Dataset Information

Neuropathological changes in striate and extrastriate visual cortex in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).

ABSTRACT: Pathological changes in striate (B17, V1) and extrastriate (B18, V2) visual cortex were studied in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). No differences in densities of vacuoles or surviving neurons were observed in B17 and B18 but densities of glial cell nuclei and deposits of prion protein (PrP) were greater in B18. PrP deposit densities in B17 and B18 were positively correlated. Diffuse deposit density in B17 was negatively correlated with the density of surviving neurons in B18. The vacuoles either exhibited a density peak in laminae II/III and V/VI or were more uniformly distributed across the laminae. Diffuse deposits were most frequent in laminae II/III and florid deposits more generally distributed. In B18, the surviving neurons were more consistently bimodally distributed and the glial cell nuclei most abundant in laminae V/VI than in B17. Hence, both striate and extrastriate visual cortex is affected by the pathology of vCJD, the pathological changes being most severe in B18. Neuronal degeneration in B18 appears to be associated with diffuse PrP deposit formation in B17. These data suggest that the short cortico-cortical connections between B17 and B18 and the pathways to subcortical visual areas are compromised in vCJD.

SUBMITTER: Armstrong RA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2704504 | biostudies-other | 2007 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Neuropathological changes in striate and extrastriate visual cortex in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).

Armstrong Richard A RA

Clinical ophthalmology (Auckland, N.Z.) 20070601 2

Pathological changes in striate (B17, V1) and extrastriate (B18, V2) visual cortex were studied in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). No differences in densities of vacuoles or surviving neurons were observed in B17 and B18 but densities of glial cell nuclei and deposits of prion protein (PrP) were greater in B18. PrP deposit densities in B17 and B18 were positively correlated. Diffuse deposit density in B17 was negatively correlated with the density of surviving neurons in B18. The vacuo ...[more]

PMID: 19668500

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Project description:The familial or genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (fCJD or gCJD) is the inherent form of human prion diseases, which accounts for approximately 10-15% of human prion diseases that are caused by mutations of the prion protein gene (PRNP). In this study, the global expression patterns of the parietal cortex from a patient with G114V gCJD were comparatively analyzed with the normal controls by using a commercial human genome expression chip. Totally 8774 genes showed differential expression, among them 2769 genes were upregulated and 6005 ones were downregulated. The reliability of the results was confirmed by the real-time RT-PCR assays for several specific genes. The most differentially expressed genes involved in the functions of regulation of transcription, ion transport, transcription, cell adhesion, signal transduction. The gene associated with gliosis was upregulated and the genes marked for neurons were downregulated, while the transcription of PRNP gene maintained unchanged. 169 different pathways showed significantly changed in the brain of G114V gCJD. The most significantly regulated pathways included that of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, oxidative phosphorylation, regulation of actin cytoskeleton, MAPK signaling pathway and proteasome, which were described in prion diseases previously. In addition, some rarely addressed pathways in prion diseases, such as axon guidance, gap junction and purine metabolism, were also significantly changed in G114V gCJD. The transcriptional situations of the most genes in the top ten changed pathways were down-regulated. The extensive reductions of gene expressions in G114V gCJD showed the comparable profiles with sporadic CJD. The data here raised the useful clues for understanding the pathogenesis of the disease and selecting the potential biomarkers for diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Brain tissues of parietal cortex from a definitely diagnosed G114V gCJD were enrolled into this study. The patient was a 47-year-old Han-Chinese woman at the onset. Neuropathological assays of ten different brain regions revealed typical sCJD-like abnormality and PrPSc deposits. Meanwhile, a commercial normal human parietal cortex total RNA (Clontech) pooled from four male/female aged 35-89 was utilized as control.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Prions, the infectious agents responsible for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, consist mainly of the misfolded prion protein (PrP(Sc)). The unique mechanism of transmission and the appearance of a variant form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which has been linked to consumption of prion-contaminated cattle meat, have raised concerns about public health. Evidence suggests that variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease prions circulate in body fluids from people in whom the disease is silently incubating. METHODS:To investigate whether PrP(Sc) can be detected in the urine of patients with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, we used the protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) technique to amplify minute quantities of PrP(Sc), enabling highly sensitive detection of the protein. We analyzed urine samples from several patients with various transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (variant and sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and genetic forms of prion disease), patients with other degenerative or nondegenerative neurologic disorders, and healthy persons. RESULTS:PrP(Sc) was detectable only in the urine of patients with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and had the typical electrophoretic profile associated with this disease. PrP(Sc) was detected in 13 of 14 urine samples obtained from patients with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and in none of the 224 urine samples obtained from patients with other neurologic diseases and from healthy controls, resulting in an estimated sensitivity of 92.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 66.1 to 99.8) and a specificity of 100.0% (95% CI, 98.4 to 100.0). The PrP(Sc) concentration in urine calculated by means of quantitative PMCA was estimated at 1×10(-16) g per milliliter, or 3×10(-21) mol per milliliter, which extrapolates to approximately 40 to 100 oligomeric particles of PrP(Sc) per milliliter of urine. CONCLUSIONS:Urine samples obtained from patients with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease contained minute quantities of PrP(Sc). (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and others.).

Dataset Information

Neuropathological changes in striate and extrastriate visual cortex in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).

Publications

Neuropathological changes in striate and extrastriate visual cortex in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).

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