Subcellular localization of prion proteins and the 37 kDa/67 kDa laminin receptor fused to fluorescent proteins.

The 37 kDa/67 kDa laminin receptor LRP/LR acts as a receptor for both PrPc and PrPSc at the cell surface. Here, we further analyzed the subcellular localization of fluorescent labeled prion protein (PrP) and laminin receptor (LRP/LR) molecules. We show that EGFP-PrP is localized at the cell surface and in a perinuclear compartment, respectively. In contrast, a DsRed-DeltaSP-PrP mutant lacking the signal peptide is almost exclusively found in the nucleus but does not colocalize with heterochromatin. Interestingly, LRP-DsRed efficiently colocalizes with EGFP-PrP in the perinuclear compartment and LRP-ECFP partly colocalizes with DsRed-DeltaSP-PrP in the nucleus, respectively. We conclude that the interactions of PrP and LRP/LR are not restricted to the cell surface but occur also in intracellular compartments suggesting a putative role of LRP/LR in the trafficking of PrP molecules.

Ultrasensitive quantification of TAP-dependent antigen compartmentalization in scarce primary immune cell subsets.

Presentation of peptides on major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) is essential for the establishment and maintenance of self-tolerance, priming of antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells and the exertion of several T-cell effector functions. Cytosolic proteasomes continuously degrade proteins into peptides, which are actively transported across the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane by the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP). In the ER lumen antigenic peptides are loaded onto MHC I, which is displayed on the cell surface. Here we describe an innovative flow cytometric approach to monitor time-resolved ER compartmentalization of antigenic peptides. This assay allows the analysis of distinct primary human immune cell subsets at reporter peptide concentrations of 1 nM. Thus, this ultrasensitive method for the first time permits quantification of TAP activity under close to physiological conditions in scarce primary cell subsets such as antigen cross-presenting dendritic cells.

Microinjection of lentiviral vectors expressing small interfering RNAs directed against laminin receptor precursor mRNA prolongs the pre-clinical phase in scrapie-infected mice.

We examined therapeutic in vitro and in vivo approaches using lentivirus-based packaging of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting the non-integrin laminin receptor mRNA for treatment and prevention of prion disorders. Transfection of N2aSc(+) cells with recombinant plasmids expressing three different siRNAs, significantly reduced both the LRP (laminin receptor precursor) and PrP(Sc) levels by approximately 40-60 %. Stereotactic intracerebral microinjection of recombinant lentiviral vectors LVsiRNA-LRP 7 and 9 into the cortex of C57BL/6 wild-type mice resulted in a significant reduction of the LR levels in the cortex 15 days post-injection by 62 and 82 %, respectively. Intracerebral RML inoculation of C57BL/6 mice after microinjection with recombinant lentiviral vector LVsiRNA-LRP 7 into the hippocampus resulted in a significant reduction of both LRP and PrP(Sc) levels by 36 and 41 %, respectively, concomitant with a significant prolongation of the pre-clinical phase. Lentiviral vectors expressing siRNAs targeting LRP mRNA represent a novel delivery system for the treatment of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.

Invasion of tumorigenic HT1080 cells is impeded by blocking or downregulating the 37-kDa/67-kDa laminin receptor.

