The cellular form of the prion protein (PrP C ) is a highly conserved glycoprotein mostly expressed in the central and peripheral nervous systems by different cell types in mammals. A misfolded, pathogenic isoform, denoted as prion, is related to a class of neurodegenerative diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathy ...
The cellular form of the prion protein (PrP C ) is a highly conserved glycoprotein mostly expressed in the central and peripheral nervous systems by different cell types in mammals. A misfolded, pathogenic isoform, denoted as prion, is related to a class of neurodegenerative diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. PrP C function has not been unequivocally clarified, and it is rather defined as a pleiotropic protein likely acting as a dynamic cell surface scaffolding protein for the assembly of different signaling modules. Among the variety of PrP C protein interactors, the neuronal cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) has been studied in vivo, but the structural basis of this functional interaction is still a matter of debate. Here we focused on the structural determinants responsible for human PrP C (HuPrP) and NCAM interaction using stimulated emission depletion (STED) nanoscopy, SPR, and NMR spectroscopy approaches. PrP C co-localizes with NCAM in mouse hippocampal neurons, and this interaction is mainly mediated by the intrinsically disordered PrP C N-terminal tail, which binds with high affinity to the NCAM fibronectin type-3 domain. NMR structural investigations revealed surface-interacting epitopes governing the interaction between HuPrP N terminus and the second module of the NCAM fibronectin type-3 domain. Our data provided molecular details about the interaction between HuPrP and the NCAM fibronectin domain, and revealed a new role of PrP C N terminus as a dynamic and functional element responsible for protein-protein interaction.
Organizational Affiliation:
the Laboratory of Prion Biology, Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Via Bonomea 265, Trieste I-34136, Italy, legname@sissa.it.
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