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Hnath B, Chen J, Reynolds J, Choi E, Wang J, Zhang D, Sha CM, Dokholyan NV. Big versus small: The impact of aggregate size in disease. Protein Sci 2023; 32:e4686. [PMID: 37243896 PMCID: PMC10273386 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Protein aggregation results in an array of different size soluble oligomers and larger insoluble fibrils. Insoluble fibrils were originally thought to cause neuronal cell deaths in neurodegenerative diseases due to their prevalence in tissue samples and disease models. Despite recent studies demonstrating the toxicity associated with soluble oligomers, many therapeutic strategies still focus on fibrils or consider all types of aggregates as one group. Oligomers and fibrils require different modeling and therapeutic strategies, targeting the toxic species is crucial for successful study and therapeutic development. Here, we review the role of different-size aggregates in disease, and how factors contributing to aggregation (mutations, metals, post-translational modifications, and lipid interactions) may promote oligomers opposed to fibrils. We review two different computational modeling strategies (molecular dynamics and kinetic modeling) and how they are used to model both oligomers and fibrils. Finally, we outline the current therapeutic strategies targeting aggregating proteins and their strengths and weaknesses for targeting oligomers versus fibrils. Altogether, we aim to highlight the importance of distinguishing the difference between oligomers and fibrils and determining which species is toxic when modeling and creating therapeutics for protein aggregation in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brianna Hnath
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringPenn State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of PharmacologyPenn State College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Jiaxing Chen
- Department of PharmacologyPenn State College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Joshua Reynolds
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringPenn State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of PharmacologyPenn State College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Esther Choi
- Department of PharmacologyPenn State College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvaniaUSA
- Medical Scientist Training ProgramPenn State College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Jian Wang
- Department of PharmacologyPenn State College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Dongyan Zhang
- Department of PharmacologyPenn State College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Congzhou M. Sha
- Department of PharmacologyPenn State College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvaniaUSA
- Medical Scientist Training ProgramPenn State College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of Engineering Science and MechanicsPenn State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Nikolay V. Dokholyan
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringPenn State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of PharmacologyPenn State College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of Engineering Science and MechanicsPenn State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular BiologyPenn State College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of ChemistryPenn State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
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Classical and Atypical Scrapie in Sheep and Goats. Review on the Etiology, Genetic Factors, Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Control Measures of Both Diseases. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11030691. [PMID: 33806658 PMCID: PMC7999988 DOI: 10.3390/ani11030691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases, such as scrapie, are neurodegenerative diseases with a fatal outcome, caused by a conformational change of the cellular prion protein (PrPC), originating with the pathogenic form (PrPSc). Classical scrapie in small ruminants is the paradigm of prion diseases, as it was the first transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) described and is the most studied. It is necessary to understand the etiological properties, the relevance of the transmission pathways, the infectivity of the tissues, and how we can improve the detection of the prion protein to encourage detection of the disease. The aim of this review is to perform an overview of classical and atypical scrapie disease in sheep and goats, detailing those special issues of the disease, such as genetic factors, diagnostic procedures, and surveillance approaches carried out in the European Union with the objective of controlling the dissemination of scrapie disease.
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Sakaguchi S, Shintani S, Kamio K, Sekiya A, Kato S, Muroi Y, Horiuchi M, Furuoka H. Selective neuronal vulnerability is involved in cerebellar lesions of Guinea pigs infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) prions: Immunohistochemical and electron microscopic investigations. Neuropathology 2019; 40:167-179. [PMID: 31797465 DOI: 10.1111/neup.12613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2019] [Revised: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The cerebellar lesions of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)-infected guinea pigs were characterized as severe atrophy of the cerebellar cortex associated with the loss of granule cells, decrease in the width of the molecular layer, and intense protease-resistant prion protein (PrPSc ) accumulations that are similar to cerebellar lesions in kuru and the VV2 type of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The aim of this study is to assess the relationships between the distribution and localization of PrPSc and synapses expressing neurotransmitter transporters in order to reveal the pathogenesis of the disease. We used cell-type-specific immunohistochemical makers recognizing glutamatergic and γ-aminobutylic acid (GABA)ergic terminals to identify terminals impaired with PrPSc accumulations. The distribution of PrPSc accumulations and immunoreactivity of synaptic vesicles were studied throughout the neuroanatomical pathways in cerebellar lesions. Time course study demonstrated that PrPSc accumulation showed a tendency to spread from granular layer to molecular layer. The immunoreactivity of vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGluT1) was localized in axon terminals of cerebellar granule cells, and decreased in association with the severity of PrPSc accumulations and loss of granule cells. Immunoreactivities of vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGluT2) and vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT) that exist in axon terminals of inferior olivary neurons and GABAergic synapses of Purkinje cells, respectively, were preserved well in these lesions. In brainstem, VGluT1 immunoreactivity decreased selectively in pontine nuclei that are a component of the pontocerebellar pathway, although other neurotransmitter immunoreactivities were preserved well. Our findings suggest that the selective loss of VGluT1-immunoreactive synapses subsequent to PrPSc accumulations can contribute to the pathogenesis of cerebellar lesions of BSE-infected guinea pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoichi Sakaguchi
- Division of Veterinary Sciences, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Sayo Shintani
- Division of Veterinary Sciences, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Kyohei Kamio
- Division of Veterinary Sciences, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Akio Sekiya
- Division of Veterinary Sciences, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Satomi Kato
- Division of Veterinary Sciences, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Yoshikage Muroi
- Division of Veterinary Sciences, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Motohiro Horiuchi
- Laboratory of Veterinary Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Hidefumi Furuoka
- Division of Veterinary Sciences, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
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4
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Vallino Costassa E, D’Angelo A, Mazza M, Meloni D, Baioni E, Maurella C, Colussi S, Martinelli N, Lo Faro M, Berrone E, Favole A, Crociara P, Grifoni S, Gallo M, Lombardi G, Iulini B, Casalone C, Corona C. Clinical, pathological, and molecular features of classical and L-type atypical-BSE in goats. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0198037. [PMID: 29795663 PMCID: PMC5968405 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Monitoring of small ruminants for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) has recently become more relevant after two natural scrapie suspected cases of goats were found to be positive for classical BSE (C-BSE). C-BSE probably established itself in this species unrecognized, undermining disease control measures. This opens the possibility that TSEs in goats may remain an animal source for human prion diseases. Currently, there are no data regarding the natural presence of the atypical BSE in caprines. Here we report that C-BSE and L-type atypical BSE (L-BSE) isolates from bovine species are intracerebrally transmissible to goats, with a 100% attack rate and a significantly shorter incubation period and survival time after C-BSE than after L-BSE experimental infection, suggesting a lower species barrier for classical agentin goat. All animals showed nearly the same clinical features of disease characterized by skin lesions, including broken hair and alopecia, and abnormal mental status. Histology and immunohistochemistry showed several differences between C-BSE and L-BSE infection, allowing discrimination between the two different strains. The lymphoreticular involvement we observed in the C-BSE positive goats argues in favour of a peripheral distribution of PrPSc similar to classical scrapie. Western blot and other currently approved screening tests detected both strains in the goats and were able to classify negative control animals. These data demonstrate that active surveillance of small ruminants, as applied to fallen stock and/or healthy slaughter populations in European countries, is able to correctly identify and classify classical and L-BSE and ultimately protect public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Vallino Costassa
- Centre of Animal Encephalopathies (CEA), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Antonio D’Angelo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Sezione Clinica Medica, University of Turin, Grugliasco (Turin), Italy
| | - Maria Mazza
- Centre of Animal Encephalopathies (CEA), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Daniela Meloni
- Centre of Animal Encephalopathies (CEA), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Elisa Baioni
- Centre of Animal Encephalopathies (CEA), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Cristiana Maurella
- Centre of Animal Encephalopathies (CEA), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Silvia Colussi
- Centre of Animal Encephalopathies (CEA), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Nicola Martinelli
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, Brescia, Italy
| | - Monica Lo Faro
- Centre of Animal Encephalopathies (CEA), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Elena Berrone
- Centre of Animal Encephalopathies (CEA), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Alessandra Favole
- Centre of Animal Encephalopathies (CEA), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Paola Crociara
- Centre of Animal Encephalopathies (CEA), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Silvia Grifoni
- Centre of Animal Encephalopathies (CEA), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Marina Gallo
- Centre of Animal Encephalopathies (CEA), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Guerino Lombardi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, Brescia, Italy
| | - Barbara Iulini
- Centre of Animal Encephalopathies (CEA), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Cristina Casalone
- Centre of Animal Encephalopathies (CEA), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Cristiano Corona
- Centre of Animal Encephalopathies (CEA), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
- * E-mail:
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CATTLE ( BOS TAURUS) RESIST CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE FOLLOWING ORAL INOCULATION CHALLENGE OR TEN YEARS' NATURAL EXPOSURE IN CONTAMINATED ENVIRONMENTS. J Wildl Dis 2018; 54:460-470. [PMID: 29715064 DOI: 10.7589/2017-12-299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
We conducted a 10-yr study to establish whether chronic wasting disease (CWD) was readily transmissible to domestic cattle ( Bos taurus) following oral inoculation or by cohousing cattle with captive cervids in outdoor research facilities where CWD was enzootic. Calves ( n=12) were challenged orally on one occasion using brain homogenate derived from CWD-infected mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus). Five uninoculated cattle served as unchallenged controls. Two other groups of cattle ( n=10-11/group) were housed outdoors for 10 yr in captive cervid research facilities. The environmentally challenged cattle were exposed to CWD-associated prions through common paddocks, feed, and water and via direct daily contact with known and potentially infected mule deer or wapiti ( Cervus canadensis) throughout the decade-long study period. None of the exposed cattle developed neurologic disease during the study. We euthanized cattle surviving to 10 yr postchallenge and examined all for lesions or disease-associated prion protein (PrPd) by histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and western immunoblot analysis of central nervous system and lymphoid tissue. None had evidence of PrPd accumulation. We conclude that the risks of CWD transmission to cattle following oral inoculation or after prolonged exposure to contaminated environments are low.
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Granados-Durán P, López-Ávalos MD, Cifuentes M, Pérez-Martín M, Fernández-Arjona MDM, Hughes TR, Johnson K, Morgan BP, Fernández-Llebrez P, Grondona JM. Microbial Neuraminidase Induces a Moderate and Transient Myelin Vacuolation Independent of Complement System Activation. Front Neurol 2017; 8:78. [PMID: 28326060 PMCID: PMC5339270 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2017.00078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2016] [Accepted: 02/20/2017] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
AIMS Some central nervous system pathogens express neuraminidase (NA) on their surfaces. In the rat brain, a single intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of NA induces myelin vacuolation in axonal tracts. Here, we explore the nature, the time course, and the role of the complement system in this damage. METHODS The spatiotemporal analysis of myelin vacuolation was performed by optical and electron microscopy. Myelin basic protein-positive area and oligodendrocyte transcription factor (Olig2)-positive cells were quantified in the damaged bundles. Neuronal death in the affected axonal tracts was assessed by Fluoro-Jade B and anti-caspase-3 staining. To evaluate the role of the complement, membrane attack complex (MAC) deposition on damaged bundles was analyzed using anti-C5b9. Rats ICV injected with the anaphylatoxin C5a were studied for myelin damage. In addition, NA-induced vacuolation was studied in rats with different degrees of complement inhibition: normal rats treated with anti-C5-blocking antibody and C6-deficient rats. RESULTS The stria medullaris, the optic chiasm, and the fimbria were the most consistently damaged axonal tracts. Vacuolation peaked 7 days after NA injection and reverted by day 15. Olig2+ cell number in the damaged tracts was unaltered, and neurodegeneration associated with myelin alterations was not detected. MAC was absent on damaged axonal tracts, as revealed by C5b9 immunostaining. Rats ICV injected with the anaphylatoxin C5a displayed no myelin injury. When the complement system was experimentally or constitutively inhibited, NA-induced myelin vacuolation was similar to that observed in normal rats. CONCLUSION Microbial NA induces a moderate and transient myelin vacuolation that is not caused either by neuroinflammation or complement system activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Granados-Durán
- Laboratorio de Fisiología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología Celular, Genética y Fisiología, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Universidad de Málaga , Málaga , Spain
| | - María Dolores López-Ávalos
- Laboratorio de Fisiología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología Celular, Genética y Fisiología, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Universidad de Málaga , Málaga , Spain
| | - Manuel Cifuentes
- Laboratorio de Fisiología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología Celular, Genética y Fisiología, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain; Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, CIBER BBN, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Margarita Pérez-Martín
- Laboratorio de Fisiología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología Celular, Genética y Fisiología, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Universidad de Málaga , Málaga , Spain
| | - María Del Mar Fernández-Arjona
- Laboratorio de Fisiología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología Celular, Genética y Fisiología, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Universidad de Málaga , Málaga , Spain
| | - Timothy R Hughes
- Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University , Cardiff , UK
| | | | - B Paul Morgan
- Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University , Cardiff , UK
| | - Pedro Fernández-Llebrez
- Laboratorio de Fisiología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología Celular, Genética y Fisiología, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Universidad de Málaga , Málaga , Spain
| | - Jesús M Grondona
- Laboratorio de Fisiología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología Celular, Genética y Fisiología, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Universidad de Málaga , Málaga , Spain
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7
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Atypical BSE: Current Knowledge and Knowledge Gaps. Food Saf (Tokyo) 2017; 5:10-13. [PMID: 32231923 DOI: 10.14252/foodsafetyfscj.2016028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 12/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Atypical BSE is an invariably fatal neurologic disease of cattle caused by misfolded prion proteins with different conformations than those associated with classical BSE. Evidence suggests that these atypical BSE types are sporadic or genetic prion diseases of cattle and the relevance of these diseases, as far as natural transmissibility, is still unknown. Different misfolded prion protein conformations also result in unique biochemical characteristics. This raised concerns about detection of atypical BSE on rapid test platforms designed and validated for classical BSE prions. Despite the differences in the misfolded prion protein characteristics, studies have shown that the tests also work well for detecting the known types of atypical BSE. A new question that has recently emerged is related to the possibility of additional forms of atypical BSE. Initially reactive bovine brain samples on certain rapid surveillance tests have sparked debate about the true BSE status of these samples. Work is currently underway to determine if these samples are infectious and if they eventually result in neurologic disease in cattle. Results of these studies could impact future BSE diagnostic testing programs as well as human and animal health policies.
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8
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Pathology of Animal Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs). Food Saf (Tokyo) 2017; 5:1-9. [PMID: 32231922 DOI: 10.14252/foodsafetyfscj.2016027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2016] [Accepted: 11/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathology is the study of the structural and functional changes produced by diseases or - more specifically - the lesions they cause. To achieve this pathologists employ various approaches. These include description of lesions that are visible to the naked eye which are the subject of anatomic pathology and changes at the cellular level that are visible under the microscope, the subject of histopathology. Changes at the molecular level which are identified by probes that target specific molecules - mainly proteins that are detected using immunohistochemistry (IHC). As transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) do not cause visible lesions anatomic pathology is not applicable to their study. For decades the application of histopathology to detect vacuoles or plaques was the only means of confirming TSE disease. The subsequent discovery of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) and its pathogenic isoform, PrPSc, which is a ubiquitous marker of TSEs, led to the production of anti-PrP antibodies, and enabled the development of PrPSc detection techniques such as immunohistochemistry, Histoblot and PET-blot that have evolved in parallel with similar biochemical methods such as Western blot and ELISA. These methods offer greater sensitivity than histopathology in TSE diagnosis and crucially they can be applied to analyze various phenotypic aspects of single TSE sources increasing the amount of data and offering higher discriminatory power. The above principles are applied to diagnose and define TSE phenotypes which form the basis of strain characterisation.
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Hamir AN, Kunkle RA, Miller JM, Bartz JC, Richt JA. First and Second Cattle Passage of Transmissible Mink Encephalopathy by Intracerebral Inoculation. Vet Pathol 2016; 43:118-26. [PMID: 16537929 DOI: 10.1354/vp.43-2-118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
To compare clinicopathologic findings of transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) with other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE, prion diseases) that have been shown to be experimentally transmissible to cattle (sheep scrapie and chronic wasting disease [CWD]), two groups of calves ( n = 4 each) were intracerebrally inoculated with TME agents from two different sources (mink with TME and a steer with TME). Two uninoculated calves served as controls. Within 15.3 months postinoculation, all animals from both inoculated groups developed clinical signs of central nervous system (CNS) abnormality; their CNS tissues had microscopic spongiform encephalopathy (SE); and abnormal prion protein (PrPres) as detected in their CNS tissues by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blot (WB) techniques. These findings demonstrate that intracerebrally inoculated cattle not only amplify TME PrPres but also develop clinical CNS signs and extensive lesions of SE. The latter has not been shown with other TSE agents (scrapie and CWD) similarly inoculated into cattle. The findings also suggest that the diagnostic techniques currently used for confirmation of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) would detect TME in cattle should it occur naturally. However, it would be a diagnostic challenge to differentiate TME in cattle from BSE by clinical signs, neuropathology, or the presence of PrPres by IHC and WB.
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Affiliation(s)
- A N Hamir
- National Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA, 2300 Dayton AvenuePO Box 70, Ames, IA 50010, USA.
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10
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Abstract
Prion diseases or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are fatal protein-misfolding neurodegenerative diseases. TSEs have been described in several species, including bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, scrapie in sheep and goats, chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids, transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) in mink, and Kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans. These diseases are associated with the accumulation of a protease-resistant, disease-associated isoform of the prion protein (called PrP(Sc)) in the central nervous system and other tissues, depending on the host species. Typically, TSEs are acquired through exposure to infectious material, but inherited and spontaneous TSEs also occur. All TSEs share pathologic features and infectious mechanisms but have distinct differences in transmission and epidemiology due to host factors and strain differences encoded within the structure of the misfolded prion protein. The possibility that BSE can be transmitted to humans as the cause of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease has brought attention to this family of diseases. This review is focused on the TSEs of livestock: bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle and scrapie in sheep and goats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin J Greenlee
- Justin J. Greenlee, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVP, is a research veterinary medical officer in the Virus and Prion Research Unit of the National Animal Disease Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service in Ames, Iowa. M. Heather West Greenlee, PhD, is an associate professor of biomedical sciences at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine
| | - M Heather West Greenlee
- Justin J. Greenlee, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVP, is a research veterinary medical officer in the Virus and Prion Research Unit of the National Animal Disease Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service in Ames, Iowa. M. Heather West Greenlee, PhD, is an associate professor of biomedical sciences at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine
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11
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Selariu A, Powers JG, Nalls A, Brandhuber M, Mayfield A, Fullaway S, Wyckoff CA, Goldmann W, Zabel MM, Wild MA, Hoover EA, Mathiason CK. In utero transmission and tissue distribution of chronic wasting disease-associated prions in free-ranging Rocky Mountain elk. J Gen Virol 2015; 96:3444-3455. [PMID: 26358706 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.000281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence of disease-associated prions in tissues and bodily fluids of chronic wasting disease (CWD)-infected cervids has received much investigation, yet little is known about mother-to-offspring transmission of CWD. Our previous work demonstrated that mother-to-offspring transmission is efficient in an experimental setting. To address the question of relevance in a naturally exposed free-ranging population, we assessed maternal and fetal tissues derived from 19 elk dam-calf pairs collected from free-ranging Rocky Mountain elk from north-central Colorado, a known CWD endemic region. Conventional immunohistochemistry identified three of 19 CWD-positive dams, whereas a more sensitive assay [serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (sPMCA)] detected CWD prion seeding activity (PrPCWD) in 15 of 19 dams. PrPCWD distribution in tissues was widespread, and included the central nervous system (CNS), lymphoreticular system, and reproductive, secretory, excretory and adipose tissues. Interestingly, five of 15 sPMCA-positive dams showed no evidence of PrPCWD in either CNS or lymphoreticular system, sites typically assessed in diagnosing CWD. Analysis of fetal tissues harvested from the 15 sPMCA-positive dams revealed PrPCWD in 80 % of fetuses (12 of 15), regardless of gestational stage. These findings demonstrated that PrPCWD is more abundant in peripheral tissues of CWD-exposed elk than current diagnostic methods suggest, and that transmission of prions from mother to offspring may contribute to the efficient transmission of CWD in naturally exposed cervid populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anca Selariu
- Colorado State University, Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Jenny G Powers
- National Park Service, Biological Resources Division, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Suite 200, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Amy Nalls
- Colorado State University, Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Monica Brandhuber
- Colorado State University, Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Amber Mayfield
- Colorado State University, Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Stephenie Fullaway
- Colorado State University, Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Christy A Wyckoff
- Colorado State University, Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Wilfred Goldmann
- Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Mark M Zabel
- Colorado State University, Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Margaret A Wild
- National Park Service, Biological Resources Division, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Suite 200, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Edward A Hoover
- Colorado State University, Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Candace K Mathiason
- Colorado State University, Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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12
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Sarasa R, Becher D, Badiola JJ, Monzón M. A comparative study of modified confirmatory techniques and additional immuno-based methods for non-conclusive autolytic bovine spongiform encephalopathy cases. BMC Vet Res 2013; 9:212. [PMID: 24138967 PMCID: PMC4015824 DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-9-212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2013] [Accepted: 10/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In the framework of the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) surveillance programme, samples with non-conclusive results using the OIE confirmatory techniques have been repeatedly found. It is therefore necessary to question the adequacy of the previously established consequences of this non-conclusive result: the danger of failing to detect potentially infected cattle or erroneous information that may affect the decision of culling or not of an entire bovine cohort. Moreover, there is a very real risk that the underreporting of cases may possibly lead to distortion of the BSE epidemiological information for a given country. In this study, samples from bovine nervous tissue presenting non-conclusive results by conventional OIE techniques (Western blot and immunohistochemistry) were analyzed. Their common characteristic was a very advanced degree of autolysis. All techniques recommended by the OIE for BSE diagnosis were applied on all these samples in order to provide a comparative study. Specifically, immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, SAF detection by electron microscopy and mouse bioassay were compared. Besides, other non confirmatory techniques, confocal scanning microscopy and colloidal gold labelling of fibrils, were applied on these samples for confirming and improving the results. Results Immunocytochemistry showed immunostaining in agreement with the positive results finally provided by the other confirmatory techniques. These results corroborated the suitability of this technique which was previously developed to examine autolysed (liquified) brain samples. Transmission after inoculation of a transgenic murine model TgbovXV was successful in all inocula but not in all mice, perhaps due to the very scarce PrPsc concentration present in samples. Electron microscopy, currently fallen into disuse, was demonstrated to be, not only capable to provide a final diagnosis despite the autolytic state of samples, but also to be a sensitive diagnostic alternative for resolving cases with low concentrations of PrPsc. Conclusions Demonstration of transmission of the disease even with low concentrations of PrPsc should reinforce that vigilance is required in interpreting results so that subtle changes do not go unnoticed. To maintain a continued supervision of the techniques which are applied in the routine diagnosis would prove essential for the ultimate eradication of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Marta Monzón
- Research Centre for Encephalopathies and Transmissible Emerging Diseases, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
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13
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Hamir AN, Kehrli ME, Kunkle RA, Greenlee JJ, Nicholson EM, Richt JA, Miller JM, Cutlip RC. Experimental interspecies transmission studies of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies to cattle: comparison to bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle. J Vet Diagn Invest 2012; 23:407-20. [PMID: 21908269 DOI: 10.1177/1040638711403404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) of animals include scrapie of sheep and goats; transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME); chronic wasting disease (CWD) of deer, elk and moose; and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) of cattle. The emergence of BSE and its spread to human beings in the form of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) resulted in interest in susceptibility of cattle to CWD, TME and scrapie. Experimental cross-species transmission of TSE agents provides valuable information for potential host ranges of known TSEs. Some interspecies transmission studies have been conducted by inoculating disease-causing prions intracerebrally (IC) rather than orally; the latter is generally effective in intraspecies transmission studies and is considered a natural route by which animals acquire TSEs. The "species barrier" concept for TSEs resulted from unsuccessful interspecies oral transmission attempts. Oral inoculation of prions mimics the natural disease pathogenesis route whereas IC inoculation is rather artificial; however, it is very efficient since it requires smaller dosage of inoculum, and typically results in higher attack rates and reduces incubation time compared to oral transmission. A species resistant to a TSE by IC inoculation would have negligible potential for successful oral transmission. To date, results indicate that cattle are susceptible to IC inoculation of scrapie, TME, and CWD but it is only when inoculated with TME do they develop spongiform lesions or clinical disease similar to BSE. Importantly, cattle are resistant to oral transmission of scrapie or CWD; susceptibility of cattle to oral transmission of TME is not yet determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir N Hamir
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center-USDA-Agricultural Research Service, 1920 Dayton Avenue, PO Box 70, Ames, IA 50010, USA
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14
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Porcario C, Hall SM, Martucci F, Corona C, Iulini B, Perazzini AZ, Acutis P, Hamir AN, Loiacono CM, Greenlee JJ, Richt JA, Caramelli M, Casalone C. Evaluation of two sets of immunohistochemical and Western blot confirmatory methods in the detection of typical and atypical BSE cases. BMC Res Notes 2011; 4:376. [PMID: 21958476 PMCID: PMC3192697 DOI: 10.1186/1756-0500-4-376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2010] [Accepted: 09/29/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Three distinct forms of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), defined as classical (C-), low (L-) or high (H-) type, have been detected through ongoing active and passive surveillance systems for the disease. The aim of the present study was to compare the ability of two sets of immunohistochemical (IHC) and Western blot (WB) BSE confirmatory protocols to detect C- and atypical (L- and H-type) BSE forms. Obex samples from cases of United States and Italian C-type BSE, a U.S. H-type and an Italian L-type BSE case were tested in parallel using the two IHC sets and WB methods. Results The two IHC techniques proved equivalent in identifying and differentiating between C-type, L-type and H-type BSE. The IHC protocols appeared consistent in the identification of PrPSc distribution and deposition patterns in relation to the BSE type examined. Both IHC methods evidenced three distinct PrPSc phenotypes for each type of BSE: prevailing granular and linear tracts pattern in the C-type; intraglial and intraneuronal deposits in the H-type; plaques in the L-type. Also, the two techniques gave comparable results for PrPSc staining intensity on the C- and L-type BSE samples, whereas a higher amount of intraglial and intraneuronal PrPSc deposition on the H-type BSE case was revealed by the method based on a stronger demasking step. Both WB methods were consistent in identifying classical and atypical BSE forms and in differentiating the specific PrPSc molecular weight and glycoform ratios of each form. Conclusions The study showed that the IHC and WB BSE confirmatory methods were equally able to recognize C-, L- and H-type BSE forms and to discriminate between their different immunohistochemical and molecular phenotypes. Of note is that for the first time one of the two sets of BSE confirmatory protocols proved effective in identifying the L-type BSE form. This finding helps to validate the suitability of the BSE confirmatory tests for BSE surveillance currently in place.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Porcario
- CEA, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154, Turin, Italy.
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15
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Safar JG, Giles K, Lessard P, Letessier F, Patel S, Serban A, DeArmond SJ, Prusiner SB. Conserved properties of human and bovine prion strains on transmission to guinea pigs. J Transl Med 2011; 91:1326-36. [PMID: 21727894 PMCID: PMC3164925 DOI: 10.1038/labinvest.2011.89] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The first transmissions of human prion diseases to rodents used guinea pigs (Gps, Cavia porcellus). Later, transgenic mice expressing human or chimeric human/mouse PrP replaced Gps, but the small size of the mouse limits some investigations. To investigate the fidelity of strain-specific prion transmission to Gps, we inoculated 'type 1' and 'type 2' prion strains into Gps, and we measured the incubation times and determined the strain-specified size of the unglycosylated, protease-resistant (r) PrP(Sc) fragment. Prions passaged once in Gps from cases of sporadic (s) Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker (GSS) disease caused by the P102L mutation were used, as well as human prions from a variant (v) CJD case, bovine prions from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and mouse-passaged scrapie prions. Variant CJD and BSE prions transmitted to all the inoculated Gps with incubation times of 367 ± 4 and 436 ± 28 days, respectively. On second passage in Gps, vCJD and BSE prions caused disease in 287 ± 4 and 310 ± 4 days, whereas sCJD and GSS prions transmitted in 237 ± 4 and 279 ± 19 days, respectively. Although hamster Sc237 prions transmitted to two of three Gps after 574 and 792 days, mouse-passaged RML and 301V prion strains, the latter derived from BSE prions, failed to transmit disease to Gps. Those Gps inoculated with vCJD or BSE prions exhibited 'type 2' unglycosylated, rPrP(Sc) (19 kDa), whereas those receiving sCJD or GSS prions displayed 'type 1' prions (21 kDa), as determined by western blotting. Such strain-specific properties were maintained in Gps as well as mice expressing a chimeric human/mouse transgene. Gps may prove particularly useful in further studies of novel human prions such as those causing vCJD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiri G. Safar
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California, San Francisco
,Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Kurt Giles
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California, San Francisco
,Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Pierre Lessard
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Frederic Letessier
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Smita Patel
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Ana Serban
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Stephen J. DeArmond
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California, San Francisco
,Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Stanley B. Prusiner
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California, San Francisco
,Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco
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Okada H, Iwamaru Y, Imamura M, Masujin K, Matsuura Y, Shimizu Y, Kasai K, Takata M, Fukuda S, Nikaido S, Fujii K, Onoe S, Mohri S, Yokoyama T. Neuroanatomical distribution of disease-associated prion protein in cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy detected by fallen stock surveillance in Japan. J Vet Med Sci 2011; 73:1465-71. [PMID: 21757857 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.11-0291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder of cattle characterized by accumulation of the disease-associated prion protein (PrP(Sc)) in the central nervous system (CNS). The immunohistochemical patterns and distribution of PrP(Sc) were investigated in the CNS, brains, and spinal cords of 7 naturally occurring BSE cases confirmed by the fallen stock surveillance program in Japan. No animals showed characteristic clinical signs of the disease. Coronal slices of 14 different brain areas in each case were immunohistochemically analyzed using an anti-prion protein antibody. Immunolabeled PrP(Sc) deposition was widely observed throughout each brain and spinal cord. Intense PrP(Sc) deposition was greater in the thalamus, brainstem, and spinal cord of the gray matter than in the neocortices. The topographical distribution pattern and severity of PrP(Sc) accumulation were mapped and plotted as immunohistochemical profiles of the different brain areas along the caudal-rostral axis of the brain. The distribution pattern and severity of the immunolabeled PrP(Sc) in the CNS were almost the same among the 7 cases analyzed, suggesting that the naturally occurring cases in this study were at the preclinical stage of the disease. Immunohistochemical mapping of the PrP(Sc) deposits will be used to clarify the different stages of BSE in cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Okada
- Prion Disease Research Center, National Institute of Animal Health, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305–0856, Japan.
