title: Diets with different lipid contents do not modify the neuronal membrane lipid raft profile in a scrapie murine model.
abstract: In Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs), the localization of the prion protein in the neuronal membrane lipid rafts (LR) seems to play a role in sustaining the protein misfolding. Changes in membrane properties, due to altered lipid composition, affect their organization and interaction between lipids and protein therein, and consequently also membrane resident protein functionality; dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), gangliosides and cholesterol seem to influence these processes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In this work, the influence of administration of different feed, able to change the composition of lipid membrane, on the clinical progression of prion disease was studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  The activity of three diets (hyperlipidic with 6% fats; hypolipidic with 0.1% fats; and purified with 4% fats) was tested in CD1 mouse model experimentally infected with RML scrapie strain. Presence and distribution of typical central nervous system (CNS) lesions and deposits of PrP(sc) were evaluated by histopathological analysis and immunohistochemistry. Analysis of lipids was performed in homogenate and insoluble brain fraction of the neuronal membrane rich in LR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results show that a diet with a different lipid level has not a significant role in the development of the scrapie disease. All infected mice fed with different diets died in the same time span. Histology, immunohistochemistry, and neuropathological analyses of the infected brains did not show significant differences between animals subjected to different diets.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Independently of the diet, the infection induced a significant modification of the lipid composition in homogenates, and a less noticeable one in insoluble brain fraction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Science and Public Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: paola.dallara@unimi.it.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dall'Ara
authors.affiliation: CEA, Italian Reference Laboratory for TSEs, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Iulini
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Botto
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Science and Public Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Filipe
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Science and Public Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Piera Anna
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Martino
authors.affiliation: CEA, Italian Reference Laboratory for TSEs, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Domenica
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Pintore
authors.affiliation: CEA, Italian Reference Laboratory for TSEs, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gazzuola
authors.affiliation: CEA, Italian Reference Laboratory for TSEs, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazza
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Science and Public Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dagrada
authors.affiliation: CEA, Italian Reference Laboratory for TSEs, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ingravalle
authors.affiliation: CEA, Italian Reference Laboratory for TSEs, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Casalone
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Palestini
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Science and Public Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Poli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D004032:Diet; D018752:Diet, Fat-Restricted; D059305:Diet, High-Fat; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects*; D012608:Scrapie / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats
keywords: Gangliosides; Hyperlipidic diet; Hypolipidic diet; Lipid rafts; Murine model; Phospholipids; Prion disease