Transmissibility of Atypical Scrapie in Ovine Transgenic Mice: Major Effects of Host Prion Protein Expression and Donor Prion Genotype
نویسندگان
چکیده
Atypical scrapie or Nor98 has been identified as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) that is clearly distinguishable from classical scrapie and BSE, notably regarding the biochemical features of the protease-resistant prion protein PrP(res) and the genetic factors involved in susceptibility to the disease. In this study we transmitted the disease from a series of 12 French atypical scrapie isolates in a transgenic mouse model (TgOvPrP4) overexpressing in the brain approximately 0.25, 1.5 or 6x the levels of the PrP(ARQ) ovine prion protein under the control of the neuron-specific enolase promoter. We used an approach based on serum PrP(c) measurements that appeared to reflect the different PrP(c) expression levels in the central nervous system. We found that transmission of atypical scrapie, much more than in classical scrapie or BSE, was strongly influenced by the PrP(c) expression levels of TgOvPrP4 inoculated mice. Whereas TgOvPrP4 mice overexpressing approximately 6x the normal PrP(c) level died after a survival periods of 400 days, those with approximately 1.5x the normal PrP(c) level died at around 700 days. The transmission of atypical scrapie in TgOvPrP4 mouse line was also strongly influenced by the prnp genotypes of the animal source of atypical scrapie. Isolates carrying the AF(141)RQ or AHQ alleles, associated with increased disease susceptibility in the natural host, showed a higher transmissibility in TgOvPrP4 mice. The biochemical analysis of PrP(res) in TgOvPrP4 mouse brains showed a fully conserved pattern, compared to that in the natural host, with three distinct PrP(res) products. Our results throw light on the transmission features of atypical scrapie and suggest that the risk of transmission is intrinsically lower than that of classical scrapie or BSE, especially in relation to the expression level of the prion protein.
منابع مشابه
Cytosolic PrP can participate in prion-mediated toxicity.
Prion diseases are characterized by a conformational change in the normal host protein PrPC. While the majority of mature PrPC is tethered to the plasma membrane by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor, topological variants of this protein can arise during its biosynthesis. Here we have generated Drosophila transgenic for cytosolic ovine PrP in order to investigate its toxic potential in flies...
متن کاملAtypical Scrapie Isolates Involve a Uniform Prion Species with a Complex Molecular Signature
The pathobiology of atypical scrapie, a prion disease affecting sheep and goats, is still poorly understood. In a previous study, we demonstrated that atypical scrapie affecting small ruminants in Switzerland differs in the neuroanatomical distribution of the pathological prion protein (PrP(d)). To investigate whether these differences depend on host-related vs. pathogen-related factors, we tra...
متن کاملGoat K222-PrPC polymorphic variant does not provide resistance to atypical scrapie in transgenic mice
Host prion (PrPC) genotype is a major determinant for the susceptibility to prion diseases. The Q/K222-PrPC polymorphic variant provides goats and mice with high resistance against classical scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE); yet its effect against atypical scrapie is unknown. Here, transgenic mice expressing the goat wild-type (wt) or the K222-PrPC variant were intracerebrally...
متن کاملDistinct Transmissibility Features of TSE Sources Derived from Ruminant Prion Diseases by the Oral Route in a Transgenic Mouse Model (TgOvPrP4) Overexpressing the Ovine Prion Protein
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are a group of fatal neurodegenerative diseases associated with a misfolded form of host-encoded prion protein (PrP). Some of them, such as classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle (BSE), transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME), kuru and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, are acquired by the oral route exposure to infected t...
متن کاملCharacterization of atypical scrapie cases from Great Britain in transgenic ovine PrP mice.
Twenty-four atypical scrapie cases from sheep with different prion protein genotypes from Great Britain were transmitted to transgenic tg338 and/or TgshpXI mice expressing sheep PrP alleles, but failed to transmit to wild-type mice. Mean incubation periods were 200-300 days in tg338 mice and 300-500 days in TgshpXI mice. Survival times in C57BL/6 and VM/Dk mice were >700 days. Western blot anal...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
عنوان ژورنال:
دوره 4 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2009