What are prions?

Question

How do they cause diseases?
Can They reproduce?

Answer 1

A prion (IPA: [ˈpriːɒn][1] listen (help·info)) — short for proteinaceous infectious particle — (by analogy to virion) is a type of infectious agent. It is made only of protein. All infectious protein particles found so far are believed to infect and propagate by refolding abnormally into a structure which is able to convert normal molecules of the protein into the abnormally structured form. These prions are generally quite resistant to denaturation by protease, heat, radiation, and formalin treatments[2], although potency or infectivity can be reduced. The term does not, however, a priori preclude other mechanisms of transmission.

Prion has also come to refer to the specific protein (or gene) associated with and generally believed to be responsible for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), the first identified infectious protein. These include scrapie (a disease of sheep), chronic wasting disease, (in deer and elk), variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or mad cow disease), all caused by homologous proteins in different species.[3] It should be noted that the same gene is responsible for spongiform encephalopathies which are not known to be transmissible, as well as some non-neurological diseases. Some require a mutation for transmission to occur, and there are respective mutations which can prevent transmission for most of the TSEs. A non-disease function of the prion gene is not known, but an area of considerable active research.

All of these diseases affect the structure of the brain or other neural tissue, and all are fatal and untreatable. However, a vaccine has been developed in mice that may provide insight into providing a vaccine in humans to resist prion infections. (see external links below, Science Daily article on vaccine).

Proteins showing prion behaviour are also found in some fungi. Some fungal prions may not be associated with any disease; it is unknown whether these prions represent an evolutionary advantage for their hosts. All known prions are believed to infect and propagate by formation of an amyloid fold, in which the protein polymerizes into a fiber with a core consisting of tightly packed beta sheets. Other mechanisms may exist in yet undiscovered infectious protein particles.

Answer 2

What Are Prions

Answer 3

until now on, prions have been theory to be "sluggish viruses" which includes lentiviruses. Now, prions have been pointed out as misfolded proteins that reason ailments which includes BSE (mad cow ailment) between others. The taxonomy you ask of refers to organisms and subsequently can't be utilized right here simply by fact we are coping with proteins. a common (cellular) prion protein is pointed out as PrPc to tell apart it from its misfolded ailment inflicting isoform - PrPsc.

Answer 4

A prion — short for proteinaceous infectious particle — (by analogy to virion) is a type of infectious agent. It is made only of protein. All infectious protein particles found so far are believed to infect and propagate by refolding abnormally into a structure which is able to convert normal molecules of the protein into the abnormally structured form. These prions are generally quite resistant to denaturation by protease, heat, radiation, and formalin treatments, although potency or infectivity can be reduced.

Prion has also come to refer to the specific protein (or gene) associated with and generally believed to be responsible for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), the first identified infectious protein. These include scrapie (a disease of sheep), chronic wasting disease, (in deer and elk), variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or mad cow disease), all caused by homologous proteins in different species.

All of these diseases affect the structure of the brain or other neural tissue, and all are fatal and untreatable. However, a vaccine has been developed in mice that may provide insight into providing a vaccine in humans to resist prion infections.

Proteins showing prion behaviour are also found in some fungi. Some fungal prions may not be associated with any disease; it is unknown whether these prions represent an evolutionary advantage for their hosts. All known prions are believed to infect and propagate by formation of an amyloid fold, in which the protein polymerizes into a fiber with a core consisting of tightly packed beta sheets. Other mechanisms may exist in yet undiscovered infectious protein particles.

Answer 5

A prion is a rogue protein. I do not know if they reproduce but they are implicated in wasting diseases like mad cow, or scrapie. They have been passed on through surgical instruments even after sterilization.

Answer 6

Prions are smaller and simpler than viruses.
They can reproduce and cause disease
They are typically resistant to standard sterilization techniques

Answer 7

prions are a group of proteinaceous viruses that have rna as the genetic material.
they cause mad-cow disease, kuru(laughing death) disease
alzheimer's disease, scrapie disease in sheep
yes they can reproduce but only inside the body of the host

Answer 8

Prions do replicate themselves. They are like a virus but much worse. There is no way to kill prions.

Answer 9

prions are stray particles of proteins which cause irritation to the cells as they enter the cell and replicate. they cause many diseases mainly "mad cow" disease which affects cattle. they actually originate from normal cells and get virulent due to faulty dna reading.

Answer 10

I thought prions were the founders of a priory.