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Korean Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (생화학분자생물학회)
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The role of cellular prion protein in immune system

  • Seunghwa Cha (Department of Bioinformatics and Life Science, Soongsil University) ;
  • Mi-Yeon Kim (Department of Bioinformatics and Life Science, Soongsil University)
  • Received : 2023.08.17
  • Accepted : 2023.09.25
  • Published : 2023.12.31
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Abstract

Numerous studies have investigated the cellular prion protein (PrPC) 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 (PrPSc) is infected, PrPSc transforms the PrPC, 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 PrPC manifests a diverse range of biological functions, including cell-cell adhesion, neuroprotection, signalings, and oxidative stress response. PrPC 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 PrPC 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 PrPC from various immunological perspectives.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (NRF- 2016R1D1A1B01011371).

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