Treatment with a non-toxic, self-replicating anti-prion delays or prevents prion disease in vivo.

ABSTRACT: Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are fatal neurological disorders caused by prions, which are composed of a misfolded protein (PrP^Sc) that self-propagates in the brain of infected individuals by converting the normal prion protein (PrP^C) into the pathological isoform. Here, we report a novel experimental strategy for preventing prion disease based on producing a self-replicating, but innocuous PrP^Sc-like form, termed anti-prion, which can compete with the replication of pathogenic prions. Our results show that a prophylactic inoculation of prion-infected animals with an anti-prion delays the onset of the disease and in some animals completely prevents the development of clinical symptoms and brain damage. The data indicate that a single inje

SUBMITTER: Diaz-Espinoza R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5738294 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature