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Hoar BR, Ernest HB, Johnson LNL, LaCava MEF, Sandidge DJ, Gerow K, Mousel MR, Galloway NL, Swain W, Malmberg JL. Ecology and Chronic Wasting Disease Epidemiology Shape Prion Protein Gene Variation in Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni). J Wildl Dis 2024; 60:496-501. [PMID: 38287919 DOI: 10.7589/jwd-d-23-00062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
As chronic wasting disease (CWD) continues to spread across North America, the relationship between CWD and host genetics has become of interest. In Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni), one or two copies of a leucine allele at codon 132 of the prion protein gene (132L*) has been shown to prolong the incubation period of CWD. Our study examined the relationship between CWD epidemiology and codon 132 evolution in elk from Wyoming, USA, from 2011 to 2018. Using PCR and Sanger sequencing, we genotyped 997 elk and assessed the relationship between genotype and CWD prevalence estimated from surveillance data. Using logistic regression, we showed that each 1% increase in CWD prevalence is associated with a 9.6% increase in the odds that an elk would have at least one copy of leucine at codon 132. In some regions, however, 132L* variants were found in the absence of CWD, indicating that evolutionary and epidemiologic patterns can be heterogeneous across space and time. We also provide evidence that naturally occurring CWD is not rare in 132L* elk, which merits the study of shedding kinetics in 132L* elk and the influence of genotype on CWD strain diversity. The management implications of cervid adaptations to CWD are difficult to predict. Studies that investigate the degree to which evolutionary outcomes are shaped by host spatial structure can provide useful epidemiologic insight, which can in turn aid management by informing scale and extent of mitigation actions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Laura N L Johnson
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department, 1212 South Adams Street, Laramie, Wyoming 82070, USA
| | - Melanie E F LaCava
- Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | | | - Ken Gerow
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Wyoming, 1000 East University Avenue, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA
| | - Michelle R Mousel
- Animal Disease Research, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, 2020 Northeast Wilson Road, Pullman, Washington 99163, USA
- School for Global Health, Washington State University, 1155 Northeast College Avenue, Pullman, Washington 99164, USA
| | - Nathan L Galloway
- Biological Resources Division, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive #200, Fort Collins, Colorado 80525, USA
| | - William Swain
- One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, 1089 Veterinary Medicine Drive, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Jennifer L Malmberg
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Wyoming, 1174 Snowy Range Road, Laramie, Wyoming 82070, USA
- Current affiliation: National Wildlife Research Center, Wildlife Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, US Department of Agriculture, 4101 LaPorte Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, USA
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Didier A, Bourner M, Kleks G, Zolty A, Kumar B, Nichols T, Durynski K, Bender S, Gibison M, Murphy L, Ellis JC, Dong DW, Kashina A. Prospective fecal microbiomic biomarkers for chronic wasting disease. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0375022. [PMID: 38299851 PMCID: PMC10913453 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03750-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a naturally occurring prion disease in cervids that has been rapidly proliferating in the United States. Here, we investigated a potential link between CWD infection and gut microbiome by analyzing 50 fecal samples obtained from CWD-positive animals of different sexes from various regions in the USA compared to 50 CWD-negative controls using high throughput sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA and targeted metabolomics. Our analysis reveals promising trends in the gut microbiota that could potentially be CWD-dependent, including several bacterial taxa at each rank level, as well as taxa pairs, that can differentiate between CWD-negative and CWD-positive deer. Through machine-learning, these taxa and taxa pairs at each rank level could facilitate identification of around 70% of both the CWD-negative and the CWD-positive samples. Our results provide a potential tool for diagnostics and surveillance of CWD in the wild, as well as conceptual advances in our understanding of the disease.IMPORTANCEThis is a comprehensive study that tests the connection between the composition of the gut microbiome in deer in response to chronic wasting disease (CWD). We analyzed 50 fecal samples obtained from CWD-positive animals compared to 50 CWD-negative controls to identify CWD-dependent changes in the gut microbiome, matched with the analysis of fecal metabolites. Our results show promising trends suggesting that fecal microbial composition can directly correspond to CWD disease status. These results point to the microbial composition of the feces as a potential tool for diagnostics and surveillance of CWD in the wild, including non-invasive CWD detection in asymptomatic deer and deer habitats, and enable conceptual advances in our understanding of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Didier
- MilliporeSigma, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
| | | | - Guy Kleks
- Sigma Aldrich Israel Ltd., Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Avihai Zolty
- Sigma Aldrich Israel Ltd., Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Brajendra Kumar
- Sigma Aldrich Chemical Pvt. Ltd., Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Tracy Nichols
- United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Karie Durynski
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Susan Bender
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Michelle Gibison
- Wildlife Futures Program, Department of Pathobiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Lisa Murphy
- Wildlife Futures Program, Department of Pathobiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Julie C. Ellis
- Wildlife Futures Program, Department of Pathobiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Dawei W. Dong
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Institute for Biomedical Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Anna Kashina
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Thackray AM, McNulty EE, Nalls AV, Cardova A, Tran L, Telling G, Benestad SL, Gilch S, Mathiason CK, Bujdoso R. Genetic modulation of CWD prion propagation in cervid PrP Drosophila. Biochem J 2023; 480:1485-1501. [PMID: 37747806 PMCID: PMC10586768 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20230247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease is a fatal prion condition of cervids such as deer, elk, moose and reindeer. Secretion and excretion of prion infectivity from North American cervids with this condition causes environmental contamination and subsequent efficient lateral transmission in free-ranging and farmed cervids. Variants of cervid PrP exist that affect host susceptibility to chronic wasting disease. Cervid breeding programmes aimed at increasing the frequency of PrP variants associated with resistance to chronic wasting disease may reduce the burden of this condition in animals and lower the risk of zoonotic disease. This strategy requires a relatively rapid and economically viable model system to characterise and support selection of prion disease-modifying cervid PrP variants. Here, we generated cervid PrP transgenic Drosophila to fulfil this purpose. We have generated Drosophila transgenic for S138 wild type cervid PrP, or the N138 variant associated with resistance to chronic wasting disease. We show that cervid PrP Drosophila accumulate bona fide prion infectivity after exposure to cervid prions. Furthermore, S138 and N138 PrP fly lines are susceptible to cervid prion isolates from either North America or Europe when assessed phenotypically by accelerated loss of locomotor ability or survival, or biochemically by accumulation of prion seeding activity. However, after exposure to European reindeer prions, N138 PrP Drosophila accumulated prion seeding activity with slower kinetics than the S138 fly line. These novel data show that prion susceptibility characteristics of cervid PrP variants are maintained when expressed in Drosophila, which highlights this novel invertebrate host in modelling chronic wasting disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alana M. Thackray
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ES, U.K
| | - Erin E. McNulty
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, U.S.A
| | - Amy V. Nalls
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, U.S.A
| | - Alzbeta Cardova
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ES, U.K
| | - Linh Tran
- Department of Biohazard and Pathology, WOAH Reference Laboratory for CWD (SLB), National Veterinary Institute, Postboks 64, 1431 Ås, Norway
| | - Glenn Telling
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, U.S.A
| | - Sylvie L. Benestad
- Department of Biohazard and Pathology, WOAH Reference Laboratory for CWD (SLB), National Veterinary Institute, Postboks 64, 1431 Ås, Norway
| | - Sabine Gilch
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Candace K. Mathiason
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, U.S.A
| | - Raymond Bujdoso
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ES, U.K
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Harpaz E, Vuong TT, Tran L, Tranulis MA, Benestad SL, Ersdal C. Inter- and intra-species conversion efficacies of Norwegian prion isolates estimated by serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification. Vet Res 2023; 54:84. [PMID: 37773068 PMCID: PMC10542671 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-023-01220-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases, including chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids, are fatal neurodegenerative disorders caused by the misfolding of cellular prion proteins. CWD is known to spread among captive and free-ranging deer in North America. In 2016, an outbreak of contagious CWD was detected among wild reindeer in Norway, marking the first occurrence of the disease in Europe. Additionally, new sporadic forms of CWD have been discovered in red deer in Norway and moose in Fennoscandia. We used serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification to study the ability of Norwegian prion isolates from reindeer, red deer, and moose (two isolates), as well as experimental classical scrapie from sheep, to convert a panel of 16 brain homogenates (substrates) from six different species with various prion protein genotypes. The reindeer CWD isolate successfully converted substrates from all species except goats. The red deer isolate failed to convert sheep and goat substrates but exhibited amplification in all cervid substrates. The two moose isolates demonstrated lower conversion efficacies. The wild type isolate propagated in all moose substrates and in the wild type red deer substrate, while the other isolate only converted two of the moose substrates. The experimental classical scrapie isolate was successfully propagated in substrates from all species tested. Thus, reindeer CWD and classical sheep scrapie isolates were similarly propagated in substrates from different species, suggesting the potential for spillover of these contagious diseases. Furthermore, the roe deer substrate supported conversion of three isolates suggesting that this species may be vulnerable to prion disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erez Harpaz
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Svebastadveien 112, 4325, Sandnes, Norway
| | - Tram Thu Vuong
- Department of Biohazard and Pathology, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. box 64, 1431, Ås, Norway
| | - Linh Tran
- Department of Biohazard and Pathology, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. box 64, 1431, Ås, Norway
| | - Michael Andreas Tranulis
- Department of Preclinical Sciences and Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Universitetstunet 3, 1433, Ås, Norway
| | - Sylvie L Benestad
- Department of Biohazard and Pathology, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. box 64, 1431, Ås, Norway
| | - Cecilie Ersdal
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Svebastadveien 112, 4325, Sandnes, Norway.
