Prion-induced neurotoxicity: Possible role for cell cycle activity and DNA damage response

Figure 3 Hypothetical model for prion-induced neurodegeneration. The conversion of PrPC into PrPSc is an essential requirement for the neurotoxicity that occurs during prion disease. Neurodegeneration in post mitotic neurons, stressed by prion replication, may arise through various cellular events including aberrant cell cycle re-entry and sustained inhibition of protein synthesis. These two processes may operate in parallel or may potentially represent temporally linked events. In both cases, aberrant cell cycle re-entry may contribute to the effect of sustained inhibition of protein synthesis evident in prion-induced neurotoxicity.