Conformational change in hamster scrapie prion protein (PrP27-30) associated with proteinase K resistance and prion infectivity

The scrapie prion protein (PrP27-30) is a crucial component of the prion and is responsible for its transmissibility. Structural information on this protein is limited because it is insoluble and shows aggregated properties. In this study, PrP27-30 was effectively dispersed using sonication under the weak alkaline condition. Subsequently, the small PrP27-30 aggregates were subjected to different pH, heat, and denaturing conditions. The loss of proteinase K (PK) resistance of PrP27-30 and prion infectivity were monitored along with spectroscopic changes. Prion inactivation could not be achieved by the loss of PK resistance alone; a significant loss of the PrP27-30 amyloid structure, which was represented by a decrease in thioflavin T fluorescence, was required for the loss of transmissibility.     

兽药质量的外观鉴别

本文介绍了如何从兽药包装、标签、说明书及其感官等方面对兽药质量加以初步判断，为兽药监督人员、经营企业和农牧民提供了一些简单的兽药鉴别常识。     

Attenuation of Borrelia anserina by serial passage in liquid medium

Borrelia anserina (Sakharoff) was successfully grown in a liquid medium (Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly) for 39 passages. By the 12th serial passage in medium, infectivity of B anserina for chicks was lost. Electron microscopy did not reveal structural differences between non-infective and infective cultured organisms. Changes in the protein profiles were found by electrophoresis as the organisms were passed in culture.     

蛋白粒子的全新传染机制

蛋白粒子主要引起人和动物的中枢神经系统退行性疾病,称之为蛋白粒子病。许多研究表明蛋白粒子病的致病因子缺乏棱酸,而是由特异的传染性蛋白质组成。该蛋白粒子是一种膜糖蛋白,至少有两种基本形式,即PrP~c和PrP~(ac)。PrP~(ac)是发病的直接原因,而PrP~c向PrP~(ac)转变则是发病的必要条件。文章就蛋白粒子概念、分子生物学以及全新的传染机制作了综合论述。     

Cell models of prion infection

Due to recent renewal of interest and concerns in prion diseases, a number of cell systems permissive to prion multiplication have been generated in the last years. These include established cell lines, neuronal stem cells and primary neuronal cultures. While most of these models are permissive to experimental, mouse-adapted strains of prions, the propagation of natural field isolates from sheep scrapie and chronic wasting disease has been recently achieved. These models have improved our knowledge on the molecular and cellular events controlling the conversion of the PrP(C) protein into abnormal isoforms and on the cell-to-cell spreading of prions. Infected cultured cells will also facilitate investigations on the molecular basis of strain identity and on the mechanisms that lead to neurodegeneration. The ongoing development of new cell models with improved characteristics will certainly be useful for a number of unanswered critical issues in the prion field.     

Westernblot检测奶牛生殖系统朊蛋白的分布

传染性海绵状脑病(TSEs)是一种可引起人和动物一系列神经退化性疾病的一种新型传染病,包括羊瘙痒病(Scrapie)、牛海绵状脑病(BSE)、鹿的慢性消耗性疾病(CWD)、水貂海绵状脑病(MSE)、猫的疯猫病(FSE)、人克雅氏病(CJD)[1-2].     

Effect of isometamidium on Trypanosoma congolense infectivity

Isometamidium chloride (Samorin, RMB, England) is a widely used and highly effective trypanocide for the treatment of bovine trypanosomiases. However, the appearance of isometamidium-resistant populations of T. congolense in Africa makes it necessary to develop methods for the rapid and reliable detection of drug resistance in the laboratory. Currently available tests are time-consuming and/or expensive. In the present study, the short-term in vitro incubation of trypanosomes in a range of isometamidium concentrations and the infectivity of the parasites in mice has been assessed. A series of T. congolense isolates were used which were known to differ in their in vivo sensitivity to the drug. The results showed a close correlation between the known level of resistance and the capability of trypanosomes to remain infective after incubation in isometamidium. Thus isolates displaying a high level of resistance in vivo remained infective following incubation in higher concentrations of drug. This assay may provide a simple and reliable method for detecting drug resistance in T. congolense.     

