Lymphoid follicles of the ileal Peyer's patch of lambs express low levels of PrP, as demonstrated by quantitative real-time RT-PCR on microdissected tissue compartments, in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry

Transcriptional response of immune genes in gills and the interbranchial lymphoid tissue of Atlantic salmon challenged with infectious salmon anaemia virus

Previously, it has been assumed that fish lack organized mucosa-associated lymphoid structures. Recently, an interbranchial lymphoid tissue (ILT) was described in salmonid gills at a site with substantial exposure to antigen. In this study, immune responses were examined in gills, mid-kidney and the laser-dissected ILT of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) infected with infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV). A strong innate response was observed in gills and mid-kidney and even in the laser-dissected ILT, despite the fact that no virus could be traced in this tissue. A small delayed increase in IgT transcripts, exclusively in the ILT, could indicate that this tissue has a role as a secondary lymphoid organ with clonal expansion of IgT expressing B-cells. Compared to the other examined tissues, gills displayed the earliest replication of the virus, further supporting this tissue as the main entry route for infection with ISAV.

Experimental interspecies transmission studies of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies to cattle: comparison to bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle

Prion diseases or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) of animals include scrapie of sheep and goats; transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME); chronic wasting disease (CWD) of deer, elk and moose; and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) of cattle. The emergence of BSE and its spread to human beings in the form of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) resulted in interest in susceptibility of cattle to CWD, TME and scrapie. Experimental cross-species transmission of TSE agents provides valuable information for potential host ranges of known TSEs. Some interspecies transmission studies have been conducted by inoculating disease-causing prions intracerebrally (IC) rather than orally; the latter is generally effective in intraspecies transmission studies and is considered a natural route by which animals acquire TSEs. The "species barrier" concept for TSEs resulted from unsuccessful interspecies oral transmission attempts. Oral inoculation of prions mimics the natural disease pathogenesis route whereas IC inoculation is rather artificial; however, it is very efficient since it requires smaller dosage of inoculum, and typically results in higher attack rates and reduces incubation time compared to oral transmission. A species resistant to a TSE by IC inoculation would have negligible potential for successful oral transmission. To date, results indicate that cattle are susceptible to IC inoculation of scrapie, TME, and CWD but it is only when inoculated with TME do they develop spongiform lesions or clinical disease similar to BSE. Importantly, cattle are resistant to oral transmission of scrapie or CWD; susceptibility of cattle to oral transmission of TME is not yet determined.

PrP expression, PrPSc accumulation and innervation of splenic compartments in sheep experimentally infected with scrapie

Background

In prion disease, the peripheral expression of PrP^C is necessary for the transfer of infectivity to the central nervous system. The spleen is involved in neuroinvasion and neural dissemination in prion diseases but the nature of this involvement is not known. The present study undertook the investigation of the spatial relationship between sites of PrP^Sc accumulation, localisation of nerve fibres and PrP^C expression in the tissue compartments of the spleen of scrapie-inoculated and control sheep.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Laser microdissection and quantitative PCR were used to determine PrP mRNA levels and results were compared with immunohistochemical protocols to distinguish PrP^C and PrP^Sc in tissue compartments of the spleen. In sheep experimentally infected with scrapie, the major sites of accumulation of PrP^Sc in the spleen, namely the lymphoid nodules and the marginal zone, expressed low levels of PrP mRNA. Double immunohistochemical labelling for PrP^Sc and the pan-nerve fibre marker, PGP, was used to evaluate the density of innervation of splenic tissue compartments and the intimacy of association between PrP^Sc and nerves. Some nerve fibres were observed to accompany blood vessels into the PrP^Sc-laden germinal centres. However, the close association between nerves and PrP^Sc was most apparent in the marginal zone. Other sites of close association were adjacent to the wall of the central artery of PALS and the outer rim of germinal centres.

Conclusions/Significance

The findings suggest that the degree of PrP^Sc accumulation does not depend on the expression level of PrP^C. Though several splenic compartments may contribute to neuroinvasion, the marginal zone may play a central role in being the compartment with most apparent association between nerves and PrP^Sc.

Increased PrP mRNA expression in lymphoid follicles of the ileal Peyer's patch of sheep experimentally exposed to the scrapie agent

To understand the functional role of cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) in the initiation and maintenance of prion disease within the host, it is important to obtain a more detailed understanding of PrP(C) transcription in tissues during the development of disease. Using an experimental model with oral infection, we examined the effect of scrapie and the accumulation of the scrapie related form of the prion protein (PrP(Sc)) on the expression level of PrP mRNA in the ileal Peyer's patch of sheep. In the early phase of infection, prior to PrP(Sc) accumulation, no effect on the PrP expression was detected. However, it was found that lambs with PrP genotypes associated with high susceptibility for scrapie generally had higher PrP mRNA levels than lambs with less susceptible genotypes. Further, in highly susceptible VRQ/VRQ sheep at a stage of disease with high accumulation of PrP(Sc), real-time RT-PCR and microdissection were used to investigate levels of PrP mRNA in four different tissue compartments. An increased level of PrP mRNA was found in lymphoid follicles of infected sheep compared with controls, indicating upregulation of PrP expression in the follicles to compensate for the loss of PrP(C) converted to PrP(Sc), or that PrP(Sc) accumulation directly or indirectly influences the PrP expression. Still, the PrP expression level in the follicles was low compared with the other compartments investigated, suggesting that although increased PrP expression could contribute to PrP(Sc) accumulation, other factors are also important in the processes leading to accumulation of PrP(Sc) in the follicles.