title: Genetic and Pathological Follow-Up Study of Goats Experimentally and Naturally Exposed to a Sheep Scrapie Isolate.
abstract: Thirty-seven goats carrying different prion protein genotypes (PRNP) were orally infected with a classical scrapie brain homogenate from wild-type (ARQ/ARQ) sheep and then mated to obtain 2 additional generations of offspring, which were kept in the same environment and allowed to be naturally exposed to scrapie. Occurrence of clinical or subclinical scrapie was observed in the experimentally infected goats (F0) and in only one (F1b) of the naturally exposed offspring groups. In both groups (F0 and F1b), goats carrying the R154H, H154H, R211Q, and P168Q-P240P dimorphisms died of scrapie after a longer incubation period than wild-type, G37V, Q168Q-P240P, and S240P goats. In contrast, D145D and Q222K goats were resistant to infection. The immunobiochemical signature of the scrapie isolate and its pathological aspects observed in the sheep donors were substantially maintained over 2 goat generations, i.e., after experimental and natural transmission. This demonstrates that the prion protein gene sequence, which is shared by sheep and goats, is more powerful than any possible but unknown species-related factors in determining scrapie phenotypes. With regard to genetics, our study confirms that the K222 mutation protects goats even against ovine scrapie isolates, and for the first time, a possible association of D145 mutation with scrapie resistance is shown. In addition, it is possible that the sole diverse frequencies of these genetic variants might, at least in part, shape the prevalence of scrapie among naturally exposed progenies in affected herds.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was aimed at investigating the genetic and pathological features characterizing sheep-to-goat transmission of scrapie. We show that in goats with different prion protein gene mutations, the K222 genetic variant is associated with scrapie resistance after natural and experimental exposure to ovine prion infectivity. In addition, we observed for the first time a protective effect of the D145 goat variant against scrapie. Importantly, our results demonstrate that the phenotypic characteristic of the wild-type sheep scrapie isolate is substantially preserved in goats carrying different susceptible PRNP gene variants, thus indicating that the prion protein gene sequence, which is shared by sheep and goats, plays a fundamental role in determining scrapie phenotypes.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Sardinia, Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maestrale
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Sardinia, Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Cancedda
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Sardinia, Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pintus
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Sardinia, Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Mariangela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Masia
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Romolo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nonno
authors.affiliation: Centro di Referenza Nazionale per le Encefalopatie Animali, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle D'Aosta, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ru
authors.affiliation: Genetics and Biotechnology, DIRPA, AGRIS Sardinia, Olmedo, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonello
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carta
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Sardinia, Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Demontis
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Sardinia, Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Santucciu
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Sardinia, Sassari, Italy ciriaco.ligios@izs-sardegna.it.
authors.forename: Ciriaco
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ligios
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D015511:Goat Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000635:transmission; D006041:Goats; D058507:Host Specificity; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D018620:PrPSc Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012608:Scrapie / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000635:transmission; D034561:Sheep, Domestic
chemical_list: D018620:PrPSc Proteins