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Manganese enhances prion protein survival in model soils and increases prion infectivity to cells

Paul Davies1, David R Brown

  • 1Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom.

Plos One
|October 22, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Environmental manganese significantly increases prion protein survival and transmissibility. This finding highlights manganese as a key risk factor for prion diseases, impacting both environmental persistence and disease spread.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Neuroscience
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Prion diseases are transmissible neurodegenerative disorders.
  • Sporadic forms suggest environmental prion protein survival.
  • Environmental manganese is a potential risk factor.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of manganese in prion protein environmental survival and infectivity.
  • To develop a method for extracting prion protein from soil.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a novel soil extraction technique for prion protein.
  • Assessed prion protein survival in soil matrices with and without manganese over two years.
  • Measured the infectivity of scrapie prions exposed to manganese using cell cultures.

Main Results:

  • Manganese exposure increased prion protein survival in soil by approximately 10-fold over two years.
  • Manganese exposure enhanced the infectivity of mouse-passaged scrapie prions to cell cultures by 2 logs.
  • A novel method for extracting prion protein from soil was successfully developed.

Conclusions:

  • Manganese is a significant risk factor for prion diseases.
  • Manganese promotes prion protein survival in the environment.
  • Manganese increases the transmissibility of prion diseases.

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