Truncated forms of the human prion protein in normal brain and in prion diseases

The cellular form of the prion protein (PrP(c)) is a glycoprotein anchored to the cell membrane by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol moiety. An aberrant form of PrP(c) that is partially resistant to proteases, PrP(res), is a hallmark of prion diseases, which in humans include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker syndrome, and fatal familial insomnia. We have characterized the major forms of PrP in normal and pathological human brains. A COOH-terminal fragment of PrP(c), designated C1, is abundant in normal and CJD brains as well as in human neuroblastoma cells. Sequence analysis revealed that C1 contains alternative NH₂ termini starting at His- 111 or Met-112. Like PrP(c) C1 is glycosylated, anchored to the cell membrane, and is heat-stable. Consistent with the lack of the NH₂-terminal region of PrP(c), C1 is more acidic than PrP(c) and does not bind heparin. An additional fragment longer than C1, designated C2, is present in substantial amounts in CJD brains. Like PrP(res), C2 is resistant to proteases and is detergent-insoluble. Our data indicate that C1 is a major product of normal PrP(c) metabolism, generated by a cleavage that disrupts the neurotoxic and amyloidogenic region of PrP comprising residues 106-126. This region remains intact in C2, suggesting a role for C2 in prion diseases.