Prion protein lacks robust cytoprotective activity in cultured cells

Abstract

Taken together, our results suggest either that cytoprotection is not a physiologically relevant activity of PrPC, or that PrPC-dependent protective pathways operative in vivo are not adequately modeled by these cell culture systems. We suggest that cell systems capable of mimicking the neurotoxic effects produced in transgenic mice by N-terminally deleted forms of PrP or Doppel may represent more useful tools for analyzing the cytoprotective function of PrPC.