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Garza MC, Kang SG, Kim C, Monleón E, van der Merwe J, Kramer DA, Fahlman R, Sim VL, Aiken J, McKenzie D, Cortez LM, Wille H. In Vitro and In Vivo Evidence towards Fibronectin's Protective Effects against Prion Infection. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17525. [PMID: 38139358 PMCID: PMC10743696 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
A distinctive signature of the prion diseases is the accumulation of the pathogenic isoform of the prion protein, PrPSc, in the central nervous system of prion-affected humans and animals. PrPSc is also found in peripheral tissues, raising concerns about the potential transmission of pathogenic prions through human food supplies and posing a significant risk to public health. Although muscle tissues are considered to contain levels of low prion infectivity, it has been shown that myotubes in culture efficiently propagate PrPSc. Given the high consumption of muscle tissue, it is important to understand what factors could influence the establishment of a prion infection in muscle tissue. Here we used in vitro myotube cultures, differentiated from the C2C12 myoblast cell line (dC2C12), to identify factors affecting prion replication. A range of experimental conditions revealed that PrPSc is tightly associated with proteins found in the systemic extracellular matrix, mostly fibronectin (FN). The interaction of PrPSc with FN decreased prion infectivity, as determined by standard scrapie cell assay. Interestingly, the prion-resistant reserve cells in dC2C12 cultures displayed a FN-rich extracellular matrix while the prion-susceptible myotubes expressed FN at a low level. In agreement with the in vitro results, immunohistopathological analyses of tissues from sheep infected with natural scrapie demonstrated a prion susceptibility phenotype linked to an extracellular matrix with undetectable levels of FN. Conversely, PrPSc deposits were not observed in tissues expressing FN. These data indicate that extracellular FN may act as a natural barrier against prion replication and that the extracellular matrix composition may be a crucial feature determining prion tropism in different tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Carmen Garza
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada; (M.C.G.); (S.-G.K.); (J.v.d.M.); (V.L.S.); (D.M.)
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Sang-Gyun Kang
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada; (M.C.G.); (S.-G.K.); (J.v.d.M.); (V.L.S.); (D.M.)
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Chiye Kim
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada; (M.C.G.); (S.-G.K.); (J.v.d.M.); (V.L.S.); (D.M.)
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Eva Monleón
- Centro de Encefalopatías y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes, Departamento de Anatomía e Histología Humana, Universidad de Zaragoza, IA2, IIS Aragón, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Jacques van der Merwe
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada; (M.C.G.); (S.-G.K.); (J.v.d.M.); (V.L.S.); (D.M.)
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - David A. Kramer
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada
| | - Richard Fahlman
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Valerie L. Sim
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada; (M.C.G.); (S.-G.K.); (J.v.d.M.); (V.L.S.); (D.M.)
- Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G3, Canada
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Judd Aiken
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada; (M.C.G.); (S.-G.K.); (J.v.d.M.); (V.L.S.); (D.M.)
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada
| | - Debbie McKenzie
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada; (M.C.G.); (S.-G.K.); (J.v.d.M.); (V.L.S.); (D.M.)
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Leonardo M. Cortez
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada; (M.C.G.); (S.-G.K.); (J.v.d.M.); (V.L.S.); (D.M.)
- Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G3, Canada
| | - Holger Wille
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada; (M.C.G.); (S.-G.K.); (J.v.d.M.); (V.L.S.); (D.M.)
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
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Bravo-Risi F, Soto P, Benavente R, Nichols TA, Morales R. Dynamics of CWD prion detection in feces and blood from naturally infected white-tailed deer. Sci Rep 2023; 13:20170. [PMID: 37978207 PMCID: PMC10656452 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46929-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease affecting cervids. Confirmatory testing of CWD is currently performed postmortem in obex and lymphoid tissues. Extensive evidence demonstrates the presence of infectious prions in feces of CWD-infected deer using in vitro prion-amplification techniques and bioassays. In experimental conditions, this has been achieved as soon as 6-month post-inoculation, suggesting this sample type is a candidate for antemortem diagnosis. In the present study, we optimized the detection of CWD-prions in fecal samples from naturally infected, pre-clinical white-tailed deer by comparing protocols aiming to concentrate CWD-prions with direct spiking of the sample into the PMCA reactions. Results of this screening were compared with similar analyses made in blood. Our data shows that CWD-prion detection in feces using PMCA is best in the absence of sample pre-treatments. We performed a screening of 169 fecal samples, detecting CWD-prions with diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of 54.81% and 98.46%, respectively. In addition, the PMCA seeding activity of 76 fecal samples was compared with that on blood of matched deer. Our findings, demonstrate that CWD-prions in feces and blood are increased at late pre-clinical stages, exhibiting similar detection in both sample types (> 90% sensitivity) when PrP96GG animals are tested. Our findings contribute to understand prion distribution across different biological samples and polymorphic variants in white-tailed deer. This information is also relevant for the current efforts to identify platforms to diagnose CWD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisca Bravo-Risi
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin St., Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - Paulina Soto
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin St., Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rebeca Benavente
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin St., Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Tracy A Nichols
- Veterinary Services Cervid Health Program, United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Rodrigo Morales
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin St., Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile.
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Hereditary E200K mutation within the prion protein gene alters human iPSC derived cardiomyocyte function. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15788. [PMID: 36138047 PMCID: PMC9500067 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19631-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiomyopathy is a co-morbidity of some prion diseases including genetic disease caused by mutations within the PrP gene (PRNP). Although the cellular prion protein (PrP) has been shown to protect against cardiotoxicity caused by oxidative stress, it is unclear if the cardiomyopathy is directly linked to PrP dysfunction. We differentiated cardiomyocyte cultures from donor human induced pluripotent stem cells and found a direct influence of the PRNP E200K mutation on cellular function. The PRNP E200K cardiomyocytes showed abnormal function evident in the irregularity of the rapid repolarization; a phenotype comparable with the dysfunction reported in Down Syndrome cardiomyocytes. PRNP E200K cardiomyocyte cultures also showed increased mitochondrial superoxide accompanied by increased mitochondrial membrane potential and dysfunction. To confirm that the changes were due to the E200K mutation, CRISPR-Cas9 engineering was used to correct the E200K carrier cells and insert the E200K mutation into control cells. The isotype matched cardiomyocytes showed that the lysine expressing allele does directly influence electrophysiology and mitochondrial function but some differences in severity were apparent between donor lines. Our results demonstrate that cardiomyopathy in hereditary prion disease may be directly linked to PrP dysfunction.
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Nichols TA, Nicholson EM, Liu Y, Tao W, Spraker TR, Lavelle M, Fischer J, Kong Q, VerCauteren KC. Detection of two dissimilar chronic wasting disease isolates in two captive Rocky Mountain elk ( Cervus canadensis) herds. Prion 2021; 15:207-215. [PMID: 34913829 PMCID: PMC8682864 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2021.1982333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) continues to spread in both wild and captive cervid herds in North America and has now been identified in wild reindeer and moose in Norway, Finland and Sweden. There is limited knowledge about the variety and characteristics of isolates or strains of CWD that exist in the landscape and their implications on wild and captive cervid herds. In this study, we evaluated brain samples from two captive elk herds that had differing prevalence, history and timelines of CWD incidence. Site 1 had a 16-year history of CWD with a consistently low prevalence between 5% and 10%. Twelve of fourteen naïve animals placed on the site remained CWD negative after 5 years of residence. Site 2 herd had a nearly 40-year known history of CWD with long-term environmental accrual of prion leading to nearly 100% of naïve animals developing clinical CWD within two to 12 years. Obex samples of several elk from each site were compared for CWD prion strain deposition, genotype in prion protein gene codon 132, and conformational stability of CWD prions. CWD prions in the obex from site 2 had a lower conformational stability than those from site 1, which was independent of prnp genotype at codon 132. These findings suggest the existence of different CWD isolates between the two sites and suggest potential differential disease attack rates for different CWD strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy A Nichols
- Veterinary Services Cervid Health Program, United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Eric M Nicholson
- Us Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Yihui Liu
- Departments of Pathology, Neurology, National Center for Regenerative Medicine, and National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Wanyun Tao
- Departments of Pathology, Neurology, National Center for Regenerative Medicine, and National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Terry R Spraker
- Prion Research Center and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University Prion Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Michael Lavelle
- Wildlife Services National Wildlife Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Justin Fischer
- Wildlife Services National Wildlife Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Qingzhong Kong
- Departments of Pathology, Neurology, National Center for Regenerative Medicine, and National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Kurt C VerCauteren
- Wildlife Services National Wildlife Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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Li M, Schwabenlander MD, Rowden GR, Schefers JM, Jennelle CS, Carstensen M, Seelig D, Larsen PA. RT-QuIC detection of CWD prion seeding activity in white-tailed deer muscle tissues. Sci Rep 2021; 11:16759. [PMID: 34408204 PMCID: PMC8373970 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96127-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease circulating in wild and farmed cervid populations throughout North America (United States and Canada), Europe (Finland, Norway, Sweden), and South Korea. CWD is a long-term threat to all cervid populations and to cervid hunting heritage, with the potential to cause substantial economic losses across multiple sectors. In North America, hunting and farming industries focused on the processing and consumption of white-tailed deer (WTD) venison are particularly vulnerable to CWD prion contamination, as millions of WTD are consumed annually. Real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) is a highly sensitive assay amplifying misfolded CWD prions in vitro and has facilitated CWD prion detection in a variety of tissues and excreta. To date, no study has comprehensively examined CWD prion content across bulk skeletal muscle tissues harvested from individual CWD infected WTD. Here, we use RT-QuIC to characterize prion-seeding activity in a variety of skeletal muscles from both wild and farmed CWD-positive WTD. We successfully detected CWD prions in muscles commonly used for consumption (e.g., backstrap, tenderloin, etc.) as well as within tongue and neck samples of WTD. Our results suggest that CWD prions are distributed across the skeletal muscles of infected WTD. We posit that RT-QuIC will be a useful tool for monitoring CWD prions in venison and that the method (with additional protocol optimization and high-throughput functionality) could be used to reduce and/or prevent CWD prions from entering animal and human food chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manci Li
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, 1971 Commonwealth Ave, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA
- Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Marc D Schwabenlander
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, 1971 Commonwealth Ave, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA
- Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Gage R Rowden
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, 1971 Commonwealth Ave, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA
- Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Jeremy M Schefers
- Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA
- Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Veterinary Population Medicine Department, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Christopher S Jennelle
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 5463 West Broadway, Forest Lake, MN, 55025, USA
| | - Michelle Carstensen
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 5463 West Broadway, Forest Lake, MN, 55025, USA
| | - Davis Seelig
- Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Peter A Larsen
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, 1971 Commonwealth Ave, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA.
- Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA.
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Neuropathology of Animal Prion Diseases. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11030466. [PMID: 33801117 PMCID: PMC8004141 DOI: 10.3390/biom11030466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion diseases are a fatal group of infectious, inherited and spontaneous neurodegenerative diseases affecting human and animals. They are caused by the conversion of cellular prion protein (PrPC) into a misfolded pathological isoform (PrPSc or prion- proteinaceous infectious particle) that self-propagates by conformational conversion of PrPC. Yet by an unknown mechanism, PrPC can fold into different PrPSc conformers that may result in different prion strains that display specific disease phenotype (incubation time, clinical signs and lesion profile). Although the pathways for neurodegeneration as well as the involvement of brain inflammation in these diseases are not well understood, the spongiform changes, neuronal loss, gliosis and accumulation of PrPSc are the characteristic neuropathological lesions. Scrapie affecting small ruminants was the first identified TSE and has been considered the archetype of prion diseases, though atypical and new animal prion diseases continue to emerge highlighting the importance to investigate the lesion profile in naturally affected animals. In this report, we review the neuropathology and the neuroinflammation of animal prion diseases in natural hosts from scrapie, going through the zoonotic bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the chronic wasting disease (CWD) to the newly identified camel prion disease (CPD).
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Arifin MI, Hannaoui S, Chang SC, Thapa S, Schatzl HM, Gilch S. Cervid Prion Protein Polymorphisms: Role in Chronic Wasting Disease Pathogenesis. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22052271. [PMID: 33668798 PMCID: PMC7956812 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22052271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease found in both free-ranging and farmed cervids. Susceptibility of these animals to CWD is governed by various exogenous and endogenous factors. Past studies have demonstrated that polymorphisms within the prion protein (PrP) sequence itself affect an animal's susceptibility to CWD. PrP polymorphisms can modulate CWD pathogenesis in two ways: the ability of the endogenous prion protein (PrPC) to convert into infectious prions (PrPSc) or it can give rise to novel prion strains. In vivo studies in susceptible cervids, complemented by studies in transgenic mice expressing the corresponding cervid PrP sequence, show that each polymorphism has distinct effects on both PrPC and PrPSc. It is not entirely clear how these polymorphisms are responsible for these effects, but in vitro studies suggest they play a role in modifying PrP epitopes crucial for PrPC to PrPSc conversion and determining PrPC stability. PrP polymorphisms are unique to one or two cervid species and most confer a certain degree of reduced susceptibility to CWD. However, to date, there are no reports of polymorphic cervid PrP alleles providing absolute resistance to CWD. Studies on polymorphisms have focused on those found in CWD-endemic areas, with the hope that understanding the role of an animal's genetics in CWD can help to predict, contain, or prevent transmission of CWD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Immaculata Arifin
- Department of Comparative Biology & Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada; (M.I.A.); (S.H.); (S.C.C.); (S.T.); (H.M.S.)
- Calgary Prion Research Unit, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Samia Hannaoui
- Department of Comparative Biology & Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada; (M.I.A.); (S.H.); (S.C.C.); (S.T.); (H.M.S.)
- Calgary Prion Research Unit, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Sheng Chun Chang
- Department of Comparative Biology & Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada; (M.I.A.); (S.H.); (S.C.C.); (S.T.); (H.M.S.)
- Calgary Prion Research Unit, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Simrika Thapa
- Department of Comparative Biology & Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada; (M.I.A.); (S.H.); (S.C.C.); (S.T.); (H.M.S.)
- Calgary Prion Research Unit, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Hermann M. Schatzl
- Department of Comparative Biology & Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada; (M.I.A.); (S.H.); (S.C.C.); (S.T.); (H.M.S.)
- Calgary Prion Research Unit, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Sabine Gilch
- Department of Comparative Biology & Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada; (M.I.A.); (S.H.); (S.C.C.); (S.T.); (H.M.S.)
- Calgary Prion Research Unit, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Correspondence:
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Gavin C, Henderson D, Benestad SL, Simmons M, Adkin A. Estimating the amount of Chronic Wasting Disease infectivity passing through abattoirs and field slaughter. Prev Vet Med 2019; 166:28-38. [PMID: 30935503 DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2019.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Revised: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a highly infectious, naturally occurring, transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE, or prion disease) affecting many cervid species. CWD has been widely circulating in North America since it was first reported in 1967. In 2016, the first European case of prion disease in deer was reported and confirmed in Norway. There have since been several confirmed several cases in reindeer and moose and in one red deer in Norway, and recently in a moose in Finland. There is concern over the susceptibility of certain species, especially domestic livestock, to CWD. Recently, a study was presented showing transmission to cynomolgus macaques. Although preliminary, these results raise concerns that CWD may be transmissible to humans. This quantitative risk assessment estimates, by stochastic simulation, the titre of infectivity (herein referred to as "infectivity"), that would pass into the human food chain and environment (in the UK) as a result of a single CWD positive red deer passing through an abattoir, or being field dressed. The model estimated that around 11,000 mouse i.c. log ID50 units would enter the human food chain through the farmed route or wild route. The model estimated that there are around 83,000 mouse i.c. log ID50 units in a deer carcase, compared to around 22,000 in a sheep carcase infected with scrapie, mainly due to the size difference between a red deer and a sheep. For farmed deer, the model estimated that 87% of total carcase infectivity would become animal by-product category 3 material, with only 13% going to the food chain and a small amount to wastewater via the abattoir floor. For wild deer, the model estimated that on average, 85% of total carcase infectivity would be buried in the environment, with 13% going to the food chain and 2% to category 3 material which may be used as a protein source in other industries. Results indicate that if CWD was found in the UK there would be a risk of prions entering the human food chain and the environment. However, it is unclear if humans would be susceptible to CWD following consumption of contaminated meat, or what the environmental impact would be. This risk assessment highlights the need for further research in order to quantify the infectivity in all tissue types, in particular blood, gastrointestinal (GI) tract and skeletal muscle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Gavin
- Department of Epidemiological Sciences, Animal & Plant Health Agency, Woodham Lane, Weybridge, KT15 3NB, United Kingdom.
| | - Davin Henderson
- Prion Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Sylvie L Benestad
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 750 Sentrum, 0106 Oslo, Norway
| | - Marion Simmons
- Department of Pathology, Animal & Plant Health Agency, Woodham Lane, Weybridge, KT15 3NB, United Kingdom
| | - Amie Adkin
- Department of Epidemiological Sciences, Animal & Plant Health Agency, Woodham Lane, Weybridge, KT15 3NB, United Kingdom
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Otero A, Duque Velásquez C, Johnson C, Herbst A, Bolea R, Badiola JJ, Aiken J, McKenzie D. Prion protein polymorphisms associated with reduced CWD susceptibility limit peripheral PrP CWD deposition in orally infected white-tailed deer. BMC Vet Res 2019; 15:50. [PMID: 30717795 PMCID: PMC6360794 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-019-1794-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease affecting members of the Cervidae family. PrPC primary structures play a key role in CWD susceptibility resulting in extended incubation periods and regulating the propagation of CWD strains. We analyzed the distribution of abnormal prion protein (PrPCWD) aggregates in brain and peripheral organs from orally inoculated white-tailed deer expressing four different PRNP genotypes: Q95G96/Q95G96 (wt/wt), S96/wt, H95/wt and H95/S96 to determine if there are substantial differences in the deposition pattern of PrPCWD between different PRNP genotypes. Results Although we detected differences in certain brain areas, globally, the different genotypes showed similar PrPCWD deposition patterns in the brain. However, we found that clinically affected deer expressing H95 PrPC, despite having the longest survival periods, presented less PrPCWD immunoreactivity in particular peripheral organs. In addition, no PrPCWD was detected in skeletal muscle of any of the deer. Conclusions Our data suggest that expression of H95-PrPC limits peripheral accumulation of PrPCWD as detected by immunohistochemistry. Conversely, infected S96/wt and wt/wt deer presented with similar PrPCWD peripheral distribution at terminal stage of disease, suggesting that the S96-PrPC allele, although delaying CWD progression, does not completely limit the peripheral accumulation of the infectious agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Otero
- Centro de Encefalopatías y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes, IA2, IIS, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Camilo Duque Velásquez
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Chad Johnson
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
| | - Allen Herbst
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Rosa Bolea
- Centro de Encefalopatías y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes, IA2, IIS, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Juan José Badiola
- Centro de Encefalopatías y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes, IA2, IIS, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Judd Aiken
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Debbie McKenzie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. .,Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
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10
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Ellis CK, Volker SF, Griffin DL, VerCauteren KC, Nichols TA. Use of faecal volatile organic compound analysis for ante-mortem discrimination between CWD-positive, -negative exposed, and -known negative white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Prion 2019; 13:94-105. [PMID: 31032718 PMCID: PMC7000150 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2019.1607462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Revised: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a naturally occurring infectious, fatal, transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of cervids. Currently, disease confirmation relies on post-mortem detection of infectious prions in the medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes or obex in the brain via immunohistochemistry (IHC). Detection of CWD in living animals using this method is impractical, and IHC and other experimental assays are not reliable in detecting low concentrations of prion present in biofluids or faeces. Here, we evaluate the capability of faecal volatile organic compound analysis to discriminate between CWD-positive and -exposed white-tailed deer located at two positive cervid farms, and two groups of CWD-negative deer from two separate disease-free farms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine K. Ellis
- Feral Swine Project, USDA-APHIS-WS-National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Steven F. Volker
- Analytical Chemistry Department, USDA-APHIS-WS-National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Doreen L. Griffin
- BioLaboratories, USDA-APHIS-WS-National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Kurt C. VerCauteren
- Feral Swine Project, USDA-APHIS-WS-National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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11
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Wood ME, Griebel P, Huizenga ML, Lockwood S, Hansen C, Potter A, Cashman N, Mapletoft JW, Napper S. Accelerated onset of chronic wasting disease in elk (Cervus canadensis) vaccinated with a PrP Sc-specific vaccine and housed in a prion contaminated environment. Vaccine 2018; 36:7737-7743. [PMID: 30414779 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.10.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Revised: 10/07/2018] [Accepted: 10/14/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal prion disease affecting multiple cervid species. Effective management tools for this disease, particularly in free-ranging populations, are currently limited. We evaluated a novel CWD vaccine in elk (Cervus canadensis) naturally exposed to CWD through a prion-contaminated environment. The vaccine targets a YYR disease-specific epitope to induce antibody responses specific to the misfolded (PrPSc) conformation. Female elk calves (n = 41) were captured from western Wyoming and transported to the Thorne-Williams Wildlife Research Center where CWD has been documented since 1979. Elk were held in contaminated pens for 14 to 20 days before being alternately assigned to either a vaccine (n = 21) or control group (n = 20). Vaccinated animals initially received two vaccinations approximately 42 days apart and annual vaccinations thereafter. Vaccination induced elevated YYR-specific antibody titers in all animals. Elk were genotyped for the prion protein gene at codon 132, monitored for clinical signs of CWD through daily observation, for disease status through periodic biopsy of rrectoanal mucosa-associated lympoid tissue (RAMALT), and monitored for YYR-specific serum antibody titres. Mean survival of vaccinated elk with the 132MM genotype (n = 15) was significantly shorter (800 days) than unvaccinated elk (n = 13) of the same genotype (1062 days; p = 0.003). Mean days until positive RAMALT biopsy for 132MM vaccinated elk (6 7 8) were significantly shorter than unvaccinated 132MM elk (990; p = 0.012). There was, however, no significant difference in survival between vaccinated (n = 4) and control (n = 5) elk with the 132ML genotype (p = 0.35) or in timing of positive RAMALT biopsies of 132ML elk (p = 0.66). There was no strong (p = 0.17) correlation between YYR-specific antibody titers and survival time. Determining the mechanism by which this vaccine accelerates onset of CWD will be important to direct further CWD vaccine research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary E Wood
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department, 1212 South Adams St, Laramie, WY, USA; Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Thorne-Williams Wildlife Research Center, 2362 HWY 34 Wheatland, WY, USA.
| | - Philip Griebel
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Research Center, University of Saskatchewan, 120 Veterinary Road, S7N 5E3 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada; School of Public Health, University of Saskatchewan, 104 Clinic Place, S7N 2Z4 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Matthew L Huizenga
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Thorne-Williams Wildlife Research Center, 2362 HWY 34 Wheatland, WY, USA
| | - Samuel Lockwood
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Thorne-Williams Wildlife Research Center, 2362 HWY 34 Wheatland, WY, USA
| | - Cole Hansen
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Thorne-Williams Wildlife Research Center, 2362 HWY 34 Wheatland, WY, USA
| | - Andrew Potter
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Research Center, University of Saskatchewan, 120 Veterinary Road, S7N 5E3 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Neil Cashman
- Department of Neurology, University of British Columbia, S192 - 2211 Wesbrook Mall, V6T 2B5 Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - John W Mapletoft
- Pan-Provincial Vaccine Enterprise Inc. University of Saskatchewan, 120 Veterinary Road, S7N 5E3 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Scott Napper
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Research Center, University of Saskatchewan, 120 Veterinary Road, S7N 5E3 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, University of Saskatchewan, 107 Wiggins Road, S7N 5E5 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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12
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Benestad SL, Telling GC. Chronic wasting disease: an evolving prion disease of cervids. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2018; 153:135-151. [PMID: 29887133 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-63945-5.00008-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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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13
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Moreno JA, Telling GC. Molecular Mechanisms of Chronic Wasting Disease Prion Propagation. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2018; 8:cshperspect.a024448. [PMID: 28193766 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a024448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Prion disease epidemics, which have been unpredictable recurrences, are of significant concern for animal and human health. Examples include kuru, once the leading cause of death among the Fore people in Papua New Guinea and caused by mortuary feasting; bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and its subsequent transmission to humans in the form of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), and repeated examples of large-scale prion disease epidemics in animals caused by contaminated vaccines. The etiology of chronic wasting disease (CWD), a relatively new and burgeoning prion epidemic in deer, elk, and moose (members of the cervid family), is more enigmatic. The disease was first described in captive and later in wild mule deer and subsequently in free-ranging as well as captive Rocky Mountain elk, white-tailed deer, and most recently moose. It is therefore the only recognized prion disorder of both wild and captive animals. In addition to its expanding range of hosts, CWD continues to spread to new geographical areas, including recent cases in Norway. The unparalleled efficiency of the contagious transmission of the disease combined with high densities of deer in certain areas of North America complicates strategies for controlling CWD and raises concerns about its potential spread to new species. Because there is a high prevalence of CWD in deer and elk, which are commonly hunted and consumed by humans, the possibility of zoonotic transmission is particularly concerning. Here, we review the current status of naturally occurring CWD and describe advances in our understanding of its molecular pathogenesis, as shown by studies of CWD prions in novel in vivo and in vitro systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A Moreno
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80525
| | - Glenn C Telling
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80525
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14
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CATTLE ( BOS TAURUS) RESIST CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE FOLLOWING ORAL INOCULATION CHALLENGE OR TEN YEARS' NATURAL EXPOSURE IN CONTAMINATED ENVIRONMENTS. J Wildl Dis 2018; 54:460-470. [PMID: 29715064 DOI: 10.7589/2017-12-299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
We conducted a 10-yr study to establish whether chronic wasting disease (CWD) was readily transmissible to domestic cattle ( Bos taurus) following oral inoculation or by cohousing cattle with captive cervids in outdoor research facilities where CWD was enzootic. Calves ( n=12) were challenged orally on one occasion using brain homogenate derived from CWD-infected mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus). Five uninoculated cattle served as unchallenged controls. Two other groups of cattle ( n=10-11/group) were housed outdoors for 10 yr in captive cervid research facilities. The environmentally challenged cattle were exposed to CWD-associated prions through common paddocks, feed, and water and via direct daily contact with known and potentially infected mule deer or wapiti ( Cervus canadensis) throughout the decade-long study period. None of the exposed cattle developed neurologic disease during the study. We euthanized cattle surviving to 10 yr postchallenge and examined all for lesions or disease-associated prion protein (PrPd) by histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and western immunoblot analysis of central nervous system and lymphoid tissue. None had evidence of PrPd accumulation. We conclude that the risks of CWD transmission to cattle following oral inoculation or after prolonged exposure to contaminated environments are low.
