Schröder B, Groschup M, Hunsmann G, Bodemer W
Department of Medical Biotechnology, Paul-Ehrlich Institute, Paul-Ehrlich Strasse 51-59, Langen, 63225, Germany.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1998 Oct 20;251(2):423-8. doi: 10.1006/bbrc.1998.9481.
The transmissible spongiform encephalopathies comprise a group of fatal neurodegenerative diseases that are characterized by the conversion of the normal host cellular prion protein (PrPC) to the abnormal protease-resistant isoform PrPSC. Distinct alterations of transcriptional regulation during disease progression could not be observed. The regulation of transcription 5' and 3' to the previously described cap sites of the prion gene mRNA as well as usage of internal short ORF's was investigated. We identified a mRNA species which is expressed differentially in prion-infected mice and in N2A cells. This mRNA is detectable neither in uninfected mice nor in early stages of the disease. The novel mRNA contains two short open reading frames which encode two small peptides with a calculated molecular weight of 2.1 kDA and 0.7 kDa. These peptides were also found to be expressed in vitro and in vivo.
传染性海绵状脑病是一组致命的神经退行性疾病，其特征是正常宿主细胞朊病毒蛋白（PrPC）转变为异常的抗蛋白酶异构体PrPSC。在疾病进展过程中未观察到转录调控的明显变化。研究了朊病毒基因mRNA先前描述的帽位点5'和3'端的转录调控以及内部短开放阅读框的使用情况。我们鉴定出一种在朊病毒感染的小鼠和N2A细胞中差异表达的mRNA。这种mRNA在未感染的小鼠和疾病早期均未检测到。这种新的mRNA包含两个短开放阅读框，它们编码两个计算分子量分别为2.1 kDa和0.7 kDa的小肽。这些肽在体外和体内也被发现有表达。
