Prion-Free Goats Remain Apparently Healthy

Some Norwegian dairy goats carry a naturally occurring mutation at codon 32 of the PRNP gene that stops them from producing normal prion protein. Goats inheriting the mutation from both parents had no detectable prion protein, unlike virtually every other mammal studied, yet remained healthy and showed no obvious physical abnormalities. Because prion diseases depend on a host's normal prion protein, researchers predicted that these goats would resist diseases such as scrapie. The goats could now provide useful models for prion research and help produce prion-free biological products.

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