Reversible off and on switching of prion infectivity via removing and reinstalling prion sialylation.

ABSTRACT: The innate immune system provides the first line of defense against pathogens. To recognize pathogens, this system detects a number of molecular features that discriminate pathogens from host cells, including terminal sialylation of cell surface glycans. Mammalian cell surfaces, but generally not microbial cell surfaces, have sialylated glycans. Prions or PrP(Sc) are proteinaceous pathogens that lack coding nucleic acids but do possess sialylated glycans. We proposed that sialylation of PrP(Sc) is essential for evading innate immunity and infecting a host. In this study, the sialylation status of PrP(Sc) was reduced by replicating PrP(Sc) in serial Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification using sialidase-treated PrP(C) substrate and then restored to original levels by replication using non-

SUBMITTER: Katorcha E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5017131 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature