Scrapie associated fibrils (SAF) are infection specific markers of unconventional slow virus diseases. Similar biological and biophysical properties including coisolation in several purification procedures indicate a strong association betwewn SAF and the infectiuous agent. These studies, however, have not established identity nor identified the components present in purified infectious SAF fractions which are essential for infectivity. This proposal will further purify SAF employing methodologies and immunological reagents developed during the previous granting period and further establish the relatinoship between SAF and infectivity. Components present in purified infectious fractions will be analyzed for their relationship to the infectious agent. Specific scrapie strain and host influence on the protein components of SAF will be investigated using monoclonal antibodies as epitope markers to analyze a variety of scrapie strains passaged in different host species. Our unique ability to examine this range of scrapie strain combinations will afford insight into specific scrapie strain induced modifications involved in structrual and conformational properties of SAF and their relationship to the infectious agent. The existence of biologically and pathologically defined scrapie strained implies the presence of an """"""""informational molecule"""""""" in addition to modified host protein (PrP) as a component of the infectious agent. This molecule is likely to be a small regulatory RNA. Probes are being generated to the central conserved region of viroid RNA, the consensus sequence of intron group 1 and to unique RNA species associated with highly purified SAF. These probes in conjunction with electron microscopic and nucleic acid binding studies will identify specific nucleic acids associated both with SAF and the infectious agent. Generation of an expression vector system will serve as a first step towards correlating components of SAF, including processing or modification of PrP, with their essential role in infectivity. This multi-disciplined approach will lead to an understanding of the role of SAF in agent replication and stability, pathogenesis and their unique association with this unusual class of infectious agents.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01NS021349-06
Application #
3402418
Study Section
Experimental Virology Study Section (EVR)
Project Start
1984-07-01
Project End
1991-06-30
Budget Start
1989-07-01
Budget End
1991-06-30
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
1989
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Institute for Basic Research in Dev Disabil
Department
Type
DUNS #
167205090
City
Staten Island
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10314
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Casaccia-Bonnefil, P; Kascsak, R J; Fersko, R et al. (1993) Brain regional distribution of prion protein PrP27-30 in mice stereotaxically microinjected with different strains of scrapie. J Infect Dis 167:7-12
Bendheim, P E; Brown, H R; Rudelli, R D et al. (1992) Nearly ubiquitous tissue distribution of the scrapie agent precursor protein. Neurology 42:149-56
Wrzolek, M A; Merz, P A; Kascsak, R et al. (1992) Immune electron microscopic characterization of monoclonal antibodies to Alzheimer neurofibrillary tangles. Am J Pathol 141:343-55
Rubenstein, R; Merz, P A; Kascsak, R J et al. (1991) Scrapie-infected spleens: analysis of infectivity, scrapie-associated fibrils, and protease-resistant proteins. J Infect Dis 164:29-35
Kascsak, R J; Rubenstein, R; Carp, R I (1991) Evidence for biological and structural diversity among scrapie strains. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 172:139-52
Rubenstein, R; Deng, H; Scalici, C L et al. (1991) Alterations in neurotransmitter-related enzyme activity in scrapie-infected PC12 cells. J Gen Virol 72 ( Pt 6):1279-85
Cashman, N R; Loertscher, R; Nalbantoglu, J et al. (1990) Cellular isoform of the scrapie agent protein participates in lymphocyte activation. Cell 61:185-92
Kim, Y S; Carp, R I; Callahan, S et al. (1990) Incubation periods and histopathological changes in mice injected stereotaxically in different brain areas with the 87V scrapie strain. Acta Neuropathol 80:388-92

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