Scrapie infectivity and prion protein are distributed in the same pH range in agarose isoelectric focusing

Abstract

We separated lysed synaptosomal-microsomal membrane fraction from scrapie-infected hamster brain in preparative agarose isoelectric focusing. We also studied the distribution of PrP27–30 and scrapie infectivity in 13 regions of the gel in the range of pH 3.5 to 9.3. Most of the infectivity remained in the trough, where it had been placed at the beginning of the electrophoresis, along with PrP27–30. Scrapie infectious particles that entered the gel demonstrated charge heterogeneity and were distributed in the range of pH 5.4 to 9.3. Analysis of charge heterogeneity of PrP27–30 after sodium dodecyl sulfate solubilization showed an isoelectric pattern in the same pH range as that for scrapie infectious particles. The similarity in charge heterogeneity between infectivity and PrP27–30, together with copurification, support the idea that PrP27–30 is an essential component of the scrapie infectious agent.