Strain-specific morphologies of yeast prion amyloid fibrils

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Jul 19;102(29):10165-70. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0504599102. Epub 2005 Jul 8.

Abstract

Mass per length (mpl) measurements on single amyloid fibrils that specifically propagate the [VH], [VK], and [VL] strains of the yeast prion [PSI] reveal unanticipated differences in their structures. Many fibrils have approximately 1.0 prion molecule per 4.7-A cross-beta repeat period, which is consistent with a self-replicating model built by parallel beta-sheet hydrogen-bonding of like prion peptide segments, but other fibrils are definitely heavier. The predominantly straight fibrils of the dominant [VH] strain have a bimodal mpl distribution, corresponding to components with approximately 1.0 and 1.2 prions per repeat. Fibrils of the weaker [VK] strain, which are almost all wavy, have a monodisperse mpl distribution with a mean of 1.15 prions per repeat. The recessive [VL] strain sample has approximately 1.05 prions per repeat in single fibrils and includes approximately 10% double fibrils, which are rare in the duplicate [VH] and [VK] samples. All of these samples were assembled from purified recombinant Sup35 prion protein by seeded growth on nuclei extracted from yeast bearing the three [PSI] strains. Infectious and noninfectious spontaneously assembled fibrils of the recombinant prion protein also display different heterogeneous morphologies. The strain-specific morphological differences we have observed directly confirm the structural prediction of the protein-only prion theory but do not have an obvious molecular explanation.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amyloid / metabolism
  • Amyloid / ultrastructure*
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins
  • Microscopy, Electron
  • Peptide Termination Factors
  • Prions / metabolism*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / metabolism*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • Amyloid
  • Peptide Termination Factors
  • Prions
  • SUP35 protein, S cerevisiae
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins