SMB-S15细胞中朊病毒PMCA方法的建立及对白藜芦醇抗朊病毒作用的评价

朊病毒是一类能引起人或动物神经退行性疾病的感染因子。蛋白质错误折叠循环扩增(Protein misfolding cy-clic amplification,PMCA)是一种常见的朊病毒体外扩增技术。白藜芦醇是一种具有较高研究价值的植物抗菌素。为了建立SMB-S15细胞中朊病毒的PMCA体系,并探索PMCA技术在评价白藜芦醇抗朊病毒作用的意义,本研究以朊病毒感染细胞系SMB-S15细胞匀浆为种子,健康小鼠脑组织匀浆为底物,建立PMCA技术平台。将不同浓度的白藜芦醇导入PMCA体系,通过Western Blot方法检测PMCA产物中异常朊蛋白(PrPSc)的生成和变化。结果显示:SMB-S15细胞中PrPSc可以在建立的PMCA体系有效地复制。新生成的PrPSc分子的糖基化特征与原始细胞中的PrPSc不同,其双糖基化分子比例明显增加。同时也有别于羊瘙痒因子139A和ME7感染小鼠脑组织中的PrPSc分子。加入白藜芦醇后,PrPSc在PMCA体系中的复制明显被抑制,呈现出剂量依赖效应,其EC50约为4.616μM。这些结果表明:SMB-S15细胞中的PrPSc可以通过PMCA大量扩增,建立的PMCA技术可有效地反映白藜芦醇对PrPSc在体外复制的抑制作用。     

朊蛋白体外扩增技术对不同种属朊病毒检测敏感性分析

朊蛋白体外扩增技术包括实时震动诱导蛋白扩增(Real-time quaking-induced conversion,RT-QuIC)技术及蛋白错误折叠循环扩增(Protein misfolding cyclic amplification,PMCA)技术。为了分析朊蛋白体外扩增技术与传统的蛋白免疫印迹技术对于朊病毒毒株检测敏感性的差异，应用此三种方法对朊病毒小鼠适应株139A、ME7和S15以及仓鼠适应株263K毒株进行了检测及对比分析。结果显示，应用RT-QuIC方法以及三轮PMCA扩增方法，均可检测到10^-9稀释度139A小鼠脑匀浆中的朊病毒，比Western blot方法敏感度提高了10⁶倍；应用RT-QuIC方法以及三轮PMCA扩增方法，分别可检测到10^-7稀释度及10^-8稀释度ME7小鼠脑匀浆中的朊病毒，分别比Western blot方法敏感度提高了10⁴倍及10⁵倍；应用RT-QuIC方法以及三轮PMCA扩增方法，分别可检测到10^-...     

微管相关蛋白tau与朊蛋白的相互作用

微管相关蛋白tau参与了许多神经退行性疾病的发生, 其中包括一些人类可传播性海绵状脑病. 为了探讨tau与朊蛋白(PrP)之间可能存在的关系, 首先通过GST pull-down和免疫共沉淀等技术发现重组tau蛋白可通过微管结合区与来源于正常叙利亚仓鼠脑组织中的正常细胞膜朊蛋白(PrP^C)和羊瘙痒因子263K感染仓鼠脑组织的异常朊蛋白(PrPSc)相结合. 利用免疫共沉淀实验发现在正常和羊瘙痒因子感染的仓鼠脑组织中存在tau蛋白与PrPC和PrPSc的相互作用, 并且利用激光共聚焦方法检测到PrP和tau蛋白在CHO细胞内具有共定位的关系. 为了确定PrP与tau蛋白相互作用的部位, 构建了不同区域的PrP片段, 从而证明PrP与tau蛋白相互作用的区域位于PrP的N端序列(23~91 aa). PrP与tau蛋白分子间相互作用的直接实验证据提示tau蛋白可能参与PrP的正常生理功能以及朊病毒病的病理过程.     

