Inactivation of the scrapie agent by pronase.
Scrapie agent derived from infected mouse brain was partially purified by agarose-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The preparation was subjected to treatment with RNase A, DNase I, pronase, sodium dodecyl sulfate and sodium dodecyl sulfate-pronase combination. Almost total inactivation of scrapie infectivity resulted when the partially purified scrapie agent was treated with sodium dodecyl sulfate-pronase combination whereas the treatment with sodium dodecyl sulfate or pronase alone reduced the infectivity by about 98%. No significant reduction of scrapie infectivity was observed with either RNase A or DNase I treatments. These results confirm that the transmission of scrapie cannot be achieved in the absence of a protein component.
D000818:Animals; D003850:Deoxyribonuclease I; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004706:Endodeoxyribonucleases / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D011328:Prions / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011402:Pronase / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012259:Ribonuclease, Pancreatic / Q000494:pharmacology; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate / Q000494:pharmacology
D011328:Prions; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate; D004706:Endodeoxyribonucleases; D003850:Deoxyribonuclease I; D012259:Ribonuclease, Pancreatic; D011402:Pronase