Development of Methods for the Real-Time and Rapid Identification and Detection of TSE in Living Animals Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy of the Eye
Abstract
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are thought to be caused by the accumulation of abnormal protease-resistant proteins called prions, which are found in aging central nervous system tissue and in the eyes. Other protease-resistant compounds, collectively called lipofuscins, also accumulate in CNS. Lipofuscins accumulate in the eye, especially in the diseased eye. An increase in lipofuscin accumulation is known to occur in human Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease victims and in other cases of experimental TSEs. Lipofuscins are fluorescent compounds with characteristic optical spectra. Some individual lipofuscin compounds (especially from the eye) have been studied in detail with regard to optical and chemical properties. The spinal cord and brain also have been observed to be fluorescent under certain wavelengths of light. This is due in part to lipofuscin accumulation in this tissue. The literature indicates that abnormal TSE prions also display characteristic optical spectra. The Principal Investigator s (PI s) preliminary data indicate that the fluorescent spectra of scrapie-infected sheep brain differ substantially from that of the noninfected sheep brain. The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that this spectral difference is the result of altered lipofuscin and/or prion spectral properties. Lipofuscins and prions may serve as useful fluorescent markers, which are correlated with the occurrence of TSEs and can be detected by spectroscopy.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA454924
Entities
People
- Jacob W. Petrich
Organizations
- Iowa State University