Figure 2. Lichen extracts degrade PrP^TSE in brain homogenate.

(A) Lichen extracts (10 mg lichen equivalents) were incubated with equal amounts (10 µL) of 10% brain homogenates from hamsters infected with Hyper (HY) TME, Drowsy (DY) TME or 263K scrapie strains of TSE agents and PrP degradation was assessed by immunoblotting. Treatment of each hamster brain homogenate with 50 µg·mL⁻¹ of PK demonstrates the presence of abnormal PrP in the starting material. Using the same conditions as in (A), lichen extracts cause degradation of PrP in (B) a CWD-infected white-tailed deer, (C) PK-treated HY hamster and (D) uninfected hamster brain homogenates. (E) Protein C5 of the 20S subunit of the proteasome, an unrelated protein, was also degraded by lichen extracts. Immunoblots (IB) used mAbs 3F4 (A, C and D), 6H4 (B) or pAb anti-C5 (E).