Physiology of Cellular Prion Proteins in Reproduction

Cellular prion protein (PrP ) encoded at gene is well-known to form a misfolded isoform, termed scrapie PrP (PrP ) that cause transmissible degenerative diseases in central nervous system. The physiological role of PrP has been proposed by many studies, showing that PrP interacts with various intracellular, membrane, and extracellular molecules including mitochondrial inner membrane as a scaffold. PrP is expressed in most cell types including reproductive organs. Numerous studies using PrP knockout rodent models found no obvious phenotypic changes, in particular the clear phenotypes in development and reproduction have not demonstrated in these knockout models. However, various roles of PrP have been evaluated at the cellular levels. In this review, we summarized the known roles of PrP in various cell types and tissues with a special emphasis on those involved in reproduction.