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Experimental H-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy characterized by plaques and glial- and stellate-type prion protein deposits. Vet Res 2011; 42:79. [PMID: 21699704 PMCID: PMC3132711 DOI: 10.1186/1297-9716-42-79] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2011] [Accepted: 06/23/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) has recently been identified in Europe, North America, and Japan. It is classified as H-type and L-type BSE according to the molecular mass of the disease-associated prion protein (PrPSc). To investigate the topographical distribution and deposition patterns of immunolabeled PrPSc, H-type BSE isolate was inoculated intracerebrally into cattle. H-type BSE was successfully transmitted to 3 calves, with incubation periods between 500 and 600 days. Moderate to severe spongiform changes were detected in the cerebral and cerebellar cortices, basal ganglia, thalamus, and brainstem. H-type BSE was characterized by the presence of PrP-immunopositive amyloid plaques in the white matter of the cerebrum, basal ganglia, and thalamus. Moreover, intraglial-type immunolabeled PrPSc was prominent throughout the brain. Stellate-type immunolabeled PrPSc was conspicuous in the gray matter of the cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, and thalamus, but not in the brainstem. In addition, PrPSc accumulation was detected in the peripheral nervous tissues, such as trigeminal ganglia, dorsal root ganglia, optic nerve, retina, and neurohypophysis. Cattle are susceptible to H-type BSE with a shorter incubation period, showing distinct and distinguishable phenotypes of PrPSc accumulation.
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18
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Predominant Involvement of the Cerebellum in Guinea Pigs Infected with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). J Comp Pathol 2011; 144:269-76. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2010.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2010] [Revised: 07/07/2010] [Accepted: 10/19/2010] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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19
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Fukuda S, Okada H, Arai S, Yokoyama T, Mohri S. Neuropathological changes in auditory brainstem nuclei in cattle with experimentally induced bovine spongiform encephalopathy. J Comp Pathol 2011; 145:302-7. [PMID: 21333306 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2010.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2010] [Revised: 11/26/2010] [Accepted: 12/21/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is characterized by the appearance of spongy lesions in the brain, particularly in the brainstem nuclei. This study evaluated the degenerative changes observed in the central auditory brainstem of BSE-challenged cattle. The neuropathological changes in the auditory brainstem nuclei were assessed by determining the severity of vacuolation and the presence of disease-associated prion protein (PrP(Sc)). Sixteen female Holstein-Friesian calves, 2-4 months of age, were inoculated intracerebrally with BSE agent. BSE-challenged animals developed the characteristic clinical signs of BSE approximately 18 months post inoculation (mpi) and advanced neurological signs after 22 mpi. Before the appearance of clinical signs (i.e. at 3, 10, 12 and 16 mpi), vacuolar change was absent or mild and PrP(Sc) deposition was minimal in the auditory brainstem nuclei. The two cattle sacrificed at 18 and 19 mpi had no clinical signs and showed mild vacuolar degeneration and moderate amounts of PrP(Sc) accumulation in the auditory brainstem pathway. In the animals challenged with BSE agent that developed clinical sings (i.e. after 20 mpi), spongy changes were more prominent in the nucleus of the inferior colliculus compared with the other nuclei of the auditory brainstem and the medial geniculate body. Neuropathological changes characterized by spongy lesions accompanied by PrP(Sc) accumulation in the auditory brainstem nuclei of BSE-infected cattle may be associated with hyperacusia.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Fukuda
- Hokkaido Animal Research Center, Hokkaido Research Organization, Shintoku, Hokkaido 081-0038, Japan
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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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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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Panza G, Luers L, Stöhr J, Nagel-Steger L, Weiβ J, Riesner D, Willbold D, Birkmann E. Molecular interactions between prions as seeds and recombinant prion proteins as substrates resemble the biological interspecies barrier in vitro. PLoS One 2010; 5:e14283. [PMID: 21151607 PMCID: PMC3000319 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0014283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2009] [Accepted: 09/26/2010] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases like Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, Scrapie in sheep or bovine spongiform encephalopathy are fatal neurodegenerative diseases, which can be of sporadic, genetic, or infectious origin. Prion diseases are transmissible between different species, however, with a variable species barrier. The key event of prion amplification is the conversion of the cellular isoform of the prion protein (PrPC) into the pathogenic isoform (PrPSc). We developed a sodiumdodecylsulfate-based PrP conversion system that induces amyloid fibril formation from soluble α-helical structured recombinant PrP (recPrP). This approach was extended applying pre-purified PrPSc as seeds which accelerate fibrillization of recPrP. In the present study we investigated the interspecies coherence of prion disease. Therefore we used PrPSc from different species like Syrian hamster, cattle, mouse and sheep and seeded fibrillization of recPrP from the same or other species to mimic in vitro the natural species barrier. We could show that the in vitro system of seeded fibrillization is in accordance with what is known from the naturally occurring species barriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giannantonio Panza
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Lars Luers
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jan Stöhr
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Luitgard Nagel-Steger
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jürgen Weiβ
- Institut für klinische Biochemie und Pathobiochemie, Deutsches Diabetes-Zentrum, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Detlev Riesner
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Dieter Willbold
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institut für Strukturbiologie und Biophysik 3, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Eva Birkmann
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institut für Strukturbiologie und Biophysik 3, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Hervé R, Collin R, Pinchin H, Secker T, Keevil C. A rapid dual staining procedure for the quantitative discrimination of prion amyloid from tissues reveals how interactions between amyloid and lipids in tissue homogenates may hinder the detection of prions. J Microbiol Methods 2009; 77:90-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2009.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2008] [Revised: 01/13/2009] [Accepted: 01/16/2009] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Ersdal C, Goodsir CM, Simmons MM, McGovern G, Jeffrey M. Abnormal prion protein is associated with changes of plasma membranes and endocytosis in bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)-affected cattle brains. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2008; 35:259-71. [PMID: 19473293 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2990.2008.00988.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
AIMS Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative diseases of man and animals characterized by vacuolation and gliosis of neuropil and the accumulation of abnormal isoforms of a host protein known as prion protein (PrP). It is widely assumed that the abnormal isoforms of PrP (PrP(d), disease-specific form of PrP) are the proximate cause of neurodegeneration. METHODS To determine the nature of subcellular changes and their association with PrP(d) we perfusion-fixed brains of eight bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)-affected cows and three control cattle for immunogold electron microscopy at two different neuroanatomical sites. RESULTS All affected cattle presented plasma membrane alterations of dendrites and astrocytes that were labelled for PrP(d). PrP(d) on membranes of dendrites and occasionally of neuronal perikarya was associated with abnormal endocytotic events, including bizarre coated pits and invagination of the plasma membrane. BSE-affected cattle also presented excess and abnormal multivesicular bodies, sometimes associated to the plasma membrane perturbations. In contrast, two TSE-specific lesions, vacuolation and rare tubulovesicular bodies, were not labelled for PrP(d) as were a number of other nonspecific lesions, such as autophagy and dystrophic neurites. At least two different morphological pathways to vacuoles were recognized. CONCLUSIONS When compared with other TSEs, these changes are common to those of sheep and rodent scrapie and shows that there are consistent membrane toxicity properties of PrP(d). This toxicity involves an aberration of endocytosis. However, it is by no means clear that the lesions are of sufficient severity to result in clinical deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Ersdal
- Department of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Oslo, Norway.
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Gains MJ, LeBlanc AC. Canadian Association of Neurosciences Review: prion protein and prion diseases: the good and the bad. Can J Neurol Sci 2007; 34:126-45. [PMID: 17598589 DOI: 10.1017/s0317167100005953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
In the 1700's a strange new disease affecting sheep was recognized in Europe. The disease later became known as "Scrapie" and was the first of a family of similar diseases affecting a number of species that are now known as the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs). The appearance of a new disease in humans linked to the consumption of meat products from infected cattle has stimulated widespread public concern and scientific interest in the prion protein and related diseases. Nearly 300 years after the first report, these diseases still merit the descriptor "strange". This family of diseases is characterized by a unique profile of histological changes, can be transmitted as inherited or acquired diseases, as well as apparent sporadic spontaneous generation of the disease. These diseases are believed by many, to be caused by a unique protein only infectious agent. The "prion protein" (PrPC), a term first coined by Stanley Prusiner in 1982 is crucial to the development of these diseases, apparently by acting as a substrate for an abnormal disease associated form. However, aside from being critical to the pathogenesis of the disease, the function of PrPC, which is expressed in all mammals, has defied definitive description. Several roles have been proposed on the basis of in vitro studies, however, thus far, in vivo confirmation has not been forthcoming. The biological features of PrPC also seem to be unusual. Numerous mouse models have been generated in an attempt to understand the pathogenesis of these diseases. This review summarizes the current state of histological features, the etiologic agent, the normal metabolism and the function of the prion protein, as well as the limitations of the mouse models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malcolm J Gains
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
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Rocchi MS, Anderson MJ, Eaton SL, Hamilton S, Finlayson J, Steele P, Barclay GR, Chianini F. Three-colour flow cytometric detection of PrP in ovine leukocytes. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2007; 116:172-81. [PMID: 17320973 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2007.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2006] [Revised: 01/10/2007] [Accepted: 01/24/2007] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
PrP(c) (cellular prion protein, CD230) expression by subpopulations of lymphoid cells has been widely investigated in a variety of species, possibly because of the possible link between transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) transmission and blood transfusion. However, the role of the immune cells in the transmission of the disease is still unclear. Here we describe the optimisation and standardisation of a three-colour staining procedure to detect PrP in association with phenotypic and activation markers in ovine immune cells. We demonstrate a reproducible, flexible and sensitive method and that the combination of isotype-specific antibodies and Fab fragments is feasible. To our knowledge, this is the first report of such labelling of ovine cells. Using this method, we were able to detect differences in levels of PrP expression between blood and lymph node cells of the same animal, and considerable variability between animals. Moreover, we were able to explore possible associations between PrP expression and cellular activation and to identify cell subsets with different labelling patterns. We are currently employing this approach to evaluate variations in immunological parameters during experimental infection in sheep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara S Rocchi
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, Scotland EH26 0PZ, UK
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Furuoka H, Yabuzoe A, Horiuchi M, Tagawa Y, Yokoyama T, Yamakawa Y, Shinagawa M, Sata T. Species-specificity of a panel of prion protein antibodies for the immunohistochemical study of animal and human prion diseases. J Comp Pathol 2007; 136:9-17. [PMID: 17270205 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2006.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2006] [Accepted: 09/27/2006] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies to the prion protein (PrP) have been of critical importance in the neuropathological characterization of PrP-related disease in men and animals. To determine the influence of species-specific amino-acid substitutions recognized by monoclonal antibodies, and to investigate the immunohistochemical reactivity of the latter, analyses were carried out on brain sections of cattle with bovine spongiform encephalopathy, sheep with scrapie, mice infected with scrapie, and human beings with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) or Gerstmann-Sträussler-Sheinker disease (GSS). Immunoreactivity varied between the antibodies, probably as the result of differences in the amino-acid sequence of the prion protein in the various species. Some monoclonal antibodies against mouse recombinant PrP gave strong signals with bovine, ovine and human PrP(Sc), in addition to murine PrP(Sc), even though the amino-acid sequences determined by the antibody epitope are not fully identical with the amino-acid sequences proper to the species. On the other hand, in certain regions of the PrP sequence, when the species-specificity of the antibodies is defined by one amino-acid substitution, the antibodies revealed no reactivity with other animal species. In the region corresponding to positions 134-159 of murine PrP, immunohistochemical reactivity or species-specificity recognized by the antibodies may be determined by one amino acid corresponding to position 144 of murine PrP. Not all epitopes recognized by a monoclonal antibody play an important role in antigen-antibody reactions in immunohistochemistry. The presence of the core epitope is therefore vital in understanding antibody binding ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Furuoka
- Department of Pathobiological Science, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro 080-8555, Japan.
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Sofianidis G, Psychas V, Billinis C, Spyrou V, Argyroudis S, Papaioannou N, Vlemmas I. Histopathological and immunohistochemical features of natural goat scrapie. J Comp Pathol 2006; 135:116-129. [PMID: 16997004 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2006.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2005] [Accepted: 06/11/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations were performed on the brain and spinal cord of 37 goats from two Greek herds in which scrapie had been reported. Of the 37 animals, 18 were from a herd consisting only of goats and 19 were from a herd of goats mixed with sheep. The goats studied were grouped on the basis of the presence or absence of clinical signs. Distinctive lesions and PrP(sc) (PrP, prion protein) deposition were found in the central nervous system (CNS) of eight clinically affected animals and six symptomless animals. The lesion profile and PrP(sc) distribution varied both between and within groups, variation being particularly pronounced in the symptomless goats. The results concerning the latter group suggested a poor correlation between the intensity of lesions, the amount of PrP(sc) in the CNS, and the manifestation of clinical signs. Immunohistochemical examination revealed 10 different PrP(sc) types, four of which are reported for the first time in goats. All scrapie-affected animals carried the VV(21)II(142)HH(143)RR(154) genotype, with the exception of two goats that carried the HR(143) dimorphism and had detectable PrP(sc) deposits. The results suggest that the histopathological and immunohistochemical profile of the natural disease in goats is influenced by the PrP genotype and age of the animals but may not be directly associated with the presence or otherwise of clinical signs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - C Billinis
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, Trikalon 224, 43100 Karditsa
| | - V Spyrou
- Department of Animal Production, Technological Educational Institution, Larissa, Greece
| | - S Argyroudis
- Clinic of Productive Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki
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Díaz-San Segundo F, Salguero FJ, de Avila A, Espinosa JC, Torres JM, Brun A. Distribution of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) in brains of livestock and domesticated species. Acta Neuropathol 2006; 112:587-95. [PMID: 16957924 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-006-0133-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2006] [Revised: 08/08/2006] [Accepted: 08/09/2006] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
In transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) the prion protein (PrP) plays a central role in pathogenesis. The PrP gene (Prnp) has been described in a number of mammalian and avian species and its expression product, the cellular prion protein (PrP(C)), has been mapped in brains of different laboratory animals (rodent and non-human primates). However, mapping of PrP(C) expression in mammalian species suffering from natural (bovine and ovine) and experimental (swine) TSE or in species in which prion disease has never been reported (equine and canine) deserves further attention. Thus, localising the cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) distribution in brain may be noteworthy for the understanding of prion disease pathogenesis since lesions seem to be restricted to particular brain areas. In the present work, we analysed the distribution of PrP(C) expression among several brain structures of the above species. Our results suggest that the expression of PrP(C), within the same species, differs depending on the brain structure studied, but no essential differences between the PrP(C) distribution patterns among the studied species could be established. Positive immunoreaction was found mainly in the neuropil and to a lesser extent in neuronal bodies which occasionally appeared strongly stained in discrete regions. Overall, the expression of PrP(C) in the brain was significantly higher in grey matter areas than in white matter, where accumulation of PrP(Sc) is first observed in prion diseases. Therefore, other factors besides the level of expression of cellular PrP may account for the pathogenesis of TSEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fayna Díaz-San Segundo
- Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA-INIA), Carretera Algete-El Casar km 8,100, Valdeolmos, 28130, Madrid, Spain
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30
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Konold T, Lee YH, Stack MJ, Horrocks C, Green RB, Chaplin M, Simmons MM, Hawkins SAC, Lockey R, Spiropoulos J, Wilesmith JW, Wells GAH. Different prion disease phenotypes result from inoculation of cattle with two temporally separated sources of sheep scrapie from Great Britain. BMC Vet Res 2006; 2:31. [PMID: 17044917 PMCID: PMC1636635 DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-2-31] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2006] [Accepted: 10/17/2006] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Given the theoretical proposal that bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) could have originated from sheep scrapie, this study investigated the pathogenicity for cattle, by intracerebral (i.c.) inoculation, of two pools of scrapie agents sourced in Great Britain before and during the BSE epidemic. Two groups of ten cattle were each inoculated with pools of brain material from sheep scrapie cases collected prior to 1975 and after 1990. Control groups comprised five cattle inoculated with sheep brain free from scrapie, five cattle inoculated with saline, and for comparison with BSE, naturally infected cattle and cattle i.c. inoculated with BSE brainstem homogenate from a parallel study. Phenotypic characterisation of the disease forms transmitted to cattle was conducted by morphological, immunohistochemical, biochemical and biological methods. Results Disease occurred in 16 cattle, nine inoculated with the pre-1975 inoculum and seven inoculated with the post-1990 inoculum, with four cattle still alive at 83 months post challenge (as at June 2006). The different inocula produced predominantly two different disease phenotypes as determined by histopathological, immunohistochemical and Western immunoblotting methods and biological characterisation on transmission to mice, neither of which was identical to BSE. Whilst the disease presentation was uniform in all scrapie-affected cattle of the pre-1975 group, the post-1990 inoculum produced a more variable disease, with two animals sharing immunohistochemical and molecular profile characteristics with animals in the pre-1975 group. Conclusion The study has demonstrated that cattle inoculated with different pooled scrapie sources can develop different prion disease phenotypes, which were not consistent with the phenotype of BSE of cattle and whose isolates did not have the strain typing characteristics of the BSE agent on transmission to mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timm Konold
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, UK
| | - Yoon Hee Lee
- National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service, Anyang, Republic of Korea
| | - Michael J Stack
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, UK
| | - Claire Horrocks
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, UK
| | - Robert B Green
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, UK
| | - Melanie Chaplin
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, UK
| | - Marion M Simmons
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, UK
| | - Steve AC Hawkins
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, UK
| | - Richard Lockey
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, UK
| | - John Spiropoulos
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, UK
| | - John W Wilesmith
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 1A Page Street, London, UK
| | - Gerald AH Wells
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, UK
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31
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Abstract
Centrifugal spread of the prion agent to peripheral tissues is postulated to occur by axonal transport along nerve fibers. This study investigated the distribution of the pathological isoform of the protein (PrP(Sc)) in the tongues and nasal cavities of hamsters following intracerebral inoculation of the HY strain of the transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) agent. We report that PrP(Sc) deposition was found in the lamina propria, taste buds, and stratified squamous epithelium of fungiform papillae in the tongue, as well as in skeletal muscle cells. Using laser scanning confocal microscopy, PrP(Sc) was localized to nerve fibers in each of these structures in the tongue, neuroepithelial taste cells of the taste bud, and, possibly, epithelial cells. This PrP(Sc) distribution was consistent with a spread of HY TME agent along both somatosensory and gustatory cranial nerves to the tongue and suggests subsequent synaptic spread to taste cells and epithelial cells via peripheral synapses. In the nasal cavity, PrP(Sc) accumulation was found in the olfactory and vomeronasal epithelium, where its location was consistent with a distribution in cell bodies and apical dendrites of the sensory neurons. Prion spread to these sites is consistent with transport via the olfactory nerve fibers that descend from the olfactory bulb. Our data suggest that epithelial cells, neuroepithelial taste cells, or olfactory sensory neurons at chemosensory mucosal surfaces, which undergo normal turnover, infected with the prion agent could be shed and play a role in the horizontal transmission of animal prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Crista DeJoia
- Department of Veterinary Molecular Biology, P.O. Box 173610, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA
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Furuoka H, Yabuzoe A, Horiuchi M, Tagawa Y, Yokoyama T, Yamakawa Y, Shinagawa M, Sata T. Effective antigen-retrieval method for immunohistochemical detection of abnormal isoform of prion proteins in animals. Acta Neuropathol 2005; 109:263-71. [PMID: 15616789 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-004-0944-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2004] [Revised: 10/12/2004] [Accepted: 10/12/2004] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
For immunohistochemistry of the prion diseases, several pretreatment methods to enhance the immunoreactivity of human and animal abnormal proteinase-resistant prion protein (PrP(Sc)) on the tissue sections have been employed. The method of 121 degree C hydrated autoclaving pretreatment or the combination method of 121 degree C hydrated autoclaving with a certain chemical reagent (formic acid or proteinase K, etc) are now widely used. We found that an improved hydrated autoclaving method at 135 degrees C, more effectively enhanced PrP(Sc) immunoreactivity for the antibodies recognizing the linear epitope. In addition, this method was more effective for the long-term fixation samples as compared with other previous methods. However, this modified method could not retrieve PrP(Sc) antigenic epitopes composed of conformational structures or several discontinuous epitopes. We describe the comparative studies between our improved method and other antigen-retrieval procedures reported previously. Based on the differences of reaction among the antibodies, we also discuss the mechanisms of the hydrated autoclaving methods to retrieve PrP(Sc) immunoreactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hidefumi Furuoka
- Department of Pathobiological Science, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, 080-8555, Obihiro, Japan.
