Plants as vectors for environmental prion transmission

Autor: Christina M. Carlson, Samuel Thomas, Matthew W. Keating, Paulina Soto, Nicole M. Gibbs, Haeyoon Chang, Jamie K. Wiepz, Annabel G. Austin, Jay R. Schneider, Rodrigo Morales, Christopher J. Johnson, Joel A. Pedersen
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: iScience, Vol 26, Iss 12, Pp 108428- (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2589-0042
DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108428
Popis: Summary: Prions cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases and exhibit remarkable durability, which engenders a wide array of potential exposure scenarios. In chronic wasting disease of deer, elk, moose, and reindeer and in scrapie of sheep and goats, prions are transmitted via environmental routes and the ability of plants to accumulate and subsequently transmit prions has been hypothesized, but not previously demonstrated. Here, we establish the ability of several crop and other plant species to take up prions via their roots and translocate them to above-ground tissues from various growth media including soils. We demonstrate that plants can accumulate prions in above-ground tissues to levels sufficient to transmit disease after oral ingestion by mice. Our results suggest plants may serve as vectors for prion transmission in the environment—a finding with implications for wildlife conservation, agriculture, and public health.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals