Combined effects of chaperones and partially denatured PrPSc on conversion. (A) Conversions obtained with partially denatured PrPSc (4 M urea pretreatment) with buffer alone, or with the indicated chaperones and control proteins (each at 5 μM). Mean values are from three to six independent measurements, with standard errors. (B) SDS/PAGE phosphorimage of representative conversion reactions obtained with untreated PrPSc (0) or PrPSc partially denatured in the presence of increasing urea concentrations (1–5 M), with or without chaperone (Hsp104 or GroEL, 3 μM). Only proteinase K-treated (+PK) samples are shown. (C) SDS/PAGE phosphorimage of representative conversion reactions obtained with Hsp104 (WT or mutant KT218), with or without ATP, and untreated or partially denatured PrPSc (4 M urea pretreatment). Only proteinase K-treated samples (+PK) are shown. (D) SDS/PAGE phosphorimage of representative conversion reactions obtained with partially denatured PrPSc (4 M urea pretreatment), with or without ATP, and with or without GroEL (WT or mutant D87K). Both proteinase K-treated (+PK; Lower) and untreated samples (−PK, one-fifth sample; Upper) are shown.