scholarly journals RNA editing alterations define manifestation of prion diseases

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (39) ◽  
pp. 19727-19735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eirini Kanata ◽  
Franc Llorens ◽  
Dimitra Dafou ◽  
Athanasios Dimitriadis ◽  
Katrin Thüne ◽  
...  

Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders caused by misfolding of the normal prion protein into an infectious cellular pathogen. Clinically characterized by rapidly progressive dementia and accounting for 85% of human prion disease cases, sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (sCJD) is the prevalent human prion disease. Although sCJD neuropathological hallmarks are well-known, associated molecular alterations are elusive due to rapid progression and absence of preclinical stages. To investigate transcriptome alterations during disease progression, we utilized tg340-PRNP129MM mice infected with postmortem material from sCJD patients of the most susceptible genotype (MM1 subtype), a sCJD model that faithfully recapitulates the molecular and pathological alterations of the human disease. Here we report that transcriptomic analyses from brain cortex in the context of disease progression, reveal epitranscriptomic alterations (specifically altered RNA edited pathway profiles, eg., ER stress, lysosome) that are characteristic and possibly protective mainly for preclinical and clinical disease stages. Our results implicate regulatory epitranscriptomic mechanisms in prion disease neuropathogenesis, whereby RNA-editing targets in a humanized sCJD mouse model were confirmed in pathological human autopsy material.

Author(s):  
Patrick JM Urwin ◽  
Anna M Molesworth

Human prion diseases comprise a number of rare and fatal neurodegenerative conditions that result from the accumulation in the central nervous system of an abnormal form of a naturally occurring protein, called the prion protein. The diseases occur in genetic, sporadic, and acquired forms: genetic disease is associated with mutations in the prion protein gene (PRNP); sporadic disease is thought to result from a spontaneous protein misfolding event; acquired disease results from transmission of infection from an animal or another human. The potential transmissibility of the prion in any of these forms, either in disease states or during the incubation period, has implications for public health. Here we focus on Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), including variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), although we will also discuss other forms of human prion disease.


2020 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiane Stehmann ◽  
Matteo Senesi ◽  
Shannon Sarros ◽  
Amelia McGlade ◽  
Marion Simpson ◽  
...  

Nationwide surveillance of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and other human prion diseases is performed by the Australian National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Registry (ANCJDR). National surveillance encompasses the period since 1 January 1970, with prospective surveillance occurring from 1 October 1993. Over this prospective surveillance period, considerable developments have occurred in pre-mortem diagnostics; in the delineation of new disease subtypes; and in a heightened awareness of prion diseases in healthcare settings. Surveillance practices of the ANCJDR have evolved and adapted accordingly. This report summarises the activities of the ANCJDR during 2019. Since the ANCJDR began offering diagnostic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) 14-3-3 protein testing in Australia in September 1997, the annual number of referrals has steadily increased. In 2019, 513 domestic CSF specimens were referred for 14-3-3 protein testing and 85 persons with suspected human prion disease were formally added to the national register. As of 31 December 2019, just under half (42 cases) of the 85 suspect case notifications remain classified as ‘incomplete’; 16 cases were excluded through either detailed clinical follow-up (3 cases) or neuropathological examination (13 cases); 20 cases were classified as ‘definite’ and seven as ‘probable’ prion disease. For 2019, sixty-three percent of all suspected human prion disease related deaths in Australia underwent neuropathological examination. No cases of variant or iatrogenic CJD were identified. Two possibly causal novel prion protein gene (PRNP) sequence variations were identified. Keywords: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, prion disease, transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, disease surveillance


Author(s):  
Christine Stehmann ◽  
Matteo Senesi ◽  
Victoria Lewis ◽  
Mairin Ummi ◽  
Marion Simpson ◽  
...  

Nationwide surveillance of human prion diseases (also known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies), the most common being Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), is performed by the Australian National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Registry (ANCJDR), based at the University of Melbourne. National surveillance encompasses the period since 1 January 1970, with prospective surveillance occurring from 1 October 1993. Over this prospective surveillance period considerable developments have occurred in relation to pre-mortem diagnostics, the delineation of new disease subtypes and a heightened awareness of prion diseases in health care settings. Surveillance practices of the ANCJDR have evolved and adapted accordingly. This report summarises the activities of the ANCJDR from 1 January to 31 December 2018. Since the ANCJDR began offering diagnostic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) 14-3-3 protein testing in Australia in September 1997, the annual number of referrals has steadily increased. In 2018, 465 domestic CSF specimens were referred for 14-3-3 protein testing and 78 persons with suspected human prion disease were formally added to the national register. The majority of the 78 suspect case notifications remain as of 31 December 2018 classified as “incomplete” (42 cases), while eleven cases were excluded by either detailed clinical follow-up (one case) or neuropathological examination (ten cases); 15 cases were classified as “definite” and ten as “probable” prion disease. Sixty-two percent of all suspected human prion disease related deaths underwent neuropathological examination. No cases of variant CJD were confirmed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxim Oliver ◽  
Lisa Dyke ◽  
Alex Rico ◽  
Mario Madruga ◽  
Jorge Parellada ◽  
...  

Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is a rare, fatal human prion disease that is characterized by progressive dementia and neurologic degeneration. It can mimic multiple other neurological disorders, and a high index of clinical suspicion is necessary to make a diagnosis. A 74-year-old woman with a 3-month history of a stroke and progressive neurologic deterioration was found to have sCJD. She expired within a week of her diagnosis. Autopsy revealed spongiform encephalopathy consistent with prion disease, and genetic analysis revealed 129 polymorphism and no pathologic mutation, confirming the diagnosis of nonfamilial human prion disease. No pathologic evidence of a stroke was found. Awareness of the disease by clinicians is important not only at the time of initial presentation but also during the following months. Since there is no treatment, invasive medical procedures should be limited to only those that are required for either diagnosis or hospice care.


2021 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiane Stehmann ◽  
Matteo Senesi ◽  
Shannon Sarros ◽  
Amelia McGlade ◽  
Victoria Lewis ◽  
...  

Nationwide surveillance of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and other human prion diseases is performed by the Australian National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Registry (ANCJDR). National surveillance encompasses the period since 1 January 1970, with prospective surveillance occurring from 1 October 1993. Over this prospective surveillance period, considerable developments have occurred in pre-mortem diagnostics; in the delineation of new disease subtypes; and in a heightened awareness of prion diseases in healthcare settings. Surveillance practices of the ANCJDR have evolved and adapted accordingly. This report summarises the activities of the ANCJDR during 2020. Since the ANCJDR began offering diagnostic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) 14-3-3 protein testing in Australia in September 1997, the annual number of referrals has steadily increased. In 2020, 510 domestic CSF specimens were referred for 14-3-3 protein testing and 85 persons with suspected human prion disease were formally added to the national register. As of 31 December 2020, just over half (44 cases) of the 85 suspect case notifications remain classified as ‘incomplete’; 12 cases were excluded through either detailed clinical follow-up (8 cases) or neuropathological examination (4 cases); 18 cases were classified as ‘definite’ and eleven as ‘probable’ prion disease. For 2020, sixty percent of all suspected human-prion-disease-related deaths in Australia underwent neuropathological examination. No cases of variant or iatrogenic CJD were identified. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic did not affect prion disease surveillance outcomes in Australia.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Penny J. Norsworthy ◽  
Andrew G.B. Thompson ◽  
Tze H. Mok ◽  
Fernando Guntoro ◽  
Luke C. Dabin ◽  
...  

AbstractSporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) presents as a rapidly progressive dementia which is usually fatal within six months. No clinical blood tests are currently available for diagnosis or disease monitoring. Here, we profiled blood microRNA (miRNA) expression in sCJD. Small RNA-sequencing of 57 sCJD patients and 48 healthy controls revealed differential expression of hsa-let-7i-5p, hsa-miR-16-5p, hsa-miR-93-5p and hsa-miR-106b-3p. Downregulation of hsa-let-7i-5p, hsa-miR-16-5p and hsa-miR-93-5p replicated in an independent cohort using quantitative PCR, with concomitant upregulation of four of their mRNA targets. Absence of correlation in cross-sectional analysis with clinical phenotypes paralleled the lack of association between rate of decline in miRNA expression and rate of disease progression in a longitudinal cohort of 50 samples from 21 sCJD patients. Finally, the miRNA signature showed a high level of accuracy in discriminating sCJD from Alzheimer’s disease (AD). These findings highlight novel molecular alterations in the periphery in sCJD which can provide information about differential diagnosis and improve mechanistic understanding of human prion diseases.


2021 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiane Stehmann ◽  
Matteo Senesi ◽  
Shannon Sarros ◽  
Amelia McGlade ◽  
Victoria Lewis ◽  
...  