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Raudabaugh DB, Ishida Y, Haley NJ, Brown WM, Novakofski J, Roca AL, Mateus-Pinilla NE. County-wide assessments of Illinois white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) prion protein gene variation using improved primers and potential implications for management. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0274640. [PMID: 36449540 PMCID: PMC9710747 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0274640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal, highly infectious prion disease that affects captive and wild cervids. Chronic wasting disease is the only known transmissible spongiform encephalopathy affecting free-ranging wildlife. In CWD-positive deer, some haplotypes of the prion protein gene PRNP are detected at lower frequencies as compared to CWD-negative deer, as are some variants of the prion protein PrP. Here, we examined wild, hunter-harvested CWD-negative white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to determine whether there were geographical or temporal differences in the PRNP haplotypes, PRNP diplotypes, PrP proteoforms, and in the proportion of deer with at least one protective haplotype. We sampled 96-100 hunter-harvested deer per county at two time points in the Illinois counties of Jo Daviess, LaSalle, and Winnebago, chosen based on their geographic locations and known occurrence of CWD. The entire coding region of PRNP was sequenced, with haplotypes, diplotypes, and PrP proteoforms inferred. Across time, in Winnebago there was a significant increase in PrP proteoform F (p = 0.034), which is associated with a lower vulnerability to CWD. In every county, there was an increase over time in the frequency of deer carrying at least one protective haplotype to CWD, with a significant increase (p = 0.02) in the Jo Daviess County CWD infected region. We also found that primer combination was important as there was an 18.7% difference in the number of the deer identified as homozygous depending on primer usage. Current Illinois state management practices continue to remove CWD infected deer from locally infected areas helping to keep CWD prevalence low. Nonetheless, continued research on spatial and temporal changes in PRNP haplotypes, PrP proteoforms, and levels of deer vulnerability among Illinois deer will be important for the management of CWD within the state of Illinois and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B. Raudabaugh
- Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail: (NEMP); (DBR)
| | - Yasuko Ishida
- Department of Animal Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Nicholas J. Haley
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ, United States of America
| | - William M. Brown
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Jan Novakofski
- Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Animal Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Alfred L. Roca
- Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Animal Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Nohra E. Mateus-Pinilla
- Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Animal Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail: (NEMP); (DBR)
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Wadsworth JDF, Joiner S, Linehan JM, Jack K, Al-Doujaily H, Costa H, Ingold T, Taema M, Zhang F, Sandberg MK, Brandner S, Tran L, Vikøren T, Våge J, Madslien K, Ytrehus B, Benestad SL, Asante EA, Collinge J. Humanized Transgenic Mice Are Resistant to Chronic Wasting Disease Prions From Norwegian Reindeer and Moose. J Infect Dis 2022; 226:933-937. [PMID: 33502474 PMCID: PMC9470110 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiab033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is the transmissible spongiform encephalopathy or prion disease affecting cervids. In 2016, the first cases of CWD were reported in Europe in Norwegian wild reindeer and moose. The origin and zoonotic potential of these new prion isolates remain unknown. In this study to investigate zoonotic potential we inoculated brain tissue from CWD-infected Norwegian reindeer and moose into transgenic mice overexpressing human prion protein. After prolonged postinoculation survival periods no evidence for prion transmission was seen, suggesting that the zoonotic potential of these isolates is low.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan D F Wadsworth
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - Susan Joiner
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jacqueline M Linehan
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kezia Jack
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - Huda Al-Doujaily
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - Helena Costa
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - Thea Ingold
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - Maged Taema
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - Fuquan Zhang
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - Malin K Sandberg
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sebastian Brandner
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Division of Neuropathology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Linh Tran
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Jørn Våge
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway
| | | | | | | | - Emmanuel A Asante
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - John Collinge
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
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Castle AR, Wohlgemuth S, Arce L, Westaway D. Investigating CRISPR/Cas9 gene drive for production of disease-preventing prion gene alleles. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0269342. [PMID: 35671288 PMCID: PMC9173614 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are a group of fatal neurodegenerative disorders that includes chronic wasting disease, which affects cervids and is highly transmissible. Given that chronic wasting disease prevalence exceeds 30% in some endemic areas of North America, and that eventual transmission to other mammalian species, potentially including humans, cannot be ruled out, novel control strategies beyond population management via hunting and/or culling must be investigated. Prion diseases depend upon post-translational conversion of the cellular prion protein, encoded by the Prnp gene, into a disease-associated conformation; ablation of cellular prion protein expression, which is generally well-tolerated, eliminates prion disease susceptibility entirely. Inspired by demonstrations of gene drive in caged mosquito species, we aimed to test whether a CRISPR/Cas9-based gene drive mechanism could, in principle, promote the spread of a null Prnp allele among mammalian populations. First, we showed that transient co-expression of Cas9 and Prnp-directed guide RNAs in RK13 cells generates indels within the Prnp open-reading frame, indicating that repair of Cas9-induced double-strand breaks by non-homologous end-joining had taken place. Second, we integrated a ~1.2 kb donor DNA sequence into the Prnp open-reading frame in N2a cells by homology-directed repair following Cas9-induced cleavages and confirmed that integration occurred precisely in most cases. Third, we demonstrated that electroporation of Cas9/guide RNA ribonucleoprotein complexes into fertilised mouse oocytes resulted in pups with a variety of disruptions to the Prnp open reading frame, with a new coisogenic line of Prnp-null mice obtained as part of this work. However, a technical challenge in obtaining expression of Cas9 in the male germline prevented implementation of a complete gene drive mechanism in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R. Castle
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Serene Wohlgemuth
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Luis Arce
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - David Westaway
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Hannaoui S, Triscott E, Duque Velásquez C, Chang SC, Arifin MI, Zemlyankina I, Tang X, Bollinger T, Wille H, McKenzie D, Gilch S. New and distinct chronic wasting disease strains associated with cervid polymorphism at codon 116 of the Prnp gene. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009795. [PMID: 34310662 PMCID: PMC8341689 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease affecting cervids. Polymorphisms in the prion protein gene can result in extended survival of CWD-infected animals. However, the impact of polymorphisms on cellular prion protein (PrPC) and prion properties is less understood. Previously, we characterized the effects of a polymorphism at codon 116 (A>G) of the white-tailed deer (WTD) prion protein and determined that it destabilizes PrPC structure. Comparing CWD isolates from WTD expressing homozygous wild-type (116AA) or heterozygous (116AG) PrP, we found that 116AG-prions were conformationally less stable, more sensitive to proteases, with lower seeding activity in cell-free conversion and reduced infectivity. Here, we aimed to understand CWD strain emergence and adaptation. We show that the WTD-116AG isolate contains two different prion strains, distinguished by their host range, biochemical properties, and pathogenesis from WTD-116AA prions (Wisc-1). Serial passages of WTD-116AG prions in tg(CerPrP)1536+/+ mice overexpressing wild-type deer-PrPC revealed two populations of mice with short and long incubation periods, respectively, and remarkably prolonged clinical phase upon inoculation with WTD-116AG prions. Inoculation of serially diluted brain homogenates confirmed the presence of two strains in the 116AG isolate with distinct pathology in the brain. Interestingly, deglycosylation revealed proteinase K-resistant fragments with different electrophoretic mobility in both tg(CerPrP)1536+/+ mice and Syrian golden hamsters infected with WTD-116AG. Infection of tg60 mice expressing deer S96-PrP with 116AG, but not Wisc-1 prions induced clinical disease. On the contrary, bank voles resisted 116AG prions, but not Wisc-1 infection. Our data indicate that two strains co-existed in the WTD-116AG isolate, expanding the variety of CWD prion strains. We argue that the 116AG isolate does not contain Wisc-1 prions, indicating that the presence of 116G-PrPC diverted 116A-PrPC from adopting a Wisc-1 structure. This can have important implications for their possible distinct capacities to cross species barriers into both cervids and non-cervids. Chronic wasting disease belongs to the family of prion diseases. It is considered the most contagious prion disease and the only one that affects free ranging wildlife. The disease range is expanding in North America and Northern Europe. This work describes the emergence and characterization of new chronic wasting disease strains related to a polymorphism in the prion protein gene. It supports the concept that strains are a dynamic mixture of substrains that can influence and interfere with each other. Because transmission barriers are governed by the compatibility of a particular prion strain with the new host’s prion protein, it is critical to understand the emergence and variety of chronic wasting disease strains circulating in wild animals and their ability to infect new host species including humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samia Hannaoui
- Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; Hotchkiss Brain Institute; University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Triscott
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Camilo Duque Velásquez
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Sheng Chun Chang
- Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; Hotchkiss Brain Institute; University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Maria Immaculata Arifin
- Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; Hotchkiss Brain Institute; University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Irina Zemlyankina
- Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; Hotchkiss Brain Institute; University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Xinli Tang
- Department of Biochemistry, Center for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Trent Bollinger
- Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC), Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Holger Wille
- Department of Biochemistry, Center for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Debbie McKenzie
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Sabine Gilch
- Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; Hotchkiss Brain Institute; University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- * E-mail:
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Bian J, Kim S, Kane SJ, Crowell J, Sun JL, Christiansen J, Saijo E, Moreno JA, DiLisio J, Burnett E, Pritzkow S, Gorski D, Soto C, Kreeger TJ, Balachandran A, Mitchell G, Miller MW, Nonno R, Vikøren T, Våge J, Madslien K, Tran L, Vuong TT, Benestad SL, Telling GC. Adaptive selection of a prion strain conformer corresponding to established North American CWD during propagation of novel emergent Norwegian strains in mice expressing elk or deer prion protein. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009748. [PMID: 34310663 PMCID: PMC8341702 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Prions are infectious proteins causing fatal, transmissible neurodegenerative diseases of animals and humans. Replication involves template-directed refolding of host encoded prion protein, PrPC, by its infectious conformation, PrPSc. Following its discovery in captive Colorado deer in 1967, uncontrollable contagious transmission of chronic wasting disease (CWD) led to an expanded geographic range in increasing numbers of free-ranging and captive North American (NA) cervids. Some five decades later, detection of PrPSc in free-ranging Norwegian (NO) reindeer and moose marked the first indication of CWD in Europe. To assess the properties of these emergent NO prions and compare them with NA CWD we used transgenic (Tg) and gene targeted (Gt) mice expressing PrP with glutamine (Q) or glutamate (E) at residue 226, a variation in wild type cervid PrP which influences prion strain selection in NA deer and elk. Transmissions of NO moose and reindeer prions to Tg and Gt mice recapitulated the characteristic features of CWD in natural hosts, revealing novel prion strains with disease kinetics, neuropathological profiles, and capacities to infect lymphoid tissues and cultured cells that were distinct from those causing NA CWD. In support of strain variation, PrPSc conformers comprising emergent NO moose and reindeer CWD were subject to selective effects imposed by variation at residue 226 that were different from those controlling established NA CWD. Transmission of particular NO moose CWD prions in mice expressing E at 226 resulted in selection of a kinetically optimized conformer, subsequent transmission of which revealed properties consistent with NA CWD. These findings illustrate the potential for adaptive selection of strain conformers with improved fitness during propagation of unstable NO prions. Their potential for contagious transmission has implications for risk analyses and management of emergent European CWD. Finally, we found that Gt mice expressing physiologically controlled PrP levels recapitulated the lymphotropic properties of naturally occurring CWD strains resulting in improved susceptibilities to emergent NO reindeer prions compared with over-expressing Tg counterparts. These findings underscore the refined advantages of Gt models for exploring the mechanisms and impacts of strain selection in peripheral compartments during natural prion transmission. Prions cause fatal, transmissible neurodegenerative diseases in animals and humans. They are composed of an infectious, neurotoxic protein (PrP) which replicates by imposing pathogenic conformations on its normal, host-encoded counterpart. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious prion disorder threatening increasing numbers of free-ranging and captive North American deer, elk, and moose. While CWD detection in Norwegian reindeer and moose in 2016 marked the advent of disease in Europe, its origins and relationship to North American CWD were initially unclear. Here we show, using mice engineered to express deer or elk PrP, that Norwegian reindeer and moose CWD are caused by novel prion strains with properties distinct from those of North American CWD. We found that selection and propagation of North American and Norwegian CWD strains was controlled by a key amino acid residue in host PrP. We also found that particular Norwegian isolates adapted during their propagation in mice to produce prions with characteristics of the North American strain. Our findings defining the transmission profiles of novel Norwegian prions and their unstable potential to produce adapted strains with improved fitness for contagious transmission have implications for risk analyses and management of emergent European CWD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jifeng Bian
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Sehun Kim
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Sarah J. Kane
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Jenna Crowell
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Julianna L. Sun
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey Christiansen
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Eri Saijo
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Julie A. Moreno
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - James DiLisio
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Emily Burnett
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Sandra Pritzkow
- Mitchell Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Texas Houston Medical School, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Damian Gorski
- Mitchell Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Texas Houston Medical School, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Claudio Soto
- Mitchell Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Texas Houston Medical School, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Terry J. Kreeger
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Wheatland, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - Aru Balachandran
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National and OIE Reference Laboratory for Scrapie and CWD, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Gordon Mitchell
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National and OIE Reference Laboratory for Scrapie and CWD, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Michael W. Miller
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Romolo Nonno
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Department of Veterinary Public Health, Nutrition and Food Safety, Rome, Italy
| | - Turid Vikøren
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, OIE Reference laboratory for CWD, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jørn Våge
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, OIE Reference laboratory for CWD, Oslo, Norway
| | - Knut Madslien
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, OIE Reference laboratory for CWD, Oslo, Norway
| | - Linh Tran
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, OIE Reference laboratory for CWD, Oslo, Norway
| | - Tram Thu Vuong
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, OIE Reference laboratory for CWD, Oslo, Norway
| | - Sylvie L. Benestad
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, OIE Reference laboratory for CWD, Oslo, Norway
| | - Glenn C. Telling
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Nemani SK, Myskiw JL, Lamoureux L, Booth SA, Sim VL. Exposure Risk of Chronic Wasting Disease in Humans. Viruses 2020; 12:v12121454. [PMID: 33348562 PMCID: PMC7766630 DOI: 10.3390/v12121454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The majority of human prion diseases are sporadic, but acquired disease can occur, as seen with variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD) following consumption of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). With increasing rates of cervid chronic wasting disease (CWD), there is concern that a new form of human prion disease may arise. Currently, there is no evidence of transmission of CWD to humans, suggesting the presence of a strong species barrier; however, in vitro and in vivo studies on the zoonotic potential of CWD have yielded mixed results. The emergence of different CWD strains is also concerning, as different strains can have different abilities to cross species barriers. Given that venison consumption is common in areas where CWD rates are on the rise, increased rates of human exposure are inevitable. If CWD was to infect humans, it is unclear how it would present clinically; in vCJD, it was strain-typing of vCJD prions that proved the causal link to BSE. Therefore, the best way to screen for CWD in humans is to have thorough strain-typing of harvested cervids and human CJD cases so that we will be in a position to detect atypical strains or strain shifts within the human CJD population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satish K. Nemani
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada;
- Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Jennifer L. Myskiw
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens, Public Health Agency of Canada, National Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3R2, Canada; (J.L.M.); (L.L.); (S.A.B.)
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3R2, Canada
| | - Lise Lamoureux
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens, Public Health Agency of Canada, National Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3R2, Canada; (J.L.M.); (L.L.); (S.A.B.)
| | - Stephanie A. Booth
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens, Public Health Agency of Canada, National Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3R2, Canada; (J.L.M.); (L.L.); (S.A.B.)
