title: Heterogeneity of abnormal prion protein (PrP(Sc)) in murine scrapie prions determined by PrP(Sc)-specific monoclonal antibodies.
abstract: In prion diseases, abnormal prion protein (PrP(Sc)) is considered as the main component of the infectious agent. Delineation of PrP(Sc) conformation is expected to be a critical factor in understanding properties of prions. However, practical methods to differentiate between conformers of PrP(Sc) are inadequate. Here, we used two PrP(Sc)-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), 3B7 and 3H6, and found that mAb 3H6 detected a limited portion of PrP(Sc) in five mice-adapted prion strains. The quantity of mAb 3H6-precipitated PrP(Sc) was significantly lesser in 22L compared to other strains. This result provides a direct evidence of the conformational heterogeneity of PrP(Sc) within the prion strains. Conformation-specific probes, like these mAbs, have the potential to be powerful tools for investigating conformational variations in PrP(Sc).
authors.affiliation: Nippi Research Institute of Biomatrix, 520-11 Kuwabara, Toride, Ibaraki 302-0017, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ushiki-Kaku
authors.forename: Yoshihisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tabeta
authors.forename: Yoshifumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iwamaru
authors.forename: Kiyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ogawa-Goto
authors.forename: Shunji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hattori
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000378:metabolism*; D018740:Genetic Heterogeneity; D015151:Immunoblotting; D051379:Mice; D018620:PrPSc Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017096:Prion Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D011487:Protein Conformation
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018620:PrPSc Proteins