A New Take on Prion Protein Dynamics in Cellular Trafficking

The mobility of cellular prion protein (PrP<sup>C</sup>) in specific cell membrane domains and among distinct cell compartments dictates its molecular interactions and directs its cell function. PrP<sup>C</sup> works in concert with several partners to organize signaling plat...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rodrigo Nunes Alves, Rebeca Piatniczka Iglesia, Mariana Brandão Prado, Maria Isabel Melo Escobar, Jacqueline Marcia Boccacino, Camila Felix de Lima Fernandes, Bárbara Paranhos Coelho, Ailine Cibele Fortes, Marilene Hohmuth Lopes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
Series:International Journal of Molecular Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/20/7763
Description
Summary:The mobility of cellular prion protein (PrP<sup>C</sup>) in specific cell membrane domains and among distinct cell compartments dictates its molecular interactions and directs its cell function. PrP<sup>C</sup> works in concert with several partners to organize signaling platforms implicated in various cellular processes. The scaffold property of PrP<sup>C</sup> is able to gather a molecular repertoire to create heterogeneous membrane domains that favor endocytic events. Dynamic trafficking of PrP<sup>C</sup> through multiple pathways, in a well-orchestrated mechanism of intra and extracellular vesicular transport, defines its functional plasticity, and also assists the conversion and spreading of its infectious isoform associated with neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we highlight how PrP<sup>C</sup> traffics across intra- and extracellular compartments and the consequences of this dynamic transport in governing cell functions and contributing to prion disease pathogenesis.
ISSN:1661-6596
1422-0067