Clusterin in bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)

Clusterin mRNA detected in increased quantities in the cervical spinal cord of cattle with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), was localized mainl y in the neuroglia (including astrocytes) of the lateral and ventral areas of white matter. Axonal degeneration was also observed in these areas. The dorsal horns of the spinal cord in which BSE prion protein (PrPBSE) was dep osited did not exhibit strong clusterin "up-regulation" but showed increase d clusterin immunolabelling with a punctate distribution in the neuropil. L abelling of adjacent sections of the grey matter in BSE-affected spinal cor d and thalamus demonstrated that the clusterin was deposited in association with extracellular PrPBSE. (C) 1999 W.B. Saunders Company Limited.