FIGURE 5.
Monensin induces long-term accumulation of PrPSc. A, immunoblot analysis of PrP in prion-infected GT1-7 cells immediately after vehicle or MON treatment. B, densitometric analysis showed no significant differences in PrPTot and PrPSc levels. C, immunoblot analysis of PrP in prion-infected GT1-7 cells three passages after vehicle or MON treatment. D, densitometric analysis revealed a significant increase in PrPTot and PrPSc levels. E, the levels of prion infectivity in vehicle- and MON-treated GT1-7 cells were quantitated using PICA. A dose-response curve of the relative fluorescence units (RFU) of PrPSc, as a percentage of the background levels in controls cells, was plotted against the log of inoculum used. No significant differences were observed between the infectious responses associated with vehicle- or MON-treated lysates. Data are presented as mean ± S.E. (n = 3). *, p < 0.05; ns, not significant.