Show Me Your Friends and I Tell You Who You Are: The Many Facets of Prion Protein in Stroke

Cells

HermannClemens Altmeppen¹  Berta Puig²  Santra Brenna²  Denise Yang²  Tim Magnus² 

[1] Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany;Neurology Department, Experimental Research in Stroke and Inflammation (ERSI), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany;

关键词: prion protein;    stroke;    ischemia;    neuroprotection;    regeneration;    extracellular vesicles;   

DOI  :  10.3390/cells9071609

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Ischemic stroke belongs to the leading causes of mortality and disability worldwide. Although treatments for the acute phase of stroke are available, not all patients are eligible. There is a need to search for therapeutic options to promote neurological recovery after stroke. The cellular prion protein (PrPC) has been consistently linked to a neuroprotective role after ischemic damage: it is upregulated in the penumbra area following stroke in humans, and animal models of stroke have shown that lack of PrPC aggravates the ischemic damage and lessens the functional outcome. Mechanistically, these effects can be linked to numerous functions attributed to PrPC: (1) as a signaling partner of the PI3K/Akt and MAPK pathways, (2) as a regulator of glutamate receptors, and (3) promoting stem cell homing mechanisms, leading to angio- and neurogenesis. PrPC can be cleaved at different sites and the proteolytic fragments can account for the manifold functions. Moreover, PrPC is present on extracellular vesicles (EVs), released membrane particles originating from all types of cells that have drawn attention as potential therapeutic tools in stroke and many other diseases. Thus, identification of the many mechanisms underlying PrPC-induced neuroprotection will not only provide further understanding of the physiological functions of PrPC but also new ideas for possible treatment options after ischemic stroke.

【 授权许可】

Unknown