一些化学和物理因素对羊瘙痒因子263K蛋白酶抗性的影响

朊病毒(prion)具有超强的理化因素抵抗能力,可抵抗常规物理和化学因子对其感染性的灭活.为了研究不同理化因素对PrPSc蛋白酶抗性的影响,采用不同浓度的NaOH、NaOCl、SDS、温度变化以及3%SDS与温度变化联合处理羊瘙痒因子263K,再经蛋白酶K(Proteinase K,PK)消化,通过Western blot检测观测PrPSc的PK抗性.结果发现,上述几种理化因素对羊瘙痒因子263K的PK抗性有不同程度的破坏作用.NaOH浓度在0.05mol/L以上,NaOCl游离氯含量在0.1%以上,温度在121℃以上都能使PrPSc的PK抗性消失;而1%～5%SDS不能使PrPSc的PK抗性完全消失,3%SDS与温度的联合作用可有效地破坏PK抗性,同时使所需温度降低.还发现,在较低浓度的化学因子或温度的条件下即可出现PK抗性的破坏,而在较高浓度或温度处理时才出现蛋白本身的消失.这些结果提示,与PrPSc感染性的结果相似,PK抗性可受相似浓度或强度的理化因素影响,具有明显的浓度或强度相关性,对判定消除PrPSc的感染性有一定的指导意义.     

羊瘙痒病小鼠适应株139A可突破种属屏障颅内感染金黄地鼠

羊瘙痒病感染因子可以根据疾病发生的潜伏期、临床病程、神经病理学特征以及PrPSc分子特征等分为不同的毒株,目前已经证实有20余种.在可传播性海绵状脑病的发病过程中存在着明显的种属屏障作用.将小鼠适应株139A颅内接种至金黄地鼠,以观测感染因子对种属屏障的突破及感染特征.在接种385～405天后,感染动物出现明显症状,与以往报道的金黄地鼠适应株263K不同,139A毒株发病动物出现严重的瘙痒,而无明显的共济失调.感染动物自出现明显症状到死亡的时间明显长于263K毒株感染金黄地鼠.进一步脑组织电镜和Western blot检测证实,存在有羊瘙痒病相关纤维和PrP-res.这证明小鼠适应株139A可突破种属屏障感染金黄地鼠.经系统比较,139A和263K毒株在潜伏期、主要临床症状和临床病程显示出明显的差异,而PrP-res的泳动位置和糖基化比率差异不大,仅139A毒株的单糖基化分子位置似乎略高于263K.动态观测处于潜伏期的接种动物脑组织羊瘙痒病相关纤维和PrP-res,发现PrPSc的出现明显早于临床症状.     

羊瘙痒因子263K感染仓鼠终末期脑中胶质纤维酸性蛋白和神经元特异性烯醇化酶的表达和分布变化研究

为了探讨羊瘙痒因子263K感染仓鼠脑组织中星形胶质细胞和神经元的数量及功能改变,利用免疫印迹、免疫组化方法研究了胶质纤维酸性蛋白(glial fibrillary acidic protein,GFAP)和神经元特异性烯醇化酶(neuron-specific enolase,NSE)在受染仓鼠各脑区中表达变化的特点,同时比较其与神经病理学改变及PrPSc沉积的关系.结果表明,感染终末期仓鼠的脑组织中GFAP表达量明显增高,与正常对照相比,大脑皮质、脑干和小脑区域GFAP着色细胞数量分别增高3.69、2.41和1.56倍.感染仓鼠脑组织NSE表达量低于正常对照,小脑、海马CA1区和大脑皮质NSE着色细胞数量分别仅为正常对照相应区域的22.5%、54.2%和53.9%.这些变化与PrPSc在脑组织中的沉积程度和空泡样变性程度相吻合.结果提示,GFAP和NSE的检测可分别很好地反映星形胶质细胞和神经元的数量及功能状态,成为在朊病毒病发病过程中重要的病理变化指标.     

羊瘙痒因子263K感染仓鼠临床终末期脑中αB-晶体蛋白表达的研究

αB-晶体蛋白(αB-crystallin)是小热休克蛋白(Small heat shock protein,sHSP)家族的代表成员,已发现与多种神经退行性疾病发生发展密切相关,但至今为止对αB-晶体蛋白在朊病毒病发生发展中可能扮演的角色研究甚少,作用尚不清楚。本研究利用羊瘙痒因子仓鼠敏感株263K感染仓鼠建立的朊病毒实验动物模型,通过免疫印迹(Western blots)和免疫组织化学染色观察到伴随PrPSc在感染终末期动物脑组织中大量沉积,αB-晶体蛋白表达显著上调,比正常对照增高3倍。免疫荧光双染确定其分布的主要细胞类型为星形胶质细胞,神经元中未检测到表达。感染动物中高表达的αB-晶体蛋白与异常沉积的PrPSc无明显共定位。此研究为进一步探讨和揭示αB-晶体蛋白在朊病毒病中可能的作用和分子机制奠定了基础。     