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15
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Davenport KA, Christiansen JR, Bian J, Young M, Gallegos J, Kim S, Balachandran A, Mathiason CK, Hoover EA, Telling GC. Comparative analysis of prions in nervous and lymphoid tissues of chronic wasting disease-infected cervids. J Gen Virol 2018; 99:753-758. [PMID: 29580373 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The prevalence, host range and geographical bounds of chronic wasting disease (CWD), the prion disease of cervids, are expanding. Horizontal transmission likely contributes the majority of new CWD cases, but the mechanism by which prions are transmitted among CWD-affected cervids remains unclear. To address the extent to which prion amplification in peripheral tissues contributes to contagious transmission, we assessed the prion levels in central nervous and lymphoreticular system tissues in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), red deer (Cervus elaphus elaphus) and elk (Cervus canadensis). Using real-time quaking-induced conversion, cervid prion cell assay and transgenic mouse bioassay, we found that the retropharyngeal lymph nodes of red deer, white-tailed deer and elk contained similar prion titres to brain from the same individuals. We propose that marked lymphotropism is essential for the horizontal transmission of prion diseases and postulate that shed CWD prions are produced in the periphery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen A Davenport
- Prion Research Center (PRC), Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Jeffrey R Christiansen
- Prion Research Center (PRC), Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Jifeng Bian
- Prion Research Center (PRC), Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Michael Young
- Prion Research Center (PRC), Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Joseph Gallegos
- Prion Research Center (PRC), Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Sehun Kim
- Prion Research Center (PRC), Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | | | - Candace K Mathiason
- Prion Research Center (PRC), Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Edward A Hoover
- Prion Research Center (PRC), Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Glenn C Telling
- Prion Research Center (PRC), Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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16
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Davenport KA, Hoover CE, Bian J, Telling GC, Mathiason CK, Hoover EA. PrPC expression and prion seeding activity in the alimentary tract and lymphoid tissue of deer. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0183927. [PMID: 28880938 PMCID: PMC5589181 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2017] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The agent responsible for prion diseases is a misfolded form of a normal protein (PrPC). The prion hypothesis stipulates that PrPC must be present for the disease to manifest. Cervid populations across the world are infected with chronic wasting disease, a horizontally-transmissible prion disease that is likely spread via oral exposure to infectious prions (PrPCWD). Though PrPCWD has been identified in many tissues, there has been little effort to characterize the overall PrPC expression in cervids and its relationship to PrPCWD accumulation. We used immunohistochemistry (IHC), western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to describe PrPC expression in naïve white-tailed deer. We used real-time, quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) to detect prion seeding activity in CWD-infected deer. We assessed tissues comprising the alimentary tract, alimentary-associated lymphoid tissue and systemic lymphoid tissue from 5 naïve deer. PrPC was expressed in all tissues, though expression was often very low compared to the level in the CNS. IHC identified specific cell types wherein PrPC expression is very high. To compare the distribution of PrPC to PrPCWD, we examined 5 deer with advanced CWD infection. Using RT-QuIC, we detected prion seeding activity in all 21 tissues. In 3 subclinical deer sacrificed 4 months post-inoculation, we detected PrPCWD consistently in alimentary-associated lymphoid tissue, irregularly in alimentary tract tissues, and not at all in the brain. Contrary to our hypothesis that PrPC levels dictate prion accumulation, PrPC expression was higher in the lower gastrointestinal tissues than in the alimentary-associated lymphoid system and was higher in salivary glands than in the oropharyngeal lymphoid tissue. These data suggest that PrPC expression is not the sole driver of prion accumulation and that alimentary tract tissues accumulate prions before centrifugal spread from the brain occurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen A. Davenport
- Prion Research Center, Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Clare E. Hoover
- Prion Research Center, Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Jifeng Bian
- Prion Research Center, Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Glenn C. Telling
- Prion Research Center, Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Candace K. Mathiason
- Prion Research Center, Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Edward A. Hoover
- Prion Research Center, Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
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17
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Race B, Jeffrey M, McGovern G, Dorward D, Chesebro B. Ultrastructure and pathology of prion protein amyloid accumulation and cellular damage in extraneural tissues of scrapie-infected transgenic mice expressing anchorless prion protein. Prion 2017; 11:234-248. [PMID: 28759310 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2017.1336274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In most human and animal prion diseases the abnormal disease-associated prion protein (PrPSc) is deposited as non-amyloid aggregates in CNS, spleen and lymphoid organs. In contrast, in humans and transgenic mice with PrP mutations which cause expression of PrP lacking a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor, most PrPSc is in the amyloid form. In transgenic mice expressing only anchorless PrP (tg anchorless), PrPSc is deposited not only in CNS and lymphoid tissues, but also in extraneural tissues including heart, brown fat, white fat, and colon. In the present paper, we report ultrastructural studies of amyloid PrPSc deposition in extraneural tissues of scrapie-infected tg anchorless mice. Amyloid PrPSc fibrils identified by immunogold-labeling were visible at high magnification in interstitial regions and around blood vessels of heart, brown fat, white fat, colon, and lymphoid tissues. PrPSc amyloid was located on and outside the plasma membranes of adipocytes in brown fat and cardiomyocytes, and appeared to invaginate and disrupt the plasma membranes of these cell types, suggesting cellular damage. In contrast, no cellular damage was apparent near PrPSc associated with macrophages in lymphoid tissues and colon, with enteric neuronal ganglion cells in colon or with adipocytes in white fat. PrPSc localized in macrophage phagolysosomes lacked discernable fibrils and might be undergoing degradation. Furthermore, in contrast to wild-type mice expressing GPI-anchored PrP, in lymphoid tissues of tg anchorless mice, PrPSc was not associated with follicular dendritic cells (FDC), and FDC did not display typical prion-associated pathogenic changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent Race
- a Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories , National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , Hamilton , MT , USA
| | - Martin Jeffrey
- b Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Lasswade Laboratory , Bush Loan , Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland , UK
| | - Gillian McGovern
- b Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Lasswade Laboratory , Bush Loan , Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland , UK
| | - David Dorward
- c Electron Microscopy Section, Research Technology Branch, Rocky Mountain Laboratories , National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , Hamilton , MT , USA
| | - Bruce Chesebro
- a Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories , National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , Hamilton , MT , USA
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Abstract
Prions cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases in humans and animals and can be transmitted zoonotically. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a highly transmissible prion disease of wild deer and elk that affects cervids over extensive regions of the United States and Canada. The risk of cross-species CWD transmission has been experimentally evaluated in a wide array of mammals, including non-human primates and mouse models expressing human cellular prion protein. Here we review the determinants of cross-species CWD transmission, and propose a model that may explain a structural barrier for CWD transmission to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy D Kurt
- a Departments of Pathology and Medicine , UC San Diego , La Jolla , CA , USA
| | - Christina J Sigurdson
- a Departments of Pathology and Medicine , UC San Diego , La Jolla , CA , USA.,b Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Microbiology , UC Davis , Davis , CA , USA
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Abstract
Prion diseases are a group of invariably fatal and transmissible neurodegenerative disorders that are associated with the misfolding of the normal cellular prion protein, with the misfolded conformers constituting an infectious unit referred to as a "prion". Prions can spread within an affected organism by directly propagating this misfolding within and between cells and can transmit disease between animals of the same and different species. Prion diseases have a range of clinical phenotypes in humans and animals, with a principle determinant of this attributed to different conformations of the misfolded protein, referred to as prion strains. This chapter will describe the different clinical manifestations of prion diseases, the evidence that these diseases can be transmitted by an infectious protein and how the misfolding of this protein causes disease.
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20
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Nichols TA, Fischer JW, Spraker TR, Kong Q, VerCauteren KC. CWD prions remain infectious after passage through the digestive system of coyotes (Canis latrans). Prion 2016; 9:367-75. [PMID: 26636258 PMCID: PMC4964857 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2015.1086061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a geographically expanding prion disease of wild and captive cervids in North America. Disease can be transmitted directly, animal to animal, or indirectly via the environment. CWD contamination can occur residually in the environment via soil, water, and forage following deposition of bodily fluids such as urine, saliva, and feces, or by the decomposition of carcasses. Recent work has indicated that plants may even take up prions into the stems and leaves. When a carcass or gut pile is present in the environment, a large number of avian and mammalian species visit and consume the carrion. Additionally, predators like coyotes, likely select for disease-compromised cervids. Natural cross-species CWD transmission has not been documented, however, passage of infectious prion material has been observed in the feces of crows. In this study we evaluated the ability of CWD-infected brain material to pass through the gastrointestinal tract of coyotes (Canis latrans) following oral ingestion, and be infectious in a cervidized transgenic mouse model. Results from this study indicate that coyotes can pass infectious prions via their feces for at least 3 days post ingestion, demonstrating that mammalian scavengers could contribute to the translocation and contamination of CWD in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy A Nichols
- a National Wildlife Research Center; United States Department of Agriculture ; Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; Wildlife Services ; Fort Collins , CO USA
| | - Justin W Fischer
- a National Wildlife Research Center; United States Department of Agriculture ; Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; Wildlife Services ; Fort Collins , CO USA
| | - Terry R Spraker
- b Colorado State University Diagnostic Laboratory; College of Veterinary Medicine; Colorado State University ; Fort Collins , CO USA.,c Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology ; College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Colorado State University Prion Research Center ; Fort Collins , CO USA
| | - Qingzhong Kong
- d National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center; Institute of Pathology; Case Western Reserve University ; Cleveland , OH USA
| | - Kurt C VerCauteren
- a National Wildlife Research Center; United States Department of Agriculture ; Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; Wildlife Services ; Fort Collins , CO USA
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21
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Tyshenko MG, Oraby T, Darshan S, Westphal M, Croteau MC, Aspinall W, Elsaadany S, Krewski D, Cashman N. Expert elicitation on the uncertainties associated with chronic wasting disease. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART A 2016; 79:729-745. [PMID: 27556566 DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2016.1174007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
A high degree of uncertainty exists for chronic wasting disease (CWD) transmission factors in farmed and wild cervids. Evaluating the factors is important as it helps to inform future risk management strategies. Expert opinion is often used to assist decision making in a number of health, science, and technology domains where data may be sparse or missing. Using the "Classical Model" of elicitation, a group of experts was asked to estimate the most likely values for several risk factors affecting CWD transmission. The formalized expert elicitation helped structure the issues and hence provide a rational basis for estimating some transmission risk factors for which evidence is lacking. Considered judgments regarding environmental transmission, latency of CWD transmission, management, and species barrier were provided by the experts. Uncertainties for many items were determined to be large, highlighting areas requiring more research. The elicited values may be used as surrogate values until research evidence becomes available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael G Tyshenko
