Prions
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| − | Not all infectious diseases are transmitted by bacteria or [[Virus|viruses]]. Some neurological diseases, such as [[Creutzfeldt-Jaakