title: Properties of L-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy in intraspecies passages.
abstract: The origin and transmission routes of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) remain unclear. To assess whether the biological and biochemical characteristics of atypical L-type BSE detected in Japanese cattle (BSE/JP24) are conserved during serial passages within a single host, 3 calves were inoculated intracerebrally with a brain homogenate prepared from first-passaged BSE/JP24-affected cattle. Detailed immunohistochemical and neuropathologic analysis of the brains of second-passaged animals, which had developed the disease and survived for an average of 16 months after inoculation, revealed distribution of spongiform changes and disease-associated prion protein (PrP(Sc)) throughout the brain. Although immunolabeled PrP(Sc) obtained from brain tissue was characterized by the presence of PrP plaques and diffuse synaptic granular accumulations, no stellate-type deposits were detected. Western blot analysis suggested no obvious differences in PrP(Sc) molecular mass or glycoform pattern in the brains of first- and second-passaged cattle. These findings suggest failures to identify differences in mean incubation period and biochemical and neuropathologic properties of the BSE/JP24 prion between the first and second passages in cattle.
authors.affiliation: Prion Disease Research Center, National Institute of Animal Health, 3-1-5 Kan-nondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0856, Japan. okadahi@affrc.go.jp
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iwamaru
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kakizaki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Masujin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imamura
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuura
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kasai
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mohri
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western / Q000662:veterinary; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002417:Cattle; D016643:Encephalopathy, Bovine Spongiform / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000635:transmission*; D005260:Female; D006031:Glycosylation; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000662:veterinary; D018620:PrPSc Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D055550:Protein Stability; D012692:Serial Passage
chemical_list: D018620:PrPSc Proteins