Prions use M cells (labelled green) to cross the lining of gut and establish infection.

M cells are key to whether infections like BSE can take hold  

New research into infectious brain conditions may throw light on why some people - and animals - are at greater risk than others.


Writing in the journal PLOS Pathogens, researchers describe how prion diseases like BSE and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease can infect the gut after eating contaminated food.


Their study in mice revealed that specialised ‘M cells’ are central to whether the infection can take hold.


They say factors that affect the scores of M cells in the gut’s lining - like ageing, infection or inflammation - could influence an individual’s risk of contracting prion diseases if they eat infected meat.


Found in the lining of the gut, M cells help the body to defend against infections. Their job is to carry material across the gut’s lining, where other cells of the immune system wait to respond.


Led by the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute, the team found the prions use M cells to allow them to contaminate the gut.  


They discovered that mice without any M cells were resistant to prion infections. However, mice with an abundance of M cells were approximately 10 times more susceptible.


The researchers say their findings could explain why most human cases have affected younger people, who are likely to have more M cells in their guts than older people.


Furthermore, the research indicates that the presence of other infections in the gut, such as Salmonella, could increase the possibility of prions causing infection.


Study leader Professor Neil Mabbott said that the team now seeks to understand how the prions exploit these cells to infect the gut.

“If we can design treatments to block the uptake of prions by M cells, this may provide a novel method to prevent prion infections in humans and animals,” he said.

Image (C) University of Edinburgh