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Wang Z, Qin K, Camacho MV, Cali I, Yuan J, Shen P, Greenlee J, Kong Q, Mastrianni JA, Zou WQ. Generation of human chronic wasting disease in transgenic mice. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2021; 9:158. [PMID: 34565488 PMCID: PMC8474769 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-021-01262-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a cervid prion disease caused by the accumulation of an infectious misfolded conformer (PrPSc) of cellular prion protein (PrPC). It has been spreading rapidly in North America and also found in Asia and Europe. Although bovine spongiform encephalopathy (i.e. mad cow disease) is the only animal prion disease known to be zoonotic, the transmissibility of CWD to humans remains uncertain. Here we report the generation of the first CWD-derived infectious human PrPSc by elk CWD PrPSc-seeded conversion of PrPC in normal human brain homogenates using in vitro protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA). Western blotting with human PrP selective antibody confirmed that the PMCA-generated protease-resistant PrPSc was derived from the human PrPC substrate. Two lines of humanized transgenic mice expressing human PrP with either Val or Met at the polymorphic codon 129 developed clinical prion disease following intracerebral inoculation with the PMCA-generated CWD-derived human PrPSc. Diseased mice exhibited distinct PrPSc patterns and neuropathological changes in the brain. Our study, using PMCA and animal bioassays, provides the first evidence that CWD PrPSc can cross the species barrier to convert human PrPC into infectious PrPSc that can produce bona fide prion disease when inoculated into humanized transgenic mice.
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Kondru N, Manne S, Kokemuller R, Greenlee J, Greenlee MHW, Nichols T, Kong Q, Anantharam V, Kanthasamy A, Halbur P, Kanthasamy AG. An Ex Vivo Brain Slice Culture Model of Chronic Wasting Disease: Implications for Disease Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Development. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7640. [PMID: 32376941 PMCID: PMC7203233 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64456-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a rapidly spreading prion disease of cervids, yet antemortem diagnosis, treatment, and control remain elusive. We recently developed an organotypic slice culture assay for sensitive detection of scrapie prions using ultrasensitive prion seeding. However, this model was not established for CWD prions due to their strong transmission barrier from deer (Odocoileus spp) to standard laboratory mice (Mus musculus). Therefore, we developed and characterized the ex vivo brain slice culture model for CWD, using a transgenic mouse model (Tg12) that expresses the elk (Cervus canadensis) prion protein gene (PRNP). We tested for CWD infectivity in cultured slices using sensitive seeding assays such as real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) and protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA). Slice cultures from Tg12, but not from prnp-/- mice, tested positive for CWD. Slice-generated CWD prions transmitted efficiently to Tg12 mice. Furthermore, we determined the activity of anti-prion compounds and optimized a screening protocol for the infectivity of biological samples in this CWD slice culture model. Our results demonstrate that this integrated brain slice model of CWD enables the study of pathogenic mechanisms with translational implications for controlling CWD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naveen Kondru
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Sireesha Manne
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Robyn Kokemuller
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Justin Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, USA
| | - M Heather West Greenlee
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Tracy Nichols
- Surveillance, Preparedness and Response Services, Veterinary Services, United States Department of Agriculture, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Qingzhong Kong
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Vellareddy Anantharam
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Arthi Kanthasamy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Patrick Halbur
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
- Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Anumantha G Kanthasamy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.
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Sikorska B, Gajos A, Bogucki A, Zielonka E, Sigurdson C, Liberski PP. Electron microscopic and confocal laser microscopy analysis of amyloid plaques in chronic wasting disease transmitted to transgenic mice. Prion 2019; 11:431-439. [PMID: 29105545 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2017.1384109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We report here on the ultrastructure of amyloid plaques in chronic wasting disease (CWD) transmitted to Tg20 transgenic mice overexpressing prion protein (PrPc). We identified three main types of amyloid deposits in mCWD: large amyloid deposits, unicentric plaques similar to kuru plaques in human prion diseases and multicentric plaques reminiscent of plaques typical of GSS. The most unique type of plaques were large subpial amyloid deposits. They were composed of large areas of amyloid fibrils but did not form "star-like" appearances of unicentric plaques. All types of plaques were totally devoid of dystrophic neuritic elements. However, numerous microglial cells invaded them. The plaques observed by confocal laser microscope were of the same types as those analyzed by electron microscopy. Neuronal processes surrounding the plaques did not show typical features of neuroaxonal dystrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beata Sikorska
- a Department of Molecular Pathology and Neuropathology , Medical University of Lodz , Kosciuszki 4 st, Lodz , Poland
| | - Agata Gajos
- b Department of Extrapyramidal Diseases , Medical University of Lodz , Kosciuszki 4 st, Lodz , Poland
| | - Andrzej Bogucki
- b Department of Extrapyramidal Diseases , Medical University of Lodz , Kosciuszki 4 st, Lodz , Poland
| | - Emil Zielonka
- a Department of Molecular Pathology and Neuropathology , Medical University of Lodz , Kosciuszki 4 st, Lodz , Poland
| | - Christina Sigurdson
- c Center for Veterinary Sciences and Comparative Medicine , University of California , San Diego , United States of America
| | - Pawel P Liberski
- a Department of Molecular Pathology and Neuropathology , Medical University of Lodz , Kosciuszki 4 st, Lodz , Poland
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Moreno JA, Telling GC. Molecular Mechanisms of Chronic Wasting Disease Prion Propagation. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2018; 8:cshperspect.a024448. [PMID: 28193766 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a024448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Prion disease epidemics, which have been unpredictable recurrences, are of significant concern for animal and human health. Examples include kuru, once the leading cause of death among the Fore people in Papua New Guinea and caused by mortuary feasting; bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and its subsequent transmission to humans in the form of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), and repeated examples of large-scale prion disease epidemics in animals caused by contaminated vaccines. The etiology of chronic wasting disease (CWD), a relatively new and burgeoning prion epidemic in deer, elk, and moose (members of the cervid family), is more enigmatic. The disease was first described in captive and later in wild mule deer and subsequently in free-ranging as well as captive Rocky Mountain elk, white-tailed deer, and most recently moose. It is therefore the only recognized prion disorder of both wild and captive animals. In addition to its expanding range of hosts, CWD continues to spread to new geographical areas, including recent cases in Norway. The unparalleled efficiency of the contagious transmission of the disease combined with high densities of deer in certain areas of North America complicates strategies for controlling CWD and raises concerns about its potential spread to new species. Because there is a high prevalence of CWD in deer and elk, which are commonly hunted and consumed by humans, the possibility of zoonotic transmission is particularly concerning. Here, we review the current status of naturally occurring CWD and describe advances in our understanding of its molecular pathogenesis, as shown by studies of CWD prions in novel in vivo and in vitro systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A Moreno
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80525
| | - Glenn C Telling
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80525
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Mathiason CK. Scrapie, CWD, and Transmissible Mink Encephalopathy. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2017; 150:267-292. [PMID: 28838664 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2017.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), or prions, are neurodegenerative diseases that affect a variety of animal species, including humans. Cruetzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans, sheep and goat scrapie, chronic wasting disease (CWD) of cervids, and transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) of mink are classified as TSEs. According to the "protein-only" hypothesis (Prusiner, 1982),1 prions are devoid of nucleic acids and consist of assemblies of misfolded host-encoded normal protein, the prion protein (PrPC). Prion propagation is thought to occur by a templating mechanism during which PrPC is recruited, converted to a disease-associated isoform (PrPD), and assembled onto the growing amyloid fibril. This fibular assembly is infectious, with ability to initiate disease processes similar to other pathogenic agents. Evidence indicates that scrapie, CWD, and TME disease processes follow this rule.
