Author/Editor     Koren, Simon
Title     Določanje prionskega proteina v človeški krvi
Type     monografija
Place     Ljubljana
Publisher     Fakulteta za kemijo in kemijsko tehnologijo
Publication year     2004
Volume     str. 57
Language     slo
Abstract     Prions represent a unique group of infectious pathogens. They are the cause of a group of fatal neurodegenerative disorders, called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE). These occur when the normal cellular prion protein, PrPC, undergoes a conformational transformation into the pathological form, PrPSc. Recently, a possibility of TSE transmission by blood transfusion became increasingly apparent. Because of this, more and more research is being directed towards detection of PrP in blood. We used Western analysis with a panel of monoclonal antibodies to detect PrP in human platelets and lyrnphocytes. Flow cytometry was used to detect PrP on the surface of lymphocytes. Our results show that the glycosylation pattern of PrP in platelets differs from the pattern occurring in lymphocytes. The fact that different antibodies yielded different results is very significant, as it demonstrates the importance of analysis with larger panels of antibodies. Detection of plasma PrP was hindered by plasma protein, which had to be removed in order to perform a successful analysis. Polymorphism of codon 129 of the Prnp gene is an important genetic marker which indicates susceptibility for TSE. The goal of our research was to establish whether the differences in the genotype are expressed at protein level in a way that would make them possible to detect using immunological methods. While our results show considerable differences in PrP expression between individuals, they are not Prnp codon 129 polymorphism dependent.
Descriptors     PRIONS
ANTIBODIES, MONOCLONAL
GENOTYPE
POLYMORPHISM (GENETICS)
LYMPHOCYTOSIS
BLOOD PLATELETS
BLOTTING, WESTERN
FLOW CYTOMETRY
POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION
BASE SEQUENCE