGUNE, Parque tecnológico de Bizkaia, Derio 48160, Bizkaia, Spain.
authors.forename: Saioa R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Elezgarai
authors.affiliation: CIC bioGUNE, Parque tecnológico de Bizkaia, Derio 48160, Bizkaia, Spain.
authors.forename: Chafik
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Harrathi
authors.affiliation: CIC bioGUNE, Parque tecnológico de Bizkaia, Derio 48160, Bizkaia, Spain; IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao 48013, Bizkaia, Spain. Electronic address: castilla@joaquincastilla.com.
authors.forename: Joaquín
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Castilla
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D017096:Prion Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017510:Protein Folding; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D057165:Proteostasis Deficiencies / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins
keywords: Animal models; Prion; Prion-like disorders; Scrapie; TSE