Figure 1.

PrP^C is up-regulated during EAE. A: PrP^C expression was analyzed in WT C57Bl/6 mice in various tissue compartments throughout EAE. In all compartments analyzed (brain, spinal cord, retina, and optic nerves), PrP^C expression was increased from the first day of symptoms of EAE and remained elevated until 21 days after onset of EAE, the last day of the experiment. B: PrP^C levels were compared between brains from the prion-overexpressing Tg35 mouse line, the Prnp^−/− knockout line, and their respective WT counterparts (WT-Tg35 mice, 129B6; and WT-Prnp, C57Bl/6). As expected, PrP^C expression was greatly enhanced in the Tg35 line compared with the level in WT mice (Tg35 4.12-fold higher than WT), and was completely abolished in the Prnp^−/− line. Two glycosylated forms (solid arrow) and one nonglycosylated form (open arrow) were visible. C: Quantification of PrP^C expression in transgenic mice compared with their WT counterparts. D: Quantification of PrP^C expression in various tissue compartments throughout EAE. *P < 0.05.