L8 Prions and TSE Flashcards
what are prion diseases
group of fatal neurodegenerative disorders
what do prions infect
humans and animals
where does the prion disease affect
CNS neurodegeneration usually with spongiform change – PrPSc accumulation
how are prions transmitted
experimentally
naturally
what is the histology of normal cerebellum like
no gaps between cells here
what is the histology of spongiform cerebellum
Vacuoles within cells = give brain characteristic spongy texture
what are prion diseases known as
spongiform encephalopathies
what do prions affect
brain
what is transmissible dementias
dementia is a cardinal feature of these transmissible features
what transmissible spongiform encephalopathies/transmissible dementias/prion diseases infect humans
kuru
creutzfeldt-jacob disease
gerstmann-straussler syndrome
what is BSE
bovine spongy forming encephalopathies
infects cows
what is scrapie
prion disease that infects sheep
what is TME
prion disease that infects mink
what is chronic wasting disease
prion disease that infects mule deer, elk
what are TSE proteins sensitive to
proteases
SDS
phenol
what are the TSE nucleic acids resistant to
nucleases (DNase, RNase) ionising or UV irradiation psoralen photoadducts hydroxylamine aldehydes
what do TSE causative agents include
protein
no evidence causative agent contains nucleic acid
scrapie associated fibrils
PrP 27-30
how can TSE have reduced infectivity
treat in a way to alter protein structures
what is SAF
scrapie-associated fibrils
what are the single protein species in scrapie
PrP27-30
what is PrP from
PrP33-35
where is PrPc present
it is a normal cellular gene that we all have encodes PrPc
which PrP 33-35 is sensitive to proteinaseK
PrPc 33-35
what is PrPSc 33-35 digested to
proteinase K resistant digested to PrP 27-30 and no further digestion
what causes prion disease
when PrP27-30 is made and no further digestion leads to accumulation
what causes scrapie
PrPSc accumulates in scrapie infected brains
what differs in the brain of infected and normal
infective brain is protease resistant but normal brain is sensitive – different protein structure of PrPC
what are the PrP isoforms
PrPC 33-35
PrPSc 33-35
when is there change in the PrP isoforms
post translational
what is the biochemical difference to PrP isoforms
none
same gene sequence, mRNA, amino acid sequence
what happens when PrPc is present in infected = lifecycle
PrPC sporadic structural change to PrPSc
PrPSc digested to PrP27-30 and is stuck
PrP27-30 catalyses conversion of PrPC into PrPSc
= large amounts of indigestible PrP27-30
= neurodegenerative disease