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Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Interview: Protein Folding and Studies of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Published on: July 16, 2008
Reversible conversion of monomeric human prion protein between native and fibrilogenic conformations
G S Jackson1, L L Hosszu, A Power
1Prion Disease Group, Department of Neurogenetics, Imperial College School of Medicine at St. Mary's, London W2 1NY, UK.
Abstract:
Prion propagation involves the conversion of cellular prion protein (PrPC) into a disease-specific isomer, PrPSc, shifting from a predominantly alpha-helical to beta-sheet structure. Here, conditions were established in which recombinant human PrP could switch between the native alpha conformation, characteristic of PrPC, and a compact, highly soluble, monomeric form rich in beta structure. The soluble beta form (beta-PrP) exhibited partial resistance to proteinase K digestion, characteristic of PrPSc, and was a direct precursor of fibrillar structures closely similar to those isolated from diseased brains. The conversion of PrPC to beta-PrP in suitable cellular compartments, and its subsequent stabilization by intermolecular association, provide a molecular mechanism for prion propagation.
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