Early Host Responses to Prion Infection and Development of an In Vitro Bioassay
Abstract
The goal of this project is to identify pathways and networks of genes and proteins perturbed by prion replication. The unusual nature of prion disease prompted a systems approach to identify networks specifically perturbed by prion infections and to determine which perturbations are essential for various aspects of the disease. We previously tracked changes in gene expression in brain and spleen for two different prion strains and five different lines of mice over their entire incubation periods. We have successfully infected CNS stem cell containing neurosphere cultures with the Rocky Mountain Laboratory (RML) prion strain. Neurosphere lines have been produced from the same mouse strains used for our in vivo studies. Differential gene and protein expression in these cells will aid in identifying genes directly involved in prion replication and lead to the identification of markers for prion infected individuals. We also are developing neurosphere cultures as a sensitive, rapid bioassay for mouse, bovine, and human prions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA470144
Entities
People
- George A. Carlson
- Leroy E. Hood
Organizations
- McLaughlin Research Institute