Inter-allelic prion propagation reveals conformational relationships among a multitude of [PSI] strains.

ABSTRACT: Immense diversity of prion strains is observed, but its underlying mechanism is less clear. Three [PSI] prion strains--named VH, VK, and VL--were previously isolated in the wild-type yeast genetic background. Here we report the generation and characterization of eight new [PSI] isolates, obtained by propagating the wild-type strains with Sup35 proteins containing single amino-acid alterations. The VH strain splits into two distinct strains when propagated in each of the three genetic backgrounds, harboring respectively single mutations of N21L, R28P, and Gi47 (i.e. insertion of a glycine residue at position 47) on the Sup35 N-terminal prion-forming segment. The six new strains exhibit complex inter-conversion patterns, and one of them continuously mutates into another. However, when they a

SUBMITTER: Lin JY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3183073 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature