Estimating prion concentration in fluids and tissues by quantitative PMCA

Nat Methods. 2010 Jul;7(7):519-20. doi: 10.1038/nmeth.1465. Epub 2010 May 30.

Abstract

Prions, the proteinaceous infectious agent responsible for prion diseases, can be detected with high sensitivity by protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) technology. Here we describe a quantitative PMCA procedure to calculate the concentration of very low levels of prions in biological samples. Using this procedure, we determined the quantities of misfolded prion protein (PrP(Sc)) in brain, spleen, blood and urine of scrapie-affected hamsters.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cricetinae
  • Mesocricetus
  • PrPSc Proteins / blood*
  • PrPSc Proteins / urine*
  • Protein Folding
  • Scrapie / blood*
  • Scrapie / urine*

Substances

  • PrPSc Proteins