Objectives: Involvement of the outer membrane protein C (OmpC) of Escherichia coli in neurodegeneration was investigated using a mouse model.
Results: OmpC formed protease-resistant fibres that exhibited the diagnostic features of an amyloid. The spectral shift in the Congo Red and the thioflavin T assays produced features similar to neurotoxic peptides. Intramuscular administration of OmpC in mice resulted in spongiform neurodegeneration of the brain through calcium-dependent apoptosis and also showed upregulation of apoptosis related genes. Immunolocalization of OmpC in brain demonstrated the direct involvement of the porin in neurodegeneration and formation of spongiform encephalopathy.
Conclusion: We have demonstrated the ability of OmpC of E. coli to induce neurodegeneration in mice.
Keywords: Amyloids; Apoptosis; Bacterial porin; E. coli; Neurodegeneration; OmpC; Proteinase k-resistance; Spongiform encephalopathy.