感染羊瘙痒因子263K株或139A株仓鼠脑组织中tau蛋白和磷酸化tau蛋白变化的研究

为探讨朊病毒病的神经病理特征,应用Western blot方法检测了感染羊瘙痒因子263K株或139A株的仓鼠脑组织中总tau蛋白和Ser396和Ser404位点发生磷酸化tau蛋白表达水平的变化;并应用Real Time PCR方法检测了tau mRNAs转录活性的改变。结果表明总tau蛋白含量升高而Ser396和Ser404位点发生磷酸化的tau蛋白含量降低,该现象与羊瘙痒因子毒株类型和临床潜伏期无关;感染羊瘙痒因子的仓鼠脑组织中Tau2和Tau4这两个异构体的转录水平升高。这些结果表明tau蛋白在Ser396和Ser404位点的去磷酸化可能与朊病毒病发病相关。     

羊瘙痒病263K毒株感染的仓鼠脑中PrP分子形式多样性的动态测定

正常细胞的朊蛋白(PrPC)代谢和构象的改变是引发动物和人类可传播性海绵状脑病(transmissiblespongiformencephalopathies,TSEs)的根本原因。将羊瘙痒病(scrapie)仓鼠适应株263K颅内接种仓鼠,在接种后的第20、40、50、60、70、80天,通过Westernblot动态检测仓鼠脑中PrP存在的形式。结果在接种后第40天,在感染动物脑组织中即检测到PrPSc分子,比临床症状出现的时间早(平均潜伏期为66 7±1 1天),且无糖基化形式的PrP分子所占百分比在接种后期增加明显。除了标准分子量大小(30kD～35kD)的PrP分子外,在感染动物脑中存在着高分子量和低分子量形式的PrP分子。定量分析显示,随着接种潜伏期的延长,不同形式PrP分子的含量也在增加,其中低分子量形式的PrP分子与临床症状的出现密切相关。蛋白去糖基化实验表明,在感染动物脑组织中,除了标准分子量大小的PrP蛋白外,还存在一条更小分子量的PrP条带,而正常动物脑组织仅存在标准大小的PrP分子。低分子量形式的PrP分子具有与全长PrP分子相类似的糖基化模式。结果提示,scrapie263K感染的仓鼠脑组织中存在不同分子形式的PrPSc,其PrP分子的代谢可能不同于正常动物。     

体外合成朊病毒的研究进展

朊蛋白疾病是人类和动物中枢神经变性的神经退行性疾病,严重威胁人类的健康。朊病毒(Prion)引发疾病的致病机理尚未十分清楚,常采用体外合成Prion的方法研究其致病机理,但体外研究朊蛋白的主要困难在于建立一个合适的系统模拟体内环境,以便研究正常朊蛋白转化为致病性朊病毒的发病机制。综述了无细胞转化分析,细胞裂解液转化分析,蛋白质错折叠循环扩增,自催化转化分析等至今普遍采用的几种Prion体外合成方法,并讨论了这些方法是否适合用于模拟Prion在体内合成并聚集的过程,为研究朊病毒疾病提供了丰富的研究资源,为深入研究朊蛋白致病性转化提供参考。     

Differential immunoreactivity of goat derived scrapie following in vitro misfolding versus mouse bioassay

The protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) assay allows for detection of prion protein misfolding activity in tissues and fluids from sheep with scrapie where it was previously undetected by conventional western blot and immunohistochemistry assays. Studies of goats with scrapie have yet to take advantage of PMCA, which could aid in discerning the risk of transmission between goats and goats to sheep. The aim of the current study was to adapt PMCA for evaluation of scrapie derived from goats. Diluted brain homogenate from scrapie-infected goats (i.e., the scrapie seed, PrP(Sc)) was subjected to PMCA using normal brain homogenate from ovinized transgenic mice (tg338) as the source of normal cellular prion protein (the substrate, PrP(C)). The assay end-point was detection of the proteinase K-resistant misfolded prion protein core (PrP(res)) by western blot. Protein misfolding activity was consistently observed in caprine brain homogenate diluted 10,000-fold after 5 PMCA rounds. Epitope mapping by western blot analyses demonstrated that PrP(res) post-PMCA was readily detected with an N-terminus anti-PrP monoclonal antibody (P4), similar to scrapie inoculum from goats. This was in contrast to limited detection of PrP(res) with P4 following mouse bioassay. The inverse was observed with a monoclonal antibody to the C-terminus (F99/97.6.1). Thus, brain homogenate prepared from uninoculated tg338 served as an appropriate substrate for serial PMCA of PrP(Sc) derived from goats. These observations suggest that concurrent PMCA and bioassay with tg338 could improve characterization of goat derived scrapie.     

Breakage of PrP aggregates is essential for efficient autocatalytic propagation of misfolded prion protein

The conversion of cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) to the disease-associated misfolded isoform (PrP(Sc)) is an essential process for prion replication. This structural conversion can be modelled in protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) reactions in which PrP(Sc) is inoculated into healthy hamster brain homogenate, followed by cycles of incubation and sonication. In serial transmission PMCA experiments it has recently been shown that the protease-resistant PrP obtained in vitro (PrPres) is generated by an autocatalytic mechanism. Here, serial transmission PMCA experiments were compared with serial transmission reactions lacking the sonication steps. We achieved approximately 200,000-fold PrPres amplification by PMCA. In contrast, although initial amplification was comparable to PMCA reactions, PrPres levels quickly dropped below detection limit when samples were not subjected to ultrasound. These results indicate that aggregate breakage is essential for efficient autocatalytic amplification of misfolded prion protein and suggest an important role of aggregate breakage in prion propagation.     

Ultra-efficient replication of infectious prions by automated protein misfolding cyclic amplification

Prions are the unconventional infectious agents responsible for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, which appear to be composed mainly or exclusively of the misfolded prion protein (PrPSc). Prion replication involves the conversion of the normal prion protein (PrPC) into the misfolded isoform, catalyzed by tiny quantities of PrPSc present in the infectious material. We have recently developed the protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) technology to sustain the autocatalytic replication of infectious prions in vitro. Here we show that PMCA enables the specific and reproducible amplification of exceptionally minute quantities of PrPSc. Indeed, after seven rounds of PMCA, we were able to generate large amounts of PrPSc starting from a 1x10(-12) dilution of scrapie hamster brain, which contains the equivalent of approximately 26 molecules of protein monomers. According to recent data, this quantity is similar to the minimum number of molecules present in a single particle of infectious PrPSc, indicating that PMCA may enable detection of as little as one oligomeric PrPSc infectious particle. Interestingly, the in vitro generated PrPSc was infectious when injected in wild-type hamsters, producing a disease identical to the one generated by inoculation of the brain infectious material. The unprecedented amplification efficiency of PMCA leads to a several billion-fold increase of sensitivity for PrPSc detection as compared with standard tests used to screen prion-infected cattle and at least 4000 times more sensitivity than the animal bioassay. Therefore, PMCA offers great promise for the development of highly sensitive, specific, and early diagnosis of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy and to further understand the molecular basis of prion propagation.     

Quantitative detection and biological propagation of scrapie seeding activity in vitro facilitate use of prions as model pathogens for disinfection

Prions are pathogens with an unusually high tolerance to inactivation and constitute a complex challenge to the re-processing of surgical instruments. On the other hand, however, they provide an informative paradigm which has been exploited successfully for the development of novel broad-range disinfectants simultaneously active also against bacteria, viruses and fungi. Here we report on the development of a methodological platform that further facilitates the use of scrapie prions as model pathogens for disinfection. We used specifically adapted serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) for the quantitative detection, on steel wires providing model carriers for decontamination, of 263K scrapie seeding activity converting normal protease-sensitive into abnormal protease-resistant prion protein. Reference steel wires carrying defined amounts of scrapie infectivity were used for assay calibration, while scrapie-contaminated test steel wires were subjected to fifteen different procedures for disinfection that yielded scrapie titre reductions of ≤10(1)- to ≥10(5.5)-fold. As confirmed by titration in hamsters the residual scrapie infectivity on test wires could be reliably deduced for all examined disinfection procedures, from our quantitative seeding activity assay. Furthermore, we found that scrapie seeding activity present in 263K hamster brain homogenate or multiplied by PMCA of scrapie-contaminated steel wires both triggered accumulation of protease-resistant prion protein and was further propagated in a novel cell assay for 263K scrapie prions, i.e., cerebral glial cell cultures from hamsters. The findings from our PMCA- and glial cell culture assays revealed scrapie seeding activity as a biochemically and biologically replicative principle in vitro, with the former being quantitatively linked to prion infectivity detected on steel wires in vivo. When combined, our in vitro assays provide an alternative to titrations of biological scrapie infectivity in animals that substantially facilitates the use of prions as potentially highly indicative test agents in the search for novel broad-range disinfectants.     