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3R2, Canada
| | - Valerie L. Sim
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada;
- Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
- Correspondence:
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11
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Cullingham CI, Peery RM, Dao A, McKenzie DI, Coltman DW. Predicting the spread-risk potential of chronic wasting disease to sympatric ungulate species. Prion 2020; 14:56-66. [PMID: 32008428 PMCID: PMC7009333 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2020.1720486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Wildlife disease incidence is increasing, resulting in negative impacts on the economy, biodiversity, and potentially human health. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal, transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of cervids (wild and captive) which continues to spread geographically resulting in exposure to potential new host species. The disease agent (PrPCWD) is a misfolded conformer of the cellular prion protein (PrPC). In Canada, the disease is endemic in Alberta and Saskatchewan, affecting mule and white-tail deer, with lesser impact on elk and moose. As the disease continues to expand, additional wild ungulate species including bison, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, and pronghorn antelope may be exposed. To better understand the species-barrier, we reviewed the current literature on taxa naturally or experimentally exposed to CWD to identify susceptible and resistant species. We created a phylogeny of these taxa using cytochrome B and found that CWD susceptibility followed the species phylogeny. Using this phylogeny we estimated the probability of CWD susceptibility for wild ungulate species. We then compared PrPC amino acid polymorphisms among these species to identify which sites segregated between susceptible and resistant species. We identified sites that were significantly associated with susceptibility, but they were not fully discriminating. Finally, we sequenced Prnp from 578 wild ungulates to further evaluate their potential susceptibility. Together, these data suggest the host-range for CWD will potentially include pronghorn, mountain goat and bighorn sheep, but bison are likely to be more resistant. These findings highlight the need for monitoring potentially susceptible species as CWD continues to expand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine I. Cullingham
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Rhiannon M. Peery
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Anh Dao
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Debbie I. McKenzie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - David W. Coltman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
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Hwang S, Greenlee JJ, Nicholson EM. Role of donor genotype in RT-QuIC seeding activity of chronic wasting disease prions using human and bank vole substrates. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0227487. [PMID: 31910440 PMCID: PMC6946595 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of cervids. This fatal neurodegenerative disease is caused by misfolding of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) to pathogenic conformers (PrPSc), and the pathogenic forms accumulate in the brain and other tissues. Real-time Quaking Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC) can be used for the detection of prions and for prion strain discrimination in a variety of biological tissues from humans and animals. In this study, we evaluated how either PrPSc from cervids of different genotypes or PrPSc from different sources of CWD influence the fibril formation of recombinant bank vole (BV) or human prion proteins using RT-QuIC. We found that reaction mixtures seeded with PrPSc from different genotypes of white-tailed deer or reindeer brains have similar conversion efficiency with both substrates. Also, we observed similar results when assays were seeded with different sources of CWD. Thus, we conclude that the genotypes of all sources of CWD used in this study do not influence the level of conversion of PrPC to PrPSc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soyoun Hwang
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Virus and Prion Research Unit, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Justin J. Greenlee
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Virus and Prion Research Unit, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Eric M. Nicholson
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Virus and Prion Research Unit, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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13
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Slota JA, Medina SJ, Klassen M, Gorski D, Mesa CM, Robertson C, Mitchell G, Coulthart MB, Pritzkow S, Soto C, Booth SA. Identification of circulating microRNA signatures as potential biomarkers in the serum of elk infected with chronic wasting disease. Sci Rep 2019; 9:19705. [PMID: 31873177 PMCID: PMC6928025 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-56249-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an emerging infectious prion disorder that is spreading rapidly in wild populations of cervids in North America. The risk of zoonotic transmission of CWD is as yet unclear but a high priority must be to minimize further spread of the disease. No simple diagnostic tests are available to detect CWD quickly or in live animals; therefore, easily accessible biomarkers may be useful in identifying infected animals. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, non-coding RNA molecules that circulate in blood and are promising biomarkers for several infectious diseases. In this study we used next-generation sequencing to characterize the serum miRNA profiles of 35 naturally infected elk that tested positive for CWD in addition to 35 elk that tested negative for CWD. A total of 21 miRNAs that are highly conserved amongst mammals were altered in abundance in sera, irrespective of hemolysis in the samples. A number of these miRNAs have previously been associated with prion diseases. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the discriminative potential of these miRNAs as biomarkers for the diagnosis of CWD. We also determined that a subgroup of 6 of these miRNAs were consistently altered in abundance in serum from hamsters experimentally infected with scrapie. This suggests that common miRNA candidate biomarkers could be selected for prion diseases in multiple species. Furthermore, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses pointed to a strong correlation for 3 of these miRNAs, miR-148a-3p, miR-186-5p, miR-30e-3p, with prion disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessy A Slota
- Zoonotic Diseases & Special Pathogens, Public Health Agency of Canada, National Microbiology Laboratory, 1015 Arlington St., Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3R2, Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, 730 William Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0W3, Canada
| | - Sarah J Medina
- Zoonotic Diseases & Special Pathogens, Public Health Agency of Canada, National Microbiology Laboratory, 1015 Arlington St., Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3R2, Canada
| | - Megan Klassen
- Zoonotic Diseases & Special Pathogens, Public Health Agency of Canada, National Microbiology Laboratory, 1015 Arlington St., Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3R2, Canada
| | - Damian Gorski
- Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin St., Houston, Texas, 77030, USA
| | - Christine M Mesa
- Zoonotic Diseases & Special Pathogens, Public Health Agency of Canada, National Microbiology Laboratory, 1015 Arlington St., Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3R2, Canada
| | - Catherine Robertson
- Zoonotic Diseases & Special Pathogens, Public Health Agency of Canada, National Microbiology Laboratory, 1015 Arlington St., Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3R2, Canada
| | - Gordon Mitchell
- National and OIE Reference Laboratory for Scrapie and CWD, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa Laboratory Fallowfield, Ottawa, ON, K2H 8P9, Canada
| | - Michael B Coulthart
- Canadian Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance System, Centre for Foodborne, Environmental and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0K9, Canada
| | - Sandra Pritzkow
- Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin St., Houston, Texas, 77030, USA
| | - Claudio Soto
- Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin St., Houston, Texas, 77030, USA
| | - Stephanie A Booth
- Zoonotic Diseases & Special Pathogens, Public Health Agency of Canada, National Microbiology Laboratory, 1015 Arlington St., Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3R2, Canada.
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, 730 William Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0W3, Canada.
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Haley NJ, Merrett K, Buros Stein A, Simpson D, Carlson A, Mitchell G, Staskevicius A, Nichols T, Lehmkuhl AD, Thomsen BV. Estimating relative CWD susceptibility and disease progression in farmed white-tailed deer with rare PRNP alleles. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0224342. [PMID: 31790424 PMCID: PMC6886763 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease is a prion disease affecting both free-ranging and farmed cervids in North America and Scandinavia. A range of cervid species have been found to be susceptible, each with variations in the gene for the normal prion protein, PRNP, reportedly influencing both disease susceptibility and progression in the respective hosts. Despite the finding of several different PRNP alleles in white-tailed deer, the majority of past research has focused on two of the more common alleles identified-the 96G and 96S alleles. In the present study, we evaluate both infection status and disease stage in nearly 2100 farmed deer depopulated in the United States and Canada, including 714 CWD-positive deer and correlate our findings with PRNP genotype, including the more rare 95H, 116G, and 226K alleles. We found significant differences in either likelihood of being found infected or disease stage (and in many cases both) at the time of depopulation in all genotypes present, relative to the most common 96GG genotype. Despite high prevalence in many of the herds examined, infection was not found in several of the reported genotypes. These findings suggest that additional research is necessary to more properly define the role that these genotypes may play in managing CWD in both farmed and free-ranging white-tailed deer, with consideration for factors including relative fitness levels, incubation periods, and the kinetics of shedding in animals with these rare genotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J. Haley
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, Glendale, Arizona
| | - Kahla Merrett
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, Glendale, Arizona
| | - Amy Buros Stein
- Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, Midwestern University, Glendale, Arizona
| | - Dennis Simpson
- Simpson Whitetails Genetic Testing, Belleville, Michigan
| | - Andrew Carlson
- Simpson Whitetails Genetic Testing, Belleville, Michigan
| | - Gordon Mitchell
- National and OIE Reference Laboratory for Scrapie and CWD, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa Laboratory-Fallowfield, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Antanas Staskevicius
- National and OIE Reference Laboratory for Scrapie and CWD, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa Laboratory-Fallowfield, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tracy Nichols
- United States Department of Agriculture, APHIS, Veterinary Services, Cervid Health Program, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Aaron D. Lehmkuhl
- United States Department of Agriculture, APHIS, Veterinary Services, National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Bruce V. Thomsen
- United States Department of Agriculture, APHIS, Veterinary Services, National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
- United States Department of Agriculture, APHIS, Veterinary Services, Center for Veterinary Biologics, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
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Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious and fatal neurodegenerative disease and a serious animal health issue for deer and elk in North America. The identification of the first cases of CWD among free-ranging reindeer and moose in Europe brings back into focus the unresolved issue of whether CWD can be zoonotic like bovine spongiform encephalopathy. We used a cell-free seeded protein misfolding assay to determine whether CWD prions from elk, white-tailed deer, and reindeer in North America can convert the human prion protein to the disease-associated form. We found that prions can convert, but the efficiency of conversion is affected by polymorphic variation in the cervid and human prion protein genes. In view of the similarity of reindeer, elk, and white-tailed deer in North America to reindeer, red deer, and roe deer, respectively, in Europe, a more comprehensive and thorough assessment of the zoonotic potential of CWD might be warranted.
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16
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Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a relatively new and burgeoning prion epidemic of deer, elk, reindeer, and moose, which are members of the cervid family. While the disease was first described in captive deer, its subsequent discovery in various species of free-ranging animals makes it the only currently recognized prion disorder of both wild and farmed animals. In addition to its expanding range of host species, CWD continues to spread from North America to new geographic areas, including South Korea, and most recently Norway, marking the first time this disease was detected in Europe. Its unparalleled efficiency of contagious transmission, combined with high densities of deer in certain areas, complicates strategies for controlling CWD, raising concerns about its potential for spread to new species. Because there is a high prevalence of CWD in deer and elk, which are commonly hunted and consumed by humans, and since prions from cattle with bovine spongiform encephalopathy have been transmitted to humans causing variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the possibility of zoonotic transmission of CWD is particularly concerning. Here we review the clinical and pathologic features of CWD and its disturbing epidemiology, and discuss features that affect its transmission, including genetic susceptibility, pathogenesis, and agent strain variability. Finally, we discuss evidence that speaks to the potential for zoonotic transmission of this emerging disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Glenn C Telling
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States.
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Giachin G, Nepravishta R, Mandaliti W, Melino S, Margon A, Scaini D, Mazzei P, Piccolo A, Legname G, Paci M, Leita L. The mechanisms of humic substances self-assembly with biological molecules: The case study of the prion protein. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0188308. [PMID: 29161325 PMCID: PMC5697873 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 11/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Humic substances (HS) are the largest constituent of soil organic matter and are considered as a key component of the terrestrial ecosystem. HS may facilitate the transport of organic and inorganic molecules, as well as the sorption interactions with environmentally relevant proteins such as prions. Prions enter the environment through shedding from live hosts, facilitating a sustained incidence of animal prion diseases such as Chronic Wasting Disease and scrapie in cervid and ovine populations, respectively. Changes in prion structure upon environmental exposure may be significant as they can affect prion infectivity and disease pathology. Despite its relevance, the mechanisms of prion interaction with HS are still not completely understood. The goal of this work is to advance a structural-level picture of the encapsulation of recombinant, non-infectious, prion protein (PrP) into different natural HS. We observed that PrP precipitation upon addition of HS is mainly driven by a mechanism of "salting-out" whereby PrP molecules are rapidly removed from the solution and aggregate in insoluble adducts with humic molecules. Importantly, this process does not alter the protein folding since insoluble PrP retains its α-helical content when in complex with HS. The observed ability of HS to promote PrP insolubilization without altering its secondary structure may have potential relevance in the context of "prion ecology". These results suggest that soil organic matter interacts with prions possibly without altering the protein structures. This may facilitate prions preservation from biotic and abiotic degradation leading to their accumulation in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Giachin
- Department of Neurosciences, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
- * E-mail: (GG); (LL)
| | - Ridvan Nepravishta
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy
- School of Pharmacy, East Anglia University, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Walter Mandaliti
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy
| | - Sonia Melino
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy
| | - Alja Margon
- CREA Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria (Council for Agricultural Research and Economics), Gorizia, Italy
| | - Denis Scaini
- Life Science Department, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
- ELETTRA Synchrotron Light Source, Trieste, Italy
| | - Pierluigi Mazzei
- Interdepartmental Research Centre (CERMANU), University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | - Alessandro Piccolo
- Interdepartmental Research Centre (CERMANU), University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Legname
- Department of Neurosciences, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
- ELETTRA Synchrotron Light Source, Trieste, Italy
| | - Maurizio Paci
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy
| | - Liviana Leita
- CREA Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria (Council for Agricultural Research and Economics), Gorizia, Italy
- * E-mail: (GG); (LL)
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Hannaoui S, Amidian S, Cheng YC, Duque Velásquez C, Dorosh L, Law S, Telling G, Stepanova M, McKenzie D, Wille H, Gilch S. Destabilizing polymorphism in cervid prion protein hydrophobic core determines prion conformation and conversion efficiency. PLoS Pathog 2017; 13:e1006553. [PMID: 28800624 PMCID: PMC5568445 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2017] [Revised: 08/23/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are infectious neurodegenerative disorders of humans and animals caused by misfolded forms of the cellular prion protein PrPC. Prions cause disease by converting PrPC into aggregation-prone PrPSc. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is the most contagious prion disease with substantial lateral transmission, affecting free-ranging and farmed cervids. Although the PrP primary structure is highly conserved among cervids, the disease phenotype can be modulated by species-specific polymorphisms in the prion protein gene. How the resulting amino-acid substitutions impact PrPC and PrPSc structure and propagation is poorly understood. We investigated the effects of the cervid 116A>G substitution, located in the most conserved PrP domain, on PrPC structure and conversion and on 116AG-prion conformation and infectivity. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed structural de-stabilization of 116G-PrP, which enhanced its in vitro conversion efficiency when used as recombinant PrP substrate in real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC). We demonstrate that 116AG-prions are conformationally less stable, show lower activity as a seed in RT-QuIC and exhibit reduced infectivity in vitro and in vivo. Infectivity of 116AG-prions was significantly enhanced upon secondary passage in mice, yet conformational features were retained. These findings indicate that structurally de-stabilized PrPC is readily convertible by cervid prions of different genetic background and results in a prion conformation adaptable to cervid wild-type PrP. Conformation is an important criterion when assessing transmission barrier, and conformational variants can target a different host range. Therefore, a thorough analysis of CWD isolates and re-assessment of species-barriers is important in order to fully exclude a zoonotic potential of CWD. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease which affects wild and captive cervids. Prion diseases are infectious neurodegenerative disorders, and the causative agent consists of abnormally folded prion protein termed PrPSc. Prions replicate without genetic information, and their three-dimensional structure is thought to encode heritable information necessary to propagate using the cellular prion protein PrPC as a substrate for conversion. In this study, we use in vitro and in vivo techniques to analyze the effect of a polymorphism at codon 116 (A>G) of the white-tailed deer prion protein on CWD prion conformation, propagation and pathogenesis. We observed differences in conformation, infectivity and seeding activity in vitro between CWD prions isolated from white-tailed deer encoding wild-type (116AA) PrPC or 116AG-PrPC. In mouse bioassays conformational differences are retained, however, 116AG CWD prions resulted in significantly shortened incubation times upon passages. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that the structure of 116G-PrPC is more flexible, which is supported by an improved convertibility in an in vitro conversion assay. Altogether these data indicate the importance of a variation in the most conserved PrP domain, and highlight the relationship between PrPC structural flexibility, prion conformation and conversion, and pathogenesis of prion disease in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samia Hannaoui
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, Calgary Prion Research Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Sara Amidian
- Center for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Yo Ching Cheng
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, Calgary Prion Research Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Camilo Duque Velásquez
- Center for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Lyudmyla Dorosh
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Sampson Law
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, Calgary Prion Research Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Glenn Telling
- Prion Research Center, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Maria Stepanova
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Debbie McKenzie
- Center for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Holger Wille
- Center for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Sabine Gilch
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, Calgary Prion Research Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- * E-mail:
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Nalls AV, McNulty E, Powers J, Seelig DM, Hoover C, Haley NJ, Hayes-Klug J, Anderson K, Stewart P, Goldmann W, Hoover EA, Mathiason CK. Mother to offspring transmission of chronic wasting disease in reeves' muntjac deer. PLoS One 2013; 8:e71844. [PMID: 23977159 PMCID: PMC3743758 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0071844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2013] [Accepted: 07/03/2013] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The horizontal transmission of prion diseases has been well characterized in bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), chronic wasting disease (CWD) of deer and elk and scrapie of sheep, and has been regarded as the primary mode of transmission. Few studies have monitored the possibility of vertical transmission occurring within an infected mother during pregnancy. To study the potential for and pathway of vertical transmission of CWD in the native cervid species, we used a small cervid model-the polyestrous breeding, indoor maintainable, Reeves' muntjac deer-and determined that the susceptibility and pathogenesis of CWD in these deer reproduce that in native mule and white-tailed deer. Moreover, we demonstrate here that CWD prions are transmitted from doe to fawn. Maternal CWD infection also appears to result in lower percentage of live birth offspring. In addition, evolving evidence from protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) assays on fetal tissues suggest that covert prion infection occurs in utero. Overall, our findings demonstrate that transmission of prions from mother to offspring can occur, and may be underestimated for all prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy V. Nalls
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Erin McNulty
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Jenny Powers
- Biological Resource Management Division, National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Davis M. Seelig
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Clare Hoover
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Nicholas J. Haley
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Jeanette Hayes-Klug
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Kelly Anderson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Paula Stewart
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Wilfred Goldmann
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Edward A. Hoover
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Candace K. Mathiason
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Nichols TA, Spraker TR, Rigg TD, Meyerett-Reid C, Hoover C, Michel B, Bian J, Hoover E, Gidlewski T, Balachandran A, O'Rourke K, Telling GC, Bowen R, Zabel MD, VerCauteren KC. Intranasal inoculation of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) with lyophilized chronic wasting disease prion particulate complexed to montmorillonite clay. PLoS One 2013; 8:e62455. [PMID: 23671598 PMCID: PMC3650006 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0062455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2012] [Accepted: 03/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD), the only known prion disease endemic in wildlife, is a persistent problem in both wild and captive North American cervid populations. This disease continues to spread and cases are found in new areas each year. Indirect transmission can occur via the environment and is thought to occur by the oral and/or intranasal route. Oral transmission has been experimentally demonstrated and although intranasal transmission has been postulated, it has not been tested in a natural host until recently. Prions have been shown to adsorb strongly to clay particles and upon oral inoculation the prion/clay combination exhibits increased infectivity in rodent models. Deer and elk undoubtedly and chronically inhale dust particles routinely while living in the landscape while foraging and rutting. We therefore hypothesized that dust represents a viable vehicle for intranasal CWD prion exposure. To test this hypothesis, CWD-positive brain homogenate was mixed with montmorillonite clay (Mte), lyophilized, pulverized and inoculated intranasally into white-tailed deer once a week for 6 weeks. Deer were euthanized at 95, 105, 120 and 175 days post final inoculation and tissues examined for CWD-associated prion proteins by immunohistochemistry. Our results demonstrate that CWD can be efficiently transmitted utilizing Mte particles as a prion carrier and intranasal exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy A Nichols
