Okada H, Sakurai M, Yokoyama T, Mohri S
Prion Disease Research Center, National Institute of Animal Health, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
J Comp Pathol. 2010 Aug-Oct;143(2-3):218-22. doi: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2010.01.015. Epub 2010 Mar 3.
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) induce fatal neurodegenerative diseases in man and animals. The present study demonstrates immunohistochemically the presence of disease-associated prion protein (PrP(Sc)) in the epithelial cell rests of Malassez (ERM) of mice experimentally infected with ME7 scrapie by the intracerebral route. Mouse bioassay of scrapie-infected dental tissue revealed prolonged incubation periods, suggesting that there are relatively low amounts of infectious agent in dental tissue compared with the brain. These findings indicate that PrP(Sc) may spread from the brain to the ERM along the cranial nerves via the trigeminal ganglion that innervates the dental tissues. Dental tissue might therefore be a potential source of PrP(Sc) for horizontal transmission of TSEs.
传染性海绵状脑病（TSEs）可在人和动物中引发致命的神经退行性疾病。本研究通过免疫组织化学方法，证实了经脑内途径感染ME7羊瘙痒病的小鼠，其马拉瑟上皮剩余细胞（ERM）中存在与疾病相关的朊病毒蛋白（PrP(Sc)）。对感染羊瘙痒病的牙齿组织进行小鼠生物测定，发现潜伏期延长，这表明与大脑相比，牙齿组织中的传染源数量相对较少。这些发现表明，PrP(Sc)可能通过支配牙齿组织的三叉神经节，沿着颅神经从大脑传播至ERM。因此，牙齿组织可能是TSEs水平传播中PrP(Sc)的潜在来源。
