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Zhang W, Orrú CD, Foutz A, Ding M, Yuan J, Shah SZA, Zhang J, Kotobelli K, Gerasimenko M, Gilliland T, Chen W, Tang M, Cohen M, Safar J, Xu B, Hong DJ, Cui L, Hughson AG, Schonberger LB, Tatsuoka C, Chen SG, Greenlee JJ, Wang Z, Appleby BS, Caughey B, Zou WQ. Large-scale validation of skin prion seeding activity as a biomarker for diagnosis of prion diseases. Acta Neuropathol 2024; 147:17. [PMID: 38231266 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-023-02661-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
Definitive diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) relies on the examination of brain tissues for the pathological prion protein (PrPSc). Our previous study revealed that PrPSc-seeding activity (PrPSc-SA) is detectable in skin of sCJD patients by an ultrasensitive PrPSc seed amplification assay (PrPSc-SAA) known as real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC). A total of 875 skin samples were collected from 2 cohorts (1 and 2) at autopsy from 2-3 body areas of 339 cases with neuropathologically confirmed prion diseases and non-sCJD controls. The skin samples were analyzed for PrPSc-SA by RT-QuIC assay. The results were compared with demographic information, clinical manifestations, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) PrPSc-SA, other laboratory tests, subtypes of prion diseases defined by the methionine (M) or valine (V) polymorphism at residue 129 of PrP, PrPSc types (#1 or #2), and gene mutations in deceased patients. RT-QuIC assays of the cohort #1 by two independent laboratories gave 87.3% or 91.3% sensitivity and 94.7% or 100% specificity, respectively. The cohort #2 showed sensitivity of 89.4% and specificity of 95.5%. RT-QuIC of CSF available from 212 cases gave 89.7% sensitivity and 94.1% specificity. The sensitivity of skin RT-QuIC was subtype dependent, being highest in sCJDVV1-2 subtype, followed by VV2, MV1-2, MV1, MV2, MM1, MM1-2, MM2, and VV1. The skin area next to the ear gave highest sensitivity, followed by lower back and apex of the head. Although no difference in brain PrPSc-SA was detected between the cases with false negative and true positive skin RT-QuIC results, the disease duration was significantly longer with the false negatives [12.0 ± 13.3 (months, SD) vs. 6.5 ± 6.4, p < 0.001]. Our study validates skin PrPSc-SA as a biomarker for the detection of prion diseases, which is influenced by the PrPSc types, PRNP 129 polymorphisms, dermatome sampled, and disease duration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiguanliu Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin Province, China
| | - Christina D Orrú
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, NIH/NIAID Rocky Mountain Laboratories, 903 S 4 St., Hamilton, MT, 59840, USA
| | - Aaron Foutz
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Mingxuan Ding
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin Province, China
| | - Jue Yuan
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Syed Zahid Ali Shah
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Jing Zhang
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Science, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Keisi Kotobelli
- National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Maria Gerasimenko
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Tricia Gilliland
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Wei Chen
- National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Michelle Tang
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Mark Cohen
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Jiri Safar
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Bin Xu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, 27707, USA
| | - Dao-Jun Hong
- Institute of Neurology and Department of Neurology, Jiangxi Academy of Clinical Medical Sciences, The First Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
| | - Li Cui
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin Province, China
| | - Andrew G Hughson
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, NIH/NIAID Rocky Mountain Laboratories, 903 S 4 St., Hamilton, MT, 59840, USA
| | - Lawrence B Schonberger
- Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Curtis Tatsuoka
- Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA
| | - Shu G Chen
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, 1920 Dayton Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, USA
| | - Zerui Wang
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Brian S Appleby
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Byron Caughey
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, NIH/NIAID Rocky Mountain Laboratories, 903 S 4 St., Hamilton, MT, 59840, USA.
| | - Wen-Quan Zou
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
- National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
- Institute of Neurology and Department of Neurology, Jiangxi Academy of Clinical Medical Sciences, The First Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi Province, China.
- Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
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Kokemuller RD, Moore SJ, Bian J, West Greenlee MH, Greenlee JJ. Disease phenotype of classical sheep scrapie is changed upon experimental passage through white-tailed deer. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011815. [PMID: 38048370 PMCID: PMC10721168 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion agents occur in strains that are encoded by the structure of the misfolded prion protein (PrPSc). Prion strains can influence disease phenotype and the potential for interspecies transmission. Little is known about the potential transmission of prions between sheep and deer. Previously, the classical US scrapie isolate (No.13-7) had a 100% attack rate in white-tailed deer after oronasal challenge. The purpose of this study was to test the susceptibility of sheep to challenge with the scrapie agent after passage through white-tailed deer (WTD scrapie). Lambs of various prion protein genotypes were oronasally challenged with WTD scrapie. Sheep were euthanized and necropsied upon development of clinical signs or at the end of the experiment (72 months post-inoculation). Enzyme immunoassay, western blot, and immunohistochemistry demonstrated PrPSc in 4 of 10 sheep with the fastest incubation occurring in VRQ/VRQ sheep, which contrasts the original No.13-7 inoculum with a faster incubation in ARQ/ARQ sheep. Shorter incubation periods in VRQ/VRQ sheep than ARQ/ARQ sheep after passage through deer was suggestive of a phenotype change, so comparisons were made in ovinized mice and with sheep with known strains of classical sheep scrapie: No. 13-7 and x-124 (that has a more rapid incubation in VRQ/VRQ sheep). After mouse bioassay, the WTD scrapie and x-124 isolates have similar incubation periods and PrPSc conformational stability that are markedly different than the original No. 13-7 inoculum. Furthermore, brain tissues of sheep with WTD scrapie and x-124 scrapie have similar patterns of immunoreactivity that are distinct from sheep with No. 13-7 scrapie. Multiple lines of evidence suggest a phenotype switch when No. 13-7 scrapie prions are passaged through deer. This represents one example of interspecies transmission of prions resulting in the emergence or selection of new strain properties that could confound disease eradication and control efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn D. Kokemuller
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, ARS, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - S. Jo Moore
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, ARS, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Jifeng Bian
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, ARS, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - M. Heather West Greenlee
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Justin J. Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, ARS, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
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3
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Cassmann ED, Frese AJ, Becker KA, Greenlee JJ. Short incubation periods of atypical H-type BSE in cattle with EK211 and KK211 prion protein genotypes after intracranial inoculation. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1301998. [PMID: 38026617 PMCID: PMC10655004 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1301998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In 2006, a case of atypical H-type BSE (H-BSE) was found to be associated with a germline mutation in the PRNP gene that resulted in a lysine substitution for glutamic acid at codon 211 (E211K). The E211K amino acid substitution in cattle is analogous to E200K in humans, which is associated with the development of genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). In the present study, we aimed to determine the effect of the EK211 prion protein genotype on incubation time in cattle inoculated with the agent of H-BSE; to characterize the molecular profile of H-BSE in KK211 and EK211 genotype cattle; and to assess the influence of serial passage on BSE strain. Eight cattle, representing three PRNP genotype groups (EE211, EK211, and KK211), were intracranially inoculated with the agent of H-BSE originating from either a case in a cow with the EE211 prion protein genotype or a case in a cow with E211K amino acid substitution. All inoculated animals developed clinical disease; post-mortem samples were collected, and prion disease was confirmed through enzyme immunoassay, anti-PrPSc immunohistochemistry, and western blot. Western blot molecular analysis revealed distinct patterns in a steer with KK211 H-BSE compared to EK211 and EE211 cattle. Incubation periods were significantly shorter in cattle with the EK211 and KK211 genotypes compared to the EE211 genotype. Inoculum type did not significantly influence the incubation period. This study demonstrates a shorter incubation period for H-BSE in cattle with the K211 genotype in both the homozygous and heterozygous forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric D. Cassmann
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Alexis J. Frese
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Kelsey A. Becker
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - Justin J. Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
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4
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Silva CJ, Cassmann ED, Greenlee JJ, Erickson-Beltran ML, Requena JR. A Mass Spectrometry-Based Method of Quantifying the Contribution of the Lysine Polymorphism at Position 171 in Sheep PrP. J Am Soc Mass Spectrom 2023; 34:245-254. [PMID: 36622794 PMCID: PMC9897214 DOI: 10.1021/jasms.2c00277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
In sheep, the transmissibility and progression of scrapie, a sheep prion (PrPSc) disease, is strongly dependent upon specific amino acid polymorphisms in the natively expressed prion protein (PrPC). Sheep expressing PrPC with lysine (K) polymorphism at position 171 (K171) are partially resistant to oronasal dosing of classical sheep scrapie. In addition, scrapie infected sheep expressing the K171 polymorphism show a longer incubation period compared to sheep homozygous (glutamine (Q)) at position 171. Quantitating the amount of the K171 polymorphism in a sheep scrapie sample can provide important information on the composition of PrPSc. A tryptic peptide, 159R.YPNQVYYRPVDK.Y172, derived from the digestion of 171K recombinant PrP, was identified as an analyte peptide suitable for a multiple reaction monitoring-based analysis. This method, using 15N-labeled analogs and another internal peptide from the proteinase K-resistant core, permits the simultaneous quantitation of the total amount of PrP and the proportion of K171 polymorphism in the sample. Background molecules with similar retention times and transitions were present in samples from scrapie-infected sheep. Proteinase K digestion followed by ultracentrifugation-based isolation or phosphotungstic acid-based isolation were employed to minimize the contribution of those background molecules, making this approach suitable for quantitating the amount of the K171 polymorphism in heterozygous scrapie infected sheep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J. Silva
- Produce
Safety and Microbiology Research Unit, Western Regional Research Center,
United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 800 Buchanan Street, Albany, California 94710, United States of America
| | - Eric D. Cassmann
- Virus
and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural
Research Service, United States Department
of Agriculture, Ames, Iowa 50010, United
States of America
| | - Justin J. Greenlee
- Virus
and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural
Research Service, United States Department
of Agriculture, Ames, Iowa 50010, United
States of America
| | - Melissa L. Erickson-Beltran
- Produce
Safety and Microbiology Research Unit, Western Regional Research Center,
United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 800 Buchanan Street, Albany, California 94710, United States of America
| | - Jésus R. Requena
- CIMUS
Biomedical Research Institute & Department of Medical Sciences, University of Santiago de Compostela−IDIS, 15782 Santiago
de Compostela, Spain
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5
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Greenlee JJ, Moore SJ, Cassmann ED, Lambert ZJ, Kokemuller RD, Smith JD, Kunkle RA, Kong Q, Greenlee MHW. White-Tailed Deer are Susceptible to the Agent of Classical Sheep Scrapie after Experimental Oronasal Exposure. J Infect Dis 2022:6809058. [DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiac443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Classical scrapie is a prion disease of sheep and goats that is associated with accumulation of abnormal prion protein (PrPSc) in the central nervous and lymphoid tissues. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is the prion disease of cervids. This study was conducted to determine the susceptibility of white-tailed deer (WTD) to the classical scrapie agent.
Methods
We inoculated WTD (n = 5) by a concurrent oral/intranasal exposure with the classical scrapie agent from sheep or oronasally with the classical scrapie agent from goats (n = 6).
Results
All deer exposed to the agent of classical scrapie from sheep accumulated PrPSc. PrPSc was detected in lymphoid tissues at preclinical time points, and deer necropsied after 28 months post-inoculation had clinical signs, spongiform lesions, and widespread PrPSc in neural and lymphoid tissues. Western blots on samples from the brainstem, cerebellum, and lymph nodes of scrapie-infected WTD have a molecular profile similar to CWD and distinct from samples from the cerebral cortex, retina, or the original classical scrapie inoculum. There was no evidence of PrPSc in any of the WTD inoculated with classical scrapie prions from goats.
Conclusions
WTD are susceptible to the agent of classical scrapie from sheep and differentiation from CWD may be difficult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture , Ames, Iowa , United States of America
| | - S Jo Moore
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture , Ames, Iowa , United States of America
| | - Eric D Cassmann
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture , Ames, Iowa , United States of America
| | - Zoe J Lambert
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture , Ames, Iowa , United States of America
| | - Robyn D Kokemuller
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture , Ames, Iowa , United States of America
| | - Jodi D Smith
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture , Ames, Iowa , United States of America
| | - Robert A Kunkle
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture , Ames, Iowa , United States of America
| | - Qingzhong Kong
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University , Cleveland, Ohio , United States of America
| | - M Heather West Greenlee
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University , Ames, Iowa , United States of America
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Harm TA, Smith JD, Cassmann ED, Greenlee JJ. Combinatorial treatment of brain samples from sheep with scrapie using sodium percarbonate, sodium dodecyl sulfate, and proteinase K increases survival time in inoculated susceptible sheep. Res Vet Sci 2022; 152:497-503. [PMID: 36162234 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2022.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
The agent of scrapie is resistant to most chemical and physical methods of inactivation. Prions bind to soils, metals, and various materials and persist in the environment confounding the control of prion diseases. Most methods of prion inactivation require severe conditions such as prolong exposure to sodium hypochlorite or autoclaving, which may not be suitable for field conditions. We evaluated the efficacy of a combinatorial approach to inactivation of US scrapie strain x124 under the mild conditions of treating scrapie-affected brain homogenate with sodium percarbonate (SPC), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), or in combination followed by proteinase K (PK) digestion at room temperature. Western blot analysis of treated brain homogenate demonstrates partial reduction in PrPSc immunoreactivity. Genetically susceptible VRQ/ARQ Suffolk sheep were oronasally inoculated with 1 g of SPC (n = 1), SDS (n = 2), SDS + PK (n = 2), and SPC + SDS + PK (n = 4) treated brain homogenate. Sheep were assessed daily for clinical signs, euthanized at the development of clinical disease, and tissues were assessed for accumulation of PrPSc. Scrapie status in all sheep was determined by western blot, enzyme immunoassay, and immunohistochemistry. Mean incubation periods (IPs) for SPC (11.9 months, 0% survival), SDS (12.6 months, 0% survival), SDS + PK (14.0 months, 0% survival), and SPC + SDS + PK (12.5 months, 25% survival) were increased compared to positive control sheep (n = 2, 10.7 months, 0% survival) by 1.2, 1.9, 3.3, and 1.8 months, respectively. Treatment did not influence PrPSc accumulation and distribution at the clinical stage of disease. Differences in mean IPs and survival indicates partial but not complete reduction in scrapie infectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler A Harm
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States of America
| | - Jodi D Smith
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States of America
| | - Eric D Cassmann
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States of America
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States of America.
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Cassmann ED, Frese AJ, Moore SJ, Greenlee JJ. Transmission of Raccoon-Passaged Chronic Wasting Disease Agent to White-Tailed Deer. Viruses 2022; 14:v14071578. [PMID: 35891558 PMCID: PMC9320052 DOI: 10.3390/v14071578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The transmission characteristics of prion diseases are influenced by host prion protein sequence and, therefore, the host species. Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a prion disease of cervids, has widespread geographical distribution throughout North America and occurs in both wild and farmed populations. CWD prions contaminate the environment through scattered excrement and decomposing carcasses. Fresh carcasses with CWD prions are accessible by free-ranging mesopredators such as raccoons and may provide a route of exposure. Previous studies demonstrated the susceptibility of raccoons to CWD from white-tailed deer. In this study, we demonstrate that white-tailed deer replicate raccoon-passaged CWD prions which results in clinical disease similar to intraspecies CWD transmission. Six white-tailed deer were oronasally inoculated with brain homogenate from a raccoon with CWD. All six deer developed clinical disease, had widespread lymphoid distribution of misfolded CWD prions (PrPSc), and had neuropathologic lesions with PrPSc accumulation in the brain. The presence of PrPSc was confirmed by immunohistochemistry, enzyme-linked immunoassay, and western blot. The western blot migration pattern of raccoon-passaged CWD was different from white-tailed deer CWD. Transmission of raccoon CWD back to white-tailed deer resulted in an interposed molecular phenotype that was measurably different from white-tailed deer CWD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric D. Cassmann
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA 50010, USA; (E.D.C.); (A.J.F.); (S.J.M.)
| | - Alexis J. Frese
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA 50010, USA; (E.D.C.); (A.J.F.); (S.J.M.)
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, 1299 Bethel Valley Rd., Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
| | - S. Jo Moore
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA 50010, USA; (E.D.C.); (A.J.F.); (S.J.M.)
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, 1299 Bethel Valley Rd., Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
| | - Justin J. Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA 50010, USA; (E.D.C.); (A.J.F.); (S.J.M.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-515-337-7191
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Moore SJ, Carlson CM, Schneider JR, Johnson CJ, Greenlee JJ. Increased Attack Rates and Decreased Incubation Periods in Raccoons with Chronic Wasting Disease Passaged through Meadow Voles. Emerg Infect Dis 2022; 28:793-801. [PMID: 35318913 PMCID: PMC8962881 DOI: 10.3201/eid2804.210271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a naturally-occurring neurodegenerative disease of cervids. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) and meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) have previously been shown to be susceptible to the CWD agent. To investigate the potential for transmission of the agent of CWD from white-tailed deer to voles and subsequently to raccoons, we intracranially inoculated raccoons with brain homogenate from a CWD-affected white-tailed deer (CWDWtd) or derivatives of this isolate after it had been passaged through voles 1 or 5 times. We found that passage of the CWDWtd isolate through voles led to a change in the biologic behavior of the CWD agent, including increased attack rates and decreased incubation periods in raccoons. A better understanding of the dynamics of cross-species transmission of CWD prions can provide insights into how these infectious proteins evolve in new hosts.
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Cassmann ED, Moore SJ, Greenlee JJ. Experimental Oronasal Transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease Agent from White-Tailed Deer to Suffolk Sheep. Emerg Infect Dis 2021; 27:3156-3158. [PMID: 34808075 PMCID: PMC8632196 DOI: 10.3201/eid2712.204978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal prion disease of cervids. We examined host range of CWD by oronasally inoculating Suffolk sheep with brain homogenate from a CWD-positive white-tailed deer. Sixty months after inoculation, 1/7 sheep had immunoreactivity against the misfolded form of prion protein in lymphoid tissue. Results were confirmed by mouse bioassay.
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10
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Cassmann ED, Frese RD, Greenlee JJ. Second passage of chronic wasting disease of mule deer to sheep by intracranial inoculation compared to classical scrapie. J Vet Diagn Invest 2021; 33:711-720. [PMID: 34047228 DOI: 10.1177/10406387211017615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The origin of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids is unclear. One hypothesis suggests that CWD originated from scrapie in sheep. We compared the disease phenotype of sheep-adapted CWD to classical scrapie in sheep. We inoculated sheep intracranially with brain homogenate from first-passage mule deer CWD in sheep (sCWDmd). The attack rate in second-passage sheep was 100% (12 of 12). Sheep had prominent lymphoid accumulations of PrPSc reminiscent of classical scrapie. The pattern and distribution of PrPSc in the brains of sheep with CWDmd was similar to scrapie strain 13-7 but different from scrapie strain x124. The western blot glycoprofiles of sCWDmd were indistinguishable from scrapie strain 13-7; however, independent of sheep genotype, glycoprofiles of sCWDmd were different than x124. When sheep genotypes were evaluated individually, there was considerable overlap in the glycoprofiles that precluded significant discrimination between sheep CWD and scrapie strains. Our data suggest that the phenotype of CWD in sheep is indistinguishable from some strains of scrapie in sheep. Given our results, current detection techniques would be unlikely to distinguish CWD in sheep from scrapie in sheep if cross-species transmission occurred naturally. It is unknown if sheep are naturally vulnerable to CWD; however, the susceptibility of sheep after intracranial inoculation and lymphoid accumulation indicates that the species barrier is not absolute.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric D Cassmann
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Rylie D Frese
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, USA
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11
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Ding M, Teruya K, Zhang W, Lee HW, Yuan J, Oguma A, Foutz A, Camacho MV, Mitchell M, Greenlee JJ, Kong Q, Doh-Ura K, Cui L, Zou WQ. Decrease in Skin Prion-Seeding Activity of Prion-Infected Mice Treated with a Compound Against Human and Animal Prions: a First Possible Biomarker for Prion Therapeutics. Mol Neurobiol 2021; 58:4280-4292. [PMID: 33983547 PMCID: PMC8487418 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-021-02418-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have revealed that the infectious scrapie isoform of prion protein (PrPSc) harbored in the skin tissue of patients or animals with prion diseases can be amplified and detected through the serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (sPMCA) or real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assays. These findings suggest that skin PrPSc-seeding activity may serve as a biomarker for the diagnosis of prion diseases; however, its utility as a biomarker for prion therapeutics remains largely unknown. Cellulose ethers (CEs, such as TC-5RW), widely used as food and pharmaceutical additives, have recently been shown to prolong the lifespan of prion-infected mice and hamsters. Here we report that in transgenic (Tg) mice expressing hamster cellular prion protein (PrPC) infected with the 263K prion, the prion-seeding activity becomes undetectable in the skin tissues of TC-5RW-treated Tg mice by both sPMCA and RT-QuIC assays, whereas such prion-seeding activity is readily detectable in the skin of untreated mice. Notably, TC-5RW exhibits an inhibitory effect on the in vitro amplification of PrPSc in both skin and brain tissues by sPMCA and RT-QuIC. Moreover, we reveal that TC-5RW is able to directly decrease protease-resistant PrPSc and inhibit the seeding activity of PrPSc from chronic wasting disease and various human prion diseases. Our results suggest that the level of prion-seeding activity in the skin may serve as a useful biomarker for assessing the therapeutic efficacy of compounds in a clinical trial of prion diseases and that TC-5RW may have the potential for the prevention/treatment of human prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingxuan Ding
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin Province, China
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Kenta Teruya
- Department of Neurochemistry, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8575, Japan
| | - Weiguanliu Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin Province, China
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Hae Weon Lee
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Jue Yuan
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Ayumi Oguma
- Department of Neurochemistry, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8575, Japan
| | - Aaron Foutz
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Manuel V Camacho
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Marcus Mitchell
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, 1920 Dayton Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, USA
| | - Qingzhong Kong
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Katsumi Doh-Ura
- Department of Neurochemistry, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8575, Japan.
| | - Li Cui
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin Province, China.
| | - Wen-Quan Zou
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
- National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
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Hwang S, Greenlee JJ, Nicholson EM. Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion Detection of PrP Sc in Fecal Samples From Chronic Wasting Disease Infected White-Tailed Deer Using Bank Vole Substrate. Front Vet Sci 2021; 8:643754. [PMID: 33748218 PMCID: PMC7969510 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.643754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) that is fatal to free-range and captive cervids. CWD has been reported in the United States, Canada, South Korea, Norway, Finland, and Sweden, and the case numbers in both wild and farmed cervids are increasing rapidly. Studies indicate that lateral transmission of cervids likely occurs through the shedding of infectious prions in saliva, feces, urine, and blood into the environment. Therefore, the detection of CWD early in the incubation time is advantageous for disease management. In this study, we adapt real-time quacking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assays to detect the seeding activity of CWD prions in feces samples from clinical and preclinical white-tailed deer. By optimizing reaction conditions for temperature as well as the salt and salt concentration, prion seeding activity from both clinical and preclinical animals were detected by RT-QuIC. More specifically, all fecal samples collected from 6 to 30 months post inoculation showed seeding activity under the conditions of study. The combination of a highly sensitive detection tool paired with a sample type that may be collected non-invasively allows a useful tool to support CWD surveillance in wild and captive cervids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soyoun Hwang
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Eric M Nicholson
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, United States
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13
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Cassmann ED, Mammadova N, Greenlee JJ. Autoclave treatment of the classical scrapie agent US No. 13-7 and experimental inoculation to susceptible VRQ/ARQ sheep via the oral route results in decreased transmission efficiency. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0243009. [PMID: 33270721 PMCID: PMC7714121 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Scrapie, a prion disease of sheep, is highly resistant to conventional deactivation. Numerous methods to deactivate scrapie have been tested in laboratory animal models, and adequate autoclave treatment can reduce or remove the infectivity of some classical scrapie strains depending on the heating parameters used. In this study, we autoclaved brain homogenate from a sheep with US scrapie strain 13–7 for 30 minutes at 121°C. Genetically susceptible VRQ/ARQ sheep were orally inoculated with 3 grams of the autoclaved brain homogenate. For comparison, a second group of sheep was inoculated with a non-autoclaved brain homogenate. Rectal biopsies were used to assess antemortem scrapie disease progression throughout the study. Five out of ten (5/10) sheep that received autoclaved inoculum ultimately developed scrapie after an experimental endpoint of 72 months. These sheep had a mean incubation period of 26.99 months. Two out of five (2/5) positive sheep had detectable PrPSc in antemortem rectal biopsies, and two (2/5) other sheep had PrPSc in postmortem rectal tissue. A single sheep (1/5) was positive for scrapie in the CNS, small intestine, and retropharyngeal lymph node but had negative rectal tissue. All of the sheep (10/10) that received non-autoclaved inoculum developed scrapie with a mean incubation period of 20.2 months and had positive rectal biopsies at the earliest timepoint (14.7 months post-inoculation). These results demonstrate that sheep are orally susceptible to US derived classical scrapie strain 13–7 after autoclave treatment at 121°C for 30 minutes. Differences in incubation periods and time interval to first positive rectal biopsies indicate a partial reduction in infectivity titers for the autoclaved inoculum group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric D. Cassmann
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States of America
| | - Najiba Mammadova
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States of America
| | - Justin J. Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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14
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Mammadova N, Cassmann ED, Moore SJ, Nicholson EM, Greenlee JJ. Experimental inoculation of CD11c + B1 lymphocytes, CD68 + macrophages, or platelet-rich plasma from scrapie-infected sheep into susceptible sheep results in variable infectivity. Access Microbiol 2020; 2:acmi000155. [PMID: 33195984 PMCID: PMC7656192 DOI: 10.1099/acmi.0.000155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Many studies have demonstrated prion infectivity in whole blood and blood components in a variety of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies of livestock and rodents, and variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease in humans, as well as an association between pathogenic prion protein (PrPSc) and different immune cells (e.g. follicular dendritic cells, T and B lymphocytes, monocytes and tingible body macrophages). To further investigate the role of various blood components in prion disease transmission, we intracranially inoculated genetically susceptible VRQ/ARQ and ARQ/ARQ sheep with inocula composed of CD11c+ B1 lymphocytes, CD68 +macrophages, or platelet-rich plasma derived from clinically ill sheep infected with the US no. 13–7 scrapie agent. At the completion of the study, we found that VRQ/ARQ and ARQ/ARQ sheep inoculated with CD11c+ B1 lymphocytes and CD68+ macrophages developed scrapie with detectable levels of PrPSc in the central nervous system and lymphoreticular system, while those inoculated with platelet-rich plasma did not develop disease and did not have detectable PrPSc by immunohistochemistry or enzyme immunoassay. This study complements and expands on earlier findings that white blood cells harbour prion infectivity, and reports CD11c+ B1 lymphocytes and CD68+ macrophages as additional targets for possible preclinical detection of prion infection in blood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Najiba Mammadova
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, USA.,Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). ORISE is managed by ORAU under DOE contract number DE-SC0014664
| | - Eric D Cassmann
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, USA.,Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). ORISE is managed by ORAU under DOE contract number DE-SC0014664
| | - S Jo Moore
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, USA.,Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). ORISE is managed by ORAU under DOE contract number DE-SC0014664
| | - Eric M Nicholson
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, USA
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15
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Mammadova N, West Greenlee MH, Moore SJ, Hwang S, Lehmkuhl AD, Nicholson EM, Greenlee JJ. Evaluation of Antemortem Diagnostic Techniques in Goats Naturally Infected With Scrapie. Front Vet Sci 2020; 7:517862. [PMID: 33240943 PMCID: PMC7677257 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.517862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Scrapie is a naturally occurring transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) that affects sheep and goats. Sheep and goats can be infected with scrapie as lambs or kids via contact with the placenta or placental fluids, or from ingestion of prions shed in the environment and/or bodily fluids (e.g., saliva, urine, and feces). Like other TSEs, scrapie is generally not diagnosed before extensive and irreversible brain damage has occurred. Therefore, a reliable method to screen animals may facilitate diagnosis. Additionally, while natural scrapie in sheep has been widely described, naturally acquired goat scrapie is less well-characterized. The purpose of this study was to better understand natural goat scrapie in regard to disease phenotype (i.e., incubation period, clinical signs, neuroanatomical deposition patterns of PrPSc, and molecular profile as detected by Western blot) and to evaluate the efficacy of antemortem tests to detect scrapie-positive animals in a herd of goats. Briefly, 28 scrapie-exposed goats were removed from a farm depopulated due to previous diagnoses of scrapie on the premises and observed daily for 30 months. Over the course of the observation period, antemortem biopsies of recto-anal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (RAMALT) were taken and tested using immunohistochemistry and real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC), and retinal thickness was measured in vivo using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Following the observation period, immunohistochemistry and Western blot were performed to assess neuroanatomical deposition patterns of PrPSc and molecular profile. Our results demonstrate that antemortem rectal biopsy was 77% effective in identifying goats naturally infected with scrapie and that a positive antemortem rectal biopsy was associated with the presence of clinical signs of neurologic disease and a positive dam status. We report that changes in retinal thickness are not detectable over the course of the observation period in goats naturally infected with scrapie. Finally, our results indicate that the accumulation of PrPSc in central nervous system (CNS) and non-CNS tissues is consistent with previous reports of scrapie in sheep and goats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Najiba Mammadova
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - M Heather West Greenlee
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ames, IA, United States
| | - S Jo Moore
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Soyoun Hwang
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Aaron D Lehmkuhl
- National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) Diagnostic Bacteriology and Pathology Laboratory, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Eric M Nicholson
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
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16
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Mammadova N, Cassmann E, Greenlee JJ. Successful transmission of the chronic wasting disease (CWD) agent to white-tailed deer by intravenous blood transfusion. Res Vet Sci 2020; 133:304-306. [PMID: 33129572 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2020.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSEs) that affects free-ranging and captive cervid species. The infectious agent of CWD may be transmitted from ingestion of prions shed in bodily fluids (e.g. feces, urine, saliva, placenta tissue) of infected animals, contaminated pastures, and/or decomposing carcasses from dead animals. Studies have also demonstrated prion infectivity in whole blood or blood fractions of CWD infected animals. To determine if CWD-infected blood contained sufficient levels of prion infectivity to cause disease, recipient deer were inoculated intravenously (IV) with blood derived from a CWD-infected white-tailed deer. We found that the CWD agent can be successfully transmitted to white-tailed deer by a single intravenous blood transfusion. The incubation period was associated with recipient prion protein genotype at codon 96 with the GG96 recipient incubating for 25.6 months and the GS96 recipient incubating for 43.6 months. This study complements and supports an earlier finding that CWD can be transmitted to deer by intravenous blood transfusion from white-tailed deer with CWD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Najiba Mammadova
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, 1920 Dayton Avenue, Ames, IA 50010, USA; Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), USA
| | - Eric Cassmann
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, 1920 Dayton Avenue, Ames, IA 50010, USA; Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), USA
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, 1920 Dayton Avenue, Ames, IA 50010, USA.
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Abstract
In sheep, scrapie is a fatal neurologic disease that is caused by a misfolded protein called a prion (designated PrPSc). The normal cellular prion protein (PrPC) is encoded by an endogenous gene, PRNP, that is present in high concentrations within the CNS. Although a broad range of functions has been described for PrPC, its entire range of functions has yet to be fully elucidated. Accumulation of PrPSc results in neurodegeneration. The PRNP gene has several naturally occurring polymorphisms, and there is a strong correlation between scrapie susceptibility and PRNP genotype. The cornerstone of scrapie eradication programs is the selection of scrapie-resistant genotypes to eliminate classical scrapie. Transmission of classical scrapie in sheep occurs during the prenatal and periparturient periods when lambs are highly susceptible. Initially, the scrapie agent is disseminated throughout the lymphoid system and into the CNS. Shedding of the scrapie agent occurs before the onset of clinical signs. In contrast to classical scrapie, atypical scrapie is believed to be a spontaneous disease that occurs in isolated instances in older animals within a flock. The agent that causes atypical scrapie is not considered to be naturally transmissible. Transmission of the scrapie agent to species other than sheep, including deer, has been experimentally demonstrated as has the transmission of nonscrapie prion agents to sheep. The purpose of this review is to outline the current methods for diagnosing scrapie in sheep and the techniques used for studying the pathogenesis and host range of the scrapie agent. Also discussed is the US scrapie eradication program including recent updates.
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Smith JD, Harm TA, Greenlee JJ. Pathology in Practice. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2020; 254:819-821. [PMID: 30888268 DOI: 10.2460/javma.254.7.819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Mammadova N, Cassmann E, Greenlee JJ. Efficient transmission of classical scrapie agent x124 by intralingual route to genetically susceptible sheep with a low dose inoculum. Res Vet Sci 2020; 132:217-220. [PMID: 32610171 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2020.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Revised: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Scrapie is a naturally occurring prion disease of sheep and goats that results in accumulation of the misfolded prion protein (PrPSc) and progressive neurodegeneration. After inoculation with classical scrapie isolate x124, susceptibility and incubation period are associated with valine at codon 136 (V136) of the prion protein: VRQ/VRQ had the shortest incubation periods, followed by VRQ/ARQ sheep, while ARQ/ARQ sheep only developed disease after inoculation via the intracerebral route. Intralingual inoculation of TSE agents effectively transmits disease similar to intracranial inoculation; therefore, it is possible that oral lesions may facilitate susceptibility to scrapie transmission. In this study, investigated the infectivity of decreasing doses of the x124 scrapie agent (100 mg, 50 mg, 20 mg, and 10 mg) on incubation time and attack rate after experimental intralingual inoculation into VRQ/ARQ sheep. The lowest inoculum dose tested in this study effectively transmitted the x124 scrapie agent in VRQ/ARQ sheep with a 100% attack rate and no significant difference in incubation times among sheep inoculated with varying doses. Moreover, immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis revealed similar biochemical and immunohistochemical features among the four cohorts of sheep irrespective of inoculum dose. This study provides a starting point for further investigation to determine the minimum infectious dose of x124 scrapie in sheep and its effect on attack rate and incubation time, central for assessing the potential risk of scrapie occurrence in sheep flock.
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Affiliation(s)
- Najiba Mammadova
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Eric Cassmann
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, USA.
