The possibility of new prion binding protein in the therapeutic development for prion diseases.

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26670229
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Virology
• Research Institution: National Institute of Infectious Diseases
• Principal Investigator: Yamagoe Satoshi 国立感染症研究所, 真菌部, 主任研究官 (00212283)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: プリオン結合タンパク質 / ブリオン病 / 遺伝子改変マウス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Prion diseases are fatal transmissible neurodegenerative disorders and characterized by an accumulation of disease-associated forms of prion protein in the central nervous system. We identified a novel prion binding protein, designated PBP, physically associated with cellular prion protein. As the mechanism of infectivity involves a change in the normal cellular form into disease-associated forms, we speculated the possibility that PBP affected this conversion to influent the development of prion diseases. To test this, we have used the mouse model of prion diseases in PBP deficient mouse and PBP transgenic mouse. We found that the expression levels of PBP were correlated with the progression of the desease.

Free Research Field

分子生物学