- National Wildlife Research Center, US Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
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21
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Johnson CJ, Herbst A, Duque-Velasquez C, Vanderloo JP, Bochsler P, Chappell R, McKenzie D. Prion protein polymorphisms affect chronic wasting disease progression. PLoS One 2011; 6:e17450. [PMID: 21445256 PMCID: PMC3060816 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0017450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2010] [Accepted: 01/25/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Analysis of the PRNP gene in cervids naturally infected with chronic wasting disease (CWD) suggested that PRNP polymorphisms affect the susceptibility of deer to infection. To test this effect, we orally inoculated 12 white-tailed deer with CWD agent. Three different PRNP alleles, wild-type (wt; glutamine at amino acid 95 and glycine at 96), Q95H (glutamine to histidine at amino acid position 95) and G96S (glycine to serine at position 96) were represented in the study cohort with 5 wt/wt, 3 wt/G96S, and 1 each wt/Q95H and Q95H/G96S. Two animals were lost to follow-up due to intercurrent disease. The inoculum was prepared from Wisconsin hunter-harvested homozygous wt/wt animals. All infected deer presented with clinical signs of CWD; the orally infected wt/wt had an average survival period of 693 days post inoculation (dpi) and G96S/wt deer had an average survival period of 956 dpi. The Q95H/wt and Q95H/G96S deer succumbed to CWD at 1,508 and 1,596 dpi respectively. These data show that polymorphisms in the PRNP gene affect CWD incubation period. Deer heterozygous for the PRNP alleles had extended incubation periods with the Q95H allele having the greatest effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad J. Johnson
- Department of Comparative Bioscience, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Allen Herbst
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Agriculture Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Camilo Duque-Velasquez
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Agriculture Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Joshua P. Vanderloo
- Department of Comparative Bioscience, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Phil Bochsler
- Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Rick Chappell
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Bioinformatics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Debbie McKenzie
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- * E-mail:
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Rogers KG, Robinson SJ, Samuel MD, Grear DA. Diversity and distribution of white-tailed deer mtDNA lineages in chronic wasting disease (CWD) outbreak areas in southern Wisconsin, USA. J Toxicol Environ Health A 2011; 74:1521-1535. [PMID: 22043912 DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2011.618980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy affecting North American cervids. Because it is uniformly fatal, the disease is a major concern in the management of white-tailed deer populations. Management programs to control CWD require improved knowledge of deer interaction, movement, and population connectivity that could influence disease transmission and spread. Genetic methods were employed to evaluate connectivity among populations in the CWD management zone of southern Wisconsin. A 576-base-pair region of the mitochondrial DNA of 359 white-tailed deer from 12 sample populations was analyzed. Fifty-eight variable sites were detected within the sequence, defining 43 haplotypes. While most sample populations displayed similar levels of haplotype diversity, individual haplotypes were clustered on the landscape. Spatial clusters of different haplotypes were apparent in distinct ecoregions surrounding CWD outbreak areas. The spatial distribution of mtDNA haplotypes suggests that clustering of the deer matrilineal groups and population connectivity are associated with broad-scale geographic landscape features. These landscape characteristics may also influence the contact rates between groups and therefore the potential spread of CWD; this may be especially true of local disease spread between female social groups. Our results suggest that optimal CWD management needs to be tailored to fit gender-specific dispersal behaviors and regional differences in deer population connectivity. This information will help wildlife managers design surveillance and monitoring efforts based on population interactions and potential deer movement among CWD-affected and unaffected areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kip G Rogers
- Department of Forest & Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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23
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Wilson GA, Nakada SM, Bollinger TK, Pybus MJ, Merrill EH, Coltman DW. Polymorphisms at the PRNP gene influence susceptibility to chronic wasting disease in two species of deer (Odocoileus Spp.) in western Canada. J Toxicol Environ Health A 2009; 72:1025-9. [PMID: 19697236 DOI: 10.1080/15287390903084264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is increasingly prevalent in multiple wild mule (Odocoileus hemionus) and white-tailed deer (O. virginianus) herds in North America. CWD was first found in Canadian wild mule deer in Saskatchewan in 2000 and has since spread into the neighboring province of Alberta. The infectious agent for CWD is a misfolded prion protein encoded by the PRNP gene. Previous studies revealed association between PRNP genotype and susceptibility to CWD in both mule and white-tailed deer in other regions. To investigate this link in Canadian populations, PRNP gene sequence was examined in 166 CWD- and 83 CWD+ mule deer, and 197 CWD- and 30 CWD+ white-tailed deer from Saskatchewan and Alberta. Two variable sites were found in mule deer, and 15 in white-tailed deer. In both species PRNP genotype was associated with CWD status. Mule deer possessing at least one copy of the common allele at codon 20 were less likely to test positive for CWD than expected, given the frequency of this allele in the population. A variant at codon 96 in white-tailed deer was also linked with reduced incidence of CWD. A greater knowledge of the genetic sources of heterogeneity in CWD susceptibility may improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the CWD epidemic in western Canada.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory A Wilson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta.
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24
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Meyerett C, Michel B, Pulford B, Spraker TR, Nichols TA, Johnson T, Kurt T, Hoover EA, Telling GC, Zabel MD. In vitro strain adaptation of CWD prions by serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification. Virology 2008; 382:267-76. [PMID: 18952250 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2008.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2008] [Revised: 09/08/2008] [Accepted: 09/12/2008] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
We used serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (sPMCA) to amplify the D10 strain of CWD prions in a linear relationship over two logs of D10 dilutions. The resultant PMCA-amplified D10 induced terminal TSE disease in CWD-susceptible Tg(cerPrP)1536 mice with a survival time approximately 80 days shorter than the original D10 inoculum, similar to that produced by in vivo sub-passage of D10 in Tg(cerPrP)1536 mice. Both in vitro-amplified and mouse-passaged D10 produced brain lesion profiles, glycoform ratios and conformational stabilities significantly different than those produced by the original D10 inoculum in Tg(cerPrP)1536 mice. These findings demonstrate that sPMCA can amplify and adapt prion strains in vitro as effectively and much more quickly than in vivo strain adaptation by mouse passage. Thus sPMCA may represent a powerful tool to assess prion strain adaptation and species barriers in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Crystal Meyerett
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
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25
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Wolfe LL, Spraker TR, González L, Dagleish MP, Sirochman TM, Brown JC, Jeffrey M, Miller MW. PrPCWD in rectal lymphoid tissue of deer (Odocoileus spp.). J Gen Virol 2007; 88:2078-2082. [PMID: 17554043 DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.82342-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The utility of rectal lymphoid tissue sampling for the diagnosis of chronic wasting disease (CWD) infections in mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) was evaluated. CWD-associated prion protein (PrP(CWD)) deposits were observed in the rectal mucosa from 19 orally inoculated mule deer by 381 days post-inoculation (p.i.); similarly, 45 out of 50 naturally infected mule deer had PrP(CWD) in their rectal mucosa. In orally inoculated white-tailed deer, the presence of glycine (G) or serine (S) at codon 96 of the native PrP (denoted 96GG, 96GS or 96SS) appeared to influence the temporal patterns of PrP(CWD) deposition: nine out of 11 infected 96GG individuals had PrP(CWD) in their rectal mucosa by 342 days p.i., whereas only three out of seven infected 96GS individuals had PrP(CWD) in their rectal mucosa by 381 days p.i. and none of three 96SS individuals had PrP(CWD) in their rectal mucosa by 751 days p.i. These findings support further evaluation of rectal mucosa sampling in CWD surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa L Wolfe
- Colorado Division of Wildlife, Wildlife Research Center, 317 West Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO 80526-2097, USA
| | - Terry R Spraker
- Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Lorenzo González
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency - Lasswade, Pentlands Science Park, Penicuik EH26 0PZ, UK
| | - Mark P Dagleish
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Penicuik EH26 0PZ, UK
| | - Tracey M Sirochman
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Wyoming, 1000 E. University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
- Colorado Division of Wildlife, Wildlife Research Center, 317 West Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO 80526-2097, USA
| | - Jeremy C Brown
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Wyoming, 1174 Snowy Range Road, Laramie, WY 82070, USA
| | - Martin Jeffrey
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency - Lasswade, Pentlands Science Park, Penicuik EH26 0PZ, UK
| | - Michael W Miller
- Colorado Division of Wildlife, Wildlife Research Center, 317 West Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO 80526-2097, USA
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Hamir AN, Gidlewski T, Spraker TR, Miller JM, Creekmore L, Crocheck M, Cline T, O'Rourke KI. Preliminary observations of genetic susceptibility of elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) to chronic wasting disease by experimental oral inoculation. J Vet Diagn Invest 2007; 18:110-4. [PMID: 16566268 DOI: 10.1177/104063870601800118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
To compare the genetic susceptibility of elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) with various alleles of the PRNP gene, which encodes the normal cellular prion protein, to chronic wasting disease (CWD), eight 8-month-old elk calves of 3 genotypes (2 132MM, 2 132LM, and 4 132LL) were orally dosed with CWD-infected brain material from elk. During postinoculation (PI) month 23, both 132MM elk had lost appetite, developed clinical signs of weight loss and central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction, and were euthanized. Two other elk (both 132LM) developed similar clinical signs of disease and were euthanized during PI month 40. All 4 affected elk had microscopic lesions of spongiform encephalopathy (SE), and PrPres, the disease-associated form of the prion protein, was detected in their CNS and lymphoid tissues by use of immunohistochemical (IHC) and Western blot (WB) techniques. These findings indicate that elk with MM and LM at codon 132 are susceptible to orally inoculated CWD. All 4 LL elk are alive at PI year 4 and are clinically normal, which suggests that 132LL elk may have reduced susceptibility to oral infection with CWD-infected material or may have prolonged incubation time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir N Hamir
- National Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA, Ames, IA 50010, USA.
