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Transcriptomic Responses to Prion Disease in Rats

ABSTRACT: While prion infections have been extensively characterized in the laboratory mouse, little is known regarding the molecular responses to prions in other rodents. To explore these responses and make comparisons, we generated a prion disease in the laboratory rat by successive passage of mouse RML prions. Here we describe the accumulation of prions and associated pathology in the rat and describe the transcriptional impact throughout prion disease. Comparative transcriptional profiling between laboratory mice and rats suggests that similar molecular processes are unfolding in response to prion infection. At the level of individual transcripts, however, variability exists between mice and rats and many genes deregulated in mouse scrapie are not affected in rats. Notwithstanding these differences, many transcriptome responses are conserved between mice and rats infected with scrapie. Our findings highlight the usefulness of comparative approaches to understanding neurodegeneration and prion diseases in particular.

ORGANISM(S): Rattus norvegicus

PROVIDER: GSE63930 | GEO | 2015/09/01

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA269508

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Multiple cell types and complex connection networks are an intrinsic feature of brain tissue. In this study we used expression profiling of homogeneous cell populations from specific microscopic regions of heterogeneous tissue sections isolated by laser capture microdissection (LCM) to determine insights into the molecular basis of brain pathology in prion disease. Temporal profiles in two mouse models of prion disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and a mouse-adapted strain of scrapie (RML) were performed in microdissected regions of the CA1 and cerebellar granular that are enriched in neuronal cell bodies. We noted that during clinical disease the number of activated microglia and astrocytes that occur in these areas are increased, thereby likely diluting the neuronal gene expression signature. We performed a comparative analysis with gene expression profiles determined from isolated populations of neurons, microglia and astrocytes to identify transcripts that are enriched in each of these cell types. Although the incubation periods of these two models are quite different, over 300 days for BSE and ~160 days for RML scrapie, these regional microdissections revealed broadly similar profiles. Microglial and astrocyte-enriched genes contributed a profound inflammatory profile consisting of inflammatory cytokines, genes related to phagocytosis, proteolysis and genes coding for extracellular matrix proteins. CA1 pyramidal neurons displayed a net upregulation of transcription factors and stress induced genes at pre-clinical stages of disease while all tissues showed profound downregulation of overlapping genes related to neuronal function, in particular transcripts related to neuronal communication including glutamate receptors, phosphatase subunits and numerous synaptic-related markers. Of note we found a small number of genes expressed in neurons that were upregulated during clinical disease including, COX6A, FZD9, RXRG and SOX11, that may be useful biomarkers of neurodegeneration.

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Transcriptomic Responses to Prion Disease in Rats

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