Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Cells release prions in association with exosomes.

Benoit Fevrier1, Didier Vilette, Fabienne Archer

  • 1Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 144, Institut Curie, 75005 Paris, France.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|June 24, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Prion diseases spread via exosomes. These tiny vesicles carry infectious prion proteins (PrPsc) from cell to cell, potentially explaining how these neurodegenerative disorders move through the body.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Pseudokinase-converting mutation in protein kinase C alpha drives chordoid glioma by pathway rewiring.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Splicing-associated network PAK1-CLK1/4-SRRM1 is a vulnerability to overcome chemoresistance in human and mouse acute myeloid leukemia.

Science translational medicine·2026
Same author

Architecture and function of holocentric CENP-A-independent inner kinetochores.

Science advances·2026
Same author

CD133 Shapes Extracellular Vesicle Cargo and Angiogenic Function in Basal-Like Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Journal of extracellular vesicles·2026
Same author

Soma-to-germline miRNA inheritance through yolk promotes stress resilience in progeny.

Nature structural & molecular biology·2026
Same author

SILAC-based discovery of a broad range of proteins that can be posttranslationally glutamylated or glycylated.

Journal of cell science·2026

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cell Biology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Prion diseases are neurodegenerative disorders caused by misfolded prion proteins (PrPsc).
  • The spread of prions from peripheral organs to the brain remains poorly understood.
  • Cellular prion protein (PrPc) is converted to PrPsc, the infectious agent.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanisms of prion spread in the body.
  • To determine if exosomes play a role in prion dissemination.

Main Methods:

  • PrP-expressing cells were studied before and after infection with sheep prions.
  • Western blot, Mass Spectrometry (MS), and morphological analysis were used.
  • Exosomes released into the extracellular environment were analyzed for PrP content.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Both PrPc and PrPsc were found to be released by cells into the extracellular environment.
  • PrPc and PrPsc were associated with exosomes, which are secreted vesicles.
  • Exosomes containing PrPsc were demonstrated to be infectious.

Conclusions:

  • Exosomes actively transport PrPsc, suggesting a mechanism for prion spread.
  • Exosomes may mediate intercellular membrane exchange, facilitating prion dissemination.
  • This finding offers new insights into the pathogenesis of prion diseases.