Cell-surface expression of PrPC and the presence of scrapie prions in the blood of goats

• Published in: Journal of general virology Vol. 93; no. Pt 5; pp. 1127 - 1131
• Main Authors: DASSANAYAKE, Rohana P, SCHNEIDER, David A, HERRMANN-HOESING, Lynn M, TRUSCOTT, Thomas C, DAVIS, William C, O'ROURKE, Katherine I
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Reading Society for General Microbiology 01.05.2012
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - blood; Flow Cytometry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression; Goat Diseases - diagnosis; Goat Diseases - pathology; Goats; Leukocytes, Mononuclear - chemistry; Membrane Proteins - analysis; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Non conventional transmissible agents; PrPC Proteins - analysis; Scrapie - diagnosis; Scrapie - pathology; Sheep; Virology; Prion disease; Nervous system diseases; Scrapie; Cell surface; Blood; Cerebral disorder; Infection; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Central nervous system disease; Sheep; Degenerative disease; Goat; Prion; Artiodactyla; Spongiform encephalopathy; Prion protein; Veterinary; Ungulata
• ISSN: 0022-1317; 1465-2099
• DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.039032-0

Although host-encoded prion protein (PrP(C)) expression in ovine PBMCs and prion infectivity in scrapie-infected sheep blood have been demonstrated, such studies have not been reported in goats. Therefore, this study characterized cell-surface expression of PrP(C) on PBMC subsets derived from normal goats and sheep, by flow cytometry, and determined prion infectivity in blood from a scrapie-infected goat using a transfusion bioassay in goat kids. Cell-surface PrP(C) expression was detected on all subsets of goat PBMCs. The highest PrP(C) cell-surface expression was found in CD2(+) T lymphocytes in goats. Transmission of infection was detected in all three recipients who received whole blood from a goat with classical scrapie. It was concluded that caprine PBMCs express PrP(C) similarly to sheep but with relative differences among PBMCs subsets, and that blood-borne infectious prions can be detected in scrapie-infected goats. Thus, similar to sheep, goat blood may be a suitable diagnostic target for the detection of scrapie infection.