Nationwide surveillance of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and other human prion diseases is performed by the Australian National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Registry (ANCJDR). National surveillance encompasses the period since 1 January 1970, with prospective surveillance occurring from 1 October 1993. Over this prospective surveillance period, considerable developments have occurred in pre-mortem diagnostics; in the delineation of new disease subtypes; and in a heightened awareness of prion diseases in healthcare settings. Surveillance practices of the ANCJDR have evolved and adapted accordingly. This report summarises the activities of the ANCJDR during 2020. Since the ANCJDR began offering diagnostic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) 14-3-3 protein testing in Australia in September 1997, the annual number of referrals has steadily increased. In 2020, 510 domestic CSF specimens were referred for 14-3-3 protein testing and 85 persons with suspected human prion disease were formally added to the national register. As of 31 December 2020, just over half (44 cases) of the 85 suspect case notifications remain classified as ‘incomplete’; 27 cases were excluded through either detailed clinical follow-up (9 cases) or neuropathological examination (18 cases); 18 cases were classified as ‘definite’ and eleven as ‘probable’ prion disease. For 2020, sixty percent of all suspected human-prion-disease-related deaths in Australia underwent neuropathological examination. No cases of variant or iatrogenic CJD were identified. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic did not affect prion disease surveillance outcomes in Australia.


Author(s):  
James W. Ironside

Human prion diseases include idiopathic, genetic, and acquired disorders. Heterogeneous clinicopathologic features make diagnosis challenging. Accurate diagnosis requires a combined clinical, neuropathologic, genetic, and biochemical approach. Neuropathologic assessment is performed following autopsy in most cases. The brain is sampled and studied by tinctorial stains and immunohistochemistry for disease-associated form of the prion protein. Unfixed frozen brain tissue is retained for Western blot analysis of protease-resistant prion protein isoform and for DNA extraction to sequence the prion protein gene. Assessment of spongiform change, gliosis neuronal loss, and accumulation of disease-associated prion protein in the brain can help to determine major categories of human prion disease. Additional clinical, genetic, and biochemical data allow diagnosis and subclassification into disease subtypes, particularly in sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. Neuropathology continues to play a role in the recognition and understanding of the expanding spectrum of human prion disease and identification of disease variants that may emerge in the future.


2017 ◽  
Vol 474 (19) ◽  
pp. 3253-3267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alana M. Thackray ◽  
Alzbeta Cardova ◽  
Hanna Wolf ◽  
Lydia Pradl ◽  
Ina Vorberg ◽  
...  

Inherited human prion diseases, such as fatal familial insomnia (FFI) and familial Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (fCJD), are associated with autosomal dominant mutations in the human prion protein gene PRNP and accumulation of PrPSc, an abnormal isomer of the normal host protein PrPC, in the brain of affected individuals. PrPSc is the principal component of the transmissible neurotoxic prion agent. It is important to identify molecular pathways and cellular processes that regulate prion formation and prion-induced neurotoxicity. This will allow identification of possible therapeutic interventions for individuals with, or at risk from, genetic human prion disease. Increasingly, Drosophila has been used to model human neurodegenerative disease. An important unanswered question is whether genetic prion disease with concomitant spontaneous prion formation can be modelled in Drosophila. We have used pUAST/PhiC31-mediated site-directed mutagenesis to generate Drosophila transgenic for murine or hamster PrP (prion protein) that carry single-codon mutations associated with genetic human prion disease. Mouse or hamster PrP harbouring an FFI (D178N) or fCJD (E200K) mutation showed mild Proteinase K resistance when expressed in Drosophila. Adult Drosophila transgenic for FFI or fCJD variants of mouse or hamster PrP displayed a spontaneous decline in locomotor ability that increased in severity as the flies aged. Significantly, this mutant PrP-mediated neurotoxic fly phenotype was transferable to recipient Drosophila that expressed the wild-type form of the transgene. Collectively, our novel data are indicative of the spontaneous formation of a PrP-dependent neurotoxic phenotype in FFI- or CJD-PrP transgenic Drosophila and show that inherited human prion disease can be modelled in this invertebrate host.


Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paweł Liberski ◽  
Agata Gajos ◽  
Beata Sikorska ◽  
Shirley Lindenbaum

Kuru, the first human prion disease was transmitted to chimpanzees by D. Carleton Gajdusek (1923–2008). In this review, we summarize the history of this seminal discovery, its anthropological background, epidemiology, clinical picture, neuropathology, and molecular genetics. We provide descriptions of electron microscopy and confocal microscopy of kuru amyloid plaques retrieved from a paraffin-embedded block of an old kuru case, named Kupenota. The discovery of kuru opened new vistas of human medicine and was pivotal in the subsequent transmission of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, as well as the relevance that bovine spongiform encephalopathy had for transmission to humans. The transmission of kuru was one of the greatest contributions to biomedical sciences of the 20th century.


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