Involvement of protein in scrapie agent infectivity

The nature of the causative agent of scrapie is not known. Previous work has demonstrated that nuclease digestion does not inactivate scrapie infectivity, but there are conflicting reports about the effects of proteases. It is shown here that the broad range protease, proteinase K, reduces scrapie infectivity under all conditions tested. Control experiments demonstrated that the loss of infectivity is not artefactual and results from protein breakdown. Proteolytic digestion in the presence of detergent greatly increases proteolysis, but does not lead to a further loss of infectivity. This suggests that the protein involved may be a surface component, but whether the component is an integral or secondary part of the agent is not known.     

Long-term survival and infectivity of Salmonella choleraesuis

It is believed that Salmonella Choleraesuis, the host-adapted serotype of swine, does not survive well outside the host. We examined the survival capability as well as the presence of latent DNA of S. Choleraesuis in swine feces. Pigs were infected with S. Choleraesuis and feces was collected and pooled on days 2, 4, 7, and 10 post inoculation (PI). Feces was stored in a wet and a dry form and survival was measured over 13 months. Salmonella Choleraesuis was recovered from wet feces through 3 months of storage. In a desiccated (dry) form, S. Choleraesuis was recovered from at least 13 months. Direct PCR analysis did not detect S. Choleraesuis subsequent to the final culture recovery for any stored sample. We also examined the infectivity of S. Choleraesuis resident in dry feces. Six or 13 week old pigs were inoculated with dry feces that had been stored either 2 months or 4 months, respectively. Pigs were inoculated either intranasally or by mixing dry feces with the swine ration. Although clinical signs were mild, S. Choleraesuis was widely disseminated among the tissues of all the pigs inoculated. This study demonstrates that S. Choleraesuis remains viable and infective in the environment. Therefore, contaminated fecal matter can serve as a reservoir for S. Choleraesuis as well as other Salmonella spp. Control measures must consider this environmental reservoir as a source of new infections.     

实时荧光定量PCR检测PrP基因在金黄地鼠脑组织的动态表达

金黄地鼠是研究动物传染性海绵状脑病的理想模型动物之一,其脑组织内朊蛋白基因动态表达数据的测定对探讨该类疾病的发生、发展和分子致病机理具有重要意义。我们利用实时荧光定量RT-PCR技术,对不同年龄金黄地鼠大脑、小脑、丘脑和脑干PrP基因的表达进行了定量。结果发现,脑的四个检测部位都呈现高的表达量,但是同一年龄段不同组织每纳克总RNA中朊蛋白基因的表达量和每毫克组织中朊蛋白基因的表达量有显著的差别,不同组织在不同年龄出现表达高峰。本研究的结果对于探讨朊蛋白的基本功能和脑组织在传染性海绵状脑病病理发生中的作用,提供了基础数据。     

Generation of reactive oxygen species by equine spermatozoa

OBJECTIVE: To characterize generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by equine spermatozoa. SAMPLE POPULATION: Multiple semen samples collected from 9 stallions. PROCEDURE: Equine spermatozoa were separated from seminal plasma on a discontinuous polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-coated silica gradient and resuspended in a modified Tyrode albumin-lactate-pyruvate medium. Amount of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) generated was assayed by use of a 1-step fluorometric assay, using 10-acetyl-3,7-dihydroxyphenoxazine as a probe for detection of H2O2 in a microplate assay format. Concentration of H2O2 was determined by use of a fluorescence microplate reader. RESULTS: Amount of H2O2 generated increased significantly with time and spermatozoa concentration for live and flash-frozen spermatozoa, and amount of H2O2 generated was significantly greater for flash-frozen than for live spermatozoa. Addition of the reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) significantly increased generation of H2O2 by live and flash-frozen spermatozoa. Addition of a calcium ionophore also significantly increased the amount of H2O2 generated by live spermatozoa but did not have an effect on amount of H2O2 generated by flash-frozen spermatozoa. Abnormal equine spermatozoa generated significantly greater amounts of H2O2 than did normal spermatozoa. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Equine spermatozoa generate ROS in vitro, possibly via a NADPH-oxidase reaction. Spermatozoa damaged during flash-freezing or morphologically abnormal spermatozoa generated significantly greater amounts of ROS than did live or morphologically normal spermatozoa. Damaged and abnormal spermatozoa generate greater amounts of ROS that may contribute to reduced fertility or problems related to semen preservation.     

Healthy goats naturally devoid of prion protein

Prion diseases such as scrapie in small ruminants, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in man, are fatal neurodegenerative disorders. These diseases result from the accumulation of misfolded conformers of the host-encoded prion protein (PrP) in the central nervous system. To date naturally-occurring PrP free animals have not been reported. Here we describe healthy non-transgenic animals, Norwegian Dairy Goats, lacking prion protein due to a nonsense mutation early in the gene. These animals are predicted to be resistant to prion disease and will be valuable for research and for production of prion-free products.     

