Studies using low-resolution fiber diffraction, electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy on various amyloid fibrils indicate that the misfolded conformers must be modular, compact, and adopt a cross-beta structure. In an earlier study, we used electron crystallography to delineate molecular models of the N-terminally truncated, disease-causing isoform (PrPSc) of the prion protein, designated PrP 27-30, which polymerizes into amyloid fibrils, but we were unable to choose between a trimeric or hexameric arrangement of right- or left-handed beta-helical models. From a study of 119 all-beta folds observed in globular proteins, we have now determined that, if PrPsc follows a known protein fold, it adopts either a beta-sandwich or parallel beta-helical architecture. With increasing evidence arguing for a parallel beta-sheet organization in amyloids, we contend that the sequence of PrP is compatible with a parallel left-handed beta-helical fold. Left-handed beta-helices readily form trimers, providing a natural template for a trimeric model of PrPSc. This trimeric model accommodates the PrP sequence from residues 89-175 in a beta-helical conformation with the C terminus (residues 176-227), retaining the disulfide-linked alpha-helical conformation observed in the normal cellular isoform. In addition, the proposed model matches the structural constraints of the PrP 27-30 crystals, positioning residues 141-176 and the N-linked sugars appropriately. Our parallel left-handed beta-helical model provides a coherent framework that is consistent with many structural, biochemical, immunological, and propagation features of prions. Moreover, the parallel left-handed beta-helical model for PrPSc may provide important clues to the structure of filaments found in some other neurodegenerative diseases.

Apolipoprotein (apo) E4 is a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, and many studies have suggested that apoE has isoform-specific effects on the deposition or clearance of amyloid beta (A beta) peptides. We examined the effects of apoE isoforms on the processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and on A beta production in rat neuroblastoma B103 cells stably transfected with human wild-type APP695 (B103-APP). Lipid-poor apoE4 increased A beta production in B103-APP cells to a greater extent than lipid-poor apoE3 (60% vs. 30%) due to more pronounced stimulation of APP recycling by apoE4 than apoE3. The difference in A beta production was abolished by preincubating the cells with the receptor-associated protein (25 nM), which blocks the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) pathway, or by reducing LRP expression by small interference RNA. The differences were also attenuated by replacing Arg-61 with threonine in apoE4 or pretreating apoE4 with small molecules, both of which abolish apoE4 intramolecular domain interaction. Thus, apoE4 appears to modulate APP processing and A beta production through both the LRP pathway and domain interaction. These findings provide insights into why apoE4 is associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and may represent a potential target for drug development.