ABSTRACT
alphaB-crystallin is a member of the sHSP (Small heat shock protein) family, which plays an impor tant role in multiple neurodegeneration diseases. To give insight into the possible alternation and the role of aB-crystallin in prion disease, the alphaB-crystallin levels in the brain tissues of agent 263K-infected hamsters were evaluated. Western blots and IHC revealed that at the terminal stages of the diseases, the levels of alphaB-crystallin were increased up to 3-fold in the brain tissues of scrapie infected 263K hamsters compared with normal controls. Immunofluorescent assays revealed that the up-regulated alphaB-crystallin was mainly observed in astrocytes, but not in neurons. The co-localization between alphaB-crystallin and abnormal deposition of PrPsc in the brain tissues of the scrapie infected hamsters was not observed. The study may provide a foundation for further revealing the potential role of alphaB-crystallin in prion disease.