Aggregation and fibrillization of prions in lipid membranes.

2005 ◽  
Vol 72 ◽  
pp. 211-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jurate Kazlauskaite ◽  
Teresa J. T. Pinheiro
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Membranes ◽  
Prion Proteins ◽  
Prion Diseases ◽  
Structural Heterogeneity ◽  
Conformational Transitions ◽  
Amyloid Deposits ◽  
Prion Conversion

A key molecular event in prion diseases is the conversion of PrP (prion protein) from its normal cellular form (PrPc) into the disease-specific form (PrPSc). The transition from PrPc to PrPSc involves a major conformational change, resulting in amorphous aggregates and/or fibrillar amyloid deposits. Here, we review several lines of evidence implicating membranes in the conversion of PrP, and summarize recent results from our own work on the role of lipid membranes in conformational transitions of prion proteins. By establishing new correlations between in vivo biological findings with in vitro biophysical results, we propose a role for lipid rafts in prion conversion, which takes into account the structural heterogeneity of PrP in different lipid environments.

scholarly journals POSCAbilities: The Application of the Prion Organotypic Slice Culture Assay to Neurodegenerative Disease Research

Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1079
Author(s):  
Hailey Pineau ◽  
Valerie Sim
Keyword(s):  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Prion Diseases ◽  
In Vitro Models ◽  
Slice Culture ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Organotypic Slice Culture ◽  
Drug Treatments

Prion diseases are fatal, transmissible neurodegenerative disorders whose pathogenesis is driven by the misfolding, self-templating and cell-to-cell spread of the prion protein. Other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Huntington’s disease, share some of these prion-like features, with different aggregation-prone proteins. Consequently, researchers have begun to apply prion-specific techniques, like the prion organotypic slice culture assay (POSCA), to these disorders. In this review we explore the ways in which the prion phenomenon has been used in organotypic cultures to study neurodegenerative diseases from the perspective of protein aggregation and spreading, strain propagation, the role of glia in pathogenesis, and efficacy of drug treatments. We also present an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of this culture system compared to in vivo and in vitro models and provide suggestions for new directions.

scholarly journals Problems of ante mortem diagnostics of prion diseases

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 326-334
Author(s):  
S. L. Kal’nov ◽  
O. A. Verkhovsky ◽  
V. V. Tsibezov ◽  
K. P. Alekseev ◽  
D. A. Chudakova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prion Protein ◽  
Prion Proteins ◽  
Prion Diseases ◽  
Amino Acid Sequences ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Established Fact ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

The review presents the state-of-the-art on the problem of diagnosis of prion diseases (PD) in humans and animals with a brief description of their etiology and pathogenesis. We pointed out that understanding the nature of the etio logical agent of PD determined their zoonotic potential and led to the development of highly specific immunological diagnostic methods aimed at identifying the infectious isoform of prion protein (PrPd) as the only marker of the disease. In this regard, we briefly summarize the results of studies, including our own, concerning the conversion of normal prion protein molecules (PrPc) to PrPd, the production of monoclonal antibodies and their application as immunodiagnostic reagents for the post-mortem detection of PrPd in various formats of immunoassay. We also emphasize the issues related to the development of methods for ante mortem diagnostics of PD. In this regard, a method for amplifying amino acid sequences using quacking-induced conversion of PrPc to PrPd in real time (RTQuIC) described in details. The results of recent studies on the assessment of the sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility of this method, carried out in various laboratories around the world, are presented. The data obtained indicate that RT-QuIC is currently the most promising laboratory assay for detecting PrPd in biological material at the preclinical stage of the disease. The significant contribution of US scientists to the introduction of this method into clinical practice on the model of diagnosis of chronic wasting disease of wild Cervidae (CWD) is noted. The possible further spread of CWD in the population of moose and deer in the territories bordering with Russia, as well as the established fact of alimentary transmission of CWD to macaques, indicate the threat of the appearance of PD in our country. In conclusion, the importance of developing new hypersensitive and/or selective components of known methods for PrPd identification from the point of view of assessing the risks of creating artificial infectious prion proteins in vivo or in vitro, primarily new pathogenic isoforms (“strains”) and synthetic prions, was outlined.

The Role of Polyphenols in the Modulation of Plasma Non-Enzymatic Antioxidant Capacity (NEAC)

2012 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 228-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Serafini ◽  
Giuseppa Morabito
Keyword(s):  
Antioxidant Capacity ◽  
Dietary Intervention ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
The Body ◽  
Dietary Polyphenols ◽  
Enzymatic Antioxidant ◽  
Endogenous Antioxidant

Dietary polyphenols have been shown to scavenge free radicals, modulating cellular redox transcription factors in different in vitro and ex vivo models. Dietary intervention studies have shown that consumption of plant foods modulates plasma Non-Enzymatic Antioxidant Capacity (NEAC), a biomarker of the endogenous antioxidant network, in human subjects. However, the identification of the molecules responsible for this effect are yet to be obtained and evidences of an antioxidant in vivo action of polyphenols are conflicting. There is a clear discrepancy between polyphenols (PP) concentration in body fluids and the extent of increase of plasma NEAC. The low degree of absorption and the extensive metabolism of PP within the body have raised questions about their contribution to the endogenous antioxidant network. This work will discuss the role of polyphenols from galenic preparation, food extracts, and selected dietary sources as modulators of plasma NEAC in humans.

