title: Ubiquitin conjugate immunoreactivity in the brains of scrapie infected mice.
abstract: Sections of brain from normal mice or clinically-ill mice infected with either the 87V or the ME7 strains of sheep scrapie were immunostained to show the localization of ubiquitin-protein conjugates or a specific marker of disease, the scrapie-associated fibril protein (PrP). In both scrapie models immunoreactive ubiquitin-protein conjugates were seen in thread-like structures found throughout the neuropil, in inclusion bodies within vacuolated neurones, and in areas surrounding anti-PrP positive amyloid plaques. The PrP protein was visualized in diffuse deposits in highly vacuolated parts of the scrapie-affected brain, and focally in amyloid plaques, microglia and neuronal processes. The ubiquitin-protein conjugate staining of scrapie amyloid plaques is very similar to that seen in the plaques of Alzheimer's disease. The ubiquitinated intraneuronal inclusion bodies seen in scrapie resemble the granulovacuolar lesions also seen in Alzheimer's disease, but appear much larger and possibly correspond to material in giant autophagic vacuoles. We suggest that these inclusions may be the result of ubiquitinated abnormal proteins being directed to the lysosomal system, and that scrapie and Alzheimer's disease share at least some common processes of neurodegeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Nottingham Medical School, Queens Medical Centre, U.K.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lowe
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: McDermott
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kenward
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Landon
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McBride
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Somerville
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hope
mesh_terms: D000682:Amyloid / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D018622:PrP 27-30 Protein; D012608:Scrapie / Q000378:metabolism*; D014452:Ubiquitins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000682:Amyloid; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D014452:Ubiquitins; D018622:PrP 27-30 Protein