Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
6811
pubmed:dateCreated
2000-12-1
pubmed:abstractText
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are associated with accumulation of PrP(Sc), a conformer of a cellular protein called PrP(C). PrP(Sc) is thought to replicate by imparting its conformation onto PrP(C) (ref. 1), yet conformational discrimination between PrP(C) and PrP(Sc) has remained elusive. Because deposition of PrP(Sc) alone is not enough to cause neuropathology, PrP(Sc) probably damages the brain by interacting with other cellular constituents. Here we find activities in human and mouse blood which bind PrP(Sc) and prion infectivity, but not PrP(C). We identify plasminogen, a pro-protease implicated in neuronal excitotoxicity, as a PrP(Sc)-binding protein. Binding is abolished if the conformation of PrP(Sc) is disrupted by 6M urea or guanidine. The isolated lysine binding site 1 of plasminogen (kringles I-III) retains this binding activity, and binding can be competed for with lysine. Therefore, plasminogen represents the first endogenous factor discriminating between normal and pathological prion protein. This unexpected property may be exploited for diagnostic purposes.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Nov
pubmed:issn
0028-0836
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
23
pubmed:volume
408
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
479-83
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2000
pubmed:articleTitle
Binding of disease-associated prion protein to plasminogen.
pubmed:affiliation
Institute for Neuropatholgy, University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't