The 37-kDa/67-kDa laminin receptor precursor/laminin receptor (LRP/LR) acting as a receptor for prions and viruses is overexpressed in various cancer cell lines, and their metastatic potential correlates with LRP/LR levels. We analyzed the tumorigenic fibrosarcoma cell line HT1080 regarding 37-kDa/67-kDa LRP/LR levels and its invasive potential. Compared to the less invasive embryonic fibroblast cell line NIH3T3, the tumorigenic HT1080 cells display approximately 1.6-fold higher cell-surface levels of LRP/LR. We show that anti-LRP/LR tools interfere with the invasive potential of HT1080 cells. Anti-LRP/LR single-chain variable fragment antibody (scFv) iS18 generated by chain shuffling from parental scFv S18 and its full-length version immunoglobulin G1-iS18 reduced the invasive potential of HT1080 cells significantly by 37% and 38%, respectively. HT1080 cells transfected with lentiviral plasmids expressing small interfering RNAs directed against LRP mRNA showed reduced LRP levels by approximately 44%, concomitant with a significant decrease in the invasive potential by approximately 37%. The polysulfated glycans HM2602 and pentosan polysulfate (SP-54), both capable of blocking LRP/LR, reduced the invasive potential by 20% and 35%, respectively. Adhesion of HT1080 cells to laminin-1 was significantly impeded by scFv iS18 and immunoglobulin G1-iS18 by 60% and 68%, respectively, and by SP-54 and HM2602 by 80%, suggesting that the reduced invasive capacity achieved by these tools is due to the perturbation of the LRP/LR-laminin interaction on the cell surface. Our in vitro data suggest that reagents directed against LRP/LR or LRP mRNA such as antibodies, polysulfated glycans, or small interfering RNAs, previously shown to encompass an anti-prion activity by blocking or downregulating the prion receptor LRP/LR, might also be potential cancer therapeutics blocking metastasis by interfering with the LRP/LR-laminin interaction in neoplastic tissues.

Targeted degradation of ABC transporters in health and disease.

ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters comprise an extended protein family involved in the transport of a broad spectrum of solutes across membranes. They consist of a common architecture including two ATP-binding domains converting chemical energy into conformational changes and two transmembrane domains facilitating transport via alternating access. This review focuses on the biogenesis, and more precisely, on the degradation of mammalian ABC transporters in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We enlighten the ER-associated degradation pathway in the context of misfolded, misassembled or tightly regulated ABC transporters with a closer view on the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP), which plays an essential role in the adaptive immunity. Three rather different scenarios affecting the stability and degradation of ABC transporters are discussed: (1) misfolded domains caused by a lack of proper intra- and intermolecular contacts within the ABC transporters, (2) deficient assembly with auxiliary factors, and (3) arrest and accumulation of an intermediate or 'dead-end' state in the transport cycle, which is prone to be recognized by the ER-associated degradation machinery.

Novel aspects of prions, their receptor molecules, and innovative approaches for TSE therapy.

1. Prion diseases are a group of rare, fatal neurodegenerative diseases, also known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), that affect both animals and humans and include bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, scrapie in sheep, chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer and elk, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans. TSEs are usually rapidly progressive and clinical symptoms comprise dementia and loss of movement coordination due to the accumulation of an abnormal isoform (PrP(Sc)) of the host-encoded prion protein (PrP(c)). 2. This article reviews the current knowledge on PrP(c) and PrP(Sc), prion replication mechanisms, interaction partners of prions, and their cell surface receptors. Several strategies, summarized in this article, have been investigated for an effective antiprion treatment including development of a vaccination therapy and screening for potent chemical compounds. Currently, no effective treatment for prion diseases is available. 3. The identification of the 37 kDa/67 kDa laminin receptor (LRP/LR) and heparan sulfate as cell surface receptors for prions, however, opens new avenues for the development of alternative TSE therapies.

Therapeutic approaches for prion disorders.

Prion diseases are lethal for both humans and animals, and affected individuals die after several months following a rapid disease progression. Although researchers have attempted for decades to develop effective therapeutics for the therapy of human prion disorders, until now no efficient drug has been available on the market for transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) treatment or cure. Approximately 200 patients worldwide have died or suffer from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Incidences for sporadic and familial CJD are approximately 1.5-2 per million per year and one per 10 million per year, respectively, in Europe. This review summarizes classical and modern trials for the development of effective anti-TSE drugs, introduces potential effective delivery systems, such as lentiviral and adeno-associated virus systems for antiprion components, including antibodies and siRNAs, and presents vaccination trials. Most of the antiprion drugs target prion protein PrP(c) and/or PrP(Sc). Alternative targets are receptors and coreceptors for PrP, that is, the 37/67-kDa laminin receptor and heparan sulfate proteoglycanes. We review clinical trials for the treatment of TSEs and describe hindrances and chances for a breakthrough in therapy of prion disorders.

