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Updated: May 21, 2026
09:22
Monitoring Immune Cells Trafficking Fluorescent Prion Rods Hours after Intraperitoneal Infection
Published on: November 19, 2010
Incunabular immunological events in prion trafficking.
Brady Michel1, Crystal Meyerett-Reid, Theodore Johnson
1College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Prion Research Program at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, USA.
Scientific Reports
|June 9, 2012
Summary
This study reveals how prions travel to lymph nodes. B cells play a key role in moving prions within lymph nodes after initial infection.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Neuroscience
- Pathology
Background:
- Prion interactions with the innate immune system early in infection are poorly understood.
- Initial prion confrontation and trafficking following peripheral inoculation require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate early events in lymphotropic and intranodal prion trafficking.
- To identify the cellular mechanisms and kinetics of prion transport to draining lymph nodes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized highly enriched, fluorescent prions to track transport from infection sites to draining lymph nodes.
- Monitored prion arrival and cellular association in lymph nodes following intraperitoneal administration.
Main Results:
- Detected a biphasic, cell-autonomous lymphotropic transport of prions within two hours.
- Monocytes and dendritic cells (DCs) required Complement for a second wave of prion delivery.
- B cells became the predominant prion-bearing cells within six hours in mediastinal lymph nodes.
Conclusions:
- Demonstrated novel, cell-autonomous prion lymphotropism.
- Highlighted a significant role for B cells in intranodal prion movement and reception.
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