Gurgul Artur, Słota Ewa
Department of Immuno- and Cytogenetics of Animals, National Research Institute of Animal Production, Krakowska 1, 32-083 Balice n. Kraków, Poland.
Folia Biol (Krakow). 2007;55(3-4):81-6. doi: 10.3409/173491607781492533.
Prion protein gene (PRNP) variants determine the susceptibility of humans, sheep and mice to prion diseases, whereas polymorphisms in the open reading frame (ORF) of bovine PRNP seem to be unrelated to the incidence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). According to the latest reports, the genetic susceptibility of cattle to BSE is associated with polymorphisms ofthe regulatory region of the PRNP gene and the level ofits expression. This review provides information on the bovine PRNP gene, its polymorphism, and recently identified genetic markers for BSE, and attempts to explain the mechanism behind the genetic resistance or susceptibility of cattle to this disease.
