%0 Journal Article
%T Microdissection: A method developed to investigate mechanisms involved in transmissible spongiform encephalopathy pathogenesis
%A Janice B Barr
%A Robert A Somerville
%A Yuen-Li Chung
%A Janet R Fraser
%J BMC Infectious Diseases
%D 2004
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1471-2334-4-8
%X To assess the biochemical changes which are taking place in these targeted areas it was necessary to develop a reliable sampling procedure (microdissection) which could be used for a variety of tests such as western blotting and magnetic resonance spectroscopy.The method described is for the microdissection of murine brains. To assess the usefulness of this dissection technique for producing similar sample types for analysis by various down-stream biochemical techniques, the areas dissected were analysed for PrPSc by western blotting and compared to immunocytochemical (ICC) techniques.Results show that the method generates samples yielding a consistent protein content which can be analysed for PrPSc. The areas in which PrPSc is found by western blotting compares well with localisation visualised by immunocytochemistry.The microdisssection method described can be used to generate samples suitable for a range of biochemical techniques. Using these samples a range of assays can be carried out which will help to elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying TSE pathogenesis. The method would also be useful for any study requiring the investigation of discrete areas within the murine brain.Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are a group of neurodegenerative diseases which include scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Murine models have increased our understanding of the pathogenesis and biochemistry of scrapie and indeed have been an invaluable tool in the characterisation of emerging TSEs such as BSE and vCJD (variant form of CJD linked to BSE exposure) [1,2].Scrapie in murine models has a long asymptomatic phase, the length of which is characteristic of the model, followed by onset of progressive clinical signs and finally death [3]. Neuropathology of a TSE infected animal reveals vacuolation of the neuropil, gliosis, and neuronal loss [4,5]. Another major pathological feature of scrapie is deposition o
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2334/4/8