Ultrasensitive detection of scrapie prion protein using seeded conversion of recombinant prion protein

The scrapie prion protein isoform, PrPSc, is a prion-associated marker that seeds the conformational conversion and polymerization of normal protease-sensitive prion protein (PrP-sen). This seeding activity allows ultrasensitive detection of PrPSc using cyclical sonicated amplification (PMCA) reactions and brain homogenate as a source of PrP-sen. Here we describe a much faster seeded polymerization method (rPrP-PMCA) which detects >or=50 ag of hamster PrPSc (approximately 0.003 lethal dose) within 2-3 d. This technique uses recombinant hamster PrP-sen, which, unlike brain-derived PrP-sen, can be easily concentrated, mutated and synthetically tagged. We generated protease-resistant recombinant PrP fibrils that differed from spontaneously initiated fibrils in their proteolytic susceptibility and by their infrared spectra. This assay could discriminate between scrapie-infected and uninfected hamsters using 2-microl aliquots of cerebral spinal fluid. This method should facilitate the development of rapid, ultrasensitive prion assays and diagnostic tests, in addition to aiding fundamental studies of structure and mechanism of PrPSc formation.     

Highly efficient protein misfolding cyclic amplification

Protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) provides faithful replication of mammalian prions in vitro and has numerous applications in prion research. However, the low efficiency of conversion of PrP(C) into PrP(Sc) in PMCA limits the applicability of PMCA for many uses including structural studies of infectious prions. It also implies that only a small sub-fraction of PrP(C) may be available for conversion. Here we show that the yield, rate, and robustness of prion conversion and the sensitivity of prion detection are significantly improved by a simple modification of the PMCA format. Conducting PMCA reactions in the presence of Teflon beads (PMCAb) increased the conversion of PrP(C) into PrP(Sc) from ～10% to up to 100%. In PMCAb, a single 24-hour round consistently amplified PrP(Sc) by 600-700-fold. Furthermore, the sensitivity of prion detection in one round (24 hours) increased by 2-3 orders of magnitude. Using serial PMCAb, a 1012-fold dilution of scrapie brain material could be amplified to the level detectible by Western blotting in 3 rounds (72 hours). The improvements in amplification efficiency were observed for the commonly used hamster 263K strain and for the synthetic strain SSLOW that otherwise amplifies poorly in PMCA. The increase in the amplification efficiency did not come at the expense of prion replication specificity. The current study demonstrates that poor conversion efficiencies observed previously have not been due to the scarcity of a sub-fraction of PrP(C) susceptible to conversion nor due to limited concentrations of essential cellular cofactors required for conversion. The new PMCAb format offers immediate practical benefits and opens new avenues for developing fast ultrasensitive assays and for producing abundant quantities of PrP(Sc)in vitro.     

An enzymatic treatment of soil-bound prions effectively inhibits replication

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) and scrapie can be transmitted through indirect environmental routes, possibly via soil, and a practical decontamination strategy for prion-contaminated soil is currently unavailable. In the laboratory, an enzymatic treatment under environmentally relevant conditions (22°C, pH 7.4) can degrade soil-bound PrPSc below the limits of Western blot detection. We developed and used a quantitative serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) protocol to characterize the amplification efficiency of treated soil samples relative to controls of known infectious titer. Our results suggest large (10(4)- to >10(6)-fold) decreases in soil-bound prion infectivity following enzyme treatment, demonstrating that a mild enzymatic treatment could effectively reduce the risk of prion disease transmission via soil or other environmental surfaces.     