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27
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Meade-White K, Race B, Trifilo M, Bossers A, Favara C, Lacasse R, Miller M, Williams E, Oldstone M, Race R, Chesebro B. Resistance to chronic wasting disease in transgenic mice expressing a naturally occurring allelic variant of deer prion protein. J Virol 2007; 81:4533-9. [PMID: 17314157 PMCID: PMC1900179 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02762-06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion protein (PrP) is a required factor for susceptibility to transmissible spongiform encephalopathy or prion diseases. In transgenic mice, expression of prion protein (PrP) from another species often confers susceptibility to prion disease from that donor species. For example, expression of deer or elk PrP in transgenic mice has induced susceptibility to chronic wasting disease (CWD), the prion disease of cervids. In the current experiments, transgenic mice expressing two naturally occurring allelic variants of deer PrP with either glycine (G) or serine (S) at residue 96 were found to differ in susceptibility to CWD infection. G96 mice were highly susceptible to infection, and disease appeared starting as early as 160 days postinfection. In contrast, S96 mice showed no evidence of disease or generation of disease-associated protease-resistant PrP (PrPres) over a 600-day period. At the time of clinical disease, G96 mice showed typical vacuolar pathology and deposition of PrPres in many brain regions, and in some individuals, extensive neuronal loss and apoptosis were noted in the hippocampus and cerebellum. Extraneural accumulation of PrPres was also noted in spleen and intestinal tissue of clinically ill G96 mice. These results demonstrate the importance of deer PrP polymorphisms in susceptibility to CWD infection. Furthermore, this deer PrP transgenic model is the first to demonstrate extraneural accumulation of PrPres in spleen and intestinal tissue and thus may prove useful in studies of CWD pathogenesis and transmission by oral or other natural routes of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly Meade-White
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/NIH, 903 South Fourth Street, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA
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Abstract
It is now widely held that the infectious agents underlying the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are prions, which are primarily composed of a misfolded, protease-resistant isoform of the host prion protein. Untreatable prion disorders include some human diseases, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and diseases of economically important animals, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (cattle) and chronic wasting disease (deer and elk). Detection and diagnosis of prion disease (and presymptomatic incubation) is contingent upon developing novel assays, which exploit properties uniquely possessed by this misfolded protein complex, rather than targeting an agent-specific nucleic acid. This review highlights some of the conventional and disruptive technologies developed to respond to this challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marty T Lehto
- Amorfix Life Sciences, 3080 Yonge Street, Suite 6020, Toronto, M4N 3N1, Canada.
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Abstract
Until recently, chronic wasting disease of cervids, the only prion disease affecting wildlife, was believed to be geographically concentrated to Colorado and Wyoming within the United States. However, increased surveillance has unveiled several additional pockets of CWD-infected deer and elk in 12 additional states and 2 Canadian provinces. Deer and elk with CWD have extensive aggregates of PrP(Sc) not only in the central nervous system, but also in peripheral lymphoid tissues, skeletal muscle, and other organs, perhaps influencing prion shedding. Indeed, CWD is transmitted efficiently among animals by horizontal routes, although the mechanism of spread is unknown. Genetic polymorphisms in the Prnp gene may affect CWD susceptibility, particularly at codon 225 (S/F) in deer and codon 132 (M/L) in elk. Since CWD infects free-ranging animals and is efficiently spread, disease management will be a challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina J Sigurdson
- Universitäts Spital Zürich, Institute of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology, Schmelzbergstrasse 12, Zürich, Switzerland.
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Affiliation(s)
- H J Huson
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7000, USA
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Johnson C, Johnson J, Vanderloo JP, Keane D, Aiken JM, McKenzie D. Prion protein polymorphisms in white-tailed deer influence susceptibility to chronic wasting disease. J Gen Virol 2006; 87:2109-2114. [PMID: 16760415 DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.81615-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The primary sequence of the prion protein affects susceptibility to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, or prion diseases, in mice, sheep and humans. The Prnp gene sequence of free-ranging, Wisconsin white-tailed deer was determined and the Prnp genotypes of chronic wasting disease (CWD)-positive and CWD-negative deer were compared. Six amino acid changes were identified, two of which were located in pseudogenes. Two alleles, a Q-->K polymorphism at codon 226 and a single octapeptide repeat insertion into the pseudogene, have not been reported previously. The predominant alleles--wild-type (Q95, G96 and Q226) and a G96S polymorphism--comprised almost 98% of the Prnp alleles in the Wisconsin white-tailed deer population. Comparison of the allelic frequencies in the CWD-positive and CWD-negative deer suggested that G96S and a Q95H polymorphism were linked to a reduced susceptibility to CWD. The G96S allele did not, however, provide complete resistance, as a CWD-positive G96S/G96S deer was identified. The G96S allele was also linked to slower progression of the disease in CWD-positive deer based on the deposition of PrP(CWD) in the obex region of the medulla oblongata. Although the reduced susceptibility of deer with at least one copy of the Q95H or G96S allele is insufficient to serve as a genetic barrier, the presence of these alleles may modulate the impact of CWD on white-tailed deer populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad Johnson
- Department of Animal Health and Biomedical Sciences, University of Wisconsin, 1656 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Jody Johnson
- Department of Animal Health and Biomedical Sciences, University of Wisconsin, 1656 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Joshua P Vanderloo
- Department of Animal Health and Biomedical Sciences, University of Wisconsin, 1656 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Delwyn Keane
- Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Judd M Aiken
- Department of Animal Health and Biomedical Sciences, University of Wisconsin, 1656 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Debbie McKenzie
- Department of Animal Health and Biomedical Sciences, University of Wisconsin, 1656 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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Kong Q, Huang S, Zou W, Vanegas D, Wang M, Wu D, Yuan J, Zheng M, Bai H, Deng H, Chen K, Jenny AL, O'Rourke K, Belay ED, Schonberger LB, Petersen RB, Sy MS, Chen SG, Gambetti P. Chronic wasting disease of elk: transmissibility to humans examined by transgenic mouse models. J Neurosci 2006; 25:7944-9. [PMID: 16135751 PMCID: PMC6725448 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2467-05.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 199] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a prion disease affecting free-ranging and captive cervids (deer and elk), is widespread in the United States and parts of Canada. The large cervid population, the popularity of venison consumption, and the apparent spread of the CWD epidemic are likely resulting in increased human exposure to CWD in the United States. Whether CWD is transmissible to humans, as has been shown for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (the prion disease of cattle), is unknown. We generated transgenic mice expressing the elk or human prion protein (PrP) in a PrP-null background. After intracerebral inoculation with elk CWD prion, two lines of "humanized" transgenic mice that are susceptible to human prions failed to develop the hallmarks of prion diseases after >657 and >756 d, respectively, whereas the "cervidized" transgenic mice became infected after 118-142 d. These data indicate that there is a substantial species barrier for transmission of elk CWD to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingzhong Kong
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
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Jewell JE, Conner MM, Wolfe LL, Miller MW, Williams ES. Low frequency of PrP genotype 225SF among free-ranging mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) with chronic wasting disease. J Gen Virol 2005; 86:2127-2134. [PMID: 16033959 DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.81077-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The prion protein (PrP) gene was characterized in 1482 free-ranging mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) from Wyoming and Colorado. Using DNA sequences from 363 deer, dimorphisms at codons 20 (aspartate/glycine) and 225 [serine (S)/phenylalanine (F)] were found; silent changes occurred at codons 131 (tyrosine) and 247 (isoleucine). The remaining samples were surveyed for codon 225 genotype and all were characterized for chronic wasting disease (CWD) infection status. A total of 112 deer with the genotype 225SF or FF were found, of which one was CWD-positive; 1370 were 225SS, with 289 positive for CWD. Among CWD-negative deer, the frequency of 225SF/FF genotypes was 9.3 % but among CWD-positive deer it was only 0.3 %. For all samples combined, CWD status was not independent of codon 225 genotype (P<0.0001). The odds that a deer of the 225SS genotype was CWD-infected were 30 times greater (95 % confidence intervals=4-213) than for a 225SF deer. The proportion of 225SF animals in sampled subpopulations varied from 0 to 18 %; the CWD prevalence varied from 0 to 25 %. However, no relationship was observed between genotype frequency and CWD prevalence in different areas. The PrP sequences of experimentally infected mule deer were analysed from pre-existing projects and 10 animals were found with 225SF genotypes, all of which were positive for CWD. Data available from some of these animals suggest that the 225SF genotype could be associated with longer incubation periods in CWD infection compared with the 225SS genotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean E Jewell
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Wyoming, Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory, 1174 Snowy Range Road, Laramie, WY 82070, USA
| | - Mary M Conner
- Department of Forest, Range, and Wildlife Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-5230, USA
| | - Lisa L Wolfe
- Colorado Division of Wildlife, Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, CO 80526-2097, USA
| | - Michael W Miller
- Colorado Division of Wildlife, Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, CO 80526-2097, USA
| | - Elizabeth S Williams
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Wyoming, Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory, 1174 Snowy Range Road, Laramie, WY 82070, USA
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Kataoka N, Nishimura M, Horiuchi M, Ishiguro N. Surveillance of Chronic Wasting Disease in Sika Deer, Cervus nippon, from Tokachi District in Hokkaido. J Vet Med Sci 2005; 67:349-51. [PMID: 15805745 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.67.349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Surveillance of chronic wasting disease (CWD) was conducted by performing Western blot analysis of tissue samples from 136 sika deer (Cervus nippon) killed by hunters in the Tokachi district of Hokkaido Island. No prion protein (PrPSc) associated with CWD was detected in any of the samples. To assess amino acid polymorphisms of the sika deer PrP gene, nucleotide sequencing of the PrP gene was performed. The only amino acid polymorphisms detected were 3 silent mutations at nucleotide positions 63, 225 and 408. These results suggest that sika deer in the Tokachi district are genetically homogeneous, and are not infected with CWD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natsumi Kataoka
- Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan
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Bastian FO, Dash S, Garry RF. Linking chronic wasting disease to scrapie by comparison of Spiroplasma mirum ribosomal DNA sequences. Exp Mol Pathol 2004; 77:49-56. [PMID: 15215050 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexmp.2004.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2004] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) are fatal neurodegenerative diseases of man and animals and are transmitted by a filterable pathogen whose identity is currently unresolved. Our data indicates that Spiroplasma, a wall-less bacterium, is involved in the pathogenesis of TSE. We searched for Spiroplasma ribosomal gene sequences in 10 scrapie-infected sheep brains and 10 normal sheep brains, 7 cervid samples infected with chronic wasting disease (CWD), and 7 normal cervid brains. DNA was extracted from these tissue samples and amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers specific for Spiroplasma-specific 16S rDNA. Specificity of the amplicon was determined by Southern blotting and DNA sequence analyses. Spiroplasma 16S rDNA was found in 8 of 10 scrapie-infected sheep brains and 6 of 7 CWD-infected tissue samples. All normal animal brain samples were negative. Spiroplasma 16S rDNA was also found in two human Creutzfeldt-Jakob diseased (CJD) brains but not in two age-matched normal human brains. DNA sequence analyses of the amplified PCR products from human and animal TSE cases revealed greater than 99% nucleotide sequence homology with Spiroplasma mirum. The presence of Spiroplasma DNA in TSE-infected tissues supports our hypothesis that Spiroplasma may be involved in the pathogenesis of these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank O Bastian
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.
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O'Rourke KI, Spraker TR, Hamburg LK, Besser TE, Brayton KA, Knowles DP. Polymorphisms in the prion precursor functional gene but not the pseudogene are associated with susceptibility to chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer. J Gen Virol 2004; 85:1339-1346. [PMID: 15105552 DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.79785-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) status and PrP genotypes were determined for a group of 133 wild white-tailed deer in a 780 acre enclosure in western Nebraska, USA. Approximately half of the deer tested showed evidence of PrPd in the brainstem or lymphoid tissues. Four PRNP alleles encoding amino acid substitutions were identified, with substitutions at residues 95 (Q-->H), 96 (G-->S) or 116 (A-->G), each with serine (S) at residue 138. In addition, a processed pseudogene with two alleles encoding five or six copies of the octapeptide repeat was identified in 26 % of the deer. Both alleles encoded asparagine (N) at residue 138. The functional gene alleles sorted into five major diploid genotypes and four rare genotypes. Although all five major diploid genotypes were found in deer with CWD, unaffected deer were less likely to have the allele QGAS and more likely to have QSAS compared with CWD-affected deer. Late-stage disease (PrPd in brainstem) was noted in deer less than 1 year of age, although no single genotype was associated with this rapid neuroinvasion. Early-stage disease (PrPd distribution limited to the lymphoid system) was observed in deer estimated to be more than 5 years old, suggesting that they were infected as adults or that the incubation time might be extremely long in some individuals. The pseudogene was found in deer of all major PRNP genotypes and was not correlated with CWD status. The large number of susceptible genotypes and the possibility of adult-to-adult transmission suggest that much of the white-tailed deer population may be at risk for disease following exposure to CWD, despite the association of specific genotypes with CWD noted here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine I O'Rourke
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
- US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal Disease Research Unit, 3003 ADBF, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Terry R Spraker
- Colorado State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Linda K Hamburg
- US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal Disease Research Unit, 3003 ADBF, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Thomas E Besser
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Kelly A Brayton
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Donald P Knowles
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
- US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal Disease Research Unit, 3003 ADBF, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
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Abstract
Pathogenesis and transmission of the prion disorders (transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, TSEs) are mediated by a modified isoform of the prion protein (PrP). Prion protein gene (PRNP) alleles associated with relative susceptibility to TSE have been identified in sheep, humans and possibly elk. Comparable data have not been derived for mule deer, a species susceptible to the TSE chronic wasting disease (CWD). Initial analysis of the open reading frame (ORF) in exon 3 of the mule deer PRNP gene revealed polymorphisms in all 145 samples analyzed, with 10 potential polymorphic sites. Because 144/145 (99.3%) of the samples were heterozygous for a coding change (N/S) at codon 138 (bp 412) and a non-coding polymorphism at bp 418, and individual deer with three or four different alleles were identified a possible gene duplication was indicated. Analysis of BAC clones containing mule deer PRNP genes revealed a full length functional gene and a processed pseudogene. The pseudogene was characteristic of previously described retroelements, in that it lacks introns and is flanked by repeat sequences. Three alleles of the functional gene were identified, with coding changes only at codons 20 (D/G) and 225 (S/F). Determination of PRNP functional gene alleles from 47 CWD-positive mule deer showed the predominant allele encoded 20D225S (frequency 0.85). When alleles were grouped by coding changes in the functional gene, four of the six possible peptide combinations were identified in infected deer. Three pseudogene alleles with coding changes in exon 3 were identified in the mule deer samples examined. Because the TSEs appear to be "protein only" disorders, the presence of an untranslated pseudogene is not expected to affect disease resistance. Therefore, selection of a genotyping method specific for the functional gene is critical for large-scale studies to identify the role of the PRNP gene in susceptibility to CWD in mule deer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly A Brayton
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7040, USA.
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Johnson C, Johnson J, Clayton M, McKenzie D, Aiken J. Prion protein gene heterogeneity in free-ranging white-tailed deer within the chronic wasting disease affected region of Wisconsin. J Wildl Dis 2004; 39:576-81. [PMID: 14567218 DOI: 10.7589/0090-3558-39.3.576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) was first identified in Wisconsin (USA) in whitetailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in February 2002. To determine if prion protein gene (Prnp) allelic variability was associated with CWD in white-tailed deer from Wisconsin, we sequenced Prnp from 26 CWD-positive and 100 CWD-negative deer. Sequence analysis of Prnp suggests that at least 86-96% of the white-tailed deer in this region have Prnp allelic combinations that will support CWD infection. Four Prnp alleles were identified in the deer population, one of which, resulting in a glutamine to histidine change at codon 95, has not been previously reported. The predominant allele in the population encodes for glutamine at codon 95, glycine at codon 96, and serine at codon 138 (QGS). Less abundant alleles encoded QSS, QGN, and HGS at the three variable positions. Comparison of CWD-positive with CWD-negative deer suggested a trend towards an over-representation of the QGS allele and an under-representation of the QSS allele.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad Johnson
- Department of Animal Health and Biomedical Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
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Race RE, Raines A, Baron TGM, Miller MW, Jenny A, Williams ES. Comparison of abnormal prion protein glycoform patterns from transmissible spongiform encephalopathy agent-infected deer, elk, sheep, and cattle. J Virol 2002; 76:12365-8. [PMID: 12414979 PMCID: PMC136873 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.76.23.12365-12368.2002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Analysis of abnormal prion protein glycoform patterns from chronic wasting disease (CWD)-affected deer and elk, scrapie-affected sheep and cattle, and cattle with bovine spongiform encephalopathy failed to identify patterns capable of reliably distinguishing these transmissible spongiform encephalopathy diseases. However, PrP-res patterns sometimes differed among individual animals, suggesting infection by different or multiple CWD strains in some species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard E Race
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Hamilton, Montana 59840, USA
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