Prion protein (PrP) underlies a spectrum of diseases with no established treatment and devastating human and economic consequences. Several unique features separate prion diseases from other neurodegenerative maladies. (i) There is an infectious isoform of the prion protein, PrPSc, that propagates its abnormal conformation in an autocatalytic manner using the normal isoform, PrPC, as a substrate. (ii) The process of propagation requires the amino acid sequences of PrPC and PrPSc to be identical (or highly homologous). (iii) Within the same primary structure, PrP is capable of adopting conformationally distinct states when it is converted into pathological isoforms, which are known as """"""""strains"""""""" of PrPSc. These features indicate that prion diseases have a unique molecular mechanism, distinct from other disorders related to protein aggregation. Our general strategy is to concentrate on these features of PrPSc propagation as a key for understanding the mechanism of prion disease. The hypothesis to be tested is whether these distinguishing features are inherent properties of the prion protein. In particular, the PI will examine the extent to which the process of aggregation of non-glycosylated recombinant PrP mimics basic hallmarks of prion diseases outside of the cellular environment. Using state-of-the-art biochemical and biophysical methods, three aspects of the self-propagating process will be investigated: (1) the kinetic pathway of self-propagating aggregation, with special emphasis on the early events and the rate-limiting step of conversion; (2) the biophysical nature of the autocatalytic mechanism of aggregation; (3) the conformational diversity of self-propagating aggregates and fidelity of propagation. In the proposed work, an array of biophysical tools will be used: proteinase K digestion combined with mass spectrometry, immunoconformational assay, analytical size-exclusion chromatography with unique ultra sensitive detection, spectroscopic techniques, dynamic light scattering, and electron microscopy. The proposed research work will shed light on the mechanism of self-propagation, will reveal novel rules of protein folding that govern specific aggregations, and define the features that make PrP unique among proteins. Such knowledge should lay the foundation for novel molecular and pharmacological approaches for treating prion diseases.
| Srivastava, Saurabh; Katorcha, Elizaveta; Makarava, Natallia et al. (2018) Inflammatory response of microglia to prions is controlled by sialylation of PrPSc. Sci Rep 8:11326 |
| Katorcha, Elizaveta; Gonzalez-Montalban, Nuria; Makarava, Natallia et al. (2018) Prion replication environment defines the fate of prion strain adaptation. PLoS Pathog 14:e1007093 |
| Katorcha, Elizaveta; Baskakov, Ilia V (2018) Analysis of Covalent Modifications of Amyloidogenic Proteins Using Two-Dimensional Electrophoresis: Prion Protein and Its Sialylation. Methods Mol Biol 1779:241-255 |
| Makarava, Natallia; Savtchenko, Regina; Lasch, Peter et al. (2018) Preserving prion strain identity upon replication of prions in vitro using recombinant prion protein. Acta Neuropathol Commun 6:92 |
| Katorcha, Elizaveta; Baskakov, Ilia V (2017) Analyses of N-linked glycans of PrPSc revealed predominantly 2,6-linked sialic acid residues. FEBS J 284:3727-3738 |
| Makarava, Natallia; Savtchenko, Regina; Baskakov, Ilia V (2017) Purification and Fibrillation of Full-Length Recombinant PrP. Methods Mol Biol 1658:3-22 |
| Baskakov, Ilia V (2017) Limited understanding of the functional diversity of N-linked glycans as a major gap of prion biology. Prion 11:82-88 |
| Srivastava, Saurabh; Katorcha, Elizaveta; Daus, Martin L et al. (2017) Sialylation Controls Prion Fate in Vivo. J Biol Chem 292:2359-2368 |
| Makarava, Natallia; Savtchenko, Regina; Baskakov, Ilia V (2017) Methods of Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification. Methods Mol Biol 1658:169-183 |
| Katorcha, Elizaveta; Daus, Martin L; Gonzalez-Montalban, Nuria et al. (2016) Reversible off and on switching of prion infectivity via removing and reinstalling prion sialylation. Sci Rep 6:33119 |
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