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Race B, Jeffrey M, McGovern G, Dorward D, Chesebro B. Ultrastructure and pathology of prion protein amyloid accumulation and cellular damage in extraneural tissues of scrapie-infected transgenic mice expressing anchorless prion protein. Prion 2017; 11:234-248. [PMID: 28759310 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2017.1336274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In most human and animal prion diseases the abnormal disease-associated prion protein (PrPSc) is deposited as non-amyloid aggregates in CNS, spleen and lymphoid organs. In contrast, in humans and transgenic mice with PrP mutations which cause expression of PrP lacking a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor, most PrPSc is in the amyloid form. In transgenic mice expressing only anchorless PrP (tg anchorless), PrPSc is deposited not only in CNS and lymphoid tissues, but also in extraneural tissues including heart, brown fat, white fat, and colon. In the present paper, we report ultrastructural studies of amyloid PrPSc deposition in extraneural tissues of scrapie-infected tg anchorless mice. Amyloid PrPSc fibrils identified by immunogold-labeling were visible at high magnification in interstitial regions and around blood vessels of heart, brown fat, white fat, colon, and lymphoid tissues. PrPSc amyloid was located on and outside the plasma membranes of adipocytes in brown fat and cardiomyocytes, and appeared to invaginate and disrupt the plasma membranes of these cell types, suggesting cellular damage. In contrast, no cellular damage was apparent near PrPSc associated with macrophages in lymphoid tissues and colon, with enteric neuronal ganglion cells in colon or with adipocytes in white fat. PrPSc localized in macrophage phagolysosomes lacked discernable fibrils and might be undergoing degradation. Furthermore, in contrast to wild-type mice expressing GPI-anchored PrP, in lymphoid tissues of tg anchorless mice, PrPSc was not associated with follicular dendritic cells (FDC), and FDC did not display typical prion-associated pathogenic changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent Race
- a Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories , National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , Hamilton , MT , USA
| | - Martin Jeffrey
- b Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Lasswade Laboratory , Bush Loan , Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland , UK
| | - Gillian McGovern
- b Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Lasswade Laboratory , Bush Loan , Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland , UK
| | - David Dorward
- c Electron Microscopy Section, Research Technology Branch, Rocky Mountain Laboratories , National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , Hamilton , MT , USA
| | - Bruce Chesebro
- a Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories , National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , Hamilton , MT , USA
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Ricci A, Allende A, Bolton D, Chemaly M, Davies R, Fernández Escámez PS, Gironés R, Herman L, Koutsoumanis K, Lindqvist R, Nørrung B, Robertson L, Sanaa M, Skandamis P, Snary E, Speybroeck N, Ter Kuile B, Threlfall J, Wahlström H, Benestad S, Gavier-Widen D, Miller MW, Ru G, Telling GC, Tryland M, Ortiz Pelaez A, Simmons M. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids. EFSA J 2017; 15:e04667. [PMID: 32625260 PMCID: PMC7010154 DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2017.4667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In April and May of 2016, Norway confirmed two cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a wild reindeer and a wild moose, respectively. In the light of this emerging issue, the European Commission requested EFSA to recommend surveillance activities and, if necessary, additional animal health risk-based measures to prevent the introduction of the disease and the spread into/within the EU, specifically Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland and Sweden, and considering seven wild, semidomesticated and farmed cervid species (Eurasian tundra reindeer, Finnish (Eurasian) forest reindeer, moose, roe deer, white-tailed deer, red deer and fallow deer). It was also asked to assess any new evidence on possible public health risks related to CWD. A 3-year surveillance system is proposed, differing for farmed and wild or semidomesticated cervids, with a two-stage sampling programme at the farm/geographically based population unit level (random sampling) and individual level (convenience sampling targeting high-risk animals). The current derogations of Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2016/1918 present a risk of introduction of CWD into the EU. Measures to prevent the spread of CWD within the EU are dependent upon the assumption that the disease is already present; this is currently unknown. The measures listed are intended to contain (limit the geographic extent of a focus) and/or to control (actively stabilise/reduce infection rates in an affected herd or population) the disease where it occurs. With regard to the zoonotic potential, the human species barrier for CWD prions does not appear to be absolute. These prions are present in the skeletal muscle and other edible tissues, so humans may consume infected material in enzootic areas. Epidemiological investigations carried out to date make no association between the occurrence of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans and exposure to CWD prions.
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Hamir AN, Miller JM, Cutlip RC, Kunkle RA, Jenny AL, Stack MJ, Chaplin MJ, Richt JA. Transmission of Sheep Scrapie to Elk (Cervus Elaphus Nelsoni) by Intracerebral Inoculation: Final Outcome of the Experiment. J Vet Diagn Invest 2016; 16:316-21. [PMID: 15305743 DOI: 10.1177/104063870401600410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
This is a final report of an experimental transmission of sheep scrapie agent by intracerebral inoculation to Rocky Mountain elk ( Cervus elaphus nelsoni). It documents results obtained in experimental ( n = 6) and control ( n = 2) elk. During the first 2 years postinoculation (PI), 3 animals died or were euthanized because of infection or injuries other than spongiform encephalopathy (SE). In years 3 and 4 PI, 3 other inoculated elk died after brief terminal neurological episodes. Necropsy of these animals revealed moderate weight loss but no other gross lesions. Microscopically, characteristic lesions of SE were seen throughout the brain and spinal cord, and the tissue was positive for proteinase K-resistant prion protein (PrPres) by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and by Western blot. Scrapie-associated fibrils (SAF) were observed by negative-stain electron microscopy in the brain of elk with neurologic signs. PrPres and SAF were not detected in the 3 inoculated elk necropsied during the first 2 years or in the 2 control animals. Retrospective analysis of the gene-encoding cervid PrP revealed a polymorphism at codon 132. The elk with SE were either homozygous (MM) or heterozygous (LM). These findings confirm that intracerebral inoculation of sheep scrapie agent results in SE with accumulations of PrPres in the central nervous system of elk. Based on morphologic and IHC findings, the experimentally induced SE cannot be distinguished from chronic wasting disease of elk with currently available diagnostic techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir N Hamir
- National Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA, Ames, IA 50010, USA
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Milisav I, Šuput D, Ribarič S. Unfolded Protein Response and Macroautophagy in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Prion Diseases. Molecules 2015; 20:22718-56. [PMID: 26694349 PMCID: PMC6332363 DOI: 10.3390/molecules201219865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Revised: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteostasis are integrated biological pathways within cells that control synthesis, folding, trafficking and degradation of proteins. The absence of cell division makes brain proteostasis susceptible to age-related changes and neurodegeneration. Two key processes involved in sustaining normal brain proteostasis are the unfolded protein response and autophagy. Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD) and prion diseases (PrDs) have different clinical manifestations of neurodegeneration, however, all share an accumulation of misfolded pathological proteins associated with perturbations in unfolded protein response and macroautophagy. While both the unfolded protein response and macroautophagy play an important role in the prevention and attenuation of AD and PD progression, only macroautophagy seems to play an important role in the development of PrDs. Macroautophagy and unfolded protein response can be modulated by pharmacological interventions. However, further research is necessary to better understand the regulatory pathways of both processes in health and neurodegeneration to be able to develop new therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Milisav
- Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Zaloška 4, Ljubljana SI-1000, Slovenia.
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Zdravstvena pot 5, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija.
| | - Dušan Šuput
- Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Zaloška 4, Ljubljana SI-1000, Slovenia.
| | - Samo Ribarič
- Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Zaloška 4, Ljubljana SI-1000, Slovenia.
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Carare RO, Hawkes CA, Jeffrey M, Kalaria RN, Weller RO. Review: Cerebral amyloid angiopathy, prion angiopathy, CADASIL and the spectrum of protein elimination failure angiopathies (PEFA) in neurodegenerative disease with a focus on therapy. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2013; 39:593-611. [DOI: 10.1111/nan.12042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 159] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2013] [Accepted: 03/07/2013] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- R. O. Carare
- Clinical Neurosciences and Experimental Sciences; Faculty of Medicine; University of Southampton; Southampton; UK
| | - C. A. Hawkes
- Clinical Neurosciences and Experimental Sciences; Faculty of Medicine; University of Southampton; Southampton; UK
| | - M. Jeffrey
- Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA); Bush Loan Penicuik; Edinburgh; UK
| | - R. N. Kalaria
- Centre for Brain Ageing & Vitality; Institute for Ageing and Health; Newcastle University; Newcastle Upon Tyne; UK
| | - R. O. Weller
- Clinical Neurosciences and Experimental Sciences; Faculty of Medicine; University of Southampton; Southampton; UK
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Zhang Z, Wang R, Xu L, Yuan F, Zhou X, Yang L, Yin X, Xu B, Zhao D. Molecular cloning and sequence analysis of prion protein gene in Xiji donkey in China. Gene 2013; 529:345-50. [PMID: 23954254 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2013.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2013] [Revised: 07/22/2013] [Accepted: 08/03/2013] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Prion diseases are a group of human and animal neurodegenerative disorders caused by the deposition of an abnormal isoform prion protein (PrP(Sc)) encoded by a single copy prion protein gene (PRNP). Prion disease has been reported in many herbivores but not in Equus and the species barrier might be playing a role in resistance of these species to the disease. Therefore, analysis of genotype of prion protein (PrP) in these species may help understand the transmission of the disease. Xiji donkey is a rare species of Equus not widely reared in Ningxia, China, for service, food and medicine, but its PRNP has not been studied. Based on the reported PrP sequence in GenBank we designed primers and amplified, cloned and sequenced the PRNP of Xiji donkey. The sequence analysis showed that the Xiji donkey PRNP was consisted of an open reading frame of 768 nucleotides encoding 256 amino acids. Amino acid residues unique to donkey as compared with some Equus animals, mink, cow, sheep, human, dog, sika deer, rabbit and hamster were identified. The results showed that the amino acid sequence of Xiji donkey PrP starts with the consensus sequence MVKSH, with almost identical amino acid sequence to the PrP of other Equus species in this study. Amino acid sequence analysis showed high identity within species and close relation to the PRNP of sika deer, sheep, dog, camel, cow, mink, rabbit and hamster with 83.1-99.7% identity. The results provided the PRNP data for an additional Equus species, which should be useful to the study of the prion disease pathogenesis, resistance and cross species transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuming Zhang
- State Key Laboratories for Agrobiotechnology, National Animal Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; College of Agriculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
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Yao H, Zhao D, Khan SH, Yang L. Role of autophagy in prion protein-induced neurodegenerative diseases. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) 2013; 45:494-502. [PMID: 23459558 DOI: 10.1093/abbs/gmt022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases, characterized by spongiform degeneration and the accumulation of misfolded and aggregated PrP(Sc) in the central nervous system, are one of fatal neurodegenerative and infectious disorders of humans and animals. In earlier studies, autophagy vacuoles in neurons were frequently observed in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases as well as prion diseases. Autophagy is a highly conserved homeostatic process by which several cytoplasmic components (proteins or organelles) are sequestered in a double-membrane-bound vesicle termed 'autophagosome' and degraded upon their fusion with lysosome. The pathway of intercellular self-digestion at basal physiological levels is indispensable for maintaining the healthy status of tissues and organs. In case of prion infection, increasing evidence indicates that autophagy has a crucial ability of eliminating pathological PrP(Sc) accumulated within neurons. In contrast, autophagy dysfunction in affected neurons may contribute to the formation of spongiform changes. In this review, we summarized recent findings about the effect of mammalian autophagy in neurodegenerative disorders, particularly in prion diseases. We also summarized the therapeutic potential of some small molecules (such as lithium, rapamycin, Sirtuin 1 and resveratrol) targets to mitigate such diseases on brain function. Furthermore, we discussed the controversial role of autophagy, whether it mediates neuronal toxicity or serves a protective function in neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Yao
- State Key Laboratories for Agrobiotechnology, Key Lab of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonosis, Ministry of Agriculture, National Animal Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
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Wisniewski T, Goñi F. Could immunomodulation be used to prevent prion diseases? Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther 2012; 10:307-17. [PMID: 22397565 DOI: 10.1586/eri.11.177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
All prion diseases are currently without effective treatment and are universally fatal. The underlying pathogenesis of prion diseases (prionoses) is related to an autocatalytic conformational conversion of PrP(C) (C for cellular) to a pathological and infectious conformer known as PrP(Sc) (Sc for scrapie) or PrP(Res) (Res for proteinase K resistant). The past experience with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which originated from bovine spongiform encephalopathy, as well as the ongoing epidemic of chronic wasting disease has highlighted the necessity for effective prophylactic and/or therapeutic approaches. Human prionoses are most commonly sporadic, and hence therapy is primarily directed to stop progression; however, in animals the majority of prionoses are infectious and, as a result, the emphasis is on prevention of transmission. These infectious prionoses are most commonly acquired via the alimentary tract as a major portal of infectious agent entry, making mucosal immunization a potentially attractive method to produce a local immune response that can partially or completely prevent prion entry across the gut barrier, while at the same time producing a modulated systemic immunity that is unlikely to be associated with toxicity. A critical factor in any immunomodulatory methodology that targets a self-antigen is the need to delicately balance an effective humoral immune response with potential autoimmune inflammatory toxicity. The ongoing epidemic of chronic wasting disease affecting the USA and Korea, with the potential to spread to human populations, highlights the need for such immunomodulatory approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Wisniewski
