9. Amplification of Purified Prions In Vitro
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The infectious agents of prion diseases are unorthodox, and they seem to be composed primarily of a misfolded glycoprotein
called the prion protein (PrP). Replication of prion infectivity is associated with the conversion of PrP from its normal,
cellular form (PrPC) into a pathogenic form (PrPSc), which is characterized biochemically by relative detergent insolubility and protease resistance. Several techniques have
been developed in which PrPC molecules can be converted into the PrPSc conformation in vitro (1–8). These biochemical techniques recapitulate several specific aspects of in vivo prion propagation (1–3), and one method, the protein misfolding cyclic amplification technique, also has been shown to amplify infectivity (5). In this chapter, we describe a method for amplifying PrPSc molecules from hamster prions in vitro using purified substrates. Specific protocols for substrate preparation, reaction
mixture, and product detection are explained. Purified PrPSc amplification assays are currently being used to study the biochemical mechanism of prion formation.
Affiliation(s): (3) Departments of Biochemistry and Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH
(4) Department of Community and Family Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH
(4) Department of Community and Family Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH
Book Title: Prion Protein Protocols
Series: Methods in Molecular Biology | Volume: 459 | Pub. Date: Jun-04-2008 | Page Range: 117-130 | DOI: 10.1007/978-1-59745-234-2_9
Subject: Protein Science
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