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20
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Hwang S, Greenlee JJ, Nicholson EM. Role of donor genotype in RT-QuIC seeding activity of chronic wasting disease prions using human and bank vole substrates. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0227487. [PMID: 31910440 PMCID: PMC6946595 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of cervids. This fatal neurodegenerative disease is caused by misfolding of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) to pathogenic conformers (PrPSc), and the pathogenic forms accumulate in the brain and other tissues. Real-time Quaking Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC) can be used for the detection of prions and for prion strain discrimination in a variety of biological tissues from humans and animals. In this study, we evaluated how either PrPSc from cervids of different genotypes or PrPSc from different sources of CWD influence the fibril formation of recombinant bank vole (BV) or human prion proteins using RT-QuIC. We found that reaction mixtures seeded with PrPSc from different genotypes of white-tailed deer or reindeer brains have similar conversion efficiency with both substrates. Also, we observed similar results when assays were seeded with different sources of CWD. Thus, we conclude that the genotypes of all sources of CWD used in this study do not influence the level of conversion of PrPC to PrPSc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soyoun Hwang
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Virus and Prion Research Unit, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Justin J. Greenlee
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Virus and Prion Research Unit, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Eric M. Nicholson
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Virus and Prion Research Unit, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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21
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Cassmann ED, Moore SJ, Smith JD, Greenlee JJ. Sheep Are Susceptible to the Bovine Adapted Transmissible Mink Encephalopathy Agent by Intracranial Inoculation and Have Evidence of Infectivity in Lymphoid Tissues. Front Vet Sci 2019; 6:430. [PMID: 31850385 PMCID: PMC6895770 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) is a food borne prion disease. Epidemiological and experimental evidence suggests similarities between the agents of TME and L-BSE. This experiment demonstrates the susceptibility of four different genotypes of sheep to the bovine adapted TME agent by intracranial inoculation. The four genotypes of sheep used in this experiment had polymorphisms corresponding to codons 136, 154, and 171 of the prion gene: V136R154Q171/VRQ, VRQ/ARQ, ARQ/ARQ, and ARQ/ARR. All intracranially inoculated sheep without comorbidities (15/15) developed clinical signs and had detectable PrPSc by immunohistochemistry, western blot, and enzyme immunoassay (EIA). The mean incubation periods in sheep with bovine adapted TME correlated with their relative genotypic susceptibility. There was peripheral distribution of PrPSc in the trigeminal ganglion and neuromuscular spindles; however, unlike classical scrapie and C-BSE in sheep, sheep inoculated with the bovine TME agent did not have immunohistochemically detectable PrPSc in the lymphoid tissue. To rule out the presence of infectivity, the lymph nodes of two sheep genotypes, VRQ/VRQ, and ARQ/ARQ, were bioassayed in transgenic mice expressing ovine prion protein. Mice intracranially inoculated with retropharyngeal lymph node from a VRQ/VRQ sheep were EIA positive (3/17) indicating that sheep inoculated with the bovine TME agent harbor infectivity in their lymph nodes despite a lack of detection with conventional immunoassays. Western blot analysis demonstrated similarities in the migration patterns between bovine TME in sheep, the bovine adapted TME inoculum, and L-BSE. Overall, these results demonstrate that sheep are susceptible to the bovine adapted TME agent, and the tissue distribution of PrPSc in sheep with bovine TME is distinct from classical scrapie.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric D Cassmann
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, United States
| | - S Jo Moore
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Jodi D Smith
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, United States
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22
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Michael AV, Greenlee JJ, Harm TA, Moore SJ, Zhang M, Lind MS, Greenlee MHW, Smith JD. In Situ Temporospatial Characterization of the Glial Response to Prion Infection. Vet Pathol 2019; 57:90-107. [PMID: 31331254 DOI: 10.1177/0300985819861708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Mammalian transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) display marked activation of astrocytes and microglia that precedes neuronal loss. Investigation of clinical parallels between TSEs and other neurodegenerative protein misfolding diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, has revealed similar patterns of neuroinflammatory responses to the accumulation of self-propagating amyloids. The contribution of glial activation to the progression of protein misfolding diseases is incompletely understood, with evidence for mediation of both protective and deleterious effects. Glial populations are heterogeneously distributed throughout the brain and capable of dynamic transitions along a spectrum of functional activation states between pro- and antiinflammatory polarization extremes. Using a murine model of Rocky Mountain Laboratory scrapie, the neuroinflammatory response to prion infection was characterized by evaluating glial activation across 15 brain regions over time and correlating it to traditional markers of prion neuropathology, including vacuolation and PrPSc deposition. Quantitative immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate glial expression of iNOS and Arg1, markers of classical and alternative glial activation, respectively. The results indicate progressive upregulation of iNOS in microglia and a mixed astrocytic profile featuring iNOS expression in white matter tracts and detection of Arg1-positive populations throughout the brain. These data establish a temporospatial lesion profile for this prion infection model and demonstrate evidence of multiple glial activation states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyona V Michael
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- US Department of Agriculture, Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Tyler A Harm
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - S Jo Moore
- US Department of Agriculture, Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Min Zhang
- Department of Statistics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Melissa S Lind
- US Department of Agriculture, Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, USA.,BluePearl Pet Hospital, Des Moines, IA, USA
| | - M Heather West Greenlee
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Jodi D Smith
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
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Moore SJ, Smith JD, Richt JA, Greenlee JJ. Raccoons accumulate PrP Sc after intracranial inoculation of the agents of chronic wasting disease or transmissible mink encephalopathy but not atypical scrapie. J Vet Diagn Invest 2019; 31:200-209. [PMID: 30694116 DOI: 10.1177/1040638718825290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the accumulation of misfolded prion protein (PrPSc) in the brain and other tissues. Animal prion diseases include scrapie in sheep, chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids, and transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) in ranch-raised mink. We investigated the susceptibility of raccoons to various prion disease agents and compared the clinicopathologic features of the resulting disease. Raccoon kits were inoculated intracranially with the agents of raccoon-passaged TME (TMERac), bovine-passaged TME (TMEBov), hamster-adapted drowsy (TMEDY) or hyper TME (TMEHY), CWD from white-tailed deer (CWDWtd) or elk (CWDElk), or atypical (Nor98) scrapie. Raccoons were euthanized when they developed clinical signs of prion disease or at study endpoint (<82 mo post-inoculation). Brain was examined for the presence of spongiform change, and disease-associated PrPSc was detected using an enzyme immunoassay, western blot, and immunohistochemistry. All raccoons inoculated with the agents of TMERac and TMEBov developed clinical disease at ~6.6 mo post-inoculation, with widespread PrPSc accumulation in central nervous system tissues. PrPSc was detected in the brain of 1 of 4 raccoons in each of the CWDWtd-, CWDElk-, and TMEHY-inoculated groups. None of the raccoons inoculated with TMEDY or atypical scrapie agents developed clinical disease or detectable PrPSc accumulation. Our results indicate that raccoons are highly susceptible to infection with raccoon- and bovine-passaged TME agents, whereas CWD isolates from white-tailed deer or elk and hamster-adapted TMEHY transmit poorly. Raccoons appear to be resistant to infection with hamster-adapted TMEDY and atypical scrapie agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Jo Moore
- National Animal Disease Center, Ames, IA (Moore, Greenlee).,Iowa State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ames, IA (Smith).,Kansas State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Manhattan, KS (Richt)
| | - Jodi D Smith
- National Animal Disease Center, Ames, IA (Moore, Greenlee).,Iowa State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ames, IA (Smith).,Kansas State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Manhattan, KS (Richt)
| | - Jürgen A Richt
- National Animal Disease Center, Ames, IA (Moore, Greenlee).,Iowa State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ames, IA (Smith).,Kansas State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Manhattan, KS (Richt)
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- National Animal Disease Center, Ames, IA (Moore, Greenlee).,Iowa State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ames, IA (Smith).,Kansas State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Manhattan, KS (Richt)
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Hwang S, Greenlee JJ, Vance NM, Nicholson EM. Source genotype influence on cross species transmission of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies evaluated by RT-QuIC. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0209106. [PMID: 30571737 PMCID: PMC6301698 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Scrapie is a naturally occurring transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of sheep and goats. This fatal neurodegenerative disease is caused by misfolding of the cellular prion protein to pathogenic β-rich conformers (PrPSc) that accumulate in higher order structures of the brain and other tissues. This conversion has been used for in vitro assays including serial protein misfolding amplification and real-time quaking induced conversion (RT-QuIC). RT-QuIC can be used for the detection of prions and for strain discrimination in a variety of biological tissues from humans and animals. In this study, we evaluated how PrPSc isolated from sheep of different genotypes after inoculation with the scrapie agent influence the fibril formation in vitro using RT-QuIC. We found that reaction mixtures seeded with PrPSc from genotype VRQ/VRQ sheep brains have better conversion efficiency with 132M elk substrate compared to reactions seeded with PrPSc from the brains of sheep with the ARQ/ARQ genotype no matter which strain of scrapie was used to seed the reactions. We also inoculated transgenic mice expressing 132M elk PRNP (Tg12) with the scrapie agent from different genotypes of sheep to compare with our RT-QuIC results. The bioassays support the data showing a significantly shorter incubation period for inoculum from VRQ/VRQ sheep when compared to inoculum from ARQ/ARQ sheep. Thus, we conclude that the genotype of both source and recipient can strongly influence transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soyoun Hwang
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Virus and Prion Research Unit, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Justin J. Greenlee
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Virus and Prion Research Unit, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Natalie M. Vance
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Virus and Prion Research Unit, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Eric M. Nicholson
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Virus and Prion Research Unit, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Cassmann ED, Moore SJ, Smith JD, Greenlee JJ. Sheep With the Homozygous Lysine-171 Prion Protein Genotype Are Resistant to Classical Scrapie After Experimental Oronasal Inoculation. Vet Pathol 2018; 56:409-417. [PMID: 30558513 DOI: 10.1177/0300985818817066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Scrapie is a fatal neurodegenerative disease of sheep resulting from the accumulation of a misfolded form of the prion protein (PrPSc). Polymorphisms in the host prion protein gene ( PRNP) can affect susceptibility to the scrapie agent. Lysine (K) at codon 171 of PRNP is an inadequately characterized, naturally occurring polymorphism in sheep. We inoculated Barbado sheep with PRNP genotypes QQ171, QK171, or KK171 by either the intracranial (IC, n = 2-7 per genotype) or oronasal (ON, n = 5 per genotype) routes with a scrapie isolate to investigate the effect of lysine at codon 171 on susceptibility. When neurologic signs were observed or at the end of the experiment (70 months postinoculation [MPI]), sheep were necropsied and tissue collected for histopathologic, immunohistochemical, enzyme immunoassay and Western blot examination for PrPSc. All genotypes of sheep developed scrapie after IC inoculation. After ON inoculation, sheep with the QK171 genotype had prolonged incubation periods compared to the QQ genotype. During the experiment, 2 of 5 of the ON-inoculated QK genotype sheep developed neurologic signs and had PrPSc in the brain. The other 3 of 5 sheep were asymptomatic at 70 MPI but had detectable PrPSc in peripheral tissues. None of the ON-inoculated sheep of the KK171 genotype developed signs or had detectable PrPSc. Our experiments demonstrate that sheep with the KK171 genotype are resistant to scrapie via oronasal exposure and that sheep with the QK171 genotype have prolonged incubation relative to QQ171 sheep. The K171 prion protein allele may be useful to enhance scrapie resistance in certain breeds of sheep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric D Cassmann
- 1 Department of Veterinary Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Sarah Jo Moore
- 2 United States Department of Agriculture, Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Jodi D Smith
- 1 Department of Veterinary Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- 2 United States Department of Agriculture, Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, USA
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26
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Mammadova N, Summers CM, Kokemuller RD, He Q, Ding S, Baron T, Yu C, Valentine RJ, Sakaguchi DS, Kanthasamy AG, Greenlee JJ, Heather West Greenlee M. Accelerated accumulation of retinal α-synuclein (pSer129) and tau, neuroinflammation, and autophagic dysregulation in a seeded mouse model of Parkinson's disease. Neurobiol Dis 2018; 121:1-16. [PMID: 30218757 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2018.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Revised: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by accumulation of misfolded α-synuclein within the central nervous system (CNS). Visual problems in PD patients are common, although retinal pathology associated with PD is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate retinal pathology in a transgenic mouse model (TgM83) expressing the human A53T α-synuclein mutation and assess the effect of α-synuclein "seeding" on the development of retinal pathology. Two-month-old TgM83 mice were intracerebrally inoculated with brain homogenate from old (12-18 months) TgM83 mice. Retinas were then analyzed at 5 months of age. We analyzed retinas from 5-month-old and 8-month-old uninoculated healthy TgM83 mice, and old (12-18 months) mice that were euthanized following the development of clinical signs. Retinas of B6C3H mice (genetic background of the TgM83 mouse) served as control. We used immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis to detect accumulation of α-synuclein, pTauThr231, inflammation, changes in macroautophagy, and cell death. Raman spectroscopy was used to test the potential to differentiate between retinal tissues of healthy mice and diseased mice. This work demonstrates retinal changes associated with the A53T mutation. Retinas of non-inoculated TgM83 mice had accumulation of α-synuclein, "pre-tangle" tau, activation of retinal glial cells, and photoreceptor cell loss by 8 months of age. The development of these changes is accelerated by inoculation with brain homogenate from clinically ill TgM83 mice. Compared to non-inoculated 5-month-old TgM83 mice, retinas of inoculated 5-month-old mice had increased accumulation of α-synuclein (pSer129) and pTauThr231 proteins, upregulated microglial activation, and dysregulated macroautophagy. Raman spectroscopic analysis was able to discriminate between healthy and diseased mice. This study describes retinal pathology resulting from the A53T mutation. We show that seeding with brain homogenates from old TgM83 mice accelerates retinal pathology. We demonstrate that Raman spectroscopy can be used to accurately identify a diseased retina based on its biochemical profile, and that α-synuclein accumulation may contribute to accumulation of pTauThr231 proteins, neuroinflammation, metabolic dysregulation, and photoreceptor cell death. Our work provides insight into retinal changes associated with Parkinson's disease, and may contribute to a better understanding of visual symptoms experienced by patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Najiba Mammadova
- Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States; Immunobiology Graduate Program, Iowa State University, United States; Neuroscience Graduate Program, Iowa State University, United States.
