Phosphatidylethanolamine as a prion cofactor: potential implications for disease pathogenesis.

Mammalian prions with significant levels of specific infectivity can be formed in vitro from mixtures of prion protein (PrP) and cofactor molecules, but not from PrP alone. We recently isolated and identified the essential membrane phospholipid phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) as an endogenous cofactor for prion propagation in vitro. ( 1) In this article, we discuss the potential role of PE and other essential cofactor molecules as a molecular link between the processes of prion formation and prion-induced neurodegeneration.