Regulation of intrinsic prion protein by growth factors and tnf-α: the role of intracellular reactive oxygen species

Function and regulation of the intrinsic prion protein (PrPc) are largely unknown. In the present study the regulation of PrPc expression by growth factors and cytokines that increase intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels was studied in glioma and neuroblastoma cells grown as multicellular tumor spheroids. PrPc protein was significantly increased when glioma spheroids were treated with either ATP, nerve growth factor (NGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), or tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), whereas mRNA levels as evaluated by Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) remained unchanged. ATP, NGF, EGF, and TNF-α raised intracellular ROS levels as evaluated using the redox-sensitive fluorescence dye 2′7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (H2DCFDA). The observed elevation in PrPc was completely abolished in the presence of the free radical scavengers vitamin E and ebselen, as well as following pretreatment with the NADPH-oxidase inhibitor diphenylen iodonium chloride (DPI), indicating that PrPc levels are regulated by intracellular ROS. The correlation of PrPc expression to the intracellular ROS levels was investigated by the use of neuroblastoma cells overexpressing either mutant V210I PrP, or wild-type PrPc. It was observed that the intracellular redox state was significantly reduced in PrPc as well as V210I PrP overexpressing cells as compared to non-transfected cells. Consequently, the observed elevation of ROS following treatment with ATP was completely abolished in PrP overexpressing cells. Our data are in line with the assumption that PrPc plays a role as free radical scavenger and/or sensor molecule for oxidative stress.