title: Decrease in pathology and progression of scrapie after immunisation with synthetic prion protein peptides in hamsters.
abstract: Effective therapy for prion diseases is currently unavailable. Recently, vaccination was shown to be effective in mouse models of a particular neurodegenerative conditions: Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we report that vaccination with synthetic oligopeptides homologous to the hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) prion protein augments survival time in animals infected intraperitoneally with 263K scrapie agent. For each hamster included in the study, prion-specific serum antibodies as well as deposition of pathological prion protein (PrP(res)), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and mRNA expression for cytokines (TNF alpha, IL-1beta, IL-10) in brain tissues were evaluated. In immunized animals, increased survival after challenge was associated with a reduction of cerebral lesion, PrP deposition and GFAP expression; in these animals, anti-prion protein peptide antibody levels were increased, and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF alpha and IL-1beta) was reduced. Vaccination could be an effective therapeutic approach to postpone disease onset.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunology, DSP LITA Vialba, Universita' degli Studi di Milano, Via G.B. Grassi 74, 20157 Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuliana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Magri
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clerici
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dall'Ara
authors.forename: Mara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Biasin
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caramelli
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Casalone
authors.forename: Maria Laura
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Giannino
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Longhi
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Piacentini
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Della Bella
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gazzuola
authors.forename: Piera Anna
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Martino
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Della Bella
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pollera
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Puricelli
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Servida
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Crescio
authors.forename: Adriano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boasso
authors.forename: Wilma
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ponti
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Poli
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D006224:Cricetinae; D017931:DNA Primers; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000378:metabolism; D008647:Mesocricetus; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D011328:Prions / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012608:Scrapie / Q000473:pathology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D007375:Interleukin-1; D010455:Peptides; D011328:Prions; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10