Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Investigating the Spreading and Toxicity of Prion-like Proteins Using the Metazoan Model Organism C. elegans
12:57

Investigating the Spreading and Toxicity of Prion-like Proteins Using the Metazoan Model Organism C. elegans

Published on: January 8, 2015

RepA-WH1 prionoid: a synthetic amyloid proteinopathy in a minimalist host

Rafael Giraldo1, Susana Moreno-Díaz de la Espina, M Elena Fernández-Tresguerres

  • 1Department of Chemical and Physical Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas - CSIC, C/ Ramiro de Maeztu, Madrid, Spain. rgiraldo@cib.csic.es

Prion
|February 5, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Researchers engineered RepA-WH1, a bacterial protein switch, to create a novel amyloid proteinopathy model in E. coli. This system allows studying protein misfolding and its effects on bacterial aging and fitness.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Amyloid proteinopathies share a common structural basis, driving the search for in vitro and in vivo model systems.
  • Yeast prions offer insights into amyloid structure and dynamics but do not cause proteinopathies.
  • Mammalian PrP protein misfolding is a key factor in neurodegenerative diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To engineer a controllable bacterial model for studying protein amyloidogenesis.
  • To investigate the impact of amyloid aggregates on bacterial aging and fitness.
  • To establish a system for understanding general protein amyloidosis pathways.

Main Methods:

  • Engineering the RepA-WH1 bacterial DNA-toggled protein conformational switch.
  • Inducing amyloidogenesis in vitro and in Escherichia coli.
  • Observing and quantifying bacterial aging phenotypes (generation time, division cycles, fitness).

Main Results:

  • RepA-WH1 amyloidogenesis was successfully controlled in vitro.
  • A non-infectious, vertically-transmissible amyloid proteinopathy was established in E. coli.
  • RepA-WH1 amyloid aggregates promoted bacterial aging, reducing fitness and division cycles.

Conclusions:

  • Engineered RepA-WH1 provides a tractable model for studying protein amyloidosis.
  • This bacterial model facilitates research into the mechanisms of protein misfolding and its host effects.
  • The RepA-WH1 prionoid system offers a simplified system to unravel general protein amyloidosis pathways.

More Related Videos

Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification of Prions10:12

Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification of Prions

Published on: November 7, 2012

Purification and Refolding to Amyloid Fibrils of (His)6-tagged Recombinant Shadoo Protein Expressed as Inclusion Bodies in E. coli09:43

Purification and Refolding to Amyloid Fibrils of (His)6-tagged Recombinant Shadoo Protein Expressed as Inclusion Bodies in E. coli

Published on: December 19, 2015

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...
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...
Subviral Agents01:29

Subviral Agents

Subviral agents are infectious entities that resemble viruses but lack one or more viral components, such as a capsid or essential replication machinery. These agents include viroids, prions, and satellites, each possessing distinct structural and functional characteristics that influence their mode of infection and replication.Viroids are the simplest subviral agents, consisting of circular, single-stranded RNA molecules without a protein coat. They exclusively infect plants, relying entirely...
Rabies01:28

Rabies

Rabies is a lethal zoonotic disease caused by a single-stranded, negative-sense RNA virus of the Lyssavirus genus, within the family Rhabdoviridae. Its primary mode of transmission to humans is through bites or saliva-contaminated scratches from infected mammals such as dogs, bats, raccoons, or foxes. Transmission can also occur if infectious saliva contacts abraded skin or intact mucous membranes, including the conjunctiva.Viral Entry and Early ReplicationOnce introduced at the bite or scratch...