| | - Corey M Summers
- Immunobiology Graduate Program, Iowa State University, United States; Department of Kinesiology, Iowa State University, United States.
| | - Robyn D Kokemuller
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Iowa State University, United States; Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, United States; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ames, IA, United States.
| | - Qing He
- Department of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States.
| | - Shaowei Ding
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States.
| | - Thierry Baron
- Anses, Laboratoire de Lyon, Unité Maladies Neurodégénératives, Lyon, France.
| | - Chenxu Yu
- Department of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States.
| | - Rudy J Valentine
- Immunobiology Graduate Program, Iowa State University, United States; Department of Kinesiology, Iowa State University, United States.
| | - Donald S Sakaguchi
- Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States; Neuroscience Graduate Program, Iowa State University, United States.
| | - Anumantha G Kanthasamy
- Immunobiology Graduate Program, Iowa State University, United States; Neuroscience Graduate Program, Iowa State University, United States; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ames, IA, United States.
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, United States.
| | - M Heather West Greenlee
- Immunobiology Graduate Program, Iowa State University, United States; Neuroscience Graduate Program, Iowa State University, United States; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ames, IA, United States.
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27
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Abstract
Scrapie is a naturally occurring transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) or prion disease of sheep and goats. Scrapie is a protein misfolding disease where the normal prion protein (PrPC) misfolds into a pathogenic form (PrPSc) that is highly resistant to enzymatic breakdown within the cell and accumulates, eventually leading to neurodegeneration. The amino acid sequence of the prion protein and tissue distribution of PrPSc within affected hosts have a major role in determining susceptibility to and potential environmental contamination with the scrapie agent. Many countries have genotype-based eradication programs that emphasize using rams that express arginine at codon 171 in the prion protein, which is associated with resistance to the classical scrapie agent. In classical scrapie, accumulation of PrPSc within lymphoid and other tissues facilitates environmental contamination and spread of the disease within flocks. A major distinction can be made between classical scrapie strains that are readily spread within populations of susceptible sheep and goats and atypical (Nor-98) scrapie that has unique molecular and phenotype characteristics and is thought to occur spontaneously in older sheep or goats. This review provides an overview of classical and atypical scrapie with consideration of potential transmission of classical scrapie to other mammalian hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin J Greenlee
- 1 Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, USA
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Moore SJ, Vrentas CE, Hwang S, West Greenlee MH, Nicholson EM, Greenlee JJ. Pathologic and biochemical characterization of PrP Sc from elk with PRNP polymorphisms at codon 132 after experimental infection with the chronic wasting disease agent. BMC Vet Res 2018. [PMID: 29523205 PMCID: PMC5845354 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-018-1400-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) prion protein gene (PRNP) is polymorphic at codon 132, with leucine (L132) and methionine (M132) allelic variants present in the population. In elk experimentally inoculated with the chronic wasting disease (CWD) agent, different incubation periods are associated with PRNP genotype: LL132 elk survive the longest, LM132 elk are intermediate, and MM132 elk the shortest. The purpose of this study was to investigate potential mechanisms underlying variations in incubation period in elk of different prion protein genotypes. Elk calves of three PRNP genotypes (n = 2 MM132, n = 2 LM132, n = 4 LL132) were orally inoculated with brain homogenate from elk clinically affected with CWD. RESULTS Elk with longer incubation periods accumulated relatively less PrPSc in the brain than elk with shorter incubation periods. PrPSc accumulation in LM132 and MM132 elk was primarily neuropil-associated while glial-associated immunoreactivity was prominent in LL132 elk. The fibril stability of PrPSc from MM132 and LM132 elk were similar to each other and less stable than that from LL132 elk. Real-time quaking induced conversion assays (RT-QuIC) revealed differences in the ability of PrPSc seed from elk of different genotypes to convert recombinant 132 M or 132 L substrate. CONCLUSIONS This study provides further evidence of the importance of PRNP genotype in the pathogenesis of CWD of elk. The longer incubation periods observed in LL132 elk are associated with PrPSc that is more stable and relatively less abundant at the time of clinical disease. The biochemical properties of PrPSc from MM132 and LM132 elk are similar to each other and different to PrPSc from LL132 elk. The shorter incubation periods in MM132 compared to LM132 elk may be the result of genotype-dependent differences in the efficiency of propagation of PrPSc moieties present in the inoculum. A better understanding of the mechanisms by which the polymorphisms at codon 132 in elk PRNP influence disease pathogenesis will help to improve control of CWD in captive and free-ranging elk populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Jo Moore
- USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Virus and Prion Research Unit, Ames, USA
| | - Catherine E Vrentas
- USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Virus and Prion Research Unit, Ames, USA
| | - Soyoun Hwang
- USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Virus and Prion Research Unit, Ames, USA
| | - M Heather West Greenlee
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, USA
| | - Eric M Nicholson
- USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Virus and Prion Research Unit, Ames, USA
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Virus and Prion Research Unit, Ames, USA.
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Hwang S, West Greenlee MH, Balkema-Buschmann A, Groschup MH, Nicholson EM, Greenlee JJ. Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion Detection of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Prions in a Subclinical Steer. Front Vet Sci 2018; 4:242. [PMID: 29404344 PMCID: PMC5780402 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2017.00242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2017] [Accepted: 12/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) belongs to a group of fatal prion diseases that result from the misfolding of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) into a pathogenic form (PrPSc) that accumulates in the brain. In vitro assays such as serial protein misfolding amplification and real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) allow assessment of the conversion of PrPC to PrPSc. RT-QuIC can be used for the detection of prions in a variety of biological tissues from humans and animals. However, there is no such comparison of RT-QuIC data between BSE positive and presymptomatic cattle. Further, the current study assesses prion distribution in multiple brain regions of clinically ill or subclinical animals. Here, we compare RT-QuIC reactions seeded with brain samples collected from experimentally inoculated cattle that were clinically ill or subclinically affected with BSE. The results demonstrate RT-QuIC seeding in various brain regions of an animal with subclinical BSE despite being determined negative by immunohistochemistry. Bioassay of the subclinical animal and RT-QuIC of brainstem from inoculated knockout (PRNP-/-) cattle were used to confirm infectivity in the subclinical animal and determine that RT-QuIC reactions were not the result of residual inoculum, respectively. These results confirm that RT-QuIC is a highly sensitive prion detection assay that can detect prions in a steer prior to the onset of clinical signs of BSE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soyoun Hwang
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Virus and Prion Research Unit, Ames, IA, United States
| | - M Heather West Greenlee
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Anne Balkema-Buschmann
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Martin H Groschup
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Eric M Nicholson
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Virus and Prion Research Unit, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Virus and Prion Research Unit, Ames, IA, United States
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Vrentas CE, Greenlee JJ, Foster GH, West J, Jahnke MM, Schmidt MT, Nicholson EM. Effects of a naturally occurring amino acid substitution in bovine PrP: a model for inherited prion disease in a natural host species. BMC Res Notes 2017; 10:759. [PMID: 29262866 PMCID: PMC5738711 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-017-3085-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective The most common hereditary prion disease is human Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), associated with a mutation in the prion gene resulting in a glutamic acid to lysine substitution at position 200 (E200K) in the prion protein. Models of E200K CJD in transgenic mice have proven interesting but have limitations including inconsistencies in disease presentation, requirement for mixed species chimeric protein constructs, and the relatively short life span and time to disease onset in rodents. These factors limit research on the mechanism by which the mutation drives disease development. Therefore, our objective was to provide the first assessment of cattle carrying the homologous mutation, E211K, as a system for investigating longer-term disease mechanisms. The E211K substitution was associated with a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy from 2006. Results We assessed the molecular properties of bovine E211K prion protein, characterized the molecular genetics of a population of cattle E211K carriers (offspring of the original EK211 cow) in relation to findings in humans, and generated preliminary evidence that the impacts of copper-induced oxidative stress may be different in cattle as compared to observations in transgenic mouse models. The cattle E211K system provides the opportunity for future analysis of physiological changes over time. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-017-3085-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine E Vrentas
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Gregory H Foster
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Ames, IA, USA
| | - James West
- Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Marianna M Jahnke
- Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Mark T Schmidt
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Eric M Nicholson
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Ames, IA, USA.