Highly efficient amplification of chronic wasting disease agent by protein misfolding cyclic amplification with beads (PMCAb)

Protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) has emerged as an important technique for detecting low levels of pathogenic prion protein in biological samples. The method exploits the ability of the pathogenic prion protein to convert the normal prion protein to a proteinase K-resistant conformation. Inclusion of Teflon® beads in the PMCA reaction (PMCAb) has been previously shown to increase the sensitivity and robustness of detection for the 263 K and SSLOW strains of hamster-adapted prions. Here, we demonstrate that PMCAb with saponin dramatically increases the sensitivity of detection for chronic wasting disease (CWD) agent without compromising the specificity of the assay (i.e., no false positive results). Addition of Teflon® beads increased the robustness of the PMCA reaction, resulting in a decrease in the variability of PMCA results. Three rounds of serial PMCAb allowed detection of CWD agent from a 6.7×10⁻¹³ dilution of 10% brain homogenate (1.3 fg of source brain). Titration of the same brain homogenate in transgenic mice expressing cervid prion protein (Tg(CerPrP)1536^+/− mice) allowed detection of CWD agent from the 10⁻⁶ dilution of 10% brain homogenate. PMCAb is, thus, more sensitive than bioassay in transgenic mice by a factor exceeding 10⁵. Additionally, we are able to amplify CWD agent from brain tissue and lymph nodes of CWD-positive white-tailed deer having Prnp alleles associated with reduced disease susceptibility.     

Infrared Microspectroscopy Detects Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification (PMCA)-induced Conformational Alterations in Hamster Scrapie Progeny Seeds

The self-replicative conformation of misfolded prion proteins (PrP) is considered a major determinant for the seeding activity, infectiousness, and strain characteristics of prions in different host species. Prion-associated seeding activity, which converts cellular prion protein (PrP^C) into Proteinase K-resistant, infectious PrP particles (PrP^TSE), can be monitored in vitro by protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA). Thus, PMCA has been established as a valuable analytical tool in prion research. Currently, however, it is under discussion whether prion strain characteristics are preserved during PMCA when parent seeds are amplified in PrP^C substrate from the identical host species. Here, we report on the comparative structural analysis of parent and progeny (PMCA-derived) PrP seeds by an improved approach of sensitive infrared microspectroscopy. Infrared microspectroscopy revealed that PMCA of native hamster 263K scrapie seeds in hamster PrP^C substrate caused conformational alterations in progeny seeds that were accompanied by an altered resistance to Proteinase K, higher sedimentation velocities in gradient ultracentrifugations, and a longer incubation time in animal bioassays. When these progeny seeds were propagated in hamsters, misfolded PrP from brain extracts of these animals showed mixed spectroscopic and biochemical properties from both parental and progeny seeds. Thus, strain modifications of 263K prions induced by PMCA seem to have been partially reversed when PMCA products were reinoculated into the original host species.     

Strain Typing of Classical Scrapie by Transgenic Mouse Bioassay Using Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification to Replace Primary Passage

According to traditional murine bioassay methodology, prions must be serially passaged within a new host before a stable phenotype, and therefore a strain, can be assigned. Prions often transmit with difficulty from one species to another; a property termed the transmission barrier. Transgenic mouse lines that over express prion protein (PrP) genes of different species can circumvent the transmission barrier but serial passages may still be required, particularly if unknown strains are encountered. Here we sought to investigate whether protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA), an in-vitro method of PrP^Sc replication, could be used to replace serial passage of VRQ/VRQ classical scrapie isolates undergoing strain typing in ovine transgenic tg338 mice. Two classical scrapie field isolates that do not readily transmit to wild-type mice underwent bioassay in tg338 mice pre- and post- PMCA and the phenotype of disease in inoculated mice was compared. For one of the sources investigated, the PMCA product gave rise to the same disease phenotypes in tg338 mice as traditional bioassay, as indicated by lesion profile, IHC analysis and Western blot, whilst the second source produced phenotypic characteristics which were not identical with those that arose through traditional bioassay. These data show that differences in the efficiency of PMCA as a strain-typing tool may vary between ovine classical scrapie isolates and therefore suggest that the ability of PMCA to replace serial passage of classical scrapie in tg338 mice may depend on the strain present in the initial source.