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Konold T, Bone G, Ryder S, Hawkins SAC, Courtin F, Berthelin-Baker C. Clinical findings in 78 suspected cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Great Britain. Vet Rec 2004; 155:659-66. [PMID: 15581140 DOI: 10.1136/vr.155.21.659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The clinical findings in 59 cows with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) were compared with those in 19 cattle that were submitted as BSE suspects but not confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Both groups were also compared with a control group of 20 healthy cows. Abnormalities in behaviour, temperament, mental status and activity, neurogenic disorders of gait and hyperreactivity to touch were frequently observed in the cattle with BSE. Not every animal with BSE displayed clinical signs in all these categories, and the severity of the signs was not always useful for differentiating them from the BSE suspects that were not confirmed by pathology. The neurological examination was better than passive observations for the clinical diagnosis of BSE. Tests of the animals' responses to sudden auditory, visual and tactile stimuli were very useful for distinguishing cases of BSE from unconfirmed BSE suspects if the cases did not display signs in all the categories.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Konold
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency-Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB
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34
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Mulcahy ER, Bartz JC, Kincaid AE, Bessen RA. Prion infection of skeletal muscle cells and papillae in the tongue. J Virol 2004; 78:6792-8. [PMID: 15194754 PMCID: PMC421640 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.78.13.6792-6798.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence of the prion agent in skeletal muscle is thought to be due to the infection of nerve fibers located within the muscle. We report here that the pathological isoform of the prion protein, PrP(Sc), accumulates within skeletal muscle cells, in addition to axons, in the tongue of hamsters following intralingual and intracerebral inoculation of the HY strain of the transmissible mink encephalopathy agent. Localization of PrP(Sc) to the neuromuscular junction suggests that this synapse is a site for prion agent spread between motor axon terminals and muscle cells. Following intracerebral inoculation, the majority of PrP(Sc) in the tongue was found in the lamina propria, where it was associated with sensory nerve fibers in the core of the lingual papillae. PrP(Sc) staining was also identified in the stratified squamous epithelium of the lingual mucosa. These findings indicate that prion infection of skeletal muscle cells and the epithelial layer in the tongue can be established following the spread of the prion agent from nerve terminals and/or axons that innervate the tongue. Our data suggest that ingestion of meat products containing prion-infected tongue could result in human exposure to the prion agent, while sloughing of prion-infected epithelial cells at the mucosal surface of the tongue could be a mechanism for prion agent shedding and subsequent prion transmission in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellyn R Mulcahy
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA
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35
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Vidal E, Montoliu P, Añor S, Sisó S, Ferrer I, Pumarola M. A Novel Spongiform Degeneration of the Grey Matter in the Brain of a Kitten. J Comp Pathol 2004; 131:98-103. [PMID: 15144805 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2004.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2003] [Accepted: 01/20/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
A young female domestic short-hair cat presented with neurological signs consistent with a multifocal encephalic lesion (depressed mental status, head tilt to the right, cervical ventroflexion, head tremors, tetraparesis, conscious propioceptive deficits in all four limbs and visual deficits). No gross lesions were seen at necropsy. On light microscopical examination lesions were found only in the brain and cervical spinal cord. A generalized vacuolation of the grey matter of the brain was observed. Special staining techniques, immunohistochemistry, lectin affinity histochemistry and ultrastructural studies were performed to characterize the lesion; preservation of the white matter and a reactive astrogliosis were demonstrated. Feline retroviruses and PrPsc were not detected. Ultrastructurally, a dilatation of intracytoplasmic membrane-bounded organelles with membrane disruption and dendritic and somatic swelling was found in astrocytes and neurons. The age of the animal and histological changes suggested a novel, possibly congenital, spongiform degeneration of the brain and cervical spinal cord.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Vidal
- Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Institut de Neurociències and Laboratori, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
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36
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Casalone C, Zanusso G, Acutis P, Ferrari S, Capucci L, Tagliavini F, Monaco S, Caramelli M. Identification of a second bovine amyloidotic spongiform encephalopathy: molecular similarities with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2004; 101:3065-70. [PMID: 14970340 PMCID: PMC365745 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0305777101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 309] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), or prion diseases, are mammalian neurodegenerative disorders characterized by a posttranslational conversion and brain accumulation of an insoluble, protease-resistant isoform (PrP(Sc)) of the host-encoded cellular prion protein (PrP(C)). Human and animal TSE agents exist as different phenotypes that can be biochemically differentiated on the basis of the molecular mass of the protease-resistant PrP(Sc) fragments and the degree of glycosylation. Epidemiological, molecular, and transmission studies strongly suggest that the single strain of agent responsible for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) has infected humans, causing variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The unprecedented biological properties of the BSE agent, which circumvents the so-called "species barrier" between cattle and humans and adapts to different mammalian species, has raised considerable concern for human health. To date, it is unknown whether more than one strain might be responsible for cattle TSE or whether the BSE agent undergoes phenotypic variation after natural transmission. Here we provide evidence of a second cattle TSE. The disorder was pathologically characterized by the presence of PrP-immunopositive amyloid plaques, as opposed to the lack of amyloid deposition in typical BSE cases, and by a different pattern of regional distribution and topology of brain PrP(Sc) accumulation. In addition, Western blot analysis showed a PrP(Sc) type with predominance of the low molecular mass glycoform and a protease-resistant fragment of lower molecular mass than BSE-PrP(Sc). Strikingly, the molecular signature of this previously undescribed bovine PrP(Sc) was similar to that encountered in a distinct subtype of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Casalone
- Centro di Referenza Nazionale per le Encefalopatie Animali, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Via Bologna, 148, 10195 Turin, Italy
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Debeer S, Baron T, Bencsik A. Neuropathological characterisation of French bovine spongiform encephalopathy cases. Histochem Cell Biol 2003; 120:513-21. [PMID: 14624299 DOI: 10.1007/s00418-003-0593-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/29/2003] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle is a neurodegenerative disease belonging to the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, a group of diseases including sheep scrapie and human Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The pathological characteristics of BSE are vacuolation, mild gliosis, little neuronal degeneration without inflammatory process and abnormal prion protein (PrPsc) accumulation. The aim of this study was to define precisely the neuropathology of BSE in French cases by assessing the distributions of vacuolar lesions and PrPsc within cattle brains. We showed that vacuolation and PrPsc accumulation varied from one structure to the other, and most often coexisted. These distributions were in accordance with British and Portuguese data previously published. Seven types of PrPsc immunolabelling were described based on morphology and localisation. Besides mild gliosis mainly associated with vacuolation, we observed a very slight neuronal apoptosis. In addition, we saw a moderate vimentin labelling colocalised with vacuolation, a discrete ubiquitin staining and no Tau protein staining. This study provides precise histopathological data that will be completed with a quantitative study on more than 100 obex samples of French BSE cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Debeer
- Laboratoire d'Etudes et de Recherches en Pathologie Bovine et Hygiène des Viandes, Unité Virologie-ATNC, AFSSA Lyon, 31 avenue Tony Garnier, 69364 Lyon cedex 07, France
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38
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Ersdal C, Simmons MM, Goodsir C, Martin S, Jeffrey M. Sub-cellular pathology of scrapie: coated pits are increased in PrP codon 136 alanine homozygous scrapie-affected sheep. Acta Neuropathol 2003; 106:17-28. [PMID: 12669239 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-003-0690-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2002] [Revised: 12/23/2002] [Accepted: 02/03/2003] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Sub-cellular studies of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) have been carried out on several animal species and human beings. However, studies of optimal perfusion-fixed tissues have largely been confined to examination of rodents. Using a recently developed technique, heads of scrapie-affected sheep and controls were perfusion fixed with mixed aldehydes. The obexes were immunohistochemically labelled with PrP antibodies, and the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagal nerve was examined by electron microscopy. Irregular neuritic profiles with highly invaginated membranes, associated with coated pits were found in all scrapie-affected sheep, but not in controls. Interestingly, they were consistently more frequent in the homozygous A(136) sheep. This is the first report describing sub-cellular differences in pathology associated with different PrP genotypes. Rarely, amorphous material, or sparse fibrillar structures, were present in the extracellular space. The changes were often associated with irregular plasmalemma and frequent coated pits. Vacuolation typical of TSEs, dystrophic neurites and variable gliosis were present. Herniation of membranes and organelles from apparently healthy processes into adjacent vacuoles and dendrites was also observed. We suggest that the increase in coated pits and plasmalemma invagination is related to an attempted internalisation of aggregated disease-specific PrP, or protofilaments, from the extracellular space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilie Ersdal
- Department of Sheep and Goat Research, The Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, PO Box 8146, Dep., 0033 Oslo, Norway.
