Figures
Prions activate a p38 MAPK synaptotoxic signaling pathway
"Actin stabilization prevents PrPSc synaptotoxicity: In this report, the authors used a specialized neuronal culture system to dissect the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which prions damage synapses. Their results define a stepwise molecular pathway mediated by p38 MAPK that is responsible for prion synaptic toxicity. A key step in this pathway involves collapse of the actin cytoskeleton within dendritic spines, causing functional deficits in synaptic transmission. In this image, cultured hippocampal neurons were exposed to purified PrPSc for 24 hours in the presence of SiR-actin, a fluorogenic, cell-permeable peptide that stabilizes and labels F-actin in dendritic spines. SiR-actin prevents collapse of dendritic spines (bright green spots), which normally occurs after PrPSc treatment. See Figure 11 of Fang et al." David A. Harris et al.
Image Credit: Cheng Fang 2018
Citation: (2018) PLoS Pathogens Issue Image | Vol. 14(9) September 2018. PLoS Pathog 14(9): ev14.i09. https://doi.org/10.1371/image.ppat.v14.i09
Published: September 30, 2018
Copyright: © 2018 Fang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
"Actin stabilization prevents PrPSc synaptotoxicity: In this report, the authors used a specialized neuronal culture system to dissect the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which prions damage synapses. Their results define a stepwise molecular pathway mediated by p38 MAPK that is responsible for prion synaptic toxicity. A key step in this pathway involves collapse of the actin cytoskeleton within dendritic spines, causing functional deficits in synaptic transmission. In this image, cultured hippocampal neurons were exposed to purified PrPSc for 24 hours in the presence of SiR-actin, a fluorogenic, cell-permeable peptide that stabilizes and labels F-actin in dendritic spines. SiR-actin prevents collapse of dendritic spines (bright green spots), which normally occurs after PrPSc treatment. See Figure 11 of Fang et al." David A. Harris et al.
Image Credit: Cheng Fang 2018