Prion diseases are a class of transmissible fatal disorders. In order to identify alterations associated with the pathogenesis of prion diseases, several studies have been conducted involving differential gene expression analysis using cDNA libraries, mRNA differential displays, and gene microarrays. These genomic approaches may be useful for identifying genes that are differentially expressed in prion diseases and that may participate directly or indirectly in the pathogenesis of the disease. In this study, we compared the gene expression profiles of normal and CWD-infected TgElk mice using the GeneFishing differentially expressed gene (DEG) screening system and real-time PCR analysis. DEGs were screened using the ACP-based PCR method with GeneFishing synthesis. In order to validate candidate genes, we used quantitative PCR (qPCR), and eleven DEGs were identified. Five of these eleven DEGs were upregulated and two were downregulated in the CWD mice. The DEGs newly identified in this study may be useful for diagnosing and studying the pathogenesis of prion diseases.

Abstract
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
  Animals and CWD inoculation
  GeneFishingTM reverse transcription-polymerase chainreaction (RT-PCR)
  First-strand cDNA synthesis
  ACP (Annealing Control Primer)-based GeneFishingTMPCR
  Cloning and sequencing
  Quantitative PCR (qPCR) validation
  Data analysis
 RESULTS
  DEGs in CWD-affected TgElk mice
  Detection of gene from cloning and sequencing
  Confirmation of ACP observations by qPCR
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES

• Hyo-Jin Kim(OIE Reference Laboratory for CWD, Foreign Animal Disease Division, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency)
• In Soon Roh(OIE Reference Laboratory for CWD, Foreign Animal Disease Division, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency)
• In Soon Roh(OIE Reference Laboratory for CWD, Foreign Animal Disease Division, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency)
• Dong-Seob Tark(Korea Zoonosis Research Institute, Chonbuk National University)
• Tae-Young Suh(OIE Reference Laboratory for CWD, Foreign Animal Disease Division, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency)
• Hoo-Chang Park(OIE Reference Laboratory for CWD, Foreign Animal Disease Division, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency)
• Kyung-Je Park(OIE Reference Laboratory for CWD, Foreign Animal Disease Division, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency)
• Hae-Eun Kang(OIE Reference Laboratory for CWD, Foreign Animal Disease Division, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency)
• Hyun-Joo Sohn(OIE Reference Laboratory for CWD, Foreign Animal Disease Division, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency) Corresponding Author