The cellular prion protein (PrPc) is a membrane sialoglycoprotein synthesized in the central nervous system and extraneural tissues. Its post-translational modification produces an accumulation of abnormal isoform PrPsc found in brains of transmissible neurodegenerative disorders in animals (scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy) and humans (Kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome). One major unanswered question relative to PrPc concerns its physiological role in brain neurons, depending largely on the limited knowledge of its subcellular localization. Using a highly-sensitive immunogold electron microscopy technique, we reported that in the hamster dentate gyrus, the synaptic boutons constituted the submicroscopic site where PrPc was observed. This detection was obtained with 2 highly-specific polyclonal antibodies for prion protein. PrPc localization was assigned, both on structural basis and on its co-localization with synaptophysin. The presence of PrPc in synaptic terminals should provide additional informations on its possible role in neuronal transmission and on the implication of synapses in the pathogenesis of spongiform encephalopathies.
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J Neurol Sci
January 2025
Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Postgraduate Program of Health Sciences, São Francisco University, Bragança Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil; Laboratory of Clinical and Molecular Microbiology, Postgraduate Program of Health Sciences, São Francisco University, Bragança Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil; LunGuardian Research Group - Epidemiology of Respiratory and Infectious Diseases, Postgraduate Program of Health Sciences, São Francisco University, Bragança Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address:
Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis
January 2025
Department of Medical Science and Biotechnology, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung City 82445, Taiwan. Electronic address:
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells have a high p53 mutation rate, but there were rare reported about the p53 gain of function through the prion-like aggregated form in p53 mutated HNSCC cells. Thioflavin T (ThT) is used to stain prion-like proteins in cells. Previously, we found that ThT and p53 staining were co-localized in HNSCC cells (Detroit 562 cells) with homozygous p53 R175H mutation.
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View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlzheimers Dement
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Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Inserm, BioMaps, Orsay, France.
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View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlzheimers Dement
December 2024
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an heterogenous disorder characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) and tau. One possible explanation for the clinical and pathological variation in AD lies in the presence of distinct conformational strains of Aβ. Numerous studies provide compelling evidence for the existence of such strains as well as their ability to template their conformations in a prion-like manner.
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