Department of Bioinformatics and Life Science, Soongsil University, Seoul 06978, Korea.
BMB Rep. 2023 Dec;56(12):645-650. doi: 10.5483/BMBRep.2023-0151.
Numerous studies have investigated the cellular prion protein (PrP) since its discovery. These investigations have explained that its structure is predominantly composed of alpha helices and short beta sheet segments, and when its abnormal scrapie isoform (PrP) is infected, PrP transforms the PrP, leading to prion diseases, including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans and bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle. Given its ubiquitous distribution across a variety of cellular types, the PrP manifests a diverse range of biological functions, including cell-cell adhesion, neuroprotection, signalings, and oxidative stress response. PrP is also expressed in immune tissues, and its functions in these tissues include the activation of immune cells and the formation of secondary lymphoid tissues, such as the spleen and lymph nodes. Moreover, high expression of PrP in immune cells plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of prion diseases. In addition, it affects inflammation and the development and progression of cancer via various mechanisms. In this review, we discuss the studies on the role of PrP from various immunological perspectives. [BMB Reports 2023; 56(12): 645-650].
自发现以来，许多研究都对细胞朊病毒蛋白（PrP）进行了研究。这些研究表明，其结构主要由α螺旋和短β片层组成，当异常的瘙痒病异构体（PrPsc）感染时，PrP 会转化为 PrP，导致朊病毒病，包括人类的克雅氏病和牛的海绵状脑病。鉴于其在多种细胞类型中的广泛分布，PrP 表现出多种生物学功能，包括细胞间黏附、神经保护、信号转导和氧化应激反应。PrP 也在免疫组织中表达，其在这些组织中的功能包括免疫细胞的激活和次级淋巴组织（如脾脏和淋巴结）的形成。此外，免疫细胞中 PrP 的高表达在朊病毒病的发病机制中起着关键作用。此外，它通过多种机制影响炎症以及癌症的发生和发展。在这篇综述中，我们从不同的免疫学角度讨论了 PrP 的作用研究。[BMB 报告 2023；56(12)：645-650]。
