New prion discovery reveals drug target for mad cow disease and related illnesses

EurekAlert

December 1, 2010

The joy of a juicy hamburger could make a comeback thanks a new discovery by scientists from the University of Kentucky. In a new research report in the December 2010 print issue of The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org/), scientists found that a protein our body uses to break up blood clots speeds up the progress of prion diseases. This substance, called plasminogen, is a new drug target for prion diseases in both humans and animals.
"I hope that our study will aid in developing therapy for prion diseases, which will ultimately improve the quality of life of patients suffering from prion diseases," said Chongsuk Ryou, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the University of Kentucky in Lexington. "Since prion diseases can lay undetected for decades, delaying the ability of the disease-associated prion protein to replicate by targeting the cofactor of the process could be a monumental implication for treatment."

To make this discovery, the researchers used simple test tube reactions to multiply disease-associated prion proteins. The reactions were conducted in the presence or absence of plasminogen. They found that the natural replication of the prions was stimulated by plasminogen in both human and animal cells.

"Rogue prions are one of nature's most interesting, deadly and least understood biological freakshows," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "They are neither virus nor bacteria, but they kill or harm you just the same. By showing how prions hijack our own clot-busting machinery, this work points to a new target for anti-prion therapy."
Full text:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-12/foas-npd120110.php