HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Dees, C. Articles by Marsh, R. F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Dees, C. Articles by Marsh, R. F. Agricola Articles by Dees, C. Articles by Marsh, R. F.

Characterization of Lipids in Membrane Vesicles from Scrapie-infected Hamster Brain

Department of Veterinary Science, 1655 Linden Drive, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, U.S.A.

The lipid compositions of membrane vesicles from scrapie-infected and uninfected hamster brains were examined before and after detergent extraction. No differences were observed in polar lipids, glycolipids, gangliosides or neutral lipids examined by thin-layer chromatography. Analysis of detergent-extracted CsCl gradient fractions with high scrapie infectivity failed to reveal any glycerolphosphatides, although neutral lipids were demonstrated. The major neutral lipid associated with detergent-extracted membrane vesicles from both infected and uninfected brain was an unidentified lipid which was found to absorb u.v. radiation strongly from 250 to 300 nm wavelengths. Membrane neutral lipids that strongly absorb u.v. radiation at wavelengths normally used to inactivate viruses may protect a small nucleic acid essential for scrapie infectivity.

Keywords: scrapie, hydrophobicity, u.v. inactivation, neutral lipid

Received 18 September 1984; accepted 31 December 1984.