Evidence for prion protein expression in enteroglial cells of the myenteric plexus of mouse intestine

Abstract

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are slowly progressive and fatal neurodegenerative diseases affecting man and animals. They are caused by pathological isoforms (PrPSc) of the host-encoded cellular prion protein (PrPC). There are two crucial factors for the initiation of infection, namely host cells PrPC expression and sufficient sequence homology between the PrPSc to which the animal is exposed and its own PrPC. In acquired TSEs, the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is the main prion entry site. Hence, it is of paramount importance to an understanding of the early pathogenesis of prion infections, to characterize the GIT cell types constitutively expressing PrPC. Twenty-three mi..