朊病毒病实验动物脑组织PrPSc样本库的建立

目的 建立朊病毒病实验动物脑组织检测样本库,检测其在特定保存条件下的稳定性,以用于动物和人朊病毒病诊断技术的评估和考核.方法 选用30只经颅内注射感染羊瘙痒因子263K的仓鼠和30只正常仓鼠,每只分别制备10%、1%和0.5%3种浓度的脑组织匀浆,分装冷冻保存.以Western Blot方法 确定脑组织匀浆中PrPSc的存在情况,并分别在建库半年和3年检测PrPSc的稳定性.结果 30只感染仓鼠10%脑组织匀浆全部可检出PrPSc,1%脑组织匀浆有26份为PrPSc阳性,0.5%脑组织匀浆有19份为PrPSc阳性.半年及3年后复检,PrPSc阳性检出率基本不变.所有正常仓鼠脑匀浆均为PrPSc阴性.结论 建立了稳定性良好的含有90份PrPSc阳性标本和90份PrPSc阴性样本的朊病毒病实验动物脑组织检测样本库.     

Early and late pathogenesis of natural scrapie infection in sheep

The pathogenesis of scrapie infection was studied in sheep carrying the PrP(VRQ)/PrP(VRQ) genotype, which is associated with a high susceptibility for natural scrapie. The sheep were killed at sequential time points during a scrapie infection covering both the early and late stages of scrapie pathogenesis. Various lymphoid and neural tissues were collected and immunohistochemically examined for the presence of the scrapie-associated prion protein PrP(Sc), a marker for scrapie infectivity The first stage of scrapie infection consisted of invasion of the palatine tonsil and Peyer's patches of the caudal jejunum and ileum, the so-called gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT). At the same time, PrP(Sc) was detected in the medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes draining the palatine tonsil and the mesenteric lymph nodes draining the jejunal and ileal Peyer's patches. From these initial sites of scrapie replication, the scrapie agent disseminated to other non-GALT-related lymphoid tissues. Neuroinvasion started in the enteric nervous system followed by retrograde spread of the scrapie agent via efferent parasympathetic and sympathetic nerve fibres innervating the gut, to the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus in the medulla oblongata and the intermediolateral column of the thoracic spinal cord segments T8-T10, respectively.     

Increased neurogenesis in brains of scrapie-infected mice

Persistent neurogenesis occurs in the adult brain throughout the life of all mammals. Recent studies have shown that neurogenesis was increased in adult gerbil and rat brains after ischemia. Neurogenesis has not been examined during neurodegenerative diseases such as scrapie. To investigate the regeneration of neurons after scrapie-infection, we infused 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU), a DNA replication indicator, into both control and scrapie-infected mice. Mice were sacrificed at 150 days post-infection, i.e., at the start of clinical disease and a time when PrP(Sc) was readily detected in brain by both immunostaining and Western blot. We investigated expression of BrdU in each region of brain and observed cellular localization of BrdU using various cell markers such as neuronal nuclear (NeuN), microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Immunohistochemically, BrdU-labeled cells were observed in the striatum, hippocampus, and brain stem of scrapie-infected brains. BrdU-labeled cells were much more prevalent in the hippocampus of scrapie-infected mice compared to hippocampus of control brains. In scrapie mice, there was more staining in hippocampus than in other brain regions. We also found that BrdU-positive cells colocalized with the neuronal markers NeuN and MAP2, whereas BrdU staining was not merged with GFAP, an astrocytic marker. Taken together, our results suggest that scrapie-infection induces region-specific increases in neuron regeneration.     

不同剂量羊瘙痒因子263K颅内感染仓鼠临床终末期脑中GFAP表达的研究

目的 研究不同剂量羊瘙痒因子263 K经颅内注射感染仓鼠后,在发病的终末期星形胶质细胞增生程度是否与注射剂量及潜伏期长短有关.方法 以胶质纤维酸性蛋白(glial fibrill aryacidic protein,GFAP)作为星形胶质细胞增生的分子标志物,采用Western Blot和免疫组化方法检测感染仓鼠终末期脑匀浆和脑组织病理切片中的GFAP表达,经定量分析比较各感染剂量组间是否存在差异.结果与正常对照相比,不同剂量感染仓鼠发病终末期脑组织GFAP阳性细胞数量和总GFAP含量均明显升高,但各感染剂量组间无显著差异.结论 不同感染剂量羊瘙痒因子263K经颅内注射感染仓鼠在发病终末期脑中星形胶质细胞的增生程度相似,与感染剂量及潜伏期无关联性.     

PrP is associated with B cells in the blood of scrapie-infected sheep

Recently, we reported that PrP^Sc, a surrogate marker for prion disease, is associated with the cellular fraction of blood from scrapie-infected sheep using a ligand-based immunoassay. In the study reported here, we found that a subset of peripheral blood mononuclear cells is most likely to sequester PrP^Sc during both the preclinical phase of disease and at clinical end point. These cells had a cell surface phenotype of MHC class II DQ⁺, surface immunoglobulin⁺, CD11b⁺, CD11c⁺, CD21^+/−, which is consistent with a subpopulation of B cells. What role these cells play in the pathogenesis of scrapie is unclear, but they may contribute to the trafficking of prions to the spleen during early pathogenesis of the disease. Furthermore, tests for preclinical diagnostics could be further improved by targeting these cells.     

PrP protein is associated with follicular dendritic cells of spleens and lymph nodes in uninfected and scrapie-infected mice.

Abnormal forms of a host protein, PrP, accumulate in the central nervous system in scrapie-affected animals. Here, PrP protein was detected immunocytochemically in tissue sections of spleen, lymph node, Peyer's patches, thymus, and pancreas from uninfected mice and from mice infected with a range of mouse-passaged scrapie strains and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). In the spleen, lymph node and Peyer's patches, PrP-positive cells were identified as follicular dendritic cells (FDC) by their location, appearance, and immune complex trapping function, whereas in the thymus they appeared to be two types of stromal cells: interdigitating cells (IDC) and cortical epithelial cells. In pancreas, PrP-containing cells were confined to the islets of Langerhans. Although the distribution of PrP immunolabelling was the same in tissues from scrapie-affected and uninfected mice, there was evidence that PrP accumulated in abnormal forms in FDC of infected mice. If, as is likely, PrP is essential for agent replication, our results suggest that FDC are the site of scrapie and BSE replication in the spleen and lymph node.     

MS-8209, an amphotericin B analogue, delays the appearance of spongiosis, astrogliosis and PrPres accumulation in the brain of scrapie-infected hamsters

The histopathological response of scrapie-infected hamsters treated at the late stage of the infection with an "anti-scrapie" drug, a polyene macrolide antibiotic designated MS-8209, was evaluated in the brain. The results showed that (1) MS-8209 prolonged significantly the incubation time of the experimental disease, (2) MS-8209 delayed the appearance of spongiosis and astrogliosis in the brain, (3) immunodetection of abnormal prion protein and glial fibrillary acidic protein was significantly reduced in the central nervous system. In addition, this report indicates that polyene antibiotics markedly delay the development of the classical brain lesions that result from scrapie infection.     

Choline acetyltransferase activity and [3H]quinuclidinylbenzilate binding in brains of scrapie-infected hamsters

Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity and [3H]quinuclidinylbenzilate binding were studied in the brain of scrapie-infected hamsters and sham inoculated controls. Although scrapie-infected hamsters showed no reduction of ChAT activity compared to the controls, they showed a decrease in the affinity and maximum number of post-synaptic muscarinic receptors. Scrapie virus thus alters the cholinergic system at the post-synaptic rather than at the pre-synaptic level.     

Influence of cognitive-motor expertise on brain dynamics of anticipatory-based outcome processing

Motor experience plays an important role in the ability to anticipate action outcomes, but little is known about the brain processes through which it modulates the preparation for unexpected events. To address this issue, EEG was employed while table tennis players and novices observed videos of serves in order to predict the expected ball direction based on the kinematics of a model’s movement. Furthermore, we manipulated the congruency between the model’s body kinematics and the subsequent ball trajectory while assessing the cerebral cortical activity of novices and experts to understand how experts respond to unexpected outcomes. Experts were more accurate in predicting the ball trajectories than novices and were further differentiated from novices in the cortical dynamics just prior to ball contact and during the period of observation of the ball trajectories. Consistent with the predicted response-outcome model, experts exhibited elevated theta oscillations during the incongruent relative to the congruent trajectories, while no such differences were observed in the novices. Source estimation for theta activity revealed stronger activation in the middle frontal gyrus for the experts in response to the incongruent trajectories. Collectively, the observed differences in cortical dynamics between the groups suggest that motor experience promotes central neural system adaptations that facilitate preparation for anticipated outcomes and contributes to adaptive cognitive-motor responses in the face of uncertainty.