title: Genetic informational RNA is not required for recombinant prion infectivity.
abstract: Whether a genetic informational nucleic acid is required for the infectivity of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies is central to the debate about the infectious agent. Here we report that an infectious prion formed with bacterially expressed recombinant prion protein plus synthetic polyriboadenylic acid and synthetic phospholipid 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylglycerol is competent to infect cultured cells and cause prion disease in wild-type mice. Our results show that genetic informational RNA is not required for recombinant prion infectivity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhihong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xinhe
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jiali
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zha
authors.forename: Chong-Gang
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Weissmann
authors.forename: Jiyan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051379:Mice; D010715:Phosphatidylglycerols / Q000378:metabolism; D011328:Prions / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D012313:RNA / Q000235:genetics*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010715:Phosphatidylglycerols; D011328:Prions; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012313:RNA
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