Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Identification of scrapie prion protein-specific mRNA in scrapie-infected and uninfected brain

  • Letter
  • Published:

From Nature

View current issue Submit your manuscript

Abstract

To date no nucleic acid has been found in the purified infectious agent which causes the spongiform encephalopathy known as scrapie. In an attempt to identify a unique scrapie virus-associated messenger RNA in tissues of infected animals, we have synthesized an oligonucleotide probe complementary to the mRNA sequence corresponding to the amino-acid sequence of the prion protein, PrP27–30 (ref. 1). We report here that, with this probe, a complementary DNA clone representing PrP27–30 was obtained from scrapie-infected mouse brain; the DNA sequence of this clone could be translated into a protein that matches exactly the published sequence of PrP27–30. The cDNA clone hybridized to a single 2.4–2.5-kilobase (kb) mRNA from both normal and scrapie-infected brain. Thus, the PrP27–30 mRNA is not uniquely associated with scrapie infectivity, suggesting that PrP27–30 may be a normal component of mouse and hamster brain.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Prusiner, S. B., Groth, D. F., Bolton, D. C., Kent, S. B. & Hood, L. E. Cell 38, 127–134 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Hadlow, W. J., Race, R. E., Kennedy, R. C. & Eklund, C. M. in Slow Transmissible Diseases of the Nervous System (eds Hadlow, W. J. & Prusiner, S. B.) 3–12 (Academic, New York, 1979).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Marsh, R. F. & Kimberlin, R. H. J. infect. Dis. 131, 104–111 (1975).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Beck, E. & Daniel, P. M. in Slow Transmissible Diseases of the Nervous System (eds Hadlow, W. J. & Prusiner, S. B.) 253–370 (Academic, New York, 1979).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Gibbs, C. J. Jr & Gajdusek, D. C. Perspect. Virol. 10, 161–198 (1978).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Masters, C. L., Gajdusek, D. C. & Gibbs, C. J. Jr Brain 104, 559–588 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Rohwer, R. G. Nature 308, 658–661 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Prusiner, S. B. et al. Biochemistry 19, 4883–4891 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Diringer, H., Hilmert, H., Simon, D., Werner, E. & Ehlers, B. Eur. J. Biochem. 134, 555–560 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Prusiner, S. B. Science 216, 136–144 (1982a).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Prusiner, S. B. et al. Biochemistry 21, 6942–6950 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. McKinley, M. P., Bolton, D. C. & Prusiner, S. B. Cell 35, 57–62 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Diringer, H. et al. Nature 306, 476–478 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Merz, P. A. et al. Acta neuropath. (Berlin) 54, 63–74 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Prusiner, S. B. et al. Cell 35, 349–358 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Bruce, M. E. J. comp. Path. 91, 589–597 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Bendheim, P. E., Barry, R. A., DeArmond, S. J., Stites, D. P. & Prusiner, S. B. Nature 310, 418–421 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Eklund, C. M., Kennedy, R. C. & Hadlow, W. J. J. infect. Dis. 117, 15–22 (1967).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Fraser, A. & Dickinson, A. G. J. comp. Path. 88, 563–573 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Kimberlin, R. H. & Walker, C. A. J. comp. Path. 89, 551–562 (1979).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Bishop, J. M. A. Rev. Biochem. 52, 301–354 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Okayama, H. & Berg, P. Molec. cell. Biol. 2, 161–170 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Gubler, U. & Hoffman, B. J. Gene 25, 263–269 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Young, R. A. & Davis, R. W. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80, 1194–1198 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Young, R. A. & Davis, R. W. Science 222, 778–782 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Maniatis, T., Fritsch, E. F. & Sambrook, J. in Molecular Cloning, a Laboratory Manual (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, 1982).

    Google Scholar 

  27. Messing, J. Meth. Enzym. 101, 20–78 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Deute, L., Cesarini, G. & Cortese, R. Nucleic Acids Res. 11, 1645–1655 (1983).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Sanger, F., Nicklen, S. & Coulson, A. R. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 74, 5463–5467 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Chirgwin, J. M., Przybyla, A. E., MacDonald, R. J. & Rutter, W. J. Biochemistry 18, 5294–5299 (1979).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Leonard Mayer

    Present address: Division of Bacterial Diseases, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia, 30333, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Hamilton, Montana, 59840, USA

    Bruce Chesebro, Richard Race, Kathy Wehrly, Jane Nishio, Marshall Bloom & David Lechner

  2. Laboratory of Microbial Structure and Function, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Hamilton, Montana, 59840, USA

    Sven Bergstrom, Ken Robbins & Leonard Mayer

  3. Laboratory of Pathobiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Hamilton, Montana, 59840, USA

    Jerry M. Keith & Claude Garon

  4. Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, USA

    Ashley Haase

Authors
  1. Bruce Chesebro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Richard Race
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kathy Wehrly
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jane Nishio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Marshall Bloom
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. David Lechner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Sven Bergstrom
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Ken Robbins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Leonard Mayer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Jerry M. Keith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Claude Garon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Ashley Haase
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chesebro, B., Race, R., Wehrly, K. et al. Identification of scrapie prion protein-specific mRNA in scrapie-infected and uninfected brain. Nature 315, 331–333 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1038/315331a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/315331a0

  • Springer Nature Limited

This article is cited by

Search

Navigation