title: Physical properties of the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease agent.
abstract: In this report, we present the first physical characterization of the Creutzfeld-Jakob disease agent. Preparations with high yields of infectivity (assayed infectious units) were obtained by a novel, gentle procedure in which initially sedimenting Gp34 ("prion" protein) was disaggregated by a variety of criteria with no subsequent loss of infectivity. Studies with this preparation indicate that most of the Creutzfeld-Jakob disease agent has both a viruslike size and density. In velocity sedimentation and isopycnic sucrose gradients, infectivity comigrated with nucleic acid-protein complexes of appreciable size.
authors.affiliation: Section of Neuropathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510.
authors.forename: T K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Sklaviadis
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Manuelidis
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Manuelidis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000382:microbiology; D002458:Cell Fractionation / Q000379:methods; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D007562:Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome / Q000382:microbiology*; D006224:Cricetinae; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D009698:Nucleoproteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D012995:Solubility; D014713:Viruses, Unclassified / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000648:ultrastructure*
chemical_list: D009698:Nucleoproteins