While the conversion of PrP(C) into PrP(Sc) in the transmissible form of prion disease requires a preexisting PrP(Sc) seed, in genetic prion disease accumulation of disease related PrP could be associated with biochemical and metabolic modifications resulting from the designated PrP mutation. To investigate this possibility, we looked into the time related changes of PrP proteins in the brains ...

Prion diseases are infectious and fatal neurodegenerative disorders. The cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) converting into misfolded isoform of prion protein (PrP(Sc)) is responsible for prion disease infection. Immune system plays an important role in facilitating the spread of prion infections from the periphery to the central nervous system. Macrophages were considered associated with the tran...

Prions are lethal infectious agents thought to consist of multi-chain forms (PrP(Sc)) of misfolded cellular prion protein (PrP(C)). Prion propagation proceeds in two distinct mechanistic phases: an exponential phase 1, which rapidly reaches a fixed level of infectivity irrespective of PrP(C) expression level, and a plateau (phase 2), which continues until clinical onset with duration inversely ...

Human antibodies specific, for polyribosyl-ribitol-phosphate (PRP), the capsular polysaccharide of Hemophilus influenzae b, were studied using idiotypic analysis. Antisera were prepared against purified F(ab')2 anti-PRP from two unrelated adults, H.H. and P.T. After repeated absorption with IgG myeloma proteins and with PRP-absorbed normal human Ig and donor Ig, anti-idiotypic (anti-Id) sera we...

The formation of protease-resistant prion protein (PrP-res or PrP(Sc)) involves selective interactions between PrP-res and its normal protease-sensitive counterpart, PrP-sen or PrP(C). Previous studies have shown that synthetic peptide fragments of the PrP sequence corresponding to residues 119-136 of hamster PrP (Ha119-136) can selectively block PrP-res formation in cell-free systems and scrap...

There is increasing interest in the role of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchors that attach some proteins to cell membranes. Far from being biologically inert, GPIs influence the targeting, intracellular trafficking and function of the attached protein. Our recent paper demonstrated the role of sialic acid on the GPI of the cellular prion protein (PrP(C)). The "prion diseases" arise foll...

Received 17 June 2004 Accepted 2 June 2005 Prion diseases involve conversion of host-encoded cellular prion protein (PrP) to a disease-related isoform (PrP). Using recombinant human b-PrP, a panel of monoclonal antibodies was produced that efficiently immunoprecipitated native PrP and recognized epitopes between residues 93–105, indicating for the first time that this region is exposed in both ...

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, including variant-Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans and bovine spongiform encephalopathies in cattle, are fatal neurodegenerative disorders characterized by protein misfolding of the host cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) to the infectious scrapie form (PrP(Sc)). However, the mechanism that exogenous PrP(Sc) infects cells and where pathologic co...

PrP(Sc), a misfolded and aggregated form of the cellular prion protein PrP(C), is the only defined constituent of the transmissible agent causing prion diseases. Expression of PrP(C) in the host organism is necessary for prion replication and for prion neurotoxicity. Understanding prion diseases necessitates detailed structural insights into PrP(C) and PrP(Sc). Towards this goal, we have develo...

objective: at present, growth factor-containing products such as enamel matrix derivatives, recombinant bone morphogenetic protein (rh-bmp), recombinant platelet derived growth factor and platelet rich plasma (prp) have gained increasing attention. prp is an autologous source of platelet growth factors used to enhance healing of soft and hard tissues. prp has gained popularity due to its autolo...