Keywords
Infectious agent, protein aggregation, protein conformation multiplicity, protein-encoded infectivity, protein-encoded inheritance, strains
Definition
Prions are protein-based elements of infection and inheritance. Prions are made by alternate protein conformations that by acting as templates propagate their conformations to the precursor proteins. In general, this propagative state is an insoluble polymer, rich in tightly packed β-sheets and displaying amyloid staining features. This state is not structurally unique but polymorphic allowing strains. The protein undergoing prion conversion loses its normal function and acquires the ability to transform the precursor into its like. This protein conformational code provides physiological switches for fast environmental adaptation and underlies the spread of the mammalian neurodegenerative diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.
History
The unique inactivation pattern displayed by the infectious agent causing...
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References and Further Reading
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Gasset, M. (2011). Prion. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_1276
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_1276
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