Cell
Volume 46, Issue 4, 15 August 1986, Pages 503-511
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Article
Linkage of prion protein and scrapie incubation time genes

https://doi.org/10.1016/0092-8674(86)90875-5Get rights and content

Abstract

A single gene (Prn-i) that affects scrapie incubation period in mice has been identified. ILnJ mice have a very long incubation period after inoculation of scrapie prions (200–385 days) and NZWLacJ mice have a short one (113 ± 2.8 days). (NZW × ILn)F1 hybrid mice had incubation times of 223 ± 2.8 days indicating longer incubation times were dominant. Incubation periods in the backcross progeny of (NZWLacJ × ILnJ)F1 × NZWLacJ segregated into two groups (64 mice, 130 ± 1.1 d; 66 mice, 195 ± 1.9 d) indicating single gene control. NZWLacJ and 20 other inbred strains have the Prn-pa allele which is identified as a 3.8 kb Xbal fragment using a hamster PrP (prion protein) cDNA probe. ILnJ and three other Prn-pb mouse strains have a 5.5 kb Xbal restriction fragment. Analysis of DNA from 66 backcross mice indicated Prn-i is tightly linked to Prn-p, the structural gene for PrP.

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