SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY IN FREE-RANGING MULE DEER (\u3ci\u3eODOCOILEUS HEMIONUS\u3c/i\u3e), WHITE-TAILED DEER (\u3ci\u3eODOCOILEUS VIRGINIANUS\u3c/i\u3e) AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELK (\u3ci\u3eCERVUS ELAPHUS NELSONI\u3c/i\u3e) IN NORTHCENTRAL COLORADO

Between March 1981 and June 1995, a neurological disease characterized histologically by spongiform encephalopathy was diagnosed in 49 free-ranging cervids from northcentral Colorado (USA). Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) were the primary species affected and accounted for 41(84%) of the 49 cases, but six Rocky Mountain elk (Cereus elaphus nelsoni) and two white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were also affected. Clinical signs included emaciation, excessive salivation, behavioral changes, ataxia, and weakness. Emaciation with total loss of subcutaneous and abdominal adipose tissue and serous atrophy of remaining fat depots were the only consistent gross findings. Spongiform encephalopathy characterized by microcavitation of gray matter, intraneuronal vacuolation and neuronal degeneration was observed microscopically in all cases. Scrapie-associated prion protein or an antigenically indistinguishable protein was demonstrated in brains from 26 affected animals, 10 using an immunohistochemical staining procedure, nine using electron microscopy, and seven using Western blot. Clinical signs, gross and microscopic lesions and ancillary test findings in affected deer and elk were indistinguishable from those reported in chronic wasting disease of captive cervids. Prevalence estimates, transmissibility, host range, distribution, origins, and management implications of spongiform encephalopathy in free-ranging deer and elk remain undetermined

CD20 expression in normal canine B cells and in canine non-Hodgkin lymphoma

We examined the expression of CD20 in normal canine peripheral blood mononuclear cells, normal canine spleen, and canine non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) to determine the feasibility of using this antigen as a diagnostic aid and as a possible target for therapy. An antibody generated against a C-terminal (intracytoplasmic) epitope of human CD20 recognized proteins of 32-36 kd in normal and malignant canine lymphocytes. This antibody showed restricted membrane binding in a subset of lymphocytes in peripheral blood, in the B-cell regions from a normal canine spleen and lymph node, and in malignant cells from 19 dogs with B-cell NHL, but not from 15 dogs with T-cell NHL. The patterns of CD20 reactivity in these samples overlapped those seen using an antibody that recognizes canine CD79a. This anti-CD20 antibody is therefore suitable as an aid to phenotype canine NHL. In contrast, normal canine B cells were not recognized by any of 28 antibodies directed against the extracellular domains of human CD20 (including the chimeric mouse-human antibody Rituximab) or by any of 12 antibodies directed against the extracellular domains of mouse CD20. Thus, the use of CD20 as a therapeutic target will require the generation of specific antibodies against the extracellular domains of canine CD20

Membrane Penetration by Synaptotagmin Is Required for Coupling Calcium Binding to Vesicle Fusion In Vivo

The vesicle protein synaptotagmin I is the Ca2+ sensor that triggers fast, synchronous release of neurotransmitter. Specifically, Ca2+ binding by the C2B domain of synaptotagmin is required at intact synapses, yet the mechanism whereby Ca2+ binding results in vesicle fusion remains controversial. Ca2+ -dependent interactions between synaptotagmin and SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein attachment receptor) complexes and/or anionic membranes are possible effector interactions. However, no effectorinteraction mutations to date impact synaptic transmission as severely as mutation of the C2B Ca2+ -binding motif, suggesting that these interactions are facilitatory rather than essential. Here we use Drosophila to show the functional role of a highly conserved, hydrophobic residue located at the tip of each of the two Ca2+ -binding pockets of synaptotagmin. Mutation of this residue in the C2A domain (F286) resulted in a _50% decrease in evoked transmitter release at an intact synapse, again indicative of a facilitatory role. Mutation of this hydrophobic residue in the C2B domain (I420), on the other hand, blocked all locomotion, was embryonic lethal even in syt I heterozygotes, and resulted in less evoked transmitter release than that in sytnull mutants, which is more severe than the phenotype of C2BCa2+ -binding mutants. Thus, mutation of a single, C2B hydrophobic residue required for Ca2+ -dependent penetration of anionic membranes results in the most severe disruption of synaptotagmin function in vivo to date. Our results provide direct support for the hypothesis that plasma membrane penetration, specifically by the C2B domain of synaptotagmin, is the critical effector interaction for coupling Ca2+ binding with vesicle fusion

Recommended Guidelines for Submission, Trimming, Margin Evaluation, and Reporting of Tumor Biopsy Specimens in Veterinary Surgical Pathology

eoplastic diseases are typically diagnosed by biopsy and histopathological evaluation. The pathology report is key in determining prognosis, therapeutic decisions, and overall case management and therefore requires diagnostic accuracy, completeness, and clarity. Successful management relies on collaboration between clinical veterinarians, oncologists, and pathologists. To date there has been no standardized approach or guideline for the submission, trimming, margin evaluation, or reporting of neoplastic biopsy specimens in veterinary medicine. To address this issue, a committee consisting of veterinary pathologists and oncologists was established under the auspices of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists Oncology Committee. These consensus guidelines were subsequently reviewed and endorsed by a large international group of veterinary pathologists. These recommended guidelines are not mandated but rather exist to help clinicians and veterinary pathologists optimally handle neoplastic biopsy samples. Many of these guidelines represent the collective experience of the committee members and consensus group when assessing neoplastic lesions from veterinary patients but have not met the rigors of definitive scientific study and investigation. These questions of technique, analysis, and evaluation should be put through formal scrutiny in rigorous clinical studies in the near future so that more definitive guidelines can be derived