- New York University School of Medicine, 560 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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Wisniewski T, Goñi F. Immunomodulation for prion and prion-related diseases. Expert Rev Vaccines 2011; 9:1441-52. [PMID: 21105779 DOI: 10.1586/erv.10.131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Prion diseases are a unique category of illness, affecting both animals and humans, where the underlying pathogenesis is related to a conformational change of a normal self protein called cellular prion protein to a pathological and infectious conformer known as scrapie prion protein (PrP(Sc)). Currently, all prion diseases lack effective treatment and are universally fatal. Past experiences with bovine spongiform encephalopathy and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease mainly in Europe, as well as the current epidemic of chronic wasting disease in North America, have highlighted the need to develop prophylactic and/or therapeutic approaches. In Alzheimer's disease that, like prion disease, is a conformational neurodegenerative disorder, both passive and active immunization has been shown to be highly effective in model animals at preventing disease and cognitive deficits, with emerging data from human trials suggesting that this approach is able to reduce amyloid-related pathology. However, any immunomodulatory approach aimed at a self-antigen has to finely balance an effective humoral immune response with potential autoimmune toxicity. The prion diseases most commonly acquired by infection typically have the alimentary tract as a portal of infectious agent entry. This makes mucosal immunization a potentially attractive method to produce a local immune response that partially or completely prevents prion entry across the gut barrier, while at the same time producing modulated systemic immunity that is unlikely to be associated with toxicity. Our results using an attenuated Salmonella vaccine strain expressing the prion protein showed that mucosal vaccination can protect against prion infection from a peripheral source, suggesting the feasibility of this approach. It is also possible to develop active and/or passive immunomodulatory approaches that more specifically target PrP(Sc) or target the shared pathological conformer found in numerous conformational disorders. Such approaches could have a significant impact on many of the common age-associated dementias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Wisniewski
- Department of Psychiatry, Millhauser Laboratories, Room HN419, New York University School of Medicine, 560 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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15
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Joint Scientific Opinion on any possible epidemiological or molecular association between TSEs in animals and humans. EFSA J 2011. [DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2011.1945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
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16
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Gilch S, Chitoor N, Taguchi Y, Stuart M, Jewell JE, Schätzl HM. Chronic wasting disease. Top Curr Chem (Cham) 2011; 305:51-77. [PMID: 21598099 DOI: 10.1007/128_2011_159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease of free-ranging and farmed ungulates (deer, elk, and moose) in North America and South Korea. First described by the late E.S. Williams and colleagues in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming in the 1970s, CWD has increased tremendously both in numerical and geographical distribution, reaching prevalence rates as high as 50% in free-ranging and >90% in captive deer herds in certain areas of USA and Canada. CWD is certainly the most contagious prion infection, with significant horizontal transmission of infectious prions by, e.g., urine, feces, and saliva. Dissemination and persistence of infectivity in the environment combined with the appearance in wild-living and migrating animals make CWD presently uncontrollable, and pose extreme challenges to wild-life disease management. Whereas CWD is extremely transmissible among cervids, its trans-species transmission seems to be restricted, although the possible involvement of rodent and carnivore species in environmental transmission has not been fully evaluated. Whether or not CWD has zoonotic potential as had Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) has yet to be answered. Of note, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) was only detected because clinical presentation and age of patients were significantly different from classical CJD. Along with further understanding of the molecular biology and pathology of CWD, its transmissibility and species restrictions and development of methods for preclinical diagnosis and intervention will be crucial for effective containment of this highly contagious prion disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Gilch
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82070, USA
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17
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Jeffrey M, McGovern G, Sisó S, González L. Cellular and sub-cellular pathology of animal prion diseases: relationship between morphological changes, accumulation of abnormal prion protein and clinical disease. Acta Neuropathol 2011; 121:113-34. [PMID: 20532540 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-010-0700-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2010] [Revised: 05/04/2010] [Accepted: 05/19/2010] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion diseases of animals are characterised by CNS spongiform change, gliosis and the accumulation of disease-associated forms of prion protein (PrP(d)). Particularly in ruminant prion diseases, a wide range of morphological types of PrP(d) depositions are found in association with neurons and glia. When light microscopic patterns of PrP(d) accumulations are correlated with sub-cellular structure, intracellular PrP(d) co-localises with lysosomes while non-intracellular PrP(d) accumulation co-localises with cell membranes and the extracellular space. Intracellular lysosomal PrP(d) is N-terminally truncated, but the site at which the PrP(d) molecule is cleaved depends on strain and cell type. Different PrP(d) cleavage sites are found for different cells infected with the same agent indicating that not all PrP(d) conformers code for different prion strains. Non-intracellular PrP(d) is full-length and is mainly found on plasma-lemmas of neuronal perikarya and dendrites and glia where it may be associated with scrapie-specific membrane pathology. These membrane changes appear to involve a redirection of the predominant axonal trafficking of normal cellular PrP and an altered endocytosis of PrP(d). PrP(d) is poorly excised from membranes, probably due to increased stabilisation on the membrane of PrP(d) complexed with other membrane ligands. PrP(d) on plasma-lemmas may also be transferred to other cells or released to the extracellular space. It is widely assumed that PrP(d) accumulations cause neurodegenerative changes that lead to clinical disease. However, when different animal prion diseases are considered, neurological deficits do not correlate well with any morphological type of PrP(d) accumulation or perturbation of PrP(d) trafficking. Non-PrP(d)-associated neurodegenerative changes in TSEs include vacuolation, tubulovesicular bodies and terminal axonal degeneration. The last of these correlates well with early neurological disease in mice, but such changes are absent from large animal prion disease. Thus, the proximate cause of clinical disease in animal prion disease is uncertain, but may not involve PrP(d).
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Jeffrey
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Lasswade Laboratory, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0PZ, UK.
