Publication Date:
1999-02-26
Description:
The [URE3] non-Mendelian genetic element of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an infectious protein (prion) form of Ure2p, a regulator of nitrogen catabolism. Here, synthetic Ure2p1-65 were shown to polymerize to form filaments 40 to 45 angstroms in diameter with more than 60 percent beta sheet. Ure2p1-65 specifically induced full-length native Ure2p to copolymerize under conditions where native Ure2p alone did not polymerize. Like Ure2p in extracts of [URE3] strains, these 180- to 220-angstrom-diameter filaments were protease resistant. The Ure2p1-65-Ure2p cofilaments could seed polymerization of native Ure2p to form thicker, less regular filaments. All filaments stained with Congo Red to produce the green birefringence typical of amyloid. This self-propagating amyloid formation can explain the properties of [URE3].〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Taylor, K L -- Cheng, N -- Williams, R W -- Steven, A C -- Wickner, R B -- New York, N.Y. -- Science. 1999 Feb 26;283(5406):1339-43.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-0830, USA.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10037606" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉
Keywords:
Amyloid/*chemistry/metabolism/ultrastructure
;
Biopolymers/chemistry
;
Chemical Precipitation
;
Coloring Agents/metabolism
;
Congo Red/metabolism
;
Dimerization
;
Endopeptidases/metabolism
;
Fungal Proteins/*chemistry/metabolism/ultrastructure
;
Glutathione Peroxidase
;
Hot Temperature
;
Microscopy, Electron
;
Peptide Fragments/chemistry
;
Prions/*chemistry/metabolism/ultrastructure
;
Protein Denaturation
;
Protein Structure, Secondary
;
*Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
Print ISSN:
0036-8075
Electronic ISSN:
1095-9203
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Computer Science
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
,
Physics
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