Prion Rods Contain an Inert Polysaccharide Scaffold
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Abstract
A polysaccharide consisting of mainly 1, 4-linked glucose units was found associated with prion rods, which are composed mainly of insoluble aggregates of the N-terminally truncated prion protein (PrP 27–30) exhibiting the ultrastructural and tinctorial properties of amyloid. The polysaccharide differs in composition from the Asn-linked oligosaccharides and the GPI-anchor of the prion protein. Prion rods were prepared from scrapie-infected hamster brains using two different purification protocols. Prolonged digestion of rods with proteinase K reduced PrP by a factor of at least 500, leaving about 10% (w/w) of the sample as an insoluble remnant. Only glucose was obtained by acid hydrolysis of the remnant and methylation analysis showed 80% 1, 4-, 15% 1, 6- and 5% 1, 4, 6-linked glucose units. The physical and chemical properties as well as the absence of terminal glucose units indicate a very high molecular mass of the polysaccharide. No evidence was found for covalent bonds between PrP and the polysaccharide. The polysaccharide certainly contributes to the unusual chemical and physical stability of prion rods, acting like a scaffold. A potential structural and/or functional relevance of the polysaccharide scaffold is discussed.
Copyright © 1999 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG
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- Secretory Immunoglobulin A: from Mucosal Protection to Vaccine Development
- Cloning of karyopherin-α3 from Drosophila Through Its Interaction with the Nuclear Localization Sequence of Germ Cell-Less Protein
- Regulation of Bile Salt Export Pump mRNA Levels by Dexamethasone and Osmolarity in Cultured Rat Hepatocytes
- High Activity of the Calcineurin A Subunit with a V314 Deletion
- Synthesis, Cytotoxicity and Antitumor Activity of Platinum(II) Complexes of Cyclopentanecarboxylic Acid Hydrazide
- Prion Rods Contain an Inert Polysaccharide Scaffold
- Mass Spectrometric Characterisation of Post-Translational Modification and Genetic Variation in Human Tetranectin
- Complete Amino Acid Sequence Determination of the Major Allergen of Peach (Prunus persica) Pru p1
- Identification of Immunoreactive Tissue Prokallikrein on the Surface Membrane of Human Neutrophils
- An Evaluation of Techniques for the Extraction and Amplification of DNA from Naturally Shed Hairs
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