Sequences of prion protein gene and amino acid of blue sheep on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

  Objective  To analyze the prion protein gene (PRNP) sequence of blue sheep and evaluate the susceptibility of blue sheep to scrapie.

  Methods  The primers were designed according to the PRNP sequence of sheep published on GenBank, and then the PRNP sequence of blue sheep was amplified, sequenced, and compared with the PRNP sequence of 11 species of mammals published on GenBank.

  Results  Gene sequencing results showed that the PRNP of blue sheep consists of 771 nucleotides and encodes 256 amino acids. Sequence analysis showed that the amino acid sequences of prion protein (PrP) in four blue sheep were completely homologous, and were consistent with those of wild-type sheep. In addition, the amino acid sequence of PrP in blue sheep showed high homology with goat (99.2%), reindeer (98.0%) and cattle (97.7%).

  Conclusion  Four blue sheep enrolled in this study might be susceptible to scrapie as wild-type sheep, and have the potential to transmit scrapie between blue sheep and sheep.