Sanders-Brown Faculty

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Chongsuk Ryou, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Departmental Affiliation(s):

Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, and Sanders-Brown Center on Aging

In the lab:

Jihyun Yeom, Ph.D.

Research Focus:

Prion and prion diseases. Prions are unconventional pathogens composed of protein termed PrPSc that is devoid of nucleic acids. This pathogen causes a variety of neurodegenerative diseases in humans and animals. Although recent experimental data advance our knowledge about the nature of the agent, a majority of information about the disease such as etiology and transmission mode has not been clearly revealed. My long term research goal is to understand the molecular mechanism of prion pathogenesis. This includes the understanding of molecular events during the conversion of PrPC (cellular PrP with normal physiological function) to PrPSc (disease-associated rogue PrP). During prion pathogenesis, PrPC undergoes a conformational alteration and is switched to PrPSc by the assistance of an auxiliary factor termed protein X. Thus, my research has been focused on the identification of protein X and verification of its role during prion pathogenesis. Currently, I am investigating a candidate molecule (kringle domains of plasminogen and its related proteins) that I identified in my previous studies by testing whether it functionally assists the molecular conversion of prion proteins. Other research projects are investigations on 1) a physiological role of the interaction between PrP and its interacting proteins, 2) gene and/or protein expression changes associated with prion infection and disease progression, and 3) prion diagnostics and therapeutics

Ryou Lab Website

Recent Publications:

Mays CE, Ryou C (2011) Plasminogen: a cellular protein cofactor for PrP^Sc propagation. Prion, 5:22-27. Link

Lee H-J, Maeng K, Dang H-T, Kang G-J, Ryou C, Jung J, Kang H-K, Prchal J, Yoo E-S, Yoon D (2011) Anti-inflammatory effect of methyl dehydro-jasmonate is mediated by the NF-κB pathway. J Mol Med, 89:83-90. Link

Mays CE, Ryou C (2010) Plasminogen stimulates propagation of protease-resistant prion protein in vitro. FASEB J, 24:5102-5112. * Link

*Public press-release for national and international news coverage, Link

Lim Y-b, Mays CE, Kim Y, Titlow W, Ryou C (2010) The inhibition of prions through blocking prion conversion by permanently charged branched polyamines of low cytotoxicity. Biomaterials, 31:2025-2033. Link

Kim Y, Han B, Titlow W, Mays CE, Kwon M, Ryou C (2009) Utility of RNAi-mediated prnp gene silencing in neuroblastoma cells permanently infected by prions: Potentials and limitations. Antiviral Res, 84:185-193 Link

Mays CE, Titlow W, Seward T, Telling GC, Ryou C (2009) Enhancement of protein misfolding cyclic amplification by using concentrated cellular prion protein source. Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 338:306-310. Link

Kim Y, Song J, Mays CE, Titlow W, Yoon D, Ryou C (2009) Changes in gene expression of kringle domain-containing proteins in murine brains and neuroblastoma cells infected by prions. Mol Cell Biochem, 328:177-182. Link

Ryou C, Mays CE (2008) Prion propagation in vitro: are we there yet? Int J Med Sci, 5(6):347-353. Link

Shin W, Lee B, Hong S, Ryou C, Kwon, M (2008)  Cloning and expression of a prion protein (PrP) gene from Korean bovine ( Bos taurus coreanae ) and production of rabbit anti-bovine PrP antibody. Biotechnol Lett, 30:1705-1711. Link

Mays CE, Kang H-E, Kim Y, Shim SH, Bang J-E, Woo H-J, Cho Y-H, Kim J-B, Ryou C (2008) CRBL cells: Establishment, characterization and susceptibility to prion infection. Brain Res, 1208:170-180.  Link

Ryou C (2007) Prions and prion diseases: Fundamentals and mechanistic details. J Microbiol Biotechnol, 17(7): 1059-1070. Link

Yung L, Huang Y, Lessard P, Legname G, Lin ET, Baldwin MA, Prusiner SB, Ryou C, Guglielmo BJ (2004) Pharmacokinetics of quinacrine in the treatment of prion disease. BMC Infect Dis, 4:53. Link

Ryou C, Legname G, Peretz D, Craig JC, Baldwin MA, Prusiner SB (2003) Differential inhibition of prion propagation by enantiomers of quinacrine. Lab Invest, 83(6): 837-843. Link

Ryou C, Prusiner SB, Legname G (2003) Cooperative binding of dominant negative prion proteins to kringle domains. J Mol Biol, 329(2): 323-333. Link

Bosque PJ, Ryou C, Telling G, Peretz D, Legname G, DeArmond S, Prusiner SB (2002) Prions in skeletal muscle. Proc Natl Acad Sci U. S. A., 99(6): 3812-3817. Link

Books and book chapters

Ryou C, Mays CE (2010) Prions, In: Molecular aspects of infectious diseases, Ed. Saleh M, Nova Science Publisher, Hauppauge, NY. ISBN 978-1-61728-690-2

Ryou C (2010) Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, In: Molecular aspects of infectious diseases, Ed. Saleh M, Nova Science Publisher, Hauppauge, NY. ISBN 978-1-61728-690-2

Kwon M, Ryou C (2004) Genetic Engineering: Principles and Practices, Academy Book Publishing Co., Seoul, Korea. ISBN 89-7616-284-6