Healthy sheep that differ in scrapie associated PRNP genotypes exhibit significant differences of expression pattern associated with immune response and cell-to-cell signalling in retropharyngeal lymph nodes

The present study was conducted to test the hypothesis whether prion protein gene (PRNP) associated scrapie susceptibility is connected with physiological changes in tissue involved in pathogen uptake, migration and propagation. Jejunum, ileal Peyer's patches, retropharyngeal lymph nodes, brain stem and liver of healthy and non scrapie-infected sheep with PRNP genotypes representing the scrapie risk class R1 (scrapie-resistant) and R5 (scrapie-susceptible), respectively, were comparatively analysed by microarray technology and quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT qPCR). Significantly higher expression levels of genes involved in immune response and cell communication pathways in retropharyngeal lymph nodes of R1 sheep in comparison with R5 animals strongly suggest PRNP associated physiological processes with impact as an early barrier in pathogen defence.Equal expression patterns in brain stem suggest no physiological differences in brain of healthy R1 and R5 animals. In addition, similar expression pattern in liver indicates that there are no transcriptional differences in genes of the hepatic energy metabolism between animals of scrapie classes R1 and R5.