Anti-obesity role of Aster glehni extract: in vivo and in vitro effects

Planta Medica ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
HM Lee ◽  
TG Ahn ◽  
CW Kim ◽  
HJ An
Keyword(s):  
In Vitro Effects

A Molecular Approach to Immunoscintigraphy: A Study of the T-Antigen Conformation on the Surface of Tumors

1987 ◽  
Vol 26 (01) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Selvaraj ◽  
M. R. Suresh ◽  
G. McLean ◽  
D. Willans ◽  
C. Turner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Monoclonal Antibodies ◽  
Tumor Cell ◽  
T Antigen ◽  
Human Carcinomas ◽  
Animal Tumor ◽  
Synthetic Antigens

The role of glycoconjugates in tumor cell differentiation has been well documented. We have examined the expression of the two anomers of the Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen on the surface of human, canine and murine tumor cell membranes both in vitro and in vivo. This has been accomplished through the synthesis of the disaccharide terminal residues in both a and ß configuration. Both entities were used to generate murine monoclonal antibodies which recognized the carbohydrate determinants. The determination of fine specificities of these antibodies was effected by means of cellular uptake, immunohistopathology and immunoscintigraphy. Examination of pathological specimens of human and canine tumor tissue indicated that the expressed antigen was in the β configuration. More than 89% of all human carcinomas tested expressed the antigen in the above anomeric form. The combination of synthetic antigens and monoclonal antibodies raised specifically against them provide us with invaluable tools for the study of tumor marker expression in humans and their respective animal tumor models.

THYROID STIMULATORS AND THYROID STIMULATION

1971 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 558-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald Burke
Keyword(s):  
Regulatory System ◽  
Control Site ◽  
Thyroid Cell ◽  
Primary Control ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Site Of Action ◽  
Long Acting

ABSTRACT A long-acting thyroid stimulator (LATS), distinct from pituitary thyrotrophin (TSH), is found in the serum of some patients with Graves' disease. Despite the marked physico-chemical and immunologic differences between the two stimulators, both in vivo and in vitro studies indicate that LATS and TSH act on the same thyroidal site(s) and that such stimulation does not require penetration of the thyroid cell. Although resorption of colloid and secretion of thyroid hormone are early responses to both TSH and LATS, available evidence reveals no basic metabolic pathway which must be activated by these hormones in order for iodination reactions to occur. Cyclic 3′, 5′-AMP appears to mediate TSH and LATS effects on iodination reactions but the role of this compound in activating thyroidal intermediary metabolism is less clear. Based on the evidence reviewed herein, it is suggested that the primary site of action of thyroid stimulators is at the cell membrane and that beyond the(se) primary control site(s), there exists a multifaceted regulatory system for thyroid hormonogenesis and cell growth.

THE ROLE OF POLYETHYLENIMINE IN ENHANCING PERFORMANCE OF GLUTAMATE BIOSENSORS

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 36-41
Author(s):  
Diep Do Thi Hong ◽  
Duong Le Phuoc ◽  
Hoai Nguyen Thi ◽  
Serra Pier Andrea ◽  
Rocchitta Gaia
Keyword(s):  
First Generation ◽  
Good Reproducibility ◽  
Complex Matrices ◽  
Long Term Stability ◽  
In Vitro Characterization ◽  
Glutamate Oxidase

Background: The first biosensor was constructed more than fifty years ago. It was composed of the biorecognition element and transducer. The first-generation enzyme biosensors play important role in monitoring neurotransmitter and determine small quantities of substances in complex matrices of the samples Glutamate is important biochemicals involved in energetic metabolism and neurotransmission. Therefore, biosensors requires the development a new approach exhibiting high sensibility, good reproducibility and longterm stability. The first-generation enzyme biosensors play important role in monitoring neurotransmitter and determine small quantities of substances in complex matrices of the samples. The aims of this work: To find out which concentration of polyethylenimine (PEI) exhibiting the most high sensibility, good reproducibility and long-term stability. Methods: We designed and developed glutamate biosensor using different concentration of PEI ranging from 0% to 5% at Day 1 and Day 8. Results: After Glutamate biosensors in-vitro characterization, several PEI concentrations, ranging from 0.5% to 1% seem to be the best in terms of VMAX, the KM; while PEI content ranging from 0.5% to 1% resulted stable, PEI 1% displayed an excellent stability. Conclusions: In the result, PEI 1% perfomed high sensibility, good stability and blocking interference. Furthermore, we expect to develop and characterize an implantable biosensor capable of detecting glutamate, glucose in vivo. Key words: Glutamate biosensors, PEi (Polyethylenimine) enhances glutamate oxidase, glutamate oxidase biosensors

Vitamin D as potential therapeutic anticancer agent

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Anticancer Activity ◽  
Anticancer Agent ◽  
Antitumor Agents ◽  
Metastatic Potential ◽  
Anticancer Properties ◽  
Chemotherapy Agents

The role of vitamin D is implicated in carcinogenesis through numerous biological processes like induction of apoptosis, modulation of immune system inhibition of inflammation and cell proliferation and promotion of cell differentiation. Its use as additional adjuvant drug with cancer treatment may be novel combination for improved outcome of different cancers. Numerous preclinical, epidemiological and clinical studies support the role of vitamin D as an anticancer agent. Anticancer properties of vitamin D have been studied widely (both in vivo and in vitro) among various cancers and found to have promising results. There are considerable data that indicate synergistic potential of calcitriol and antitumor agents. Possible mechanisms for modulatory anticancer activity of vitamin D include its antiproliferative, prodifferentiating, and anti-angiogenic and apoptic properties. Calcitriol reduces invasiveness and metastatic potential of many cancer cells by inhibiting angiogenesis and regulating expression of the key molecules involved in invasion and metastasis. Anticancer activity of vitamin D is synergistic or additive with the antineoplastic actions of several drugs including cytotoxic chemotherapy agents like paclitaxel, docetaxel, platinum base compounds and mitoxantrone. Benefits of addition of vitamin D should be weighed against the risk of its toxicity.

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