Pathology

Man-Sun Sy, Ph.D.

Professor

Mailing Address:
2103 Cornell Rd.
WRB 5131
Cleveland, OH 44106-7288

phone: (216) 368-1268
fax: (216) 368-0494
email: Man-Sun.Sy@Case.edu

Biography
Dr. Man-Sun Sy received his B.A. from the University of Colorado in 1973, continuing on to earn an M.A. and Ph.D. as well. From 1979 until 1992, he spent time in Harvard Medical School’s Department of Pathology as first an Instructor, Assistant Professor, and finally Associate Professor. Presently, Dr. Sy is a Professor of Pathology and of Medical and Neurosciences at Case’s School of Medicine.

Research
The laboratory focuses on basic, clinical and translational researches on prion diseases:

    1. Identify the ligands and characterize the functions of the normal cellular prion protein.
    2. Investigate the mechanisms of spreading, and pathogenesis of prion diseases in animals and in humans.
    3. Develop diagnostic tests for prion diseases in animals and humans.


Publications
Biology of normal cellular prion, PrP C
Li, R., T. Liu., et. al.,(2003). On the same cell type GPI- anchored normal cellular prion and DAF protein exhibit different biological properties. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Com. 303/2: 446-451.

Cui, T., Daniels, M., Wong, B. S., Li, R., Sy, M. S., Sasson J., and Brown, D. R. (2003). Mapping the functional domain of the prion protein. Eur. J. Biochem. 270,3368-3370.

Wang, X., F. Wang., M.S. Sy., and Ma, J., (2004). Calpain and other cytosolic proteases can contribute to the degradation of retro-translocated prion protein in the cytosol. J. Biol. Chem. 280:317.

Yu, S.L., Jin, L, et.al., (2004). Polymorphisms of the Prnp gene in Chinese populations and the identification of a novel insertion mutation. Eur. J. Human Genetics 12:867.

Pathogenic mechanisms of prion diseases
Cardinale, A., Filesi, I., Vetrugno, V., Pocchiari, M., Sy, M.S., and Biocca, S., (2005). Trapping the prion protein in the endoplasmic reticulum impairs PrP maturation and prevents scrapie-replication, J. Biol. Chem. 280:685

Pan, T., Li, R., Kang, S.C., Pastore. M., Wong, B. S., Ironside, J., Gambetti, P., and Sy, M. S., (2005). Biochemical fingerprints of prion diseases: Two-dimensional immunoblot of scrapie protein in human prion diseases that share prion genotype and type. J. of Neurochem. 92:132.

Pan, T., Wong, P., Chang, B., Li, C., Li, R., Kang, S.C., Wisniewski, T., and Sy, M. S., (2005). Biochemical fingerprints of prion infection: Accumulations of aberrant full-length and N-terminally truncated PrP species are common features in mouse prion disease. J. Virol. 79:934.

Pan, T., Li, R., Kang, S. C., Wang, B.S., Ironside, J., and Sy, M. S., (2005). Prion proteins in sporadic and variant cases of CJD have distinct N-linked glycans. J. Clin. Micro. 43:1118-1126.

Translational Research: Prion diagnosis and Treatment
Barnard G, and Sy, M. S., (2003). The diagnosis of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies using differential extraction and DELFIA Ò . In: Nunnally B, Krull I (eds.) Prions and Mad Cow Disease. New York: Marcel Dekker, pp. 277-315.

Pan, T., Li, R., Kang, S. C., Wang, B.S., Wisniewski, T., and Sy, M. S., (2004). Epitope scanning reveals gain and loss of strain specific antibody binding epitopes associated with the conversion of normal cellular prion to scrapie prion. J. of Neurochem. 90:1507-13.

Pan, T., Chang, B., Wong, P., et.al., (2005). An aggregation specific ELISA: Detection of conformational differences between recombinant PrP protein dimers and PrP Sc aggregates. J. Virology. 79:12355-12364.

Fernando G., Knudsen, E., et al., (2005). Mucosal vaccination delays or prevents prion infection via an oral route. Neuroscience. 133:413-421.