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18
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Li L, Napper S, Cashman NR. Immunotherapy for prion diseases: opportunities and obstacles. Immunotherapy 2010; 2:269-82. [PMID: 20635933 DOI: 10.2217/imt.10.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) represent a unique form of infectious disease based on the misfolding of a self-protein into a pathological conformation. While other human diseases are also attributed to protein misfolding, the TSEs are unique in their zoonotic potential and iatrogenic infectivity. These characteristics are of particular importance in the aftermath of the UK bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) outbreak due to the dual concerns that a subpopulation of individuals exposed to the infectious agent may be serving as asymptomatic carriers, and that TSEs of other food animals may also threaten human health. These potentials, in addition to the ongoing baseline of familial and sporadic human prion diseases, necessitate development of effective treatment options. While TSEs represent a novel paradigm of infection, there is nevertheless the opportunity to apply traditional approaches of medicine for disease treatment and prevention, including vaccines for immunotherapy and immunoprophylaxis. However, vaccine development for TSEs is complicated by the challenges and potential dangers associated with induction of immune responses to a self-epitope, as well as the obstacles to treatment of a chronic infection through immunotherapy. The ongoing threat of TSEs to human health, together with the opportunity to apply information emerging from these investigations to other protein misfolding disorders, justifies the efforts required to overcome these obstacles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Li
- University of British Columbia & Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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19
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Angers RC, Seward TS, Napier D, Green M, Hoover E, Spraker T, O'Rourke K, Balachandran A, Telling GC. Chronic wasting disease prions in elk antler velvet. Emerg Infect Dis 2009; 15:696-703. [PMID: 19402954 PMCID: PMC2687044 DOI: 10.3201/eid1505.081458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Residue 226 of cervid prion proteins may be a determinant of CWD pathogenesis. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious, fatal prion disease of deer and elk that continues to emerge in new locations. To explore the means by which prions are transmitted with high efficiency among cervids, we examined prion infectivity in the apical skin layer covering the growing antler (antler velvet) by using CWD-susceptible transgenic mice and protein misfolding cyclic amplification. Our finding of prions in antler velvet of CWD-affected elk suggests that this tissue may play a role in disease transmission among cervids. Humans who consume antler velvet as a nutritional supplement are at risk for exposure to prions. The fact that CWD prion incubation times in transgenic mice expressing elk prion protein are consistently more rapid raises the possibility that residue 226, the sole primary structural difference between deer and elk prion protein, may be a major determinant of CWD pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel C Angers
- University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, 40536, USA
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20
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Sikorska B, Liberski PP, Sobów T, Budka H, Ironside JW. Ultrastructural study of florid plaques in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a comparison with amyloid plaques in kuru, sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2008; 35:46-59. [PMID: 18513219 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2990.2008.00959.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although the histological features of the amyloid plaques in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) are distinct from those in other forms of prion disease [kuru, sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) and Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease (GSS)], their ultrastructural features have only been described in a single case report. AIMS To study vCJD plaques systematically and compare them with plaques in kuru, sCJD, GSS and Alzheimer disease (AD). METHODS Amyloid plaques were studied by transmission electron microscopy and image analysis in five cases of vCJD, three cases of GSS, two cases of sCJD, one case of kuru and five cases of AD. Immunohistochemistry was performed on paraffin sections from one case of vCJD, two cases of GSS, one case of kuru and two cases of sCJD. RESULTS The florid plaques in vCJD were either compact or more diffuse; in both forms, the radiating fibrils were organized into thick 'tongues', in contrast to kuru plaques. Dystrophic neurites (DNs) containing lysosomal electron-dense bodies or vesicles surrounded florid plaques. Microglial cells were found within florid plaques; occasional amyloid fibrils were identified in membrane-bound pockets of microglial cells. In vCJD, there was significant tau immunoreactivity in DNs around florid plaques while, in sCJD, GSS and kuru, minimal tau immunoreactivity was observed around plaques. CONCLUSIONS The ultrastructure of the florid plaques and DNs in vCJD is more reminiscent of neuritic plaques in AD than kuru or multicentric plaques. These findings may reflect differences both in the strains of the transmissible agents responsible for these disorders and in host factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Sikorska
- Department of Molecular Pathology and Neuropathology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
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21
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Goñi F, Prelli F, Schreiber F, Scholtzova H, Chung E, Kascsak R, Brown DR, Sigurdsson EM, Chabalgoity JA, Wisniewski T. High titers of mucosal and systemic anti-PrP antibodies abrogate oral prion infection in mucosal-vaccinated mice. Neuroscience 2008; 153:679-86. [PMID: 18407424 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.02.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2007] [Revised: 02/02/2008] [Accepted: 02/15/2008] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Significant outbreaks of prion disease linked to oral exposure of the prion agent have occurred in animal and human populations. These disorders are associated with a conformational change of a normal protein, PrP(C) (C for cellular), to a toxic and infectious form, PrP(Sc) (Sc for scrapie). None of the prionoses currently have an effective treatment. Some forms of prion disease are thought to be spread by oral ingestion of PrP(Sc), such as chronic wasting disease and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Attempts to obtain an active immunization in wild-type animals have been hampered by auto-tolerance to PrP and potential toxicity. Previously, we demonstrated that it is possible to overcome tolerance and obtain a specific anti-PrP antibody response by oral inoculation of the PrP protein expressed in an attenuated Salmonella vector. This past study showed that 30% of vaccinated animals were free of disease more than 350 days post-challenge. In the current study we have both optimized the vaccination protocol and divided the vaccinated mice into low and high immune responder groups prior to oral challenge with PrP(Sc) scrapie strain 139A. These methodological refinements led to a significantly improved therapeutic response. 100% of mice with a high mucosal anti-PrP titer immunoglobulin (Ig) A and a high systemic IgG titer, prior to challenge, remained without symptoms of PrP infection at 400 days (log-rank test P<0.0001 versus sham controls). The brains from these surviving clinically asymptomatic mice were free of PrP(Sc) infection by Western blot and histological examination. These promising findings suggest that effective mucosal vaccination is a feasible and useful method for overcoming tolerance to PrP and preventing prion infection via an oral route.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Goñi
- Department of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
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22
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Abstract
Alzheimer's and prion diseases belong to a category of conformational neurodegenerative disorders [Prusiner SB (2001) N Eng J Med344, 1516-1526; Sadowski M & Wisniewski T (2007) Curr Pharm Des 13, 1943-1954; Beekes M (2007) FEBS J 274, 575]. Treatments capable of arresting or at least effectively modifying the course of disease do not yet exist for either one of these diseases. Alzheimer's disease is the major cause of dementia in the elderly and has become an ever greater problem with the aging of Western societies. Unlike Alzheimer's disease, prion diseases are relatively rare. Each year only approximately 300 people in the USA and approximately 100 people in the UK succumb to various forms of prion diseases [Beekes M (2007) FEBS J 274, 575; Sigurdsson EM & Wisniewski T (2005) Exp Rev Vaccines 4, 607-610]. Nevertheless, these disorders have received great scientific and public interest due to the fact that they can be transmissible among humans and in certain conditions from animals to humans. The emergence of variant Creutzfeld-Jakob disease demonstrated the transmissibility of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy to humans [Beekes M (2007) FEBS J 274, 575]. Therefore, the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy across Europe and the recently identified cases in North America have put a large human population at risk of prion infection. It is estimated that at least several thousand Britons are asymptomatic carriers of prion infections and may develop variant Creutzfeld-Jakob disease in the future [Hilton DA (2006) J Pathol 208, 134-141]. This delayed emergence of human cases following the near elimination of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in the UK may occur because prion disease have a very prolonged incubation period, ranging from months to decades, which depends on the amount of inoculum, the route of infection and the genetic predisposition of the infected subject [Hilton DA (2006) J Pathol 208, 134-141]. Therefore, there is a great need for effective therapies for both Alzheimer's disease and prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Wisniewski
- Department of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, NY 10016, USA.
