Researchers from the Centre for Encephalopathies and Emerging Communicable Diseases of the University of Zaragoza, within the framework of the NEURO-COOP project, have managed to detect prions (PrP^Sc) in the oocytes and ovaries of sheep naturally infected with classical scrapie, using the ultra-sensitive PMCA (Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification) technique.

The study shows that prion properties are conserved without post-translational modifications. An international team led by researchers from IRTA-CReSA and CIC bioGUNE has shown that the fastest known prion strain, CWD-vole, maintains its properties even in the absence of glycosylation and membrane anchoring. Using...

Cofactors favour prion misfolding, but are not essential to generate infectivity A multidisciplinary team led by researchers from CIC bioGUNE and in collaboration with partners from the NEURO-COOP project, has demonstrated that the prion protein [...]

A strain of chronic wasting disease in elk shows increased zoonotic potential after passage through sheep An international study led by French scientists, ...

A team of researchers led by the University of Zaragoza has identified five proteins in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that could act as early biomarkers for the diagnosis of prion diseases, before the first clinical symptoms appear. The study, carried out in sheep with scrapie - a natural model of these neurodegenerative pathologies - used advanced mass spectrometry and ELISA techniques to analyse the alterations in the CSF proteome.