Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Polymorphisms of the prion protein gene in sheep of Inner Mongolia, China

  • Published:
Virus Genes Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Polymorphisms of the prion protein gene (Prnp), especially the amino acid residue alterations at codons 136, 154, and 174, in sheep have been found to be associated with susceptibility to scrapie disease. We investigated Prnp polymorphisms in three local sheep breeds in Inner Mongolia, China. Blood samples were collected from 46 Ujumqin, 34 Sunite, and 22 Mongolian sheep. The genetic DNA of blood samples was extracted, amplified and sequenced, and amino acid alignment was determined. Polymorphisms were detected at 8 codons, among which M157I, Q220H, and R223K have not been previously reported. The frequency of the amino acid residues ARQ/ARQ at codons 136, 154, and 171, respectively, which is associated with medium-high susceptibility to scrapie, was 74.5%, and the frequency of scrapie-resistant genotype ARR/ARR was 7.9%. The highly susceptible genotype VRQ/VRQ at these codons as not detected from the tested sheep. Of the three sheep breeds, Ujumqin sheep had the highest frequency (15.2%) of scrapie-resistant amino acid sequence, ARR/ARR at codons 136, 154, and 171, respectively, accounting for 87.5% sheep that carry these polymorphisms. Our findings are of special importance for both live sheep export and sheep breeding.

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

References

  1. S.B. Prusiner, Trends Biochem. Sci. 21, 482–487 (1996). doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0968-0004(96)10063-3

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. W. Goldmann, N. Hunter, J.D. Foster, J.M. Salbaum, K. Beyreuther, J. Hope, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87, 2476–2480 (1990). doi:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.87.7.2476

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. N. Hunter, W. Goldmann, E. Marshall, G. O’Neill, Arch. Virol. Suppl, 181–188 (2000)

  4. A. Bossers, B.E. Schreuder, I.H. Muileman, P.B. Belt, M.A. Smits, J. Gen. Virol. 77, 2669–2673 (1996)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. M. Baylis, W. Goldmann, F. Houston, D. Cairns, A. Chong, A. Ross, A. Smith, N. Hunter, A.R. McLean, J. Gen. Virol. 83, 2907–2914 (2002)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. C. Billinis, V. Psychas, L. Leontides, V. Spyrou, S. Argyroudis, I. Vlemmas, S. Leontides, T. Sklaviadis, O. Papadopoulos, J. Gen. Virol. 85, 547–554 (2004). doi:https://doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.19520-0

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. C. Diaz, Z.G. Vitezica, R. Rupp, O. Andreoletti, J.M. Elsen, J. Gen. Virol. 86, 849–857 (2005). doi:https://doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.80412-0

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. U. DeSilva, X. Guo, D.M. Kupfer, S.C. Fernando, A.T. Pillai, F.Z. Najar, S. So, G.Q. Fitch, B.A. Roe, Cytogenet. Genome Res. 102, 89–94 (2003). doi:https://doi.org/10.1159/000075731

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. S. Thorgeirsdottir, S. Sigurdarson, H.M. Thorisson, G. Georgsson, A. Palsdottir, J. Gen. Virol. 80, 2527–2534 (1999)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. F. Houston, W. Goldmann, A. Chong, M. Jeffrey, L. González, J. Foster, D. Parnham, N. Hunter, Nature 423, 498 (2003). doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/423498a

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. S. McCutcheon, N. Hunter, F. Houston, J. Immunol. Methods 298, 119–128 (2005). doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jim.2005.01.012

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. P.B. Belt, I.H. Muileman, B.E. Schreuder, J. Bos-de Ruijter, A.L. Gielkens, M.A. Smits, J. Gen. Virol. 76, 509–517 (1995)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. N. Hunter, L. Moore, B.D. Hosie, W.S. Dingwall, A. Greig, Vet. Rec. 140, 59–63 (1997)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. N. Hunter, W. Goldmann, G. Smith, J. Hope, Arch. Virol. 137, 171–177 (1994). doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01311184

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. J.M. Elsen, Y. Amigues, F. Schelcher, V. Ducrocq, O. Andreoletti, F. Eychenne, J.V. Khang, J.P. Poivey, F. Lantier, J.L. Laplanche, Arch. Virol. 144, 431–445 (1999). doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s007050050516

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. T. Kutzer, I. Pfeiffer, B. Brenig, J. Anim. Breed. Genet. 119, 201–208 (2002). doi:https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1439–0388.2002.00335.x

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. A. Gombojav, N. Ishiguro, M. Horiuchi, M. Shinagawa, J. Vet. Med. Sci. 66, 1293–1295 (2004). doi:https://doi.org/10.1292/jvms.66.1293

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. L. Zhang, N. Li, B. Fan, M. Fang, W. Xu, Anim. Genet. 35, 457–461 (2004). doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2052.2004.01204.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Z. Lan, Z.L. Wang, Y. Liu, X. Zhang, Arch. Virol. 151, 2095–2101 (2006). doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-006-0758-3

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. C. Acin, I. Martin-Burriel, W. Goldmann, J. Lyahyai, M. Monzon, R. Bolea, A. Smith, C. Rodellar, J.J. Badiola, P. Zaragoza, J. Gen. Virol. 85, 2103–2110 (2004). doi:https://doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.80047-0

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. L. Alvarez, J.J. Arranz, F. San Primitivo, J. Anim. Sci 84, 259–265 (2006)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Haimin Qu (Inner Mongolia Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine) and Fujun Kou and Wenkui Jin (Erlianhot Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine) for providing sheep blood samples. We also thank Dr. Jin Zhu (Therapeutic Goods Administration, Australia) for his assistance in the writing of the manuscript. This study was financially supported by National Key Technology Research and Development Program (2006BAD06A13) and the 973 Projects Grant (2005CB523000) from the Ministry of Science and Technology, China.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Animal Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100094, China

    Yiqin Wang, Junwen Qiao & Deming Zhao

  2. Erlianhot Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine, Inner Mongolia, 011100, China

    Yiqin Wang

  3. Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine, Beijing, 100025, China

    Zhenkui Qin

Authors
  1. Yiqin Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Zhenkui Qin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Junwen Qiao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Deming Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Deming Zhao.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wang, Y., Qin, Z., Qiao, J. et al. Polymorphisms of the prion protein gene in sheep of Inner Mongolia, China. Virus Genes 37, 128–130 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11262-008-0244-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11262-008-0244-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation