Abstract

Despite considerable efforts to unravel the role of cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) in neuronal functions, the mechanisms by which PrP(C) takes part in the homeostasis of a defined neuronal phenotype remain poorly characterized. By taking advantage of a neuroectodermal cell line (1C11) endowed with the capacity to differentiate into serotonergic (1C11(5-HT)) or noradrenergic (1C11(NE)) neurons, we assessed the contribution of PrP(C) to bioaminergic cell functions. We established that in 1C11-derived neuronal cells antibody-mediated PrP(C) ligation triggered tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha release, through recruitment of the metalloproteinase TNF-alpha converting enzyme (TACE). TNF-alpha shed in response to PrP(C) acts as a second message signal, eliciting serotonin (5-HT) or norepinephrine (NE) degradation in 1C11(5-HT) or 1C11(NE) cells, respectively. Our data thus introduced TNF-alpha as a PrP(C)-dependent modulator of neuronal metabolism. Of note, we previously reported on a control of neurotransmitter catabolism by 5-HT(2B) or alpha(1D) autoreceptors in 1C11 bioaminergic neurons, via the same TACE/TNF-alpha pathway (Ann. N Y Acad. Sci. 1091, 123). Here, we show that combined stimulation of PrP(C) and these two bioaminergic receptors add their effects on neurotransmitter degradation. Overall, these observations unveil a novel contribution of PrP(C) to the control of neuronal functions and may have implications regarding dysfunction of the bioaminergic systems in prion diseases.

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