IT MAY be possible to delay the onset of prion diseases such as vCJD, the
human form of BSE, says researchers.
Charles Weissman of Imperial College School of Medicine in London and his
colleagues injected mice with the prion that causes scrapie. Before the abnormal
protein reaches the brain, it accumulates in immune cells in the spleen that
express normal prion protein. The team found that knocking out these cells for a
few weeks delayed prion accumulation and the onset of symptoms
(Science, vol 288, p 1257).
They suggest trying to prevent vCJD in people by blocking the expression of
the normal prion protein in tissues where the deformed protein accumulates
before reaching the brain. 鈥淚f we can suppress expression in peripheral nerves,
it might be useful,鈥� says Weissman.
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