Molecular subtype-specific clinical diagnosis of prion diseases

Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is a rare transmissible disease caused by accumulation of pathological prion protein (PrP(sc)) in the CNS. According to the codon 129 polymorphism (methionine or valine) and the prion protein type 1 or 2, a classification into distinct subtypes was established. Further analysis of these subtypes detected atypical clinical forms with longer disease duration or younger age at onset. The CJD subtype influences sensitivity of the technical investigations such as 14-3-3 in CSF, periodic sharp wave complexes in the EEG or hyperintense basal ganglia in MRI. A further characterization of these subtypes is important for reliable diagnosis and identification of rare disease variants. The aim is to establish specific patterns of test results and clinical findings. These improvements in diagnostics may be the reason for the apparent increase in sCJD incidence in Germany from 0.9 in 1994 to 1.6 in a million in 2005. Despite careful surveillance, no patient with variant CJD has been detected to date in Germany. Here we present the data of the CJD surveillance of the last 13 years. Additionally, the improvements in diagnostics and differential diagnosis are discussed.     

Degradation of scrapie associated prion protein (PrPSc) by the gastrointestinal microbiota of cattle

A food-borne origin of the transmission of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) to cattle is commonly assumed. However, the fate of infectious prion protein during polygastric digestion remains unclear. It is unknown at present, whether infectious prion proteins, considered to be very stable, are degraded or inactivated by microbial processes in the gastrointestinal tract of cattle. In this study, rumen and colon contents from healthy cattle, taken immediately after slaughter, were used to assess the ability of these microbial consortia to degrade PrP(Sc). Therefore, the consortia were incubated with brain homogenates of scrapie (strain 263K) infected hamsters under physiological anaerobic conditions at 37 degrees C. Within 20 h, PrP(Sc) was digested both with ruminal and colonic microbiota up to immunochemically undetectable levels. Especially polymyxin resistant (mainly gram-positive) bacteria expressed PrP(Sc) degrading activity. These data demonstrate the ability of bovine gastrointestinal microbiota to degrade PrP(Sc) during digestion.     

Reduction of the infectivity of Toxoplasma gondii and Eimeria stiedai sporozoites by treatment with bovine lactoferricin

Sporozoites of Toxoplasma gondii preincubated with lactoferricin showed decreased activity in penetration of mouse embryonal cells. Mice inoculated with 10(5) sporozoites preincubated with lactoferricin showed a higher survival rate than those inoculated with the same number of untreated sporozoites. Likewise, sporozoites of Eimeria stiedai preincubated with lactoferricin also showed decreased activity in penetration of rabbit hepatobiliary cells. Rabbits inoculated with 10(5) sporozoites preincubated with lactoferricin shed fewer oocysts than those inoculated with the same number of untreated sporozoites. These results indicate that lactoferricin is effective to reduce the infectivity of sporozoites of Toxoplasma gondii and Eimeria stiedai.     

用注射器直接对睾丸打点注射EGFP生产转基因兔的试验研究

为探讨直接用 1 mL 注射器对睾丸打点注射pIRES2-EGFP建立操作方便、效率高、成本低、可批量生产转基因兔的可行性.选择4只成年新西兰雄兔,双侧睾丸内分别打点注射 0.5～0.8 mg/mL浓度的质粒 0.25 mL,第 3 周和第 8 周分别取4#和3#雄兔睾丸做冰冻切片,置荧光显微镜下观察是否发绿色荧光.其它雄兔于第 3 周开始参与配种,最后采新生仔兔耳组织提取其基因组进行 PCR 和 Southern 杂交检测阳性率.结果表明,雄兔睾丸冰冻切片于荧光显微镜下可见绿色荧光,PCR 和 Southern 杂交检测表明在睾丸注射后的第 6 周和第 7 周进行配种所得后代阳性率最高.不同雄兔后代经 PCR 和 Southern 杂交检测平均阳性率存在差异(P<0.05),2#雄兔后代平均阳性率达到 56.46%,3#雄兔的最低达36.96%的阳性率.表明用注射器直接对睾丸打点注射外源基因生产转基因的方法操作简便、高效,为大规模制备一些大型家畜的转基因后代奠定了基础.