The major polypeptide of scrapie-associated fibrils (SAF) has the same size, charge distribution and N-terminal protein sequence as predicted for the normal brain protein (PrP).

Hope, J.; Morton, L. J.; Farquhar, C. F.; Multhaup, G.; Beyreuther, K.; Kimberlin, R. H.

doi:10.1002/j.1460-2075.1986.tb04539.x

The major polypeptide of scrapie-associated fibrils (SAF) has the same size, charge distribution and N-terminal protein sequence as predicted for the normal brain protein (PrP).

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Hope, J., Morton, L. J., Farquhar, C. F., Multhaup, G., Beyreuther, K. and Kimberlin, R. H. (1986) The major polypeptide of scrapie-associated fibrils (SAF) has the same size, charge distribution and N-terminal protein sequence as predicted for the normal brain protein (PrP). The EMBO Journal, 5 (10). pp. 2591-2597. ISSN 0261-4189

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Abstract

Scrapie-associated fibrils (SAF) are unique structures characteristic of the group of unconventional slow infections which includes scrapie and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. A major component of hamster fibrils has been described as a protease-resistant glycoprotein with an apparent mol. wt of 27,000-30,000 (PrP27-30). However, we report here that if fibrils are prepared by procedures designed to minimise proteolysis the PrP proteins co-purifying with hamster SAF have mol. wts of 33,000-35,000 (PrP33-35) and 26,000-29,000 (PrP26-29). We find a Lys-Lys-Arg-Pro-Lys sequence at the amino terminus of these SAF proteins, that is absent from PrP27-30, and which has recently been predicted to be the N-terminal sequence of the native PrP protein of uninfected brain. The major SAF protein (PrP33-35) and its normal brain homologue are shown to have the same apparent mol. wt and ionic charge distribution by two-dimensional gel analysis, silver staining and immunoblotting. These results support our view that PrP33-35 and the normal brain PrP protein may have the same covalent structure, and that the PrP protein is recruited into these amyloid-like SAF or into association with a non-protein component of SAF by an irreversible event initiated directly or indirectly by scrapie infection.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	neuroscience(all),molecular biology,biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology(all),immunology and microbiology(all) ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2800
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Biological Sciences
Related URLs:	http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?...
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	28 Nov 2025 11:30
Last Modified:	28 Nov 2025 11:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/101142
DOI:	10.1002/j.1460-2075.1986.tb04539.x

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