• 대한바이러스학회지
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.183-192
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• 1998

DNA methylation degree in the several murine brain and liver genes of different ages and after scrapie infection have been examined by using methylation-sensitive restriction endonuclease digestion. We found that the methylation of c-fos and c-myc in the brain and liver was increased during the late fetal to one month postnatal developmental periods. However, those of the SGP-2, $S100{\beta}$, APP950, PrP, and APLP1 genes were decreased at the same periods. The comparison of the DNA methylation patterns between scrapie infected brains and controls demonstrated there is no significant difference in methylation degree of scrapie-infected brains. These observations indicate that DNA methylation might be importantly related to the aging process. The scrapie-infected murine brain was not significantly developed more senescent than the same age-controls did.

• 한국연초학회지
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.212-218
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• 2005

Cigarette smoking has been known to have a few beneficial effects on some neuronal diseases such as Alzheimer's disease(AD), Parkinson's disease(PD) and prion disease by scrapie agent shows many similar properties with AD. In this respect, we investigated what biological effects are exerted by cigarette smoke exposure(CSE) in the brain of mouse infected by 87V scrapie. The scrapie agent was inoculated through stereotaxic microinjection of the homogenates of the scrapie agent infected brain into the intracerebral system in the 1M mice. The inoculation into mice typically exhibits neurochemical, physiological and histopathological characteristics of prion disease: loss of neurotransmitters and induction of astrocytosis and vacuolation in brain as well as reduction of spatial movement and loss of body weight. CSE led to alleviated the loss of body weight and also improved spatial movement of the infected mice. Most interestingly, CSE attenuated astrocytosis and vacuolation caused by scrapie infection in the brain. In addition, decreased levels of dopamine in striatal and hypothalamic regions as well as serotonin level in hippocampus caused by scrapie infection were also attenuated by exposure to cigarette smoke. These findings suggest that cigarette smoke, by its inhibition of astrocytosis and vacuolation followed by its restoration of levels of some neurotransmitters, may partly contribute to suppression in the progress of neurodegeneration caused by scrapie infection.