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23
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LaFauci G, Carp RI, Meeker HC, Ye X, Kim JI, Natelli M, Cedeno M, Petersen RB, Kascsak R, Rubenstein R. Passage of chronic wasting disease prion into transgenic mice expressing Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) PrPC. J Gen Virol 2006; 87:3773-3780. [PMID: 17098997 DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.82137-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) of elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) is one of three naturally occurring forms of prion disease, the others being Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease in humans and scrapie in sheep. In the last few decades, CWD has spread among captive and free-ranging cervids in 13 US states, two Canadian provinces and recently in Korea. The origin of the CWD agent(s) in cervids is not known. This study describes the development of a transgenic mouse line (TgElk) homozygous for a transgene array encoding the elk prion protein (PrPC) and its use in propagating and simulating CWD in mice. Intracerebral injection of one mule deer and three elk CWD isolates into TgElk mice led to disease with incubation periods of 127 and 95 days, respectively. Upon secondary passage, the incubation time was reduced to 108 and 90 days, respectively. Upon passage into TgElk mice, CWD prions (PrPSc) maintained the characteristic Western blot profiles seen in CWD-affected mule deer and elk and produced histopathological modifications consistent with those observed in the natural disease. The short incubation time observed on passage from cervid to mouse with both mule deer and elk CWD brain homogenates and the demonstrated capacity of the animals to propagate (mouse to mouse) CWD agents make the TgElk line a valuable model to study CWD agents in cervid populations. In addition, these results with this new transgenic line suggest the intriguing hypothesis that there could be more than one strain of CWD agent in cervids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe LaFauci
- New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, 1050 Forest Hill Road, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA
| | - Richard I Carp
- New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, 1050 Forest Hill Road, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA
| | - Harry C Meeker
- New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, 1050 Forest Hill Road, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA
| | - Xuemin Ye
- New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, 1050 Forest Hill Road, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA
| | - Jae I Kim
- New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, 1050 Forest Hill Road, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA
| | - Michael Natelli
- New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, 1050 Forest Hill Road, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA
| | - Marisol Cedeno
- New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, 1050 Forest Hill Road, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA
| | - Robert B Petersen
- Case Western Reserve University - Institute of Pathology, 2085 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH 44120, USA
| | - Richard Kascsak
- New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, 1050 Forest Hill Road, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA
| | - Richard Rubenstein
- New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, 1050 Forest Hill Road, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA
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Sigurdson CJ, Manco G, Schwarz P, Liberski P, Hoover EA, Hornemann S, Polymenidou M, Miller MW, Glatzel M, Aguzzi A. Strain fidelity of chronic wasting disease upon murine adaptation. J Virol 2006; 80:12303-11. [PMID: 17020952 PMCID: PMC1676299 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01120-06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a prion disease of deer and elk, is highly prevalent in some regions of North America. The establishment of mouse-adapted CWD prions has proven difficult due to the strong species barrier between mice and deer. Here we report the efficient transmission of CWD to transgenic mice overexpressing murine PrP. All mice developed disease 500 +/- 62 days after intracerebral CWD challenge. The incubation period decreased to 228 +/- 103 days on secondary passage and to 162 +/- 6 days on tertiary passage. Mice developed very large, radially structured cerebral amyloid plaques similar to those of CWD-infected deer and elk. PrP(Sc) was detected in spleen, indicating that murine CWD was lymphotropic. PrP(Sc) glycoform profiles maintained a predominantly diglycosylated PrP pattern, as seen with CWD in deer and elk, across all passages. Therefore, all pathological, biochemical, and histological strain characteristics of CWD appear to persist upon repetitive serial passage through mice. These findings indicate that the salient strain-specific properties of CWD are encoded by agent-intrinsic components rather than by host factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina J Sigurdson
- UniversitätsSpital Zürich, Institute of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology, Schmelzbergstrasse 12, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland
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25
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Bastian FO, Fermin CD. Slow virus disease: deciphering conflicting data on the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) also called prion diseases. Microsc Res Tech 2006; 68:239-46. [PMID: 16276518 DOI: 10.1002/jemt.20223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) that manifest as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, as scrapie in sheep and goats, mad cow disease in cattle, or chronic wasting disease in cervids (deer) represent a serious human health crisis and a significant economical problem. Despite much research, the nature of the elusive pathogen directly involved with TSE is currently unresolved. This article reviews current pathogen-cell plasma membrane properties, showing that the primary biochemical marker of the prion disease is used as a receptor by the intracellular bacterium Brucella abortus. Such observation makes plausible the role for the prion in the pathogenesis of TSE, and supports the concept that Spiroplasma, a wall-less bacterium, may be a transmissible agent of TSE. Over the past three decades, we have published convincing evidence that Spiroplasma infection is associated with TSE. The bacterial-prion-receptor concept by other laboratories support a model for TSE wherein a Spiroplasma bacterium can bind to prion receptors (alone or with anchors) on the cell surface lipid raft, allowing entry of the microbe into the cell to initiate infection. The relevance of this new concept is that it offers a new window for future research involving a bacterium in the pathogenesis of TSE. Data from the bacterial-prion-receptor model will aid in the development diagnostic tests and/or treatment protocols for TSE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank O Bastian
- Tulane University Health Sciences Center, Department of Pathology & Lab Medicine, New Orleans, Louisian 70112, USa.
