2015/01/01 by Qi Yuan, Thomas Eckland, Glenn C. Telling +2 · 2 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Environmental Science · #Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies #Prion Diseases and Protein Misfolding
paper · pdf · doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1004638
openalex publication_date 2015/02/09 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Prions enter the environment from infected hosts, bind to a wide range of soil and soil minerals, and remain highly infectious. Environmental sources of prions almost certainly contribute to the transmission of chronic wasting disease in cervids and scrapie in sheep and goats. While much is known about the introduction of prions into the environment and their interaction with soil, relatively little is known about prion degradation and inactivation by natural environmental processes. In this study, we examined the effect of repeated cycles of drying and wetting on prion fitness and determined that 10 cycles of repeated drying and wetting could reduce PrP(Sc) abundance, PMCA amplification efficiency and extend the incubation period of disease. Importantly, prions bound to soil were more susceptible to inactivation by repeated cycles of drying and wetting compared to unbound prions, a result which may be due to conformational changes in soil-bound PrP(Sc) or consolidation of the bonding between PrP(Sc) and soil. This novel finding demonstrates that naturally-occurring environmental process can degrade prions.