title: Age, scrapie status, PrP genotype and follicular dendritic cells in ovine ileal Peyer's patches.
abstract: Follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) residing within ileal Peyer's patches (PPs) are of crucial relevance for sheep scrapie early pathogenesis and subsequent scrapie prion neuroinvasion. In this study, ileal PP follicles were significantly more numerous in lambs than in adult Sarda breed sheep, with significant differences being also found in lymphoid follicle area, perimeter and FDC density. Furthermore, PrPd deposition within ileal PPs and host's PrP genotype did not significantly influence these parameters. We conclude that age significantly affects FDC density in ileal PPs from Sarda breed ovines, independently from host's scrapie status and PrP genotype.
authors.affiliation: University of Teramo, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Piazza Aldo Moro 45, 64100 Teramo, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marruchella
authors.forename: Ciriaco
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ligios
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Guardo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020566:Dendritic Cells, Follicular / Q000502:physiology*; D005838:Genotype; D007082:Ileum / Q000502:physiology*; D010581:Peyer's Patches / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011328:Prions / Q000235:genetics*; D012608:Scrapie / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D012756:Sheep
chemical_list: D011328:Prions