Prion protein-specific antibodies for therapeutic intervention of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.

Prion diseases, also called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, are a group of fatal neurodegenerative conditions that affect humans and a wide variety of animals. There is no therapeutic or prophylactic approach against prion diseases available at present. The causative infectious agent is the prion, also termed PrPSc, which is a pathological conformer of the cellular prion protein PrPC. Passive immunisation studies with PrPC-specific antibodies indicated that immunotherapeutic strategies directed against PrPC can prevent prion disease. In this review, putative mechanisms of antibody-mediated prion inactivation, as well as active immunisation strategies, are discussed. Special attention is given to the problem of immunological self-tolerance against PrP.

The 37-kDa/67-kDa laminin receptor acts as a receptor for infectious prions and is inhibited by polysulfated glycanes.

BACKGROUND: Recently, we showed that the 37-kDa/67-kDa laminin receptor (LRP/LR) acts as the receptor of the cellular prion protein. METHODS: For the present study, we investigated the binding of the murine scrapie prion protein (moPrP27-30) to baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells, using the Semliki Forest virus system. RESULTS: The enhanced binding of moPrP27-30 to BHK cells expressing moLRP::FLAG was inhibited by the LRP/LR-specific antibody W3, which suggests that LRP/LR acts as a receptor for the scrapie form of the prion protein, PrP(Sc). This finding was confirmed by a parallel study that showed that bovine prions are internalized by human enterocytes via LRP/LR. The heparan sulfate mimetics HM5004 and HM2602 reduced PrP27-30 binding to moLRP-expressing cells to approximately 30% and approximately 20%, respectively, at a concentration of 10 microg/mL, whereas pentosan polysulfate (SP54) and phycarin sulfate (PS3) both reduced the binding to approximately 40% at a concentration of 100 microg/mL. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the inhibition reported elsewhere of PrP(Sc) synthesis and the incubation times prolonged in rodent models by these sulfated glycans are due to the inhibition of the LRP/LR-dependent binding of prions to the target cells.

Circumventing tolerance to the prion protein (PrP): vaccination with PrP-displaying retrovirus particles induces humoral immune responses against the native form of cellular PrP.

Passive immunization with antibodies directed against the cellular form of the prion protein (PrPC) can protect against prion disease. However, active immunization with recombinant prion protein has so far failed to induce antibodies directed against native PrPC expressed on the cell surface. To develop an antiprion vaccine, a retroviral display system presenting either the full-length mouse PrP (PrP209) or the C-terminal 111 amino acids (PrP111) fused to the transmembrane domain of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor was established. Western blot analysis and immunogold electron microscopy of the retroviral display particles revealed successful incorporation of the fusion proteins into the particle membrane. Interestingly, retroviral particles displaying PrP111 (PrPD111 retroparticles) showed higher incorporation efficiencies than those displaying PrP209. Already 7 days after intravenous injection of PrPD111 retroparticles, PrPC-deficient mice (Prnp(o/o)) showed high immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG titers specifically binding the native PrPC molecule as expressed on the surface of T cells isolated from PrPC-overexpressing transgenic mice. More importantly, heterozygous Prnp(+/o) mice and also wild-type mice showed PrPC-specific IgM and IgG antibodies upon vaccination with PrPD111 retroparticles, albeit at considerably lower levels. Bacterially expressed recombinant PrP, in contrast, was unable to evoke IgG antibodies recognizing native PrPC in wild-type mice. Thus, our data show that PrP or parts thereof can be functionally displayed on retroviral particles and that immunization with PrP retroparticles may serve as a novel promising strategy for vaccination against transmissible spongiform encephalitis.