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31
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Moore SJ, West Greenlee MH, Kondru N, Manne S, Smith JD, Kunkle RA, Kanthasamy A, Greenlee JJ. Experimental Transmission of the Chronic Wasting Disease Agent to Swine after Oral or Intracranial Inoculation. J Virol 2017; 91:e00926-17. [PMID: 28701407 PMCID: PMC5599732 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00926-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2017] [Accepted: 07/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a naturally occurring, fatal neurodegenerative disease of cervids. The potential for swine to serve as hosts for the agent of CWD is unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the susceptibility of swine to the CWD agent following experimental oral or intracranial inoculation. Crossbred piglets were assigned to three groups, intracranially inoculated (n = 20), orally inoculated (n = 19), and noninoculated (n = 9). At approximately the age at which commercial pigs reach market weight, half of the pigs in each group were culled ("market weight" groups). The remaining pigs ("aged" groups) were allowed to incubate for up to 73 months postinoculation (mpi). Tissues collected at necropsy were examined for disease-associated prion protein (PrPSc) by Western blotting (WB), antigen capture enzyme immunoassay (EIA), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and in vitro real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC). Brain samples from selected pigs were also bioassayed in mice expressing porcine prion protein. Four intracranially inoculated aged pigs and one orally inoculated aged pig were positive by EIA, IHC, and/or WB. By RT-QuIC, PrPSc was detected in lymphoid and/or brain tissue from one or more pigs in each inoculated group. The bioassay was positive in four out of five pigs assayed. This study demonstrates that pigs can support low-level amplification of CWD prions, although the species barrier to CWD infection is relatively high. However, detection of infectivity in orally inoculated pigs with a mouse bioassay raises the possibility that naturally exposed pigs could act as a reservoir of CWD infectivity.IMPORTANCE We challenged domestic swine with the chronic wasting disease agent by inoculation directly into the brain (intracranially) or by oral gavage (orally). Disease-associated prion protein (PrPSc) was detected in brain and lymphoid tissues from intracranially and orally inoculated pigs as early as 8 months of age (6 months postinoculation). Only one pig developed clinical neurologic signs suggestive of prion disease. The amount of PrPSc in the brains and lymphoid tissues of positive pigs was small, especially in orally inoculated pigs. Regardless, positive results obtained with orally inoculated pigs suggest that it may be possible for swine to serve as a reservoir for prion disease under natural conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Jo Moore
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, Iowa, USA
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
| | - M Heather West Greenlee
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Naveen Kondru
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Sireesha Manne
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Jodi D Smith
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Robert A Kunkle
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Anumantha Kanthasamy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, Iowa, USA
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Mammadova N, Ghaisas S, Zenitsky G, Sakaguchi DS, Kanthasamy AG, Greenlee JJ, West Greenlee MH. Lasting Retinal Injury in a Mouse Model of Blast-Induced Trauma. Am J Pathol 2017; 187:1459-1472. [PMID: 28606756 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2017.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2017] [Accepted: 03/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury due to blast exposure is currently the most prevalent of war injuries. Although secondary ocular blast injuries due to flying debris are more common, primary ocular blast exposure resulting from blast wave pressure has been reported among survivors of explosions, but with limited understanding of the resulting retinal pathologies. Using a compressed air-driven shock tube system, adult male and female C57BL/6 mice were exposed to blast wave pressure of 300 kPa (43.5 psi) per day for 3 successive days, and euthanized 30 days after injury. We assessed retinal tissues using immunofluorescence for glial fibrillary acidic protein, microglia-specific proteins Iba1 and CD68, and phosphorylated tau (AT-270 pThr181 and AT-180 pThr231). Primary blast wave pressure resulted in activation of Müller glia, loss of photoreceptor cells, and an increase in phosphorylated tau in retinal neurons and glia. We found that 300-kPa blasts yielded no detectable cognitive or motor deficits, and no neurochemical or biochemical evidence of injury in the striatum or prefrontal cortex, respectively. These changes were detected 30 days after blast exposure, suggesting the possibility of long-lasting retinal injury and neuronal inflammation after primary blast exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Najiba Mammadova
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa; Immunobiology Graduate Program, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa; Neuroscience Graduate Program, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
| | - Shivani Ghaisas
- Immunobiology Graduate Program, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ames, Iowa
| | - Gary Zenitsky
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ames, Iowa
| | - Donald S Sakaguchi
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa; Neuroscience Graduate Program, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
| | - Anumantha G Kanthasamy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ames, Iowa
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, Iowa
| | - M Heather West Greenlee
- Immunobiology Graduate Program, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa; Neuroscience Graduate Program, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ames, Iowa.
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Hwang S, Greenlee JJ, Nicholson EM. Use of bovine recombinant prion protein and real-time quaking-induced conversion to detect cattle transmissible mink encephalopathy prions and discriminate classical and atypical L- and H-Type bovine spongiform encephalopathy. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0172391. [PMID: 28225797 PMCID: PMC5321280 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0172391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2016] [Accepted: 02/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Prions are amyloid-forming proteins that cause transmissible spongiform encephalopathies through a process involving conversion from the normal cellular prion protein to the pathogenic misfolded conformation (PrPSc). This conversion has been used for in vitro assays including serial protein misfolding amplification and real-time quaking induced conversion (RT-QuIC). RT-QuIC can be used for the detection of prions in a variety of biological tissues from humans and animals. Extensive work has been done to demonstrate that RT-QuIC is a rapid, specific, and highly sensitive prion detection assay. RT-QuIC uses recombinant prion protein to detect minute amounts of PrPSc. RT-QuIC has been successfully used to detect PrPSc from different prion diseases with a variety of substrates including hamster, human, sheep, bank vole, bovine and chimeric forms of prion protein. However, recombinant bovine prion protein has not been used to detect transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) or to differentiate types of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in samples from cattle. We evaluated whether PrPSc from TME and BSE infected cattle can be detected with RT-QuIC using recombinant bovine prion proteins, and optimized the reaction conditions to specifically detect cattle TME and to discriminate between classical and atypical BSE by conversion efficiency. We also found that substrate composed of the disease associated E211K mutant protein can be effective for the detection of TME in cattle and that wild type prion protein appears to be a practical substrate to discriminate between the different types of BSEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soyoun Hwang
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States of America
| | - Justin J. Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States of America
| | - Eric M. Nicholson
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Moore SJ, West Greenlee MH, Smith JD, Vrentas CE, Nicholson EM, Greenlee JJ. A Comparison of Classical and H-Type Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Associated with E211K Prion Protein Polymorphism in Wild-Type and EK211 Cattle Following Intracranial Inoculation. Front Vet Sci 2016; 3:78. [PMID: 27695695 PMCID: PMC5023952 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2016.00078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2016] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In 2006, a case of H-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE-H) was diagnosed in a cow that was associated with a heritable polymorphism in the bovine prion protein gene (PRNP) resulting in a lysine for glutamate amino acid substitution at codon 211 (called E211K) of the prion protein. Although the prevalence of this polymorphism is low, cattle carrying the K211 allele may be predisposed to rapid onset of BSE-H when exposed or to the potential development of a genetic BSE. This study was conducted to better understand the relationship between the K211 polymorphism and its effect on BSE phenotype. BSE-H from the US 2006 case was inoculated intracranially (IC) in one PRNP wild-type (EE211) calf and one EK211 calf. In addition, one wild-type calf and one EK211 calf were inoculated IC with brain homogenate from a US 2003 classical BSE case. All cattle developed clinical disease. The survival time of the E211K BSE-H inoculated EK211 calf (10 months) was shorter than the wild-type calf (18 months). This genotype effect was not observed in classical BSE inoculated cattle (both 26 months). Significant changes in retinal function were observed in H-type BSE challenged cattle only. Cattle challenged with the same inoculum showed similar severity and neuroanatomical distribution of vacuolation and disease-associated prion protein deposition in the brain, though differences in neuropathology were observed between E211K BSE-H and classical BSE inoculated animals. Western blot results for brain tissue from challenged animals were consistent with the inoculum strains. This study demonstrates that the phenotype of E211K BSE-H remains stable when transmitted to cattle without the K211 polymorphism, and exhibits a number of features that differ from classical BSE in both wild-type and heterozygous EK211 animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Jo Moore
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, United States Department of Agriculture , Ames, IA , USA
| | - M Heather West Greenlee
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Interdepartmental Toxicology Program, Iowa State University , Ames, IA , USA
| | - Jodi D Smith
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, United States Department of Agriculture , Ames, IA , USA
| | - Catherine E Vrentas
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, United States Department of Agriculture , Ames, IA , USA
| | - Eric M Nicholson
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, United States Department of Agriculture , Ames, IA , USA
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, United States Department of Agriculture , Ames, IA , USA
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Greenlee JJ, Hamir AN, West Greenlee MH. Abnormal Prion Accumulation Associated with Retinal Pathology in Experimentally Inoculated Scrapie-Affected Sheep. Vet Pathol 2016; 43:733-9. [PMID: 16966452 DOI: 10.1354/vp.43-5-733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to characterize the patterns of PrPSc immunoreactivity in the retinae of scrapie-affected sheep and to determine the extent of retinal pathology as indicated by glial fibrillary acidic protein immunoreactivity (GFAP-IR) of Müller glia. Sections from the retina of 13 experimentally inoculated scrapie-affected and 2 negative control sheep were examined with immunohistochemical staining for PrPSc, GFAP, and PrPSc/GFAP double staining. GFAP-IR of Müller glia is suggestive of retinal pathology in the absence of morphologic abnormality detected by light microscopy. Sheep with the least amount of PrPSc in the retina have multifocal punctate aggregates of prion staining in the outer half of the inner plexiform layer and rarely in the outer plexiform layer. In these retinae, GFAP-IR is not localized with prion accumulation, but rather is present in moderate numbers of Müller glia throughout the sections of retina examined. The majority of sheep with retinal accumulation of PrPSc have intense, diffuse PrPSc staining in both plexiform layers, with immunoreactivity in the cytoplasm of multiple ganglion cells and lesser amounts in the optic fiber layer and between nuclei in nuclear layers. This intense PrPSc immunoreactivity is associated with diffuse, intense GFAP-IR that extends from the inner limiting membrane to the outer limiting membrane. This is the first report of a prion disease in a natural host that describes the accumulation of PrPSc in retina associated with retinal pathology in the absence of overt morphologic changes indicative of retinal degeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- J J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Diseases of Livestock Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service, 2300 Dayton Ave., Ames, IA 50010, USA
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Haley NJ, Siepker C, Greenlee JJ, Richt JA. Limited amplification of chronic wasting disease prions in the peripheral tissues of intracerebrally inoculated cattle. J Gen Virol 2016; 97:1720-1724. [PMID: 27031704 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.000438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease, classified as a prion disease or transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) similar to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Cervids affected by CWD accumulate an abnormal protease-resistant prion protein throughout the central nervous system (CNS), as well as in both lymphatic and excretory tissues - an aspect of prion disease pathogenesis not observed in cattle with BSE. Using seeded amplification through real-time quaking-induced conversion, we investigated whether the bovine host or prion agent was responsible for this aspect of TSE pathogenesis. We blindly examined numerous central and peripheral tissues from cattle inoculated with CWD for prion seeding activity. Seeded amplification was readily detected in the CNS, though rarely observed in peripheral tissues, with a limited distribution similar to that of BSE prions in cattle. This seems to indicate that prion peripheralization in cattle is a host-driven characteristic of TSE infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J Haley
- Department of Basic Sciences, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ, USA.,Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Christopher Siepker
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Jürgen A Richt
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
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Abstract
Prion diseases or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are fatal protein-misfolding neurodegenerative diseases. TSEs have been described in several species, including bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, scrapie in sheep and goats, chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids, transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) in mink, and Kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans. These diseases are associated with the accumulation of a protease-resistant, disease-associated isoform of the prion protein (called PrP(Sc)) in the central nervous system and other tissues, depending on the host species. Typically, TSEs are acquired through exposure to infectious material, but inherited and spontaneous TSEs also occur. All TSEs share pathologic features and infectious mechanisms but have distinct differences in transmission and epidemiology due to host factors and strain differences encoded within the structure of the misfolded prion protein. The possibility that BSE can be transmitted to humans as the cause of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease has brought attention to this family of diseases. This review is focused on the TSEs of livestock: bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle and scrapie in sheep and goats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin J Greenlee
- Justin J. Greenlee, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVP, is a research veterinary medical officer in the Virus and Prion Research Unit of the National Animal Disease Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service in Ames, Iowa. M. Heather West Greenlee, PhD, is an associate professor of biomedical sciences at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine
| | - M Heather West Greenlee
- Justin J. Greenlee, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVP, is a research veterinary medical officer in the Virus and Prion Research Unit of the National Animal Disease Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service in Ames, Iowa. M. Heather West Greenlee, PhD, is an associate professor of biomedical sciences at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine
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Greenlee JJ, Smith JD, Hamir AN. Oral inoculation of neonatal Suffolk sheep with the agent of classical scrapie results in PrP(Sc) accumulation in sheep with the PRNP ARQ/ARQ but not the ARQ/ARR genotype. Res Vet Sci 2016; 105:188-91. [PMID: 27033930 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2016.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2015] [Revised: 02/10/2016] [Accepted: 02/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Scrapie is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy that can be transmitted amongst susceptible sheep. The prion protein gene (PRNP) profoundly influences the susceptibility of sheep to the scrapie agent. This study reports the failure to detect PrP(Sc) in nervous or lymphoid tissues of Suffolk sheep of the PRNP ARQ/ARR genotype after oral inoculation with a U.S. scrapie isolate. Lambs were inoculated within the first 24 h of birth with 1 ml of a 10% (wt./vol.) brain homogenate derived from a clinically affected ARQ/ARQ sheep. The inoculated sheep were observed daily throughout the experiment for clinical signs suggestive of scrapie until they were necropsied at 86 months post inoculation. Tissues were collected for examination by immunohistochemistry and enzyme immunoassay, but all failed to demonstrate evidence of scrapie infection. Neonatal sheep of the ARQ/ARQ genotype receiving the same inoculum developed scrapie within 24 months. Lambs of the ARQ/ARR genotype that received the same inoculum by intracranial inoculation develop scrapie with a prolonged incubation period and with abnormal prion present within the central nervous system, but not peripheral lymphoid tissues. Results of this study suggest that ARQ/ARR sheep are resistant to oral infection with the scrapie isolate used even during the neonatal period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, 1920 Dayton Avenue, Ames, IA 50010, USA.
| | - Jodi D Smith
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, 1920 Dayton Avenue, Ames, IA 50010, USA
| | - Amir N Hamir
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, 1920 Dayton Avenue, Ames, IA 50010, USA
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West Greenlee MH, Smith JD, Platt EM, Juarez JR, Timms LL, Greenlee JJ. Changes in retinal function and morphology are early clinical signs of disease in cattle with bovine spongiform encephalopathy. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0119431. [PMID: 25756286 PMCID: PMC4355414 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0119431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2014] [Accepted: 01/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) belongs to a group of fatal, transmissible protein misfolding diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). All TSEs are caused by accumulation of misfolded prion protein (PrPSc) throughout the central nervous system (CNS), which results in neuronal loss and ultimately death. Like other protein misfolding diseases including Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, TSEs are generally not diagnosed until the onset of disease after the appearance of unequivocal clinical signs. As such, identification of the earliest clinical signs of disease may facilitate diagnosis. The retina is the most accessible part of the central nervous system, and retinal pathology in TSE affected animals has been previously reported. Here we describe antemortem changes in retinal function and morphology that are detectable in BSE inoculated animals several months (up to 11 months) prior to the appearance of any other signs of clinical disease. We also demonstrate that differences in the severity of these clinical signs reflect the amount of PrPSc accumulation in the retina and the resulting inflammatory response of the tissue. These results are the earliest reported clinical signs associated with TSE infection and provide a basis for understanding the pathology and evaluating therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Heather West Greenlee
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Interdepartmental Toxicology Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50010, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Jodi D. Smith
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Ames, IA 50010, United States of America
| | - Ekundayo M. Platt
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology and Interdepartmental Toxicology Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50010, United States of America
| | - Jessica R. Juarez
- Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50010, United States of America
| | - Leo L. Timms
- Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50010, United States of America
| | - Justin J. Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Ames, IA 50010, United States of America
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Smith JD, Greenlee JJ. Detection of misfolded prion protein in retina samples of sheep and cattle by use of a commercially available enzyme immunoassay. Am J Vet Res 2014; 75:268-72. [DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.75.3.268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Vrentas CE, Greenlee JJ, Baron T, Caramelli M, Czub S, Nicholson EM. Stability properties of PrP(Sc) from cattle with experimental transmissible spongiform encephalopathies: use of a rapid whole homogenate, protease-free assay. BMC Vet Res 2013; 9:167. [PMID: 23945217 PMCID: PMC3751458 DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-9-167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2013] [Accepted: 08/12/2013] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs), including scrapie in sheep, chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids, transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME), and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), are fatal diseases of the nervous system associated with accumulation of misfolded prion protein (PrPSc). Different strains of TSEs exist, associated with different PrPSc conformations that can be probed by the stability assay, in which PrPSc is treated with increasing concentrations of the denaturant guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl). Results Here, we provide the first comprehensive application of a rapid, protease-free version of the GdnHCl stability assay to brain tissue from cattle experimentally infected with various TSE isolates. Consistent with previous findings from a single Japanese isolate, the L-type isolates of BSE are not distinguishable from classical BSE in this assay. In contrast, H-type isolates of BSE, including our unique isolate of E211K BSE, exhibit higher stability than classical BSE, suggesting that its increased protection against protease digestion at the BSE N-terminus is associated with a higher stability in GdnHCl. While the difference in stability in our version of the assay is likely not large enough for effective use in a diagnostic laboratory setting, the use of alternative experimental conditions may enhance this effect. TSEs from other natural host species that have been passaged in cattle, including CWD and TME, were not distinguishable from classical BSE, while isolates of cattle passaged scrapie exhibited a slight increase in stability as compared to classical BSE. Conclusions These results suggest that the core of PrPSc, as probed in this assay, has similar stability properties among cattle-passaged TSE isolates and that the conformational differences that lead to changes in the proteinase K cleavage site do not cause large changes in the stability of PrPSc from TSE-affected cattle. However, the stability differences observed here will provide a basis of comparison for new isolates of atypical BSE observed in the future and in other geographic locations, especially in the case of H-type BSE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine E Vrentas
- Virus and Prion Disease Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA 50010, USA
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Comoy EE, Mikol J, Ruchoux MM, Durand V, Luccantoni-Freire S, Dehen C, Correia E, Casalone C, Richt JA, Greenlee JJ, Torres JM, Brown P, Deslys JP. Evaluation of the zoonotic potential of transmissible mink encephalopathy. Pathogens 2013; 2:520-32. [PMID: 25437205 PMCID: PMC4235697 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens2030520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2013] [Revised: 07/28/2013] [Accepted: 07/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Successful transmission of Transmissible Mink Encephalopathy (TME) to cattle supports the bovine hypothesis for the still controversial origin of TME outbreaks. Human and primate susceptibility to classical Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (c-BSE) and the transmissibility of L-type BSE to macaques indicate a low cattle-to-primate species barrier. We therefore evaluated the zoonotic potential of cattle-adapted TME. In less than two years, this strain induced in cynomolgus macaques a neurological disease similar to L-BSE but distinct from c-BSE. TME derived from another donor species (raccoon) induced a similar disease with even shorter incubation periods. L-BSE and cattle-adapted TME were also transmissible to transgenic mice expressing human prion protein (PrP). Secondary transmissions to transgenic mice expressing bovine PrP maintained the features of the three tested bovine strains (cattle TME, c-BSE and L-BSE) regardless of intermediate host. Thus, TME is the third animal prion strain transmissible to both macaques and humanized transgenic mice, suggesting zoonotic potentials that should be considered in the risk analysis of animal prion diseases for human health. Moreover, the similarities between TME and L-BSE are highly suggestive of a link between these strains, and therefore the possible presence of L-BSE for many decades prior to its identification in USA and Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel E Comoy
- CEA, Institute of Emerging Diseases and Innovative Therapies (iMETI), Division of Prions and Related Diseases (SEPIA), Route du Panorama, BP6, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Jacqueline Mikol
- CEA, Institute of Emerging Diseases and Innovative Therapies (iMETI), Division of Prions and Related Diseases (SEPIA), Route du Panorama, BP6, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Marie-Madeleine Ruchoux
- CEA, Institute of Emerging Diseases and Innovative Therapies (iMETI), Division of Prions and Related Diseases (SEPIA), Route du Panorama, BP6, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Valérie Durand
- CEA, Institute of Emerging Diseases and Innovative Therapies (iMETI), Division of Prions and Related Diseases (SEPIA), Route du Panorama, BP6, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Sophie Luccantoni-Freire
- CEA, Institute of Emerging Diseases and Innovative Therapies (iMETI), Division of Prions and Related Diseases (SEPIA), Route du Panorama, BP6, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Capucine Dehen
- CEA, Institute of Emerging Diseases and Innovative Therapies (iMETI), Division of Prions and Related Diseases (SEPIA), Route du Panorama, BP6, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Evelyne Correia
- CEA, Institute of Emerging Diseases and Innovative Therapies (iMETI), Division of Prions and Related Diseases (SEPIA), Route du Panorama, BP6, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Cristina Casalone
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Torino, Italy.
| | - Juergen A Richt
- Kansas State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, K224B Mosier Hall, Manhattan, Kansas 66506-5601 USA.
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, 1920 Dayton Ave, Ames, Iowa 50010 USA.
| | - Juan Maria Torres
- Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria y Alimentaria, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Paul Brown
- CEA, Institute of Emerging Diseases and Innovative Therapies (iMETI), Division of Prions and Related Diseases (SEPIA), Route du Panorama, BP6, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Jean-Philippe Deslys
- CEA, Institute of Emerging Diseases and Innovative Therapies (iMETI), Division of Prions and Related Diseases (SEPIA), Route du Panorama, BP6, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
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Smith JD, Nicholson EM, Greenlee JJ. Evaluation of a combinatorial approach to prion inactivation using an oxidizing agent, SDS, and proteinase K. BMC Vet Res 2013; 9:151. [PMID: 23886483 PMCID: PMC3728008 DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-9-151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2013] [Accepted: 07/24/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prions demonstrate an unusual resistance to methods effective at inactivating conventional microorganisms. This has resulted in a very tangible and difficult infection control challenge to the medical and veterinary communities, as well as animal agriculture and related industries. Currently accepted practices of harsh chemical treatments such as prolonged exposure to sodium hydroxide or sodium hypochlorite, or autoclaving are not suitable in many situations. Less caustic and more readily applicable treatments to contaminated environments are therefore desirable. We recently demonstrated that exposure of the RML scrapie agent to a commercial product containing sodium percarbonate (SPC-P) with or without sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) rendered PrP(Sc) sensitive to proteinase K (PK), but did not eliminate infectivity. The current study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a combinatorial approach to inactivating prions by exposing RML-positive brain homogenate to SPC-P and SDS followed by PK. Treated samples were evaluated for PrP(Sc)-immunoreactivity by western blot, and residual infectivity by mouse bioassay. RESULTS Treatment of infected brain homogenate with SPC-P and SDS followed by PK exposure resulted in a 4-5 log10 reduction in infectivity when bioassayed in tga20 mice. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that exposure of the RML scrapie agent to SPC-P and SDS followed by PK markedly reduces, but does not eliminate infectivity. The results of this study encourage further investigation into whether consecutive or concomitant exposure to sodium percarbonate, SDS, and a protease may serve as a viable and non-caustic option for prion inactivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jodi D Smith
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, 1920 Dayton Ave, Ames, IA 50010, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Eric M Nicholson
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, 1920 Dayton Ave, Ames, IA 50010, USA
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, 1920 Dayton Ave, Ames, IA 50010, USA
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Smith JD, Nicholson EM, Foster GH, Greenlee JJ. Exposure of RML scrapie agent to a sodium percarbonate-based product and sodium dodecyl sulfate renders PrPSc protease sensitive but does not eliminate infectivity. BMC Vet Res 2013; 9:8. [PMID: 23311930 PMCID: PMC3599183 DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-9-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2012] [Accepted: 01/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prions, the causative agents of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, are notoriously difficult to inactivate. Current decontamination recommendations by the World Health Organization include prolonged exposure to 1 N sodium hydroxide or > 20,000 ppm sodium hypochlorite, or autoclaving. For decontamination of large stainless steel surfaces and equipment as in abattoirs, for example, these methods are harsh or unsuitable. The current study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a commercial product containing sodium percarbonate to inactivate prions. Samples of mouse brain infected with a mouse-adapted strain of the scrapie agent (RML) were exposed to a sodium percarbonate-based product (SPC-P). Treated samples were evaluated for abnormal prion protein (PrPSc)-immunoreactivity by western blot analysis, and residual infectivity by mouse bioassay. RESULTS Exposure to a 21% solution of SPC-P or a solution containing either 2.1% or 21% SPC-P in combination with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) resulted in increased proteinase K sensitivity of PrPSc. Limited reductions in infectivity were observed depending on treatment condition. A marginal effect on infectivity was observed with SPC-P alone, but an approximate 2-3 log10 reduction was observed with the addition of SDS, though exposure to SDS alone resulted in an approximate 2 log10 reduction. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that exposure of a mouse-adapted scrapie strain to SPC-P does not eliminate infectivity, but does render PrPSc protease sensitive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jodi D Smith
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, 1920 Dayton Ave, Ames, IA 50010, USA
| | - Eric M Nicholson
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, 1920 Dayton Ave, Ames, IA 50010, USA
| | - Gregory H Foster
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, 1920 Dayton Ave, Ames, IA 50010, USA
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, 1920 Dayton Ave, Ames, IA 50010, USA
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Greenlee JJ, Zhang X, Nicholson EM, Kunkle RA, Hamir AN. Prolonged incubation time in sheep with prion protein containing lysine at position 171. J Vet Diagn Invest 2012; 24:554-8. [PMID: 22529124 DOI: 10.1177/1040638712440993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Sheep scrapie susceptibility or resistance is a function of genotype, with polymorphisms at codon 171 in the sheep prion gene playing a major role. Glutamine (Q) at codon 171 contributes to scrapie susceptibility, while arginine (R) is associated with resistance. In some breeds, lysine (K) occurs at codon 171, but its effect on scrapie resistance has not been determined. Charge and structural similarities between K and R suggest that they may contribute to prion disease susceptibility in a similar way, but studies have not been performed to confirm this. The purpose of the current study was to compare susceptibility and incubation times of AA(136)RR(154)QQ(171) (where the letter denotes the amino acid and the number the position) with AA(136)RR(154)QK(171) sheep after inoculation with scrapie. Barbado AA(136)RR(154)QQ(171) and AA(136)RR(154)QK(171) sheep were inoculated with scrapie intracerebrally to assess their susceptibility to scrapie. After inoculation, sheep were observed daily for clinical signs and were euthanized and necropsied after clinical signs were unequivocal. Tissues were collected at necropsy for immunohistochemistry and Western blot analyses. The QQ(171) sheep had clinical signs approximately 12 months after inoculation, whereas QK(171) animals had an average incubation time of 30 months to onset of clinical signs. The distribution of abnormal prion protein was similar in QQ(171) and QK(171) sheep. Results of the study indicate that sheep with a single K allele at codon 171 are susceptible to scrapie but with a prolonged incubation time. Work is currently underway to examine relative scrapie susceptibility or resistance of KK(171) sheep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Diseases of Livestock Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, 1920 Dayton Avenue, PO Box 70, Ames, IA 50010, USA.