- a McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment , Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa , Ottawa , Ontario , Canada
| | - Tamer Oraby
- b Department of Mathematics , University of Texas-Pan American , Edinburg , Texas , USA
| | - Shalu Darshan
- a McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment , Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa , Ottawa , Ontario , Canada
| | - Margit Westphal
- a McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment , Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa , Ottawa , Ontario , Canada
| | - Maxine C Croteau
- a McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment , Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa , Ottawa , Ontario , Canada
| | - Willy Aspinall
- c Aspinall and Associates , Tisbury , United Kingdom
- d School of Earth Sciences and Cabot Institute , University of Bristol , Bristol , United Kingdom
| | - Susie Elsaadany
- e Professional Guidelines and Public Health Practice Division, Centre for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control , Public Health Agency of Canada , Ottawa , Ontario , Canada
| | - Daniel Krewski
- a McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment , Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa , Ottawa , Ontario , Canada
- f Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine , University of Ottawa , Ottawa , Ontario , Canada
| | - Neil Cashman
- g Brain Research Centre , University of British Columbia , Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada
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23
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Olszowy KM, Lavelle J, Rachfal K, Hempstead S, Drouin K, Darcy JM, Reiber C, Garruto RM. Six-year follow-up of a point-source exposure to CWD contaminated venison in an Upstate New York community: risk behaviours and health outcomes 2005-2011. Public Health 2014; 128:860-8. [PMID: 25225155 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2014.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2013] [Revised: 06/02/2014] [Accepted: 06/11/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES It is currently unknown whether chronic wasting disease (CWD), a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of cervids, is transmissible to humans. Reported on here are the behavioural risk factors and health conditions associated with a six-year follow-up of a known point-source exposure to a CWD infected deer in an Upstate New York community. STUDY DESIGN Longitudinal. METHODS The Oneida County Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance Project was launched in 2005 in response to a point-source exposure to a CWD infected deer at a March 2005 Sportsmen's feast in Upstate New York. Eighty-one exposed individuals participated in the 2005 baseline data collection, and were sent follow-up questionnaires following each deer hunting season between 2005 and 2011. RESULTS Over a six year period, participants reported a reduction in overall venison consumption. Participants reported no significant changes in health conditions, although several conditions (vision loss, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, weight changes, hypertension, and arthritis), were significantly associated with age. CONCLUSIONS To this day, this incident remains the only known large-scale point-source exposure to a CWD infected deer. Prion diseases can incubate for multiple decades before the manifestation of clinical symptoms; thus, continued surveillance of this exposed study population represents a unique opportunity to assess the risk of CWD transmission to humans. This project is uniquely situated to provide the first epidemiological evidence of CWD transmission to humans, should it occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- K M Olszowy
- Department of Anthropology, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, USA; Laboratory of Biomedical Anthropology and Neuroscience, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - J Lavelle
- Department of Anthropology, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, USA; Laboratory of Biomedical Anthropology and Neuroscience, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - K Rachfal
- Department of Anthropology, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, USA; Laboratory of Biomedical Anthropology and Neuroscience, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - S Hempstead
- Department of Anthropology, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, USA; Laboratory of Biomedical Anthropology and Neuroscience, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - K Drouin
- Department of Anthropology, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, USA; Laboratory of Biomedical Anthropology and Neuroscience, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, USA; Biospecimen Archive Facility, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - J M Darcy
- Department of Anthropology, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, USA; Laboratory of Biomedical Anthropology and Neuroscience, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - C Reiber
- Department of Anthropology, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - R M Garruto
- Department of Anthropology, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, USA; Laboratory of Biomedical Anthropology and Neuroscience, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, USA; Biospecimen Archive Facility, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, USA.
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Zanetti F, Carpi A, Menabò R, Giorgio M, Schulz R, Valen G, Baysa A, Massimino ML, Sorgato MC, Bertoli A, Di Lisa F. The cellular prion protein counteracts cardiac oxidative stress. Cardiovasc Res 2014; 104:93-102. [PMID: 25139744 DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvu194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
AIMS The cellular prion protein, PrP(C), whose aberrant isoforms are related to prion diseases of humans and animals, has a still obscure physiological function. Having observed an increased expression of PrP(C) in two in vivo paradigms of heart remodelling, we focused on isolated mouse hearts to ascertain the capacity of PrP(C) to antagonize oxidative damage induced by ischaemic and non-ischaemic protocols. METHODS AND RESULTS Hearts isolated from mice expressing PrP(C) in variable amounts were subjected to different and complementary oxidative perfusion protocols. Accumulation of reactive oxygen species, oxidation of myofibrillar proteins, and cell death were evaluated. We found that overexpressed PrP(C) reduced oxidative stress and cell death caused by post-ischaemic reperfusion. Conversely, deletion of PrP(C) increased oxidative stress during both ischaemic preconditioning and perfusion (15 min) with H2O2. Supporting its relation with intracellular systems involved in oxidative stress, PrP(C) was found to influence the activity of catalase and, for the first time, the expression of p66(Shc), a protein implicated in oxidative stress-mediated cell death. CONCLUSIONS Our data demonstrate that PrP(C) contributes to the cardiac mechanisms antagonizing oxidative insults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filippo Zanetti
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Andrea Carpi
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology, Milano, Italy
| | - Roberta Menabò
- CNR Institute of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Marco Giorgio
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology, Milano, Italy
| | - Rainer Schulz
- Institut für Physiologie, Justus-Liebig Universität, Gießen, Germany
| | - Guro Valen
- Department of Physiology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anton Baysa
- Department of Physiology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Maria Catia Sorgato
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Padova, Padova, Italy CNR Institute of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | | | - Fabio Di Lisa
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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25
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Garza MC, Monzón M, Marín B, Badiola JJ, Monleón E. Distribution of peripheral PrP(Sc) in sheep with naturally acquired scrapie. PLoS One 2014; 9:e97768. [PMID: 24828439 PMCID: PMC4020850 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0097768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2014] [Accepted: 04/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulation of prion protein (PrPSc) in the central nervous system is the hallmark of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. However, in some of these diseases such as scrapie or chronic wasting disease, the PrPSc can also accumulate in other tissues, particularly in the lymphoreticular system. In recent years, PrPSc in organs other than nervous and lymphoid have been described, suggesting that distribution of this protein in affected individuals may be much larger than previously thought. In the present study, 11 non-nervous/non-lymphoid organs from 16 naturally scrapie infected sheep in advanced stages of the disease were examined for the presence of PrPSc. Fourteen infected sheep were of the ARQ/ARQ PRNP genotype and 2 of the VRQ/VRQ, where the letters A, R, Q, and V represent the codes for amino-acids alanine, arginine, glutamine and valine, respectively. Adrenal gland, pancreas, heart, skin, urinary bladder and mammary gland were positive for PrPSc by immunohistochemistry and IDEXX HerdChek scrapie/BSE Antigen EIA Test in at least one animal. Lung, liver, kidney and skeletal muscle exhibited PrPSc deposits by immunohistochemistry only. To our knowledge, this is the first report regarding the presence of PrPSc in the heart, pancreas and urinary bladder in naturally acquired scrapie infections. In some other organs examined, in which PrPSc had been previously detected, PrPSc immunolabeling was observed to be associated with new structures within those organs. The results of the present study illustrate a wide dissemination of PrPSc in both ARQ/ARQ and VRQ/VRQ infected sheep, even when the involvement of the lymphoreticular system is scarce or absent, thus highlighting the role of the peripheral nervous system in the spread of PrPSc.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Carmen Garza
- Centro de Encefalopatías Espongiformes y Enfermedades Emergentes, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada
| | - Marta Monzón
- Centro de Encefalopatías Espongiformes y Enfermedades Emergentes, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Belén Marín
- Centro de Encefalopatías Espongiformes y Enfermedades Emergentes, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Juan José Badiola
- Centro de Encefalopatías Espongiformes y Enfermedades Emergentes, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Eva Monleón
- Centro de Encefalopatías Espongiformes y Enfermedades Emergentes, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
- Departamento de Anatomía e Histología Humanas, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
- * E-mail:
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26
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John TR, Schätzl HM, Gilch S. Early detection of chronic wasting disease prions in urine of pre-symptomatic deer by real-time quaking-induced conversion assay. Prion 2014; 7:253-8. [PMID: 23764839 PMCID: PMC3783112 DOI: 10.4161/pri.24430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease of captive and free-ranging deer (Odocoileus spp), elk (Cervus elaphus nelsonii) and moose (Alces alces shirasi). Unlike in most other prion diseases, in CWD prions are shed in urine and feces, which most likely contributes to the horizontal transmission within and between cervid species. To date, CWD ante-mortem diagnosis is only possible by immunohistochemical detection of protease resistant prion protein (PrPSc) in tonsil or recto-anal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (RAMALT) biopsies, which requires anesthesia of animals. We report on detection of CWD prions in urine collected from pre-symptomatic deer and in fecal extracts by using real time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC). This assay can be useful for non-invasive pre-symptomatic diagnosis and surveillance of CWD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodore R John
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
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27
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Lack of prion infectivity in fixed heart tissue from patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease or amyloid heart disease. J Virol 2013; 87:9501-10. [PMID: 23785217 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00692-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In most forms of prion disease, infectivity is present primarily in the central nervous system or immune system organs such as spleen and lymph node. However, a transgenic mouse model of prion disease has demonstrated that prion infectivity can also be present as amyloid deposits in heart tissue. Deposition of infectious prions as amyloid in human heart tissue would be a significant public health concern. Although abnormal disease-associated prion protein (PrP(Sc)) has not been detected in heart tissue from several amyloid heart disease patients, it has been observed in the heart tissue of a patient with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (sCJD), the most common form of human prion disease. In order to determine whether prion infectivity can be found in heart tissue, we have inoculated formaldehyde fixed brain and heart tissue from two sCJD patients, as well as prion protein positive fixed heart tissue from two amyloid heart disease patients, into transgenic mice overexpressing the human prion protein. Although the sCJD brain samples led to clinical or subclinical prion infection and deposition of PrP(Sc) in the brain, none of the inoculated heart samples resulted in disease or the accumulation of PrP(Sc). Thus, our results suggest that prion infectivity is not likely present in cardiac tissue from sCJD or amyloid heart disease patients.
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Rubenstein R, Chiu A, Salciccioli L, Kamran H, Lazar J. Prion protein as a mediator of neurocardiosympathetic interactions. Electrophoresis 2012; 33:3720-7. [PMID: 23161471 DOI: 10.1002/elps.201200384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2012] [Revised: 08/08/2012] [Accepted: 08/22/2012] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
A proteomic approach to study cardiovascular disease includes the examination of proteins associated with risk factors such as left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). PrP(C) is a host-coded membrane-bound glycoprotein found in most cell types, including myocardium, and whose physiological function is uncertain. We have taken a selective proteomic approach and performed mechanistic studies to determine whether PrP(C) levels are related to left ventricular (LV) structure or function. Echocardiograms were performed at baseline in 65 mice comprising three strains of the same C57Bl/6J × 129SV genetic background but expressing different levels of PrP(C) (wild-type mice (WT), PrP(-/-) , and PrP(C) over-expressing transgenic mice (tga20)). There were no significant differences in LV mass or LV ejection fraction between the three groups. Either normal saline (n = 60) or isoproterenol (n = 55) was then administered intraperitoneally (50 mg/kg/day) for 5 days/wk for two consecutive weeks to induce LVH. Body weight decreased significantly in the PrP(-/-) group (18%). On multivariate analysis, higher LV mass index posttreatment was independently associated with the tga20 group (versus PrP(-/-) versus WT, p = 0.002) after adjusting for treatment (isoproterenol versus saline), and weight change (r(2) = 0.13 for model, p = 0.016). Therefore, PrP(C) appears unrelated to LV mass and function in the basal state. Isoproterenol causes transient enhancement of PrP(C) expression in WT mice and a more pronounced increase in tga20 mice at 2 h posttreatment. Overexpression of PrP(C) in the tga20 group may be associated with higher LV mass after a 2 wk regimen of isoproterenol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Rubenstein
- Department of Neurology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
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29
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Krasemann S, Neumann M, Szalay B, Stocking C, Glatzel M. Protease-sensitive prion species in neoplastic spleens of prion-infected mice with uncoupling of PrP(Sc) and prion infectivity. J Gen Virol 2012; 94:453-463. [PMID: 23136363 DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.045922-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders. An important step in disease pathophysiology is the conversion of cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) to disease-associated misfolded conformers (PrP(Sc)). These misfolded PrP variants are a common component of prion infectivity and are detectable in diseased brain and lymphoreticular organs such as spleen. In the latter, PrP(Sc) is thought to replicate mainly in follicular dendritic cells within spleen follicles. Although the presence of PrP(Sc) is a hallmark for prion disease and serves as a main diagnostic criterion, in certain instances the amount of PrP(Sc) does not correlate well with neurotoxicity or prion infectivity. Therefore, it has been proposed that prions might be a mixture of different conformers and aggregates with differing properties. This study investigated the impact of disruption of spleen architecture by neoplasia on the abundance of different PrP species in spleens of prion-infected mice. Although follicular integrity was completely disturbed, titres of prion infectivity in neoplastic spleens were not significantly altered, yet no protease-resistant PrP(Sc) was detectable. Instead, unique protease-sensitive prion species could be detected in neoplastic spleens. These results indicate the dissociation of PrP(Sc) and prion infectivity and showed the presence of non-PrP(Sc) PrP species in spleen with divergent biochemical properties that become apparent after tissue architecture disruption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Krasemann
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Institute of Neuropathology, Martinistrasse 52, D-20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Melanie Neumann
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Institute of Neuropathology, Martinistrasse 52, D-20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Beata Szalay
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Institute of Neuropathology, Martinistrasse 52, D-20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Carol Stocking
- Heinrich Pette Institute, AG Molecular Pathology, D-20206 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Markus Glatzel
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Institute of Neuropathology, Martinistrasse 52, D-20246 Hamburg, Germany
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Blasche T, Schenck EV, Balachandran A, Miller MW, Langenberg J, Frölich K, Steinbach F. Rapid detection of CWD PrP: comparison of tests designed for the detection of BSE or scrapie. Transbound Emerg Dis 2011; 59:405-15. [PMID: 22212828 DOI: 10.1111/j.1865-1682.2011.01294.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) mainly affecting cervids in North America. The accumulation of an abnormal form of host-encoded prion protein (PrP(CWD) ) in the CNS and lymphoid tissues is characteristic of the disease and known to be caused by pathogenic prion proteins (PrP(res) ), which are thought to be transmitted mainly by contact with body fluids, such like saliva. Species known to be naturally infected by CWD include Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). Recently, large-scale disease eradication or control programs have been attempted to curtail the spread of disease. But reports of diseased free-ranging and farmed cervids in many locations in the USA and Canada are still continuing. The goal of this study was to find sensitive rapid test systems that are reliably able to detect CWD-associated PrP(CWD) in cervids, thereby reviewing an important control tool in case the disease spreads further and reaches Europe. Seven tests, originally developed for the detection of other TSE diseases such as Scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy, including two Western blots, four enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), and one lateral flow device, were included in this study. All seven tests evaluated were able to detect pathogenic prion proteins (PrP(CWD) ) in Northern American infected animals and distinguish physiologic prion protein (PrP(c) ) in brainstem (obex region) and lymph node samples from North American and European cervids, respectively. However, the specificity and sensitivity of the tests differed significantly. Highly sensitive tests for the detection of prion proteins are an important tool both for the design of effective disease surveillance and control strategies and the safety of the food chain. Thus, this study contributes to the emergency preparedness against CWD.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Blasche
- Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Alfred-Kowalke-Str., Berlin, Germany
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31
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Bessen RA, Robinson CJ, Seelig DM, Watschke CP, Lowe D, Shearin H, Martinka S, Babcock AM. Transmission of chronic wasting disease identifies a prion strain causing cachexia and heart infection in hamsters. PLoS One 2011; 6:e28026. [PMID: 22174765 PMCID: PMC3236201 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2011] [Accepted: 10/30/2011] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an emerging prion disease of free-ranging and captive cervids in North America. In this study we established a rodent model for CWD in Syrian golden hamsters that resemble key features of the disease in cervids including cachexia and infection of cardiac muscle. Following one to three serial passages of CWD from white-tailed deer into transgenic mice expressing the hamster prion protein gene, CWD was subsequently passaged into Syrian golden hamsters. In one passage line there were preclinical changes in locomotor activity and a loss of body mass prior to onset of subtle neurological symptoms around 340 days. The clinical symptoms included a prominent wasting disease, similar to cachexia, with a prolonged duration. Other features of CWD in hamsters that were similar to cervid CWD included the brain distribution of the disease-specific isoform of the prion protein, PrPSc, prion infection of the central and peripheral neuroendocrine system, and PrPSc deposition in cardiac muscle. There was also prominent PrPSc deposition in the nasal mucosa on the edge of the olfactory sensory epithelium with the lumen of the nasal airway that could have implications for CWD shedding into nasal secretions and disease transmission. Since the mechanism of wasting disease in prion diseases is unknown this hamster CWD model could provide a means to investigate the physiological basis of cachexia, which we propose is due to a prion-induced endocrinopathy. This prion disease phenotype has not been described in hamsters and we designate it as the ‘wasting’ or WST strain of hamster CWD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Bessen
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America.