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39
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Abstract
Food-borne transmission of prions can lead to infection of the gastrointestinal tract and neuroinvasion via the splanchnic and vagus nerves. Here we report that the transmission of transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) is 100,000-fold more efficient by inoculation of prions into the tongues of hamsters than by oral ingestion. The incubation period following TME agent (hereinafter referred to as TME) inoculation into the lingual muscles was the shortest among the five nonneuronal routes of inoculation, including another intramuscular route. Deposition of the abnormal isoform of the prion protein, PrP(Sc), was first detected in the tongue and submandibular lymph node at 1 to 2 weeks following inoculation of the tongue with TME. PrP(Sc) deposits in the tongue were associated with individual axons, and the initial appearance of TME in the brain stem was found in the hypoglossal nucleus at 2 weeks postinfection. At later time points, PrP(Sc) was localized to brain cell groups that directly project to the hypoglossal nucleus, indicating the transneuronal spread of TME. TME PrP(Sc) entry into the brain stem preceded PrP(Sc) detection in the rostral cervical spinal cord. These results demonstrate that TME can replicate in both the tongue and regional lymph nodes but indicate that the faster route of brain invasion is via retrograde axonal transport within the hypoglossal nerve to the hypoglossal nucleus. Topical application of TME to a superficial wound on the surface of the tongue resulted in a higher incidence of disease and a shorter incubation period than with oral TME ingestion. Therefore, abrasions of the tongue in livestock and humans may predispose a host to oral prion infection of the tongue-associated cranial nerves. In a related study, PrP(Sc) was detected in tongues following the intracerebral inoculation of six hamster-adapted prion strains, which demonstrates that prions can also travel from the brain to the tongue in the anterograde direction along the tongue-associated cranial nerves. These findings suggest that food products containing ruminant or cervid tongue may be a potential source of prion infection for humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason C Bartz
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska 68178, USA
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40
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Begara-McGorum I, González L, Simmons M, Hunter N, Houston F, Jeffrey M. Vacuolar lesion profile in sheep scrapie: factors influencing its variation and relationship to disease-specific PrP accumulation. J Comp Pathol 2002; 127:59-68. [PMID: 12354546 DOI: 10.1053/jcpa.2002.0558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Detailed neuropathological examination for vacuolar lesions was performed on the brains of 42 sheep with clinical signs compatible with scrapie. The sheep were grouped according to their breed (Poll-Dorset, Cheviot, Welsh Mountain, Shetland and Suffolk), their PrP genotype at codons 136, 154 and 171 (VRQ/VRQ, VRQ/ARQ, VRQ/ARR and ARQ/ARQ) and the type of infection (experimental infection with SSBP/1, or natural disease). Twenty-two neuroanatomical sites from seven brain regions were examined for vacuolation in the neuropil and five sites at the level of the obex were examined for intraneuronal vacuolation. In 36 sheep, immunohistochemical examination for disease-specific PrP (PrP(d)) accumulation had also been performed in the same brain regions in an earlier study. The magnitude of total neuropil vacuolation was highest in the naturally affected ARQ/ARQ Suffolk sheep and lowest in the experimentally infected VRQ/VRQ Cheviot sheep and VRQ/ARR Poll-Dorset sheep. The severity of neuropil vacuolation at nine of the 22 neuroanatomical sites examined was used to generate a vacuolar lesion profile, which showed variations between the different sheep groups. These variations could be attributed to both PrP genotype and sheep breed and also possibly to scrapie agent; there was, however, considerable individual variation in lesion profile within sheep groups. All groups showed a similar ratio of neuropil vacuolation to neuronal vacuolation at the level of the obex. Although a positive correlation between neuropil vacuolation and PrP(d) deposition was generally observed, it was low except for the astrocyte-associated pattern of PrP(d) accumulation. The study suggests that vacuolar lesion profiles in sheep are affected by several factors and, by comparison with lesion profiles in mice, are of no more than limited value for discriminating between scrapie strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Begara-McGorum
- Scottish Agricultural College Veterinary Science Division, Boon Loan, Midlothian, UK
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41
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Debeer SOS, Baron TGM, Bencsik AA. Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy diagnosis using PrPsc immunohistochemistry on fixed but previously frozen brain samples. J Histochem Cytochem 2002; 50:611-6. [PMID: 11967272 DOI: 10.1177/002215540205000502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The histological diagnosis of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), such as scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), relies on identification in the brain of spongiosis, gliosis, and neuron loss without inflammatory lesions. Because of its sensitivity, immunohistochemistry of abnormal prion protein (PrPsc) is of great help in this diagnosis and can be used on its own or complementary to the biochemical detection of PrPsc. However, in some cases no formalin-fixed material is available, rendering its use as a complementary method impossible. For that purpose, we studied the possibility of detecting PrPsc immunohistochemically in fixed brain samples that had been previously frozen and used for Western blotting analysis. We compared freshly and fixed-frozen brain samples originating from the same sheep, either affected or unaffected with scrapie. We also studied fixed-frozen brain samples from scrapie-affected goats and from cows showing BSE. We showed that in all the species tested, despite damage to the histological structures, PrPsc was still detectable in the fixed-frozen brain sections without unspecific background staining. Notwithstanding the limited number of cases thus far analyzed, we have already demonstrated the possibility of using PrPsc immunohistochemistry on fixed-frozen brain samples with very good efficacy, thus rendering possible its use for diagnostic purposes in TSEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine O S Debeer
- AFSSA, Laboratoire d'Etudes et de Recherches en Pathologie Bovine et Hygiène des Viandes, Unité Virologie-ATNC, Lyon, France
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42
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Wrathall AE, Brown KFD, Sayers AR, Wells GAH, Simmons MM, Farrelly SSJ, Bellerby P, Squirrell J, Spencer YI, Wells M, Stack MJ, Bastiman B, Pullar D, Scatcherd J, Heasman L, Parker J, Hannam DAR, Helliwell DW, Chree A, Fraser H. Studies of embryo transfer from cattle clinically affected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Vet Rec 2002; 150:365-78. [PMID: 11936410 DOI: 10.1136/vr.150.12.365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Semen from 13 bulls, eight with clinical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), was used to artificially inseminate (AI) 167 cows with clinical BSE, and their resultant embryos were collected non-surgically seven days after AI. The viable and non-viable embryos with intact zonae pellucidae were washed 10 times (as recommended by the International Embryo Transfer Society) then frozen. Later, 587 of the viable embryos were transferred singly into 347 recipient heifers imported from New Zealand, and 266 live offspring were born of which 54.1 per cent had a BSE-positive sire and a BSE-positive dam. The recipients were monitored for clinical signs of BSE for seven years after the transfer, and the offspring were monitored for seven years after birth. Twenty-seven of the recipients and 20 offspring died while being monitored but none showed signs of BSE. Their brains, and the brains of the recipients and offspring killed after seven years, were examined for BSE by histopathology, PrP immunohistochemistry, and by electron microscopy for scrapie-associated fibrils. They were all negative. In addition, 1020 non-viable embryos were sonicated and injected intracerebrally into susceptible mice (20 embryos per mouse) which were monitored for up to 700 days, after which their brains were examined for spongiform lesions. They were all negative. It is concluded that embryos are unlikely to carry BSE infectivity even if they have been collected at the end-stage of the disease, when the risk of maternal transmission is believed to be highest.
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Affiliation(s)
- A E Wrathall
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency-Weybridge, Addlestone, Surrey
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43
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Spraker TR, Zink RR, Cummings BA, Wild MA, Miller MW, O'Rourke KI. Comparison of histological lesions and immunohistochemical staining of proteinase-resistant prion protein in a naturally occurring spongiform encephalopathy of free-ranging mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) with those of chronic wasting disease of captive mule deer. Vet Pathol 2002; 39:110-9. [PMID: 12102202 DOI: 10.1354/vp.39-1-110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
In this investigation, the nature and distribution of histologic lesions and immunohistochemical staining (IHC) of a proteinase-resistant prion protein were compared in free-ranging mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) dying of a naturally occurring spongiform encephalopathy (SE) and captive mule deer dying of chronic wasting disease (CWD). Sixteen free-ranging deer with SE, 12 free-ranging deer without SE, and 10 captive deer with CWD were examined at necropsy. Tissue sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and duplicate sections were stained with a monoclonal antibody (F89/160.1.5). Histological lesions in the free-ranging deer with SE and captive deer with CWD were found throughout the brain and spinal cord but were especially prominent in the myelencephalon, diencephalon, and rhinencephalon. The lesions were characterized by spongiform degeneration of gray matter neuropil, intracytoplasmic vacuolation and degeneration of neurons, and astrocytosis. IHC was found throughout the brain and retina of deer with SE and CWD. Positive IHC was found in lymphoid tissue of deer with SE and CWD. Histologic lesions and IHC were not found in multiple sections of integument, digestive, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, musculoskeletal, and urogenital systems of deer with SE or CWD. Comparison of histologic lesions and IHC in tissues of free-ranging deer with those of captive deer provides strong evidence that these two diseases are indistinguishable morphologically.
