Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 22, 2026

High-throughput Screening for Protein-based Inheritance in S. cerevisiae
08:12

High-throughput Screening for Protein-based Inheritance in S. cerevisiae

Published on: August 8, 2017

Prion protein expression and processing in human mononuclear cells: the impact of the codon 129 prion gene

Christiane Segarra1, Sylvain Lehmann, Joliette Coste

  • 1Etablissement Français du Sang de Pyrénées Méditerranée, Montpellier, France.

Plos One
|June 5, 2009
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

The M129V PRNP gene polymorphism does not affect prion protein expression or processing in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Further research is needed in other tissues to understand prion propagation.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Genetics
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) cases are linked to M/M homozygosity at the PRNP gene's M129V polymorphism.
  • Prion agents are found in the bloodstream, raising concerns about transfusion-transmitted vCJD.
  • The mechanism behind the M129V polymorphism's influence on vCJD remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of the M129V polymorphism on prion protein (PrP) expression and processing.
  • To analyze PrP in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) across different M129V genotypes (M/M, V/V, M/V).

Main Methods:

  • Real-time PCR, ELISA, and immunoblot assays were used.
  • PBMCs from three blood donor populations representing M/M, V/V, and M/V genotypes were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences in PrP expression were observed concerning the M129V polymorphism.
  • PrP processing and apparent glycoform distribution showed no significant variation across genotypes.
  • The M129V polymorphism did not impact PrP levels or modification in PBMCs.

Conclusions:

  • The M129V PRNP gene polymorphism does not significantly influence PrP expression or processing in human PBMCs.
  • These findings suggest that other cell types or tissues may be more relevant for studying prion propagation related to this polymorphism.
  • Further investigation into prion propagation mechanisms in different cellular contexts is warranted.

More Related Videos

Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification of Prions10:12

Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification of Prions

Published on: November 7, 2012

Isolation of Soluble and Insoluble PrP Oligomers in the Normal Human Brain11:29

Isolation of Soluble and Insoluble PrP Oligomers in the Normal Human Brain

Published on: October 3, 2012

Related Concept Videos

Amyloid Fibrils03:03

Amyloid Fibrils

Amyloid fibrils are aggregates of misfolded proteins.  Under most circumstances, misfolded proteins are either refolded by chaperone proteins or degraded by the proteasome. However, in the case of a mutation or a disease, these proteins can accumulate to form large clusters and often further assemble to form elongated fibers, called fibrils. 
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen.   In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining, normally used to...
Leaky Scanning02:28

Leaky Scanning

During most eukaryotic translation processes, the small 40S ribosome subunit scans an mRNA from its 5' end until it encounters the first start AUG codon. The large 60S ribosomal subunit then joins the smaller one to initiate protein synthesis. The location of the translation initiation is largely determined by the nucleotides near the start codon as there may be multiple translation initiation sites present on the mRNA.  Marilyn Kozak discovered that the sequence RCCAUGG (where R stands for...
Translation01:31

Translation

Lesson: Translation
Translation is the process of synthesizing proteins from the genetic information carried by messenger RNA (mRNA). Following transcription, it constitutes the final step in the expression of genes. This process is carried out by ribosomes, complexes of protein and specialized RNA molecules. Ribosomes, transfer RNA (tRNA), and other proteins produce a chain of amino acids—the polypeptide—as the end product of translation.
Translation Produces the Building Blocks of Life
Translation01:31

Translation

Lesson: Translation
Translation is the process of synthesizing proteins from the genetic information carried by messenger RNA (mRNA). Following transcription, it constitutes the final step in the expression of genes. This process is carried out by ribosomes, complexes of protein and specialized RNA molecules. Ribosomes, transfer RNA (tRNA), and other proteins produce a chain of amino acids—the polypeptide—as the end product of translation.
Translation Produces the Building Blocks of Life
Chromatin Structure Regulates pre-mRNA Processing02:41

Chromatin Structure Regulates pre-mRNA Processing

In eukaryotic cells, nascent mRNA transcripts need to undergo many post-transcriptional modifications to reach the cell cytoplasm and translate into functional proteins. For a long time, transcription and pre-mRNA processing were considered two independent events that occur sequentially in the cell. However, it has now been well established that transcription and pre-mRNA processing are two simultaneous processes that are precisely regulated inside the cell.
The chromatin structure, especially...
RNA Splicing01:32

RNA Splicing

Splicing is the process by which eukaryotic RNA is edited before its translation into protein. The RNA strand transcribed from eukaryotic DNA is called the primary transcript. The primary transcripts that become mRNAs are called precursor messenger RNAs (pre-mRNAs). Eukaryotic pre-mRNA contains alternating sequences of exons and introns. Exons are nucleotide sequences that code for proteins, whereas introns are the non-coding regions. In RNA splicing, introns are removed and exons are bonded...