C-terminal interaction of translational release factors eRF1 and eRF3 of fission yeast: G-domain uncoupled binding and the role of conserved amino acids.
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Translation termination in eukaryotes requires a stop codon-responsive (class-I) release factor, eRF1, and a guanine nucleotide-responsive (class-II) release factor, eRF3. Schizosaccharomyces pombe eRF3 has an N-terminal polypeptide similar in size to the prion-like domain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae eRF3 in addition to the EF-1alpha-like catalytic domain. By in vivo two-hybrid assay as well as by an in vitro pull-down analysis using purified proteins of S. pombe as well as of S. cerevisiae, eRF1 bound to the C-terminal one-third domain of eRF3, named eRF3C, but not to the N-terminal two-thirds, which was inconsistent with the previous report by Paushkin et al. (1997, Mol Cell Biol 17:2798-2805). The activity of S. pombe eRF3 in eRF1 binding was affected by Ala substitutions for the C-terminal residues conserved not only in eRF3s but also in elongation factors EF-Tu and EF-1alpha. These single mutational defects in the eRF1-eRF3 interaction became evident when either truncated protein eRF3C or C-terminally altered eRF1 proteins were used for the authentic protein, providing further support for the presence of a C-terminal interaction. Given that eRF3 is an EF-Tu/EF-1alpha homolog required for translation termination, the apparent dispensability of the N-terminal domain of eRF3 for binding to eRF1 is in contrast to importance, direct or indirect, in EF-Tu/EF-1alpha for binding to aminoacyl-tRNA, although both eRF3 and EF-Tu/EF-1alpha share some common amino acids for binding to eRF1 and aminoacyl-tRNA, respectively. These differences probably reflect the independence of eRF1 binding in relation to the G-domain function of eRF3 (i.e., probably uncoupled with GTP hydrolysis), whereas aminoacyl-tRNA binding depends on that of EF-Tu/EF-1alpha(i.e., coupled with GTP hydrolysis), which sheds some light on the mechanism of eRF3 function. (+info)
Prion protein: a role in sleep regulation?
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The prion protein (PrP) is a glycoprotein anchored to cell membranes and expressed in most cell types. Its structural features indicate possible relations to signal peptidases (Glockshuber et al. 1998). Since mutations in this protein lead to severe neurodegeneration and death in humans and animals, it is possible that the loss of its normal function contributes to the development of the pathology. Little is known about its normal function, but there are indications that it may play a role in circadian rhythm and sleep regulation in mice. We explored further whether PrP plays a role in sleep regulation by comparing sleep and the effects of 6 h sleep deprivation in PrP knockout mice and isogenic wild-type mice of the 129/Ola strain. The mice did not differ in the amount and distribution of the vigilance states or in the power spectra. The most remarkable difference was the larger and long-lasting increase of slow-wave activity (mean EEG power density 0.75-4.0 Hz) in non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep during recovery from sleep deprivation in the null mice. The results confirm our previous findings in mice with a mixed background. This observation applies also to slow-wave activity in NREM sleep episodes following spontaneous waking bouts of different duration. Sleep fragmentation in both genotypes was larger than in mice with the mixed background. A new aspect was revealed by the spectral analysis of the EEG, where the null mice had a lower peak frequency within the theta band in REM sleep and waking, and not in NREM sleep. Behavioural observations concomitant with the EEG indicated that the EEG difference in waking may be attributed to the smaller amount of exploratory behaviour in the null mice. The difference between the genotypes in theta peak frequency was not an overall effect on the EEG, since it was absent in NREM sleep. PrP therefore may be affecting the theta-generating mechanisms in the hippocampus during waking and REM sleep. It remains unresolved whether PrP plays a role in sleep consolidation, nevertheless the data suggest that it is involved in sleep regulation. A passive avoidance test showed a difference between the genotypes. It is not probable that this was due to memory differences, since the genotypes reacted similarly in a delayed T-maze alternation procedure. The behavioural differences need to be pursued further. (+info)
Cellular biology of prion diseases.
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Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders of humans and animals that are important because of their impact on public health and because they exemplify a novel mechanism of infectivity and biological information transfer. These diseases are caused by conformational conversion of a normal host glycoprotein (PrPC) into an infectious isoform (PrPSc) that is devoid of nucleic acid. This review focuses on the current understanding of prion diseases at the cell biological level. The characteristics of the diseases are introduced, and a brief history and description of the prion hypothesis are given. Information is then presented about the structure, expression, biosynthesis, and possible function of PrPC, as well as its posttranslational processing, cellular localization, and trafficking. The latest findings concerning PrPSc are then discussed, including cell culture systems used to generate this pathogenic isoform, the subcellular distribution of the protein, its membrane attachment, proteolytic processing, and its kinetics and sites of synthesis. Information is also provided on molecular models of the PrPC-->PrPSc conversion reaction and the possible role of cellular chaperones. The review concludes with suggestions of several important avenues for future investigation. (+info)
Pathogenesis of scrapie: agent multiplication in brain at the first and second passage of hamster scrapie in mice.
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The intracerebral (i.c.) injection of mice with a particular source of hamster passaged scrapie produced disease after an incubation period of 325 +/- 6 days (mean +/- s.e.). The incubation period at the second i.e. passage in mice was reduced to 149 +/- 2 days. Studies were made of the dynamics of agent replication at 1st and 2nd passages in mice. At first passage, there was a 'zero phase' lasting about 175 days, when no infectious agent was detected in brain (or spleen), followed by a period of agent replication which lasted 150 days. At second passage, there was no significant 'zero phase' and agent replication occupied the whole of the incubation period. The occurrence of a 'zero phase' on interspecies passage of scrapie is discussed in relation to other reports of a 'zero phase' in mouse passaged scrapie. (+info)
Species-independent inhibition of abnormal prion protein (PrP) formation by a peptide containing a conserved PrP sequence.
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Conversion of the normal protease-sensitive prion protein (PrP) to its abnormal protease-resistant isoform (PrP-res) is a major feature of the pathogenesis associated with transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) diseases. In previous experiments, PrP conversion was inhibited by a peptide composed of hamster PrP residues 109 to 141, suggesting that this region of the PrP molecule plays a crucial role in the conversion process. In this study, we used PrP-res derived from animals infected with two different mouse scrapie strains and one hamster scrapie strain to investigate the species specificity of these conversion reactions. Conversion of PrP was found to be completely species specific; however, despite having three amino acid differences, peptides corresponding to the hamster and mouse PrP sequences from residues 109 to 141 inhibited both the mouse and hamster PrP conversion systems equally. Furthermore, a peptide corresponding to hamster PrP residues 119 to 136, which was identical in both mouse and hamster PrP, was able to inhibit PrP-res formation in both the mouse and hamster cell-free systems as well as in scrapie-infected mouse neuroblastoma cell cultures. Because the PrP region from 119 to 136 is very conserved in most species, this peptide may have inhibitory effects on PrP conversion in a wide variety of TSE diseases. (+info)
Sphingolipid depletion increases formation of the scrapie prion protein in neuroblastoma cells infected with prions.
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Sphingolipid-rich rafts play an essential role in the posttranslational (Borchelt, D. R., Scott, M., Taraboulos, A., Stahl, N., and Prusiner, S. B. (1990) J. Cell Biol. 110, 743-752)) formation of the scrapie prion protein PrP(Sc) from its normal conformer PrP(C) (Taraboulos, A., Scott, M., Semenov, A., Avrahami, D., Laszlo, L., Prusiner, S. B., and Avraham, D. (1995) J. Cell Biol. 129, 121-132). We investigated the importance of sphingolipids in the metabolism of the PrP isoforms in scrapie-infected ScN2a cells. The ceramide synthase inhibitor fumonisin B(1) (FB(1)) reduced both sphingomyelin (SM) and ganglioside GM1 in cells by up to 50%, whereas PrP(Sc) increased by 3-4-fold. Whereas FB(1) profoundly altered the cell lipid composition, the raft residents PrP(C), PrP(Sc), caveolin 1, and GM1 remained insoluble in Triton X-100. Metabolic radiolabeling demonstrated that PrP(C) production was either unchanged or slightly reduced in FB(1)-treated cells, whereas PrP(Sc) formation was augmented by 3-4-fold. To identify the sphingolipid species the decrease of which correlates with increased PrP(Sc), we used two other reagents. When cells were incubated with sphingomyelinase for 3 days, SM levels decreased, GM1 was unaltered, and PrP(Sc) increased by 3-4-fold. In contrast, the glycosphingolipid inhibitor PDMP reduced PrP(Sc) while increasing SM. Thus, PrP(Sc) seems to correlate inversely with SM levels. The effects of SM depletion contrasted with those previously obtained with the cholesterol inhibitor lovastatin, which reduced PrP(Sc) and removed it from detergent-insoluble complexes. (+info)
Differences in proteinase K resistance and neuronal deposition of abnormal prion proteins characterize bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and scrapie strains.
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Prion diseases are associated with the accumulation of an abnormal isoform of host-encoded prion protein (PrP(Sc)). A number of prion strains can be distinguished by "glycotyping" analysis of the respective deposited PrP(Sc) compound. In this study, the long-term proteinase K resistance, the molecular mass, and the localization of PrP(Sc) deposits derived from conventional and transgenic mice inoculated with 11 different BSE and scrapie strains or isolates were examined. Differences were found in the long-term proteinase K resistance (50 microg/ml at 37 degrees C) of PrP(Sc). For example, scrapie strain Chandler or PrP(Sc) derived from field BSE isolates were destroyed after 6 hr of exposure, whereas PrP(Sc) of strains 87V and ME7 and of the Hessen1 isolate were extremely resistant to proteolytic cleavage. Nonglycosylated, proteinase K-treated PrP(Sc) of BSE isolates and of scrapie strain 87V exhibited a 1-2 kD lower molecular mass than PrP(Sc) derived from all other scrapie strains and isolates. With the exception of strain 87V, PrP(Sc) was generally deposited in the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brain stem of different mouse lines at comparable levels. Long-term proteinase resistance, molecular mass, and the analysis of PrP(Sc) deposition therefore provide useful criteria in discriminating prion strains and isolates (e.g., BSE and 87V) that are otherwise indistinguishable by the PrP(Sc) "glycotyping" technique. (+info)
Host and transmissible spongiform encephalopathy agent strain control glycosylation of PrP.
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PrP is a host-encoded glycoprotein involved in the pathogenesis of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) or 'prion' diseases. The normal form of the protein (PrP(C)) is heavily but incompletely glycosylated; it shows structural diversity in three neuroanatomically distinct regions of the brain. No effect of TSE infection on PrP(C) glycosylation has been detected. TSE-specific forms of PrP (PrP(Sc)) vary in their degree of glycosylation according to strain of TSE infectious agent. PrP(Sc) also varies independently in the amount and pattern of glycosylation according to brain region. This diversity shows that the glycosylation of PrP is under both host- and TSE agent-specified control, probably within the biosynthetic pathway for protein N-glycosylation. These findings challenge assumptions that PrP(Sc) is formed from the normal, mature form of PrP(Sc) but are compatible with a model in which the glycosylation phenotype of PrP(Sc) is under the control of both host cellular factors and TSE agent-specified information. (+info)