dr. harman

Greenwood AD, Horsch M, Stengel A, Vorberg I, Lutzny G, Maas E,
Schadler S, Erfle V, Beckers J, Schatzl H, Leib-Mosch C.

Institute of Molecular Virology, GSF-National Research Centre for
Environment and Health, Ingolstadter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Neuherberg,
Germany; Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich, 81675
Munich, Germany.

The overall impact of prion disease on gene expression is not well
characterized. We have carried out a large-scale expression ****ysis of
specific cell types commonly employed in studies of prion disease.
Neuroblastoma cells (N2a) and hypothalamic neuronal cells (GT1) can be
persistently infected with mouse-adapted scrapie prions, the latter
demonstrating cytopathologic effects associated with prion
neuropathology. Exploiting a mouse DNA microarray containing
approximately 21,000 spotted cDNAs, we have identified several hundred
differentially expressed sequences in the two cell lines when infected
with prion strain RML. ScN2a and ScGT1 cells demonstrate unique changes
in RNA profiles and both differ from the reported changes in human
microglia and prion-infected brain studies albeit with some overlap. In
addition, several of the identified changes are shared in common with
other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. The
results illustrate that prion infection differs in effect depending on
cell type, which could be exploited for diagnostic or the****utic
intervention.