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Daus ML, Breyer J, Wagenfuehr K, Wemheuer WM, Thomzig A, Schulz-Schaeffer WJ, Beekes M. Presence and seeding activity of pathological prion protein (PrP(TSE)) in skeletal muscles of white-tailed deer infected with chronic wasting disease. PLoS One 2011; 6:e18345. [PMID: 21483771 PMCID: PMC3069970 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0018345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2010] [Accepted: 03/01/2011] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious, rapidly spreading transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE), or prion disease, occurring in cervids such as white tailed-deer (WTD), mule deer or elk in North America. Despite efficient horizontal transmission of CWD among cervids natural transmission of the disease to other species has not yet been observed. Here, we report for the first time a direct biochemical demonstration of pathological prion protein PrPTSE and of PrPTSE-associated seeding activity, the static and dynamic biochemical markers for biological prion infectivity, respectively, in skeletal muscles of CWD-infected cervids, i. e. WTD for which no clinical signs of CWD had been recognized. The presence of PrPTSE was detected by Western- and postfixed frozen tissue blotting, while the seeding activity of PrPTSE was revealed by protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA). Semi-quantitative Western blotting indicated that the concentration of PrPTSE in skeletal muscles of CWD-infected WTD was approximately 2000-10000 -fold lower than in brain tissue. Tissue-blot-analyses revealed that PrPTSE was located in muscle-associated nerve fascicles but not, in detectable amounts, in myocytes. The presence and seeding activity of PrPTSE in skeletal muscle from CWD-infected cervids suggests prevention of such tissue in the human diet as a precautionary measure for food safety, pending on further clarification of whether CWD may be transmissible to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin L. Daus
- P24 - Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, Robert Koch-Institut, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johanna Breyer
- Prion and Dementia Research Unit, Department of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Katja Wagenfuehr
- P24 - Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, Robert Koch-Institut, Berlin, Germany
| | - Wiebke M. Wemheuer
- Prion and Dementia Research Unit, Department of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Achim Thomzig
- P24 - Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, Robert Koch-Institut, Berlin, Germany
| | - Walter J. Schulz-Schaeffer
- Prion and Dementia Research Unit, Department of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Michael Beekes
- P24 - Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, Robert Koch-Institut, Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Optical Imaging Detects Apoptosis in the Brain and Peripheral Organs of Prion-Infected Mice. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2011; 70:143-50. [DOI: 10.1097/nen.0b013e3182084a8c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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34
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Joint Scientific Opinion on any possible epidemiological or molecular association between TSEs in animals and humans. EFSA J 2011. [DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2011.1945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
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Gilch S, Chitoor N, Taguchi Y, Stuart M, Jewell JE, Schätzl HM. Chronic wasting disease. Top Curr Chem (Cham) 2011; 305:51-77. [PMID: 21598099 DOI: 10.1007/128_2011_159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease of free-ranging and farmed ungulates (deer, elk, and moose) in North America and South Korea. First described by the late E.S. Williams and colleagues in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming in the 1970s, CWD has increased tremendously both in numerical and geographical distribution, reaching prevalence rates as high as 50% in free-ranging and >90% in captive deer herds in certain areas of USA and Canada. CWD is certainly the most contagious prion infection, with significant horizontal transmission of infectious prions by, e.g., urine, feces, and saliva. Dissemination and persistence of infectivity in the environment combined with the appearance in wild-living and migrating animals make CWD presently uncontrollable, and pose extreme challenges to wild-life disease management. Whereas CWD is extremely transmissible among cervids, its trans-species transmission seems to be restricted, although the possible involvement of rodent and carnivore species in environmental transmission has not been fully evaluated. Whether or not CWD has zoonotic potential as had Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) has yet to be answered. Of note, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) was only detected because clinical presentation and age of patients were significantly different from classical CJD. Along with further understanding of the molecular biology and pathology of CWD, its transmissibility and species restrictions and development of methods for preclinical diagnosis and intervention will be crucial for effective containment of this highly contagious prion disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Gilch
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82070, USA
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Nichols TA, Pulford B, Wyckoff AC, Meyerett C, Michel B, Gertig K, Hoover EA, Jewell JE, Telling GC, Zabel MD. Detection of protease-resistant cervid prion protein in water from a CWD-endemic area. Prion 2009; 3:171-83. [PMID: 19823039 DOI: 10.4161/pri.3.3.9819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is the only known transmissible spongiform encephalopathy affecting free-ranging wildlife. Although the exact mode of natural transmission remains unknown, substantial evidence suggests that prions can persist in the environment, implicating components thereof as potential prion reservoirs and transmission vehicles.(1-4) CWD-positive animals may contribute to environmental prion load via decomposing carcasses and biological materials including saliva, blood, urine and feces.(5-7) Sensitivity limitations of conventional assays hamper evaluation of environmental prion loads in soil and water. Here we show the ability of serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (sPMCA) to amplify a 1.3 x 10(-7) dilution of CWD-infected brain homogenate spiked into water samples, equivalent to approximately 5 x 10(7) protease resistant cervid prion protein (PrP(CWD)) monomers. We also detected PrP(CWD) in one of two environmental water samples from a CWD endemic area collected at a time of increased water runoff from melting winter snow pack, as well as in water samples obtained concurrently from the flocculation stage of water processing by the municipal water treatment facility. Bioassays indicated that the PrP(CWD) detected was below infectious levels. These data demonstrate detection of very low levels of PrP(CWD) in the environment by sPMCA and suggest persistence and accumulation of prions in the environment that may promote CWD transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- T A Nichols
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA
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Jennelle CS, Samuel MD, Nolden CA, Keane DP, Barr DJ, Johnson C, Vanderloo JP, Aiken JM, Hamir AN, Hoover EA. Surveillance for transmissible spongiform encephalopathy in scavengers of white-tailed deer carcasses in the chronic wasting disease area of Wisconsin. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART A 2009; 72:1018-1024. [PMID: 19697235 DOI: 10.1080/15287390903084249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a class of neurodegenerative transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) occurring in cervids, is found in a number of states and provinces across North America. Misfolded prions, the infectious agents of CWD, are deposited in the environment via carcass remains and excreta, and pose a threat of cross-species transmission. In this study tissues were tested from 812 representative mammalian scavengers, collected in the CWD-affected area of Wisconsin, for TSE infection using the IDEXX HerdChek enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Only four of the collected mammals tested positive using the ELISA, but these were negative when tested by Western blot. While our sample sizes permitted high probabilities of detecting TSE assuming 1% population prevalence in several common scavengers (93%, 87%, and 87% for raccoons, opossums, and coyotes, respectively), insufficient sample sizes for other species precluded similar conclusions. One cannot rule out successful cross-species TSE transmission to scavengers, but the results suggest that such transmission is not frequent in the CWD-affected area of Wisconsin. The need for further surveillance of scavenger species, especially those known to be susceptible to TSE (e.g., cat, American mink, raccoon), is highlighted in both a field and laboratory setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher S Jennelle
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
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Race B, Meade-White K, Oldstone MBA, Race R, Chesebro B. Detection of prion infectivity in fat tissues of scrapie-infected mice. PLoS Pathog 2008; 4:e1000232. [PMID: 19057664 PMCID: PMC2585054 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1000232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2008] [Accepted: 11/05/2008] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Distribution of prion infectivity in organs and tissues is important in understanding prion disease pathogenesis and designing strategies to prevent prion infection in animals and humans. Transmission of prion disease from cattle to humans resulted in banning human consumption of ruminant nervous system and certain other tissues. In the present study, we surveyed tissue distribution of prion infectivity in mice with prion disease. We show for the first time detection of infectivity in white and brown fat. Since high amounts of ruminant fat are consumed by humans and also incorporated into animal feed, fat-containing tissues may pose a previously unappreciated hazard for spread of prion infection. Prion diseases, also known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, are infectious progressive fatal neurodegenerative diseases which affect humans as well as wild and domestic animals. Distribution of prion infectivity in organs and tissues is important in understanding prion disease pathogenesis and designing strategies to prevent prion infection in animals and humans. We show for the first time the presence of prion infectivity in white fat and brown fat tissues of mice with prion disease. Our results suggest that fat tissues of domestic or wild animals infected with prions may pose an unappreciated hazard for spread of infection to humans or domestic animals. The presence of prion infectivity in fat suggests that additional consideration may be required to eliminate from the food chain any fat from ruminants suspected of exposure to or infection with prions. Thus, this finding has implications for public health, food safety, and prion disease prevention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent Race
- Laboratory of Persistent Virus Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - Kimberly Meade-White
- Laboratory of Persistent Virus Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - Michael B. A. Oldstone
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, The Scripps Research Institute, LaJolla, California, United States of America
| | - Richard Race
- Laboratory of Persistent Virus Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - Bruce Chesebro
- Laboratory of Persistent Virus Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Linden R, Martins VR, Prado MAM, Cammarota M, Izquierdo I, Brentani RR. Physiology of the prion protein. Physiol Rev 2008; 88:673-728. [PMID: 18391177 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00007.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 456] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), attributed to conformational conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) into an abnormal conformer that accumulates in the brain. Understanding the pathogenesis of TSEs requires the identification of functional properties of PrP(C). Here we examine the physiological functions of PrP(C) at the systemic, cellular, and molecular level. Current data show that both the expression and the engagement of PrP(C) with a variety of ligands modulate the following: 1) functions of the nervous and immune systems, including memory and inflammatory reactions; 2) cell proliferation, differentiation, and sensitivity to programmed cell death both in the nervous and immune systems, as well as in various cell lines; 3) the activity of numerous signal transduction pathways, including cAMP/protein kinase A, mitogen-activated protein kinase, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathways, as well as soluble non-receptor tyrosine kinases; and 4) trafficking of PrP(C) both laterally among distinct plasma membrane domains, and along endocytic pathways, on top of continuous, rapid recycling. A unified view of these functional properties indicates that the prion protein is a dynamic cell surface platform for the assembly of signaling modules, based on which selective interactions with many ligands and transmembrane signaling pathways translate into wide-range consequences upon both physiology and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Linden
