Grass Plants Bind, Retain, Uptake, and Transport Infectious Prions

• Published in: Cell reports (Cambridge) 2015-05, Vol.11 (8), p.1168-1175
• Main Authors: Pritzkow, Sandra, Morales, Rodrigo, Moda, Fabio, Khan, Uffaf, Telling, Glenn C., Hoover, Edward, Soto, Claudio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Brain - metabolism; Cricetinae; Female; Mesocricetus; Poaceae - metabolism; Prion Diseases - metabolism; Prion Diseases - transmission; Prions - metabolism
• ISSN: 2211-1247; 2211-1247
• DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.04.036

Prions are the protein-based infectious agents responsible for prion diseases. Environmental prion contamination has been implicated in disease transmission. Here, we analyzed the binding and retention of infectious prion protein (PrPSc) to plants. Small quantities of PrPSc contained in diluted brain homogenate or in excretory materials (urine and feces) can bind to wheat grass roots and leaves. Wild-type hamsters were efficiently infected by ingestion of prion-contaminated plants. The prion-plant interaction occurs with prions from diverse origins, including chronic wasting disease. Furthermore, leaves contaminated by spraying with a prion-containing preparation retained PrPSc for several weeks in the living plant. Finally, plants can uptake prions from contaminated soil and transport them to aerial parts of the plant (stem and leaves). These findings demonstrate that plants can efficiently bind infectious prions and act as carriers of infectivity, suggesting a possible role of environmental prion contamination in the horizontal transmission of the disease. [Display omitted] •Grass plants bind prions from contaminated brain and excreta•Prions from different strains and species remain bound to living plants•Hamsters fed with prion-contaminated plant samples develop prion disease•Stems and leaves from grass plants grown in infected soil contain prions Prions are the proteinaceous infectious agents responsible for prion diseases. Pritzkow et al. report that prions from brain and excreta can bind grass plants and remain attached to living plants for a long time and that contaminated plants can infect animals. In addition, grass plants can uptake and transport prions from infected soil.