Cross-species transmission of CWD prions

2016/01/02 by Timothy D. Kurt, Christina J. Sigurdson · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Prion Diseases and Protein Misfolding

paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/19336896.2015.1118603

openalex publication_date 2016/01/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

Prions cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases in humans and animals and can be transmitted zoonotically. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a highly transmissible prion disease of wild deer and elk that affects cervids over extensive regions of the United States and Canada. The risk of cross-species CWD transmission has been experimentally evaluated in a wide array of mammals, including non-human primates and mouse models expressing human cellular prion protein. Here we review the determinants of cross-species CWD transmission, and propose a model that may explain a structural barrier for CWD transmission to humans.

Citations

• Prion propagation in mice expressing human and chimeric PrP transgenes implicates the interaction of cellular PrP with another protein
• Structure of the cross-β spine of amyloid-like fibrils

Cited by

• Prion [wikipedia]