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Greenlee JJ, Nicholson EM, Smith JD, Kunkle RA, Hamir AN. Susceptibility of cattle to the agent of chronic wasting disease from elk after intracranial inoculation. J Vet Diagn Invest 2012; 24:1087-93. [DOI: 10.1177/1040638712461249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cattle could be exposed to the agent of chronic wasting disease (CWD) through contact with infected farmed or free-ranging cervids or exposure to contaminated premises. The purpose of the current study was to assess the potential for CWD derived from elk to transmit to cattle after intracranial inoculation. Calves ( n = 14) were inoculated with brain homogenate derived from elk with CWD to determine the potential for transmission and to define the clinicopathologic features of disease. Cattle were necropsied if clinical signs occurred or at the end of the study (49 months postinoculation; MPI). Clinical signs of poor appetite, weight loss, circling, and bruxism occurred in 2 cattle (14%) at 16 and 17 MPI, respectively. Accumulation of abnormal prion protein (PrPSc) occurred in only the 2 clinically affected cattle and was confined to the central nervous system, with the most prominent immunoreactivity in midbrain, brainstem, and hippocampus with lesser immunoreactivity in the cervical spinal cord. The rate of transmission was lower than in cattle inoculated with CWD derived from mule deer (38%) or white-tailed deer (86%). Additional studies are required to fully assess the potential for cattle to develop CWD through a more natural route of exposure, but a low rate of transmission after intracranial inoculation suggests that risk of transmission through other routes is low. A critical finding is that if CWD did transmit to exposed cattle, currently used diagnostic techniques would detect and differentiate it from other prion diseases in cattle based on absence of spongiform change, distinct pattern of PrPSc deposition, and unique molecular profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin J. Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA
| | - Eric M. Nicholson
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA
| | - Jodi D. Smith
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA
| | - Robert A. Kunkle
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA
| | - Amir N. Hamir
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA
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Vrentas CE, Greenlee JJ, Tatum TL, Nicholson EM. Relationships between PrPSc stability and incubation time for United States scrapie isolates in a natural host system. PLoS One 2012; 7:e43060. [PMID: 22916207 PMCID: PMC3419241 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0043060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2012] [Accepted: 07/18/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), including scrapie in sheep (Ovis aries), are fatal neurodegenerative diseases caused by the misfolding of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) into a â-rich conformer (PrPSc) that accumulates into higher-order structures in the brain and other tissues. Distinct strains of TSEs exist, characterized by different pathologic profiles upon passage into rodents and representing distinct conformations of PrPSc. One biochemical method of distinguishing strains is the stability of PrPSc as determined by unfolding in guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl), which is tightly and positively correlated with the incubation time of disease upon passage into mice. Here, we utilize a rapid, protease-free version of the stability assay to characterize naturally occurring scrapie samples, including a fast-acting scrapie inoculum for which incubation time is highly dependent on the amino acid at codon 136 of the prion protein. We utilize the stability methodology to identify the presence of two distinct isolates in the inoculum, and compare isolate properties to those of a host-stabilized reference scrapie isolate (NADC 13-7) in order to assess the stability/incubation time correlation in a natural host system. We demonstrate the utility of the stability methodology in characterizing TSE isolates throughout serial passage in livestock, which is applicable to a range of natural host systems, including strains of bovine spongiform encephalopathy and chronic wasting disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine E. Vrentas
- National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Justin J. Greenlee
- National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Trudy L. Tatum
- National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Eric M. Nicholson
- National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Tamgüney G, Richt JA, Hamir AN, Greenlee JJ, Miller MW, Wolfe LL, Sirochman TM, Young AJ, Glidden DV, Johnson NL, Giles K, DeArmond SJ, Prusiner SB. Salivary prions in sheep and deer. Prion 2012; 6:52-61. [PMID: 22453179 DOI: 10.4161/pri.6.1.16984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Scrapie of sheep and chronic wasting disease (CWD) of cervids are transmissible prion diseases. Milk and placenta have been identified as sources of scrapie prions but do not explain horizontal transmission. In contrast, CWD prions have been reported in saliva, urine and feces, which are thought to be responsible for horizontal transmission. While the titers of CWD prions have been measured in feces, levels in saliva or urine are unknown. Because sheep produce ~17 L/day of saliva, and scrapie prions are present in tongue and salivary glands of infected sheep, we asked if scrapie prions are shed in saliva. We inoculated transgenic (Tg) mice expressing ovine prion protein, Tg(OvPrP) mice, with saliva from seven Cheviot sheep with scrapie. Six of seven samples transmitted prions to Tg(OvPrP) mice with titers of -0.5 to 1.7 log ID₅₀ U/ml. Similarly, inoculation of saliva samples from two mule deer with CWD transmitted prions to Tg(ElkPrP) mice with titers of -1.1 to -0.4 log ID₅₀ U/ml. Assuming similar shedding kinetics for salivary prions as those for fecal prions of deer, we estimated the secreted salivary prion dose over a 10-mo period to be as high as 8.4 log ID₅₀ units for sheep and 7.0 log ID₅₀ units for deer. These estimates are similar to 7.9 log ID₅₀ units of fecal CWD prions for deer. Because saliva is mostly swallowed, salivary prions may reinfect tissues of the gastrointestinal tract and contribute to fecal prion shedding. Salivary prions shed into the environment provide an additional mechanism for horizontal prion transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gültekin Tamgüney
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
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Greenlee JJ, Smith JD, West Greenlee MH, Nicholson EM. Clinical and pathologic features of H-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy associated with E211K prion protein polymorphism. PLoS One 2012; 7:e38678. [PMID: 22715405 PMCID: PMC3371052 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0038678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2012] [Accepted: 05/11/2012] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The majority of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) cases have been ascribed to the classical form of the disease. H-type and L-type BSE cases have atypical molecular profiles compared to classical BSE and are thought to arise spontaneously. However, one case of H-type BSE was associated with a heritable E211K mutation in the prion protein gene. The purpose of this study was to describe transmission of this unique isolate of H-type BSE when inoculated into a calf of the same genotype by the intracranial route. Electroretinograms were used to demonstrate preclinical deficits in retinal function, and optical coherence tomography was used to demonstrate an antemortem decrease in retinal thickness. The calf rapidly progressed to clinical disease (9.4 months) and was necropsied. Widespread distribution of abnormal prion protein was demonstrated within neural tissues by western blot and immunohistochemistry. While this isolate is categorized as BSE-H due to a higher molecular mass of the unglycosylated PrPSc isoform, a strong labeling of all 3 PrPSc bands with monoclonal antibodies 6H4 and P4, and a second unglycosylated band at approximately 14 kDa when developed with antibodies that bind in the C-terminal region, it is unique from other described cases of BSE-H because of an additional band 23 kDa demonstrated on western blots of the cerebellum. This work demonstrates that this isolate is transmissible, has a BSE-H phenotype when transmitted to cattle with the K211 polymorphism, and has molecular features that distinguish it from other cases of BSE-H described in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin J Greenlee
- National Animal Disease Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, Iowa, United States of America.
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Smith JD, Greenlee JJ, Foster GH, Nicholson EM. Acetone precipitation of the scrapie agent results in successful recovery of PrP(Sc) but decreased infectivity. J Agric Food Chem 2012; 60:4758-4762. [PMID: 22519670 DOI: 10.1021/jf300639h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Bioassay is considered the most sensitive method for evaluating prion inactivation procedures. Because prions are resistant to methods effective at inactivating conventional microorganisms, prion inactivation research has focused on relatively harsh alternatives, such as concentrated sodium hypochlorite or sodium hydroxide. Often, bioassay for residual infectivity in these studies requires dilution or biochemical alteration of the treated sample in order to maintain subject health and survival. Ideally, prions from treated samples could be sufficiently separated from the inactivating agent without alteration of the sample and with negligible loss of infectivity prior to inoculation into the bioassay host. The current study was designed to evaluate acetone precipitation of the disease-associated form of the prion protein (PrP(Sc)) from brain homogenate derived from mice with the RML (Rocky Mountain Laboratory) strain of scrapie. The ability to recover PrP(Sc) was evaluated by Western blot. Dilutions of acetone-precipitated RML-positive brain homogenate were compared to nonprecipitated RML homogenate, resulting in similar PrP(Sc) detection levels down to 0.025 mg equivalents of brain tissue. The impact of the method on infectivity was investigated by bioassay in intracranially inoculated tga20 mice. Additionally, contributions to infectivity from the pellet and supernatant fractions were investigated. Acetone precipitation resulted in a 1-log₁₀ reduction in infectivity. Infectivity could not be reconstituted by the acetone soluble fraction of the infectious sample or uninfected brain. This study demonstrates that PrP(Sc) can successfully be precipitated out of infected brain homogenate using acetone but that there is a reduction in infectivity attributable to the procedure that would need to be considered when evaluating bioassay results.
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Affiliation(s)
- J D Smith
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, Iowa, USA
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