- Instituto de Biofísica da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
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40
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Garruto RM, Reiber C, Alfonso MP, Gastrich H, Needham K, Sunderman S, Walker S, Weeks J, DeRosa N, Faisst E, Dunn J, Fanelli K, Shilkret K. Risk behaviors in a rural community with a known point-source exposure to chronic wasting disease. Environ Health 2008; 7:31. [PMID: 18577220 PMCID: PMC2453121 DOI: 10.1186/1476-069x-7-31] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2008] [Accepted: 06/24/2008] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The emergence and continuing spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in cervids has now reached 14 U.S. states, two Canadian provinces, and South Korea, producing a potential for transmission of CWD prions to humans and other animals globally. In 2005, CWD spread for the first time from the Midwest to more densely populated regions of the East Coast. As a result, a large cohort of individuals attending a wild game feast in upstate New York were exposed to a deer that was subsequently confirmed positive for CWD. METHODS Eighty-one participants who ingested or otherwise were exposed to a deer with chronic wasting disease at a local New York State sportsman's feast were recruited for this study. Participants were administered an exposure questionnaire and agreed to follow-up health evaluations longitudinally over the next six years. RESULTS Our results indicate two types of risks for those who attended the feast, a Feast Risk and a General Risk. The larger the number of risk factors, the greater the risk to human health if CWD is transmissible to humans. Long-term surveillance of feast participants exposed to CWD is ongoing. CONCLUSION The risk data from this study provide a relative scale for cumulative exposure to CWD-infected tissues and surfaces, and those in the upper tiers of cumulative risk may be most at risk if CWD is transmissible to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralph M Garruto
- Laboratory of Biomedical Anthropology and Neurosciences, State University of New York at Binghamton, PO Box 6000, Binghamton, New York, 13902-6000, USA
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Anthropology, State University of New York at Binghamton, PO Box 6000, Binghamton, New York, 13902-6000, USA
| | - Chris Reiber
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Anthropology, State University of New York at Binghamton, PO Box 6000, Binghamton, New York, 13902-6000, USA
| | - Marta P Alfonso
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Anthropology, State University of New York at Binghamton, PO Box 6000, Binghamton, New York, 13902-6000, USA
| | - Heidi Gastrich
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Anthropology, State University of New York at Binghamton, PO Box 6000, Binghamton, New York, 13902-6000, USA
| | - Kelsey Needham
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Anthropology, State University of New York at Binghamton, PO Box 6000, Binghamton, New York, 13902-6000, USA
| | - Sarah Sunderman
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Anthropology, State University of New York at Binghamton, PO Box 6000, Binghamton, New York, 13902-6000, USA
| | - Sarah Walker
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Anthropology, State University of New York at Binghamton, PO Box 6000, Binghamton, New York, 13902-6000, USA
| | - Jennifer Weeks
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Anthropology, State University of New York at Binghamton, PO Box 6000, Binghamton, New York, 13902-6000, USA
- Madison County Health Department, Wampsville, New York, 13163, USA
| | - Nicholas DeRosa
- Oneida County Health Department, Utica, New York, 13501, USA
| | - Eric Faisst
- Madison County Health Department, Wampsville, New York, 13163, USA
- Oneida County Health Department, Utica, New York, 13501, USA
| | - John Dunn
- Oneida County Health Department, Utica, New York, 13501, USA
| | - Kenneth Fanelli
- Oneida County Health Department, Utica, New York, 13501, USA
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Sigurdson CJ. A prion disease of cervids: chronic wasting disease. Vet Res 2008; 39:41. [PMID: 18381058 DOI: 10.1051/vetres:2008018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2007] [Accepted: 03/31/2008] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease of deer, elk, and moose, initially recognized in Colorado mule deer. The discovery of CWD beyond the borders of Colorado and Wyoming, in Canada and as far east as New York, has led to its emergence as a prion disease of international importance. Epidemiological studies indicate that CWD is horizontally transmitted among free-ranging animals, potentially indirectly by prion-containing secreta or excreta contaminating the environment. Experimental CWD transmission attempts to other wild and domestic mammals and to transgenic mice expressing the prion protein of cattle, sheep, and humans have shed light on CWD species barriers. Transgenic mice expressing the cervid prion protein have proven useful for assessing the genetic influences of Prnp polymorphisms on CWD susceptibility. Accumulating evidence of CWD pathogenesis indicates that the misfolded prion protein or prion infectivity seems to be widely disseminated in many nonneural organs and in blood. This review highlights contemporary research findings in this prion disease of free-ranging wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina J Sigurdson
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0612, USA.
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Trifilo MJ, Ying G, Teng C, Oldstone MB. Chronic wasting disease of deer and elk in transgenic mice: oral transmission and pathobiology. Virology 2007; 365:136-43. [PMID: 17451773 PMCID: PMC1950321 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2007.03.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2007] [Revised: 02/21/2007] [Accepted: 03/15/2007] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
To study the pathogenesis of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer and elk, transgenic (tg) mice were generated that expressed the prion protein (PrP) of deer containing a glycine at amino acid (aa) 96 and a serine at aa 225 under transcriptional control of the murine PrP promoter. This construct was introduced into murine PrP-deficient mice. As anticipated, neither non-tg mice nor PrP ko mice were susceptible when inoculated intracerebrally (i.c.) or orally with CWD brain material (scrapie pool from six mule deer) and followed for 600+ days (dpi). Deer PrP tg mice were not susceptible to i.c. inoculation with murine scrapie. In contrast, a fatal neurologic disease occurred accompanied by conversion of deer PrPsen to PrPres by western blot and immunohistochemistry after either i.c. inoculation with CWD brain into two lines of tg mice studied (312+32 dpi [mean+2 standard errors] for the heterozygous tg line 33, 275+46 dpi for the heterozygous tg line 39 and 210 dpi for the homozygous tg line 33) or after oral inoculation (381+55 dpi for the homozygous tg line 33 and 370+26 dpi for the homozygous tg line 39). Kinetically, following oral inoculation of CWD brain, PrPres was observed by day 200 when mice were clinically healthy in the posterior surface of the dorsum of the tongue primarily in serous and mucous glands, in the intestines, in large cells at the splenic marginal zone that anatomically resembled follicular dendritic cells and macrophages and in the olfactory bulb and brain stem but did not occur in the cerebellum, cerebral cortex or hippocampus or in hearts, lungs and livers of infected mice. After 350 days when mice become clinically ill the cerebellum, cerebral cortex and hippocampus became positive for PrPres and displayed massive spongiosis, neuronal drop out, gliosis and florid plaques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J. Trifilo
- Viral-Immunobiology Laboratory, Molecular and Integrative Neurosciences Department, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Ge Ying
- Viral-Immunobiology Laboratory, Molecular and Integrative Neurosciences Department, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Chao Teng
- Viral-Immunobiology Laboratory, Molecular and Integrative Neurosciences Department, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Michael B.A. Oldstone
- Viral-Immunobiology Laboratory, Molecular and Integrative Neurosciences Department, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Department of Infectology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- *Corresponding author. Fax: 858-784-9981. E-mail address: (M.B.A. Oldstone)
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43
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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] [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
The prion agent has been detected in skeletal muscle of humans and animals with prion diseases. Here we report scrapie infection of murine C2C12 myoblasts and myotubes in vitro following coculture with a scrapie-infected murine neuroblastoma (N2A) cell line but not following incubation with a scrapie-infected nonneuronal cell line or a scrapie brain homogenate. Terminal differentiation of scrapie-infected C2C12 myoblasts into myotubes resulted in an increase in the expression of the disease-specific prion protein, PrP(Sc). The amount of scrapie infectivity or PrP(Sc) in C2C12 myotubes was comparable to the levels found in scrapie-infected N2A cells, indicating that a high level of infection was established in muscle cells. Subclones of scrapie-infected C2C12 cells produced high levels of PrP(Sc) in myotubes, and the C-terminal C2 polypeptide fragment of PrP(Sc) was found based on deglycosylation and PrP(Sc)-specific immunoprecipitation of cell lysates. This is the first report of a stable prion infection in muscle cells in vitro and of a long-term prion infection in a nondividing, differentiated peripheral cell type in culture. These in vitro studies also suggest that in vivo prion infection of skeletal muscle requires contact with prion-infected neurons or, possibly, nerve terminals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy M Dlakic
- Department of Veterinary Molecular Biology, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173610, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
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Fox KA, Jewell JE, Williams ES, Miller MW. Patterns of PrPCWD accumulation during the course of chronic wasting disease infection in orally inoculated mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). J Gen Virol 2006; 87:3451-3461. [PMID: 17030882 DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.81999-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Patterns of abnormal prion protein (PrP) accumulation during the course of chronic wasting disease (CWD) infection were studied and the distribution and timing of disease-associated PrP (PrP(CWD)) deposition and lesions in 19 mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) 90-785 days after oral inoculation were described. PrP(CWD) deposition occurred relatively rapidly and widely in lymphoid tissues, later in central and peripheral nervous tissues and sporadically in a variety of tissues and organs in terminal disease stages. Development of spongiform encephalopathy lagged behind PrP(CWD) deposition in the central nervous system (CNS), but occurred in the same neuroanatomical locations. PrP(CWD) deposition in the lymphatic and nervous systems tended to be consistent and progressive in specific organs and tissues. Locations of PrP(CWD) deposition were similar between deer of two PrP genotypes (225SS and 225SF), but the time course differed between genotypes: in 225SF deer, PrP(CWD) accumulated more slowly in lymphatic tissues than in 225SS animals, but that disparity was small in comparison to the disparity between genotypes in timing of deposition in CNS tissue. These data confirm retropharyngeal lymph node and medulla oblongata at the level of the obex as early sites of PrP(CWD) accumulation in mule deer with CWD. Data on the relative time frames for and genetic influences on PrP(CWD) accumulation may also offer insights about epidemic dynamics and potential control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen A Fox
- College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
- Colorado Division of Wildlife, Wildlife Research Center, 317 West Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO 80526-2097, USA
| | - Jean E Jewell
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Wyoming, 1174 Snowy Range Road, Laramie, WY 82070, USA
| | - Elizabeth S Williams
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Wyoming, 1174 Snowy Range Road, Laramie, WY 82070, USA
| | - Michael W Miller
- Colorado Division of Wildlife, Wildlife Research Center, 317 West Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO 80526-2097, USA
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