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Affiliation(s)
- T R Spraker
- Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523, USA
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44
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González L, Martin S, Begara-McGorum I, Hunter N, Houston F, Simmons M, Jeffrey M. Effects of agent strain and host genotype on PrP accumulation in the brain of sheep naturally and experimentally affected with scrapie. J Comp Pathol 2002; 126:17-29. [PMID: 11814318 DOI: 10.1053/jcpa.2001.0516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 177] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Different cellular and neuroanatomical types of disease-specific prion protein (PrP(d)) accumulation in the brain were identified in sheep of different breeds and PrP genotypes exposed to experimental or natural scrapie infection. Immunohistochemical examination of the brains of 43 sheep with clinical signs compatible with scrapie revealed 12 different PrP(d)types, which were subjectively quantified in eight different brain regions. The PrP(d)types were grouped into four PrP(d)patterns, the relative magnitude of which provided the PrP(d)profile of each sheep examined. The analysis of the differences in magnitude and relative proportion of each of these PrP(d)types and patterns indicated (1) an effect of the scrapie strain on the PrP(d)profile, and (2) a possible effect of the host genotype on the magnitude of PrP(d)accumulation in the brain, apparently related to the incubation period. Furthermore, intraneuronal deposition of PrP(d)was the type most closely associated with the development of clinical disease. We conclude that different scrapie strains can be distinguished by PrP immunohistochemical examination of brains of affected animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- L González
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA-Lasswade), Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Bush Loan, Midlothian, EH26 0PZ, UK
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45
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Debeer SO, Baron TG, Bencsik AA. Immunohistochemistry of PrPsc within bovine spongiform encephalopathy brain samples with graded autolysis. J Histochem Cytochem 2001; 49:1519-24. [PMID: 11724899 DOI: 10.1177/002215540104901205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a transmissible neurodegenerative disease of cattle. Clinical diagnosis can be confirmed by investigation of both spongiform changes and abnormal prion protein (PrPsc), a marker considered specific for the disease. Tissue autolysis, often unavoidable in routine field cases, is not compatible with histological examination of the brain even though PrPsc is still detectable by immunoblotting. To determine how autolysis might affect accurate diagnosis using PrPsc immunohistochemistry, we studied 50 field samples of BSE brainstem (obex) with various degrees of autolysis. We demonstrated that the antigen-unmasking pretreatments necessary for PrPsc immunohistochemistry were compatible with the preservation of autolyzed brain sections and that PrPsc detection was unaffected by autolysis, even though anatomic markers were sometimes lost. In tissue samples in which anatomic sites were still recognizable, PrPsc accumulation was detected in specific gray matter nuclei. In samples with advanced autolysis, PrPsc deposits were still observed, at least at the cellular level, as an intraneuronal pattern. We found that the sensitivity of PrPsc immunohistochemistry as a diagnostic method for BSE was undiminished even by severe tissue autolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- S O Debeer
- AFSSA, Laboratoire d'Etudes et de Recherches en Pathologie Bovine et Hygiène des Viandes, Unité Virologie-ATNC, Lyon, France.
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46
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Cooley WA, Clark JK, Ryder SJ, Davis LA, Farrelly SS, Stack MJ. Evaluation of a rapid western immunoblotting procedure for the diagnosis of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the UK. J Comp Pathol 2001; 125:64-70. [PMID: 11437518 DOI: 10.1053/jcpa.2001.0478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Bovine brain tissue samples from 625 UK cattle, clinically suspected as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) cases, were used in a blind analysis to assess a rapid Western immunoblotting technique (Prionics Check; Prionics AG, Zurich), which detects bovine disease-specific protease-resistant prion protein (PrP(Sc)). By means of statutory histopathological examination, 599 of the 625 cattle were confirmed as BSE cases by the demonstration of spongiform encephalopathy, the remaining 26 being classified as negative. Duplicate samples from the same animals were also examined by electron microscopy for the presence of abnormal brain fibrils (scrapie-associated fibrils; SAFs). The Prionics technique showed a high sensitivity, particularly when compared with the fibril detection test; the detection rates were 99.3% and 92.0% respectively, with histopathology being used as the "gold standard". The false negative results by the Prionics test were possibly related to the sampling procedure. Analysis of 50 BSE-positive samples revealed similar glycoprofiles, the majority of PrP(Sc)isoforms being di-glycosylated protein. The Prionics test also detected PrP(Sc)in the four brain samples from the 26 histopathologically negative animals, apparently reducing the specificity of the test to 84.6%; however, confirmatory positive results in these samples were obtained by demonstrating SAF or by immunohistochemical examination, or both. It was concluded that the Prionics test detected PrP(Sc)in a small percentage (0.64%) of clinically suspected BSE cases showing no spongiform change. Since January 2000, the Prionics Western blot test has been introduced as one of the statutory tests for the diagnosis of clinically suspected BSE and scrapie cases in the UK.
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Affiliation(s)
- W A Cooley
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Weybridge, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK
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47
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Schulz-Schaeffer WJ, Fatzer R, Vandevelde M, Kretzschmar HA. Detection of PrP(Sc) in subclinical BSE with the paraffin-embedded tissue (PET) blot. ARCHIVES OF VIROLOGY. SUPPLEMENTUM 2001:173-80. [PMID: 11214920 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-7091-6308-5_16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
The appearance of a new variant of CJD (vCJD) in young patients has caused considerable public concern and there is evidence that this novel disease is caused by the same agent as BSE. BSE is a prion disease that became epidemic in the UK, with a peak incidence in January 1993. New test systems should aim to identify BSE-infected cattle early in the incubation period. We compared the established histological and immunohistochemical methods and the Western blot method used by Prionics with the PET blot method that detects prion PrP(Sc) deposits in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue. Investigating the obex region with the PET blot, all BSE cases were detectable and no false positive cases occurred. From the Swiss culling program, five clinically healthy cattle out of 1761 were identified as incubating BSE. With the PET blot method four of them showed the same PrP(Sc) deposition pattern that was seen in clinical BSE, though less conspicuous. In one of the five cases, PrP(Sc) was restricted to two brain stem nuclei, a pattern that was reported to be the first manifestation of PrP(Sc) deposits in the brain after peripheral infection and one that occurs after half of the incubation time. In this case, histology and Western blot were negative.
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48
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Gavier-Widen D, Wells GA, Simmons MM, Wilesmith JW, Ryan J. Histological observations on the brains of symptomless 7-year-old cattle. J Comp Pathol 2001; 124:52-9. [PMID: 11428189 DOI: 10.1053/jcpa.2000.0428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The histological changes in the brains of 506 clinically normal 7-year-old cattle, which were part of a cohort study on maternal transmission of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, are described. Vacuolation of the white matter, of unknown aetiology, located particularly in the substantia nigra, was a frequent finding. Vacuolated neurons were commonly observed in the red nucleus (64.3% of the animals) and in the habenular nucleus (50.1%). Spheroids were found in 10.8% of the brains, most frequently in the vestibular nuclei. Cellular inflammatory infiltrates in association with blood vessels occurred in 30% of the animals at various locations in the brain; their aetiology remains uncertain, but they may have reflected subclinical or latent infections. Mineralization of the wall of blood vessels, with proliferation of the intima, was observed frequently in vessels of the internal capsule and was probably associated with ageing. The description of histological findings in the brain of symptomless adult cattle in the present study provides a useful background for diagnostic bovine neuropathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Gavier-Widen
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Woodham Lane, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK
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49
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van Keulen LJ, Langeveld JP, Garssen GJ, Jacobs JG, Schreuder BE, Smits MA. Diagnosis of bovine spongiform encephalopathy: a review. Vet Q 2000; 22:197-200. [PMID: 11087129 DOI: 10.1080/01652176.2000.9695057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Cows affected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) display chronic neurological signs consisting of behavioural changes, abnormalities of posture and movement, and/or hyperaesthesia. At present, there are no laboratory test available to diagnose BSE in the live animal. In this article, we describe the post-mortem diagnostic examination of brains from BSE-suspected cattle as currently performed at ID-Lelystad. The routine laboratory diagnosis of BSE consists of histopathological examination of the brain and detection of the modified prion protein, PrP(BSE), in brain tissue. These tests, however, have the disadvantage of being laborious and time consuming, so that results are available only after several days. Recently, at ID-Lelystad a new post-mortem test has been developed that enables screening of larger volumes of brain samples for PrP(BSE) within 1 day. This BSE test is especially suited for slaughterline monitoring. A preliminary validation study has shown that both sensitivity and specificity are 100% compared to the gold diagnostic standard of histopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- L J van Keulen
- Institute for Animal Science and Health, ID-Lelystad, The Netherlands.
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50
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Ryder SJ, Hawkins SA, Dawson M, Wells GA. The neuropathology of experimental bovine spongiform encephalopathy in the pig. J Comp Pathol 2000; 122:131-43. [PMID: 10684682 DOI: 10.1053/jcpa.1999.0349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
In an experimental study of the transmissibility of BSE to the pig, seven of 10 pigs, infected at 1-2 weeks of age by multiple-route parenteral inoculation with a homogenate of bovine brain from natural BSE cases developed lesions typical of spongiform encephalopathy. The lesions consisted principally of severe neuropil vacuolation affecting most areas of the brain, but mainly the forebrain. In addition, some vacuolar change was identified in the rostral colliculi and hypothalamic areas of normal control pigs. PrP accumulations were detected immunocytochemically in the brains of BSE-infected animals. PrP accumulation was sparse in many areas and its density was not obviously related to the degree of vacuolation. The patterns of PrP immunolabelling in control pigs differed strikingly from those in the infected animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- S J Ryder
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, Woodham Lane, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK
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