The HET-s Prion Protein of the Filamentous Fungus Podospora anserina Aggregates in Vitro into Amyloid-like Fibrils

The HET-s protein of Podospora anserina is a fungal prion. This protein behaves as an infectious cytoplasmic element that is transmitted horizontally from one strain to another. Under the prion form, the HET-s protein forms aggregates in vivo. The specificity of this prion model compared with the yeast prions resides in the fact that under the prion form HET-s causes a growth inhibition and cell death reaction when co-expressed with the HET-S protein from which it differs by 13 residues. Herein we describe the purification and initial characterization of recombinant HET-s protein expressed in Escherichia coli. The HET-s protein self-associates over time into high molecular weight aggregates. These aggregates greatly accelerate precipitation of the soluble form. HET-s aggregates appear as amyloid-like fibrils using electron microscopy. They bind Congo Red and show birefringence under polarized light. In the aggregated form, a HET-s fragment of approximately 7 kDa is resistant to proteinase K digestion. CD and FTIR analyses indicate that upon transition to the aggregated state, the HET-s protein undergoes a structural rearrangement characterized by an increase in antiparallel beta-sheet structure content. These results suggest that the [Het-s] prion element propagates in vivo as an infectious amyloid.