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26
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Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a unique transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), white-tailed deer (O. virginianus), and Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni). The natural history of CWD is incompletely understood, but it differs from scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) by virtue of its occurrence in nondomestic and free-ranging species. CWD has many features in common with scrapie, including early widespread distribution of disease-associated prion protein (PrP(d)) in lymphoid tissues, with later involvement of central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral tissues. This distribution likely contributes to apparent efficiency of horizontal transmission and, in this, is similar to scrapie and differs from BSE. Clinical features and lesions of CWD are qualitatively similar to the other animal TSEs. Microscopically, marked spongiform lesions occur in the central nervous system (CNS) after a prolonged incubation period and variable course of clinical disease. During incubation, PrP(d) can be identified in tissues by antibody-based detection systems. Although CWD can be transmitted by intracerebral inoculation to cattle, sheep, and goats, ongoing studies have not demonstrated that domestic livestock are susceptible via oral exposure, the presumed natural route of exposure to TSEs. Surveillance efforts for CWD in captive and free-ranging cervids will continue in concert with similar activities for scrapie and BSE. Eradication of CWD in farmed cervids is the goal of state, federal, and industry programs, but eradication of CWD from free-ranging populations of cervids is unlikely with currently available management techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- E S Williams
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Wtoming, Laramie, USA
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27
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Xie Z, O’Rourke KI, Dong Z, Jenny AL, Langenberg JA, Belay ED, Schonberger LB, Petersen RB, Zou W, Kong Q, Gambetti P, Chen SG. Chronic wasting disease of elk and deer and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: comparative analysis of the scrapie prion protein. J Biol Chem 2005; 281:4199-206. [PMID: 16338930 PMCID: PMC4484765 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m509052200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a transmissible prion disease that affects elk and deer, poses new challenges to animal and human health. Although the transmission of CWD to humans has not been proven, it remains a possibility. If this were to occur, it is important to know whether the "acquired" human prion disease would show a phenotype including the scrapie prion protein (PrP(Sc)) features that differ from those associated with human sporadic prion disease. In this study, we have compared the pathological profiles and PrP(Sc) characteristics in brains of CWD-affected elk and deer with those in subjects with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), as well as CJD-affected subjects who might have been exposed to CWD, using histopathology, immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting, conformation stability assay, and N-terminal protein sequencing. Spongiform changes and intense PrP(Sc) staining were present in several brain regions of CWD-affected animals. Immunoblotting revealed three proteinase K (PK)-resistant bands in CWD, representing different glycoforms of PrP(Sc). The unglycosylated PK-resistant PrP(Sc) of CWD migrated at 21 kDa with an electrophoretic mobility similar to that of type 1 human PrP(Sc) present in sporadic CJD affecting subjects homozygous for methionine at codon 129 (sCJDMM1). N-terminal sequencing showed that the PK cleavage site of PrP(Sc) in CWD occurred at residues 82 and 78, similar to that of PrP(Sc) in sCJDMM1. Conformation stability assay also showed no significant difference between elk CWD PrP(Sc) and the PrP(Sc) species associated with sCJDMM1. However, there was a major difference in glycoform ratio of PrP(Sc) between CWD and sCJDMM1 affecting both subjects potentially exposed to CWD and non-exposed subjects. Moreover, PrP(Sc) of CWD exhibited a distinct constellation of glycoforms distinguishable from that of sCJDMM1 in two-dimensional immunoblots. These findings underline the importance of detailed PrP(Sc) characterization in trying to detect novel forms of acquired prion disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiliang Xie
- Institute of Pathology and National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
| | - Katherine I. O’Rourke
- United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Services, Animal Disease Research Unit, Pullman, Washington 99164
| | - Zhiqian Dong
- Institute of Pathology and National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
| | - Allen L. Jenny
- United States Department of Agriculture National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Ames, Iowa 50010
| | - Julie A. Langenberg
- Wildlife Health Program, Bureau of Wildlife Management, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, Wisconsin 53707
| | - Ermias D. Belay
- National Center for Infectious Diseases, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333
| | - Lawrence B. Schonberger
- National Center for Infectious Diseases, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333
| | - Robert B. Petersen
- Institute of Pathology and National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
| | - Wenquan Zou
- Institute of Pathology and National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
| | - Qingzhong Kong
- Institute of Pathology and National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
| | - Pierluigi Gambetti
- Institute of Pathology and National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
| | - Shu G. Chen
- Institute of Pathology and National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel.: 216-368-8925; Fax: 216-368-2546;
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28
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Liberski PP, Sikorska B, Bratosiewicz-Wasik J, Gajdusek DC, Brown P. Neuronal cell death in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (prion diseases) revisited: from apoptosis to autophagy. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2005; 36:2473-90. [PMID: 15325586 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2004.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Neuronal autophagy, like apoptosis, is one of the mechanisms of the programmed cell death (PCD). In this review, we summarize the presence of autophagic vacuoles in experimentally induced scrapie, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker (GSS) syndrome. Initially, a part of the neuronal cytoplasm was sequestrated by concentric arrays of double membranes; the enclosed cytoplasm appeared relatively normal except that its density was often increased. Next, electron density of the central area dramatically increased. The membranes then proliferated within the cytoplasm in a labyrinth-like manner and the area sequestrated by these membranes enlarged into a more complex structure consisting of vacuoles, electron-dense areas and areas of normally-looking cytoplasm connected by convoluted membranes. Of note, autophagic vacuoles form not only in neuronal perikarya but also in neurites and synapses. Finally, a large area of the cytoplasm was transformed into a collection of autophagic vacuoles of different sizes. On a basis of ultrastructural studies, we suggest that autophagy plays a major role in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) and may even participate in a formation of spongiform change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawel P Liberski
- Department of Molecular Pathology and Neuropathology, Medical University Lodz, Czechoslowacka Street 8/10; pl 92-216 Lodz, Poland.
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Browning SR, Mason GL, Seward T, Green M, Eliason GAJ, Mathiason C, Miller MW, Williams ES, Hoover E, Telling GC. Transmission of prions from mule deer and elk with chronic wasting disease to transgenic mice expressing cervid PrP. J Virol 2004; 78:13345-50. [PMID: 15542685 PMCID: PMC524991 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.78.23.13345-13350.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We generated mice expressing cervid prion protein to produce a transgenic system simulating chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer and elk. While normal mice were resistant to CWD, these transgenic mice uniformly developed signs of neurological dysfunction approximately 230 days following intracerebral inoculation with four CWD isolates. Inoculated transgenic mice homozygous for the transgene array developed disease after approximately 160 days. The brains of sick transgenic mice exhibited widespread spongiform degeneration and contained abnormal prion protein and abundant amyloid plaques, many of which were florid plaques. Transmission studies indicated that the same prion strain caused CWD in the analyzed mule deer and elk. These mice provide a new and reliable tool for detecting CWD prions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn R Browning
- Department of Microbiology, University of Kentucky, 800 Rose St., Lexington, KY 40536, USA
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Ramasamy I. The risk of accidental transmission of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy: identification of emerging issues. Public Health 2004; 118:409-20. [PMID: 15313594 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2003.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2003] [Revised: 12/11/2003] [Accepted: 12/11/2003] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), thought to be caused by prions, are fatal neurodegenerative disorders of humans and animals. Despite their rarity, human prion diseases have received prominence because the consumption of prion-contaminated meat from cattle with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is thought to be responsible for the emergence of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans. Clinical criteria for the diagnosis of vCJD is now available. Recent, more startling evidence suggests that the clinical presentation of vCJD may vary and that patients may present as classical (sporadic) CJD or may have subclinical infection and be apparently healthy. These patients may still pose a risk of iatrogenic transmission through surgical or medical (blood transfusion) procedures. The aim of future work is to develop preclinical screening tests for the identification of infected but still healthy individuals. The future course of vCJD is still uncertain. Modelling studies to predict the cases of vCJD depend on the date of origin of BSE and time of infection, which is, at best, only approximated. As the number of cases of BSE in the UK declines, the risk of BSE in other countries from imported cattle or meat and bone meal from the UK has been increasing. It is also recognized that other animal species (farmed, domestic and wild animals) other than cows are susceptible to TSEs. The possibility of interspecies transmission of TSEs and the global presence of the disease suggests a need for a co-ordinated worldwide risk management approach to eradicate TSEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Ramasamy
- Department of Chemical Pathology, Newham General Hospital, Glen Road, Plaistow, London E13 8RU, UK.
