Role of Interaction between Prion Protein and Stress Inducible Protein 1 in the Self-Renewal in vitro of Neural Precursors from Adult Brain

• Grant number: 12/21857-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2013
• End date: December 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology - Cytology and Cell Biology
• Principal Investigator: Marilene Hohmuth Lopes
• Grantee: Cainã Max Couto da Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The occurrence of neurogenesis in adult brain was, many times, disbelieved. Evidence emerged since 60s, but only in 90s became sufficient to break the established dogma of which brain structure is fixed and unchanging. While science has evolved into acceptance of neurogenesis, important studies have reported the cellular prion protein (PrPC), a plasma membrane glycoprotein associated to several physiological and pathological processes (Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy - TSE), as an important factor in the biology of stem cells, as well as for self-renewal of neural stem cells (NSCs). Nevertheless, our group identified the ligand for PrPc a co-chaperone called stress inducible protein one (STI1), whose interaction promotes neuritogenesis, neuroprotection, formation of short-time memory, consolidation of long-term memory and self-renewal of fetal neural stem cells. Given these findings, we propose a study using wild-type mice (Prpn+/+) and knockout (Prpn0/0) to verify the interaction PrPc-STI1 in self-renewal of neural stem cells in the adult brain. These findings will provide better understanding of the mechanisms that mediate neurogenesis in the adult brain and improved understanding of the physiology of the central nervous system.