Heterogeneity of Abnormal Prion Protein (PrPSc) in Murine Scrapie Prions Determined by PrPSc-Specific Monoclonal Antibodies

[摘要] References(22)In prion diseases, abnormal prion protein (PrPSc) is considered as the main component of the infectious agent. Delineation of PrPSc conformation is expected to be a critical factor in understanding properties of prions. However, practical methods to differentiate between conformers of PrPSc are inadequate. Here, we used two PrPSc-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), 3B7 and 3H6, and found that mAb 3H6 detected a limited portion of PrPSc in five mice-adapted prion strains. The quantity of mAb 3H6-precipitated PrPSc was significantly lesser in 22L compared to other strains. This result provides a direct evidence of the conformational heterogeneity of PrPSc within the prion strains. Conformation-specific probes, like these mAbs, have the potential to be powerful tools for investigating conformational variations in PrPSc.

[学科分类] 兽医学

[关键词] abnormal prion protein (PrPSc);conformation;monoclonal antibody