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Abstract
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are fatal neurodegenerative disorders that include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, bovine spongiform encephalopathy and scrapie in sheep and goats. Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are thought by some to result from changes in the conformation of a membrane glycoprotein called PrPC (prion protein) into a pathogenic form, PrPSc, which constitutes the major component of an unprecedented type of infectious particle supposedly devoid of nucleic acid. Although there is no primary immunological response to the infectious agent, several lines of evidence indicate an involvement of the lymphoreticular system in the development of prion diseases. Studies in rodents have shown that after peripheral infection, uptake of the scrapie agent is followed by an initial phase of replication in the lymphoreticular system, particularly the spleen and lymph nodes. Moreover, infectivity titers in lymphoreticular organs reach a maximum relatively quickly, well before those in the brain, and then maintain a plateau for the remainder of the disease progression. The presence of PrPSc in peripheral lymphoid organs of all cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease strongly underscores the importance of the lymphoreticular system. Thus, a better understanding of the cells participating in PrPSc replication and dissemination into the central nervous system is of particular interest. This review will therefore discuss the present knowledge of the role of the spleen in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies as well as the participation of the different spleen cell types in the disease process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Daude
- Institut de Pharmacologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire, CNRS UMR 6097, Valbonne, France.
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Bastian FO, Dash S, Garry RF. Linking chronic wasting disease to scrapie by comparison of Spiroplasma mirum ribosomal DNA sequences. Exp Mol Pathol 2004; 77:49-56. [PMID: 15215050 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexmp.2004.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2004] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) are fatal neurodegenerative diseases of man and animals and are transmitted by a filterable pathogen whose identity is currently unresolved. Our data indicates that Spiroplasma, a wall-less bacterium, is involved in the pathogenesis of TSE. We searched for Spiroplasma ribosomal gene sequences in 10 scrapie-infected sheep brains and 10 normal sheep brains, 7 cervid samples infected with chronic wasting disease (CWD), and 7 normal cervid brains. DNA was extracted from these tissue samples and amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers specific for Spiroplasma-specific 16S rDNA. Specificity of the amplicon was determined by Southern blotting and DNA sequence analyses. Spiroplasma 16S rDNA was found in 8 of 10 scrapie-infected sheep brains and 6 of 7 CWD-infected tissue samples. All normal animal brain samples were negative. Spiroplasma 16S rDNA was also found in two human Creutzfeldt-Jakob diseased (CJD) brains but not in two age-matched normal human brains. DNA sequence analyses of the amplified PCR products from human and animal TSE cases revealed greater than 99% nucleotide sequence homology with Spiroplasma mirum. The presence of Spiroplasma DNA in TSE-infected tissues supports our hypothesis that Spiroplasma may be involved in the pathogenesis of these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank O Bastian
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.
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33
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Opinion of the Scientific Panel on biological hazards (BIOHAZ) on a surveillance programme for Chronic Wasting Disease in the European Union. EFSA J 2004. [DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2004.70] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
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Abstract
Scrapie and CWD share many features. There are marked similarities in the clinical presentations, the lesions, and the pathogenesis of these diseases, and some similarities in the epidemiology. Extrapolation from the scrapie model of TSE disease to CWD--which occurs in three different species, and should not be considered to be uniform in their response--may be erroneous, however. Such differences may influence diagnostics (e.g., the amount and distribution of PrPC in these different species), pathogenesis (e.g., the influence of genetics on susceptibility and resistance), and epidemiology (e.g., the mode and dynamics of transmission and influences of domestication). IHC is used widely for diagnostics and in the study of the pathogenesis of scrapie and CWD. This technique holds promise for antemortem diagnosis of infection in the peripheral lymphoid tissues such as lymphoid follicles of the nictitating membrane and the tonsil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth S Williams
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Wyoming, 1174 Snowy Range Road, Laramie, WY 82070, USA.
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Hamir AN, Miller JM, Cutlip RC, Stack MJ, Chaplin MJ, Jenny AL. Preliminary observations on the experimental transmission of scrapie to elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) by intracerebral inoculation. Vet Pathol 2003; 40:81-5. [PMID: 12627716 DOI: 10.1354/vp.40-1-81] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
To determine the transmissibility of scrapie to Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni), six elk calves were inoculated intracerebrally with brain suspension from sheep naturally affected with scrapie. One elk developed a brain abscess and was euthanatized at 7 weeks postinoculation (PI), and two others died at 6 and 15 months PI because of physical injuries. At 25 and 35 months PI, two other elk died after brief terminal neurologic episodes. Necropsy of these revealed moderate weight loss but no other gross lesions. Microscopically, characteristic lesions of spongiform encephalopathy were seen throughout the brains and the spinal cords, and in both cases these tissues were positive for PrP(res) by immunohistochemistry. Brains of both animals were positive for PrP(res) by western blot and for scrapie-associated fibrils (SAFs) by negative stain electron microscopy. PrP(res) and SAFs were not detected in the three elk that died or were euthanatized because of coincidental causes. Over 3.5 years after initiation of this experiment, the one remaining inoculated elk and two uninoculated (control) elk are alive and apparently healthy. These preliminary findings demonstrate that 1) sheep scrapie agent can be transmitted to elk by intracerebral inoculation; 2) the infection can result in severe, widely distributed spongiform change and accumulations of PrP(res) in the central nervous system (CNS); and 3) based on the examination of a limited number of CNS sections from two cases, this condition cannot be distinguished from chronic wasting disease with currently available diagnostic techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- A N Hamir
- National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agricultural, Ames, IA 50010, USA.
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