Prion Seeding Activity in Plant Tissues Detected by RT-QuIC

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Science
• Environmental Science
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Prion diseases, including scrapie, BSE, and CWD, impact various mammals.
• Animals with CWD shed prions into the environment, where they can persist in soil, water, and plants.
• Environmental sampling is crucial for understanding prion transmission pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a method for extracting and detecting prions in plant tissues.
• To assess the potential for plants to harbor and transmit prions from the environment.

Main Methods:

• Development of a novel protocol for prion extraction from plant samples.
• Utilizing the real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assay for sensitive prion detection.
• Employing zwitterionic surfactant incubation and sodium phosphotungstate precipitation for prion concentration.

Main Results:

• The study presents the first published method for detecting prions in plant tissues.
• Prion seeding activity was successfully detected in plant samples using the developed protocol.
• The method demonstrates the ability to detect prions on plant surfaces and within plant tissues.

Conclusions:

• A sensitive method for detecting prions in plants has been established.
• This technique enables environmental prion surveillance through plant analysis.
• Understanding prion presence in plants is vital for managing CWD and similar diseases.