Several lines of evidence suggest that immunisations may be helpful in the prophylaxis and treatment of neurodegenerative amyloidoses like Alzheimer's disease and prion infections. We used a synthetic prion protein-derived peptide (PrP105-125) and a recombinant PrP fragment (PrP90-230) as antigens for the active immunisation of mice, which were subsequently infected by dietary exposure to the scrapie agent. Immunisation with PrP105-125 prolonged the survival times significantly. In contrast, immunisation with PrP90-230 or adjuvants alone had no effect on the disease development. An epitope mapping of the antibodies raised against PrP90-230 revealed that reactivities against previously defined protective epitopes were either underrepresented or absent. These results point towards the possibility to prevent prion spread via the food chain by vaccinating humans or other species at risk to contract prion diseases.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0304-3940(03)00907-8 | DOI Listing |
Front Neurol
November 2024
Department of Neurology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.
Background: Paper symptom diaries are a common tool for assessing motor fluctuations in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, but there are concerns about inaccuracies in the assessment of motor fluctuation due to recall bias and poor compliance. We, therefore, developed an electronic diary with reminder and real-time recording functions.
Objectives And Methods: To evaluate the effectiveness of the electronic diary, we compared compliance and motor fluctuation assessment with a paper diary.
Bull Math Biol
December 2024
Department of Applied Mathematics, University of California, Merced, 5200 N Lake Drive, Merced, CA, 95343, USA.
The prion phenotype in yeast manifests as a white, pink, or red color pigment. Experimental manipulations destabilize prion phenotypes, and allow colonies to exhibit (red) sectored phenotypes within otherwise completely white colonies. Further investigation of the size and frequency of sectors that emerge as a result of experimental manipulation is capable of providing critical information on mechanisms of prion curing, but we lack a way to reliably extract this information.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFEBS J
November 2024
Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, UVSQ, VIM, Jouy-en-Josas, France.
Sci Signal
October 2024
Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by amyloid plaques and cognitive decline, the latter of which is thought to be driven by soluble oligomeric amyloid-β (oAβ). The dysregulation of G protein-gated inwardly rectifying K (GIRK; also known as Kir3) channels has been implicated in rodent models of AD. Here, seeking mechanistic insights, we uncovered a sex-dependent facet of GIRK-dependent signaling in AD-related amyloid pathophysiology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Immunol
September 2024
Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach (MNPRO), University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States.
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) in mammals, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), are characterized by the accumulation of misfolded proteins in the central nervous system (CNS). Despite the presence of these pathogenic proteins, the immune response in affected individuals remains notably muted. Traditional immunological strategies, particularly those reliant on monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), face challenges related to tissue penetration, blood-brain barrier (BBB) crossing, and maintaining protein stability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!