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Prions and Diseases pp 205–215Cite as

Introduction to Yeast and Fungal Prions

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Abstract

Prions are infectious proteins, not requiring an accompanying nucleic acid for the transmission to a new individual. In 1994, we found that the long-known cytoplasmic genes [URE3] and [PSI+] were actually prions of Ure2p and Sup35p, respectively. These, and a variety of yeast and fungal prions found since then are based on self-propagating amyloids, but one prion based on a protease that self-activates shows that not all infectious proteins need be amyloids. The importance of chaperones in prion propagation, the involvement of many other cellular systems, and development of anti-prion measures—some potentially active against mammalian prions, have enriched the prion field. The in-register parallel architecture of yeast prion amyloids can explain how a single protein can faithfully propagate any of several structurally different prion variants/strains. Discovery of an array of new prions, and interesting new variants of old prions continues to expand our understanding of this phenomenon.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bldg. 8, Room 225, NIH, 8 Center Drive MSC 0830, Bethesda, MD, 20892-0830, USA

    Reed B. Wickner M.D.

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Correspondence to Reed B. Wickner M.D. .

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  1. , Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School o, 2085 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, 44106, Ohio, USA

    Wen-Quan Zou

  2. , Department of Neuropathology, Case Western Reserve University School o, 2085 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, 44106, Ohio, USA

    Pierluigi Gambetti

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Wickner, R.B. (2013). Introduction to Yeast and Fungal Prions. In: Zou, WQ., Gambetti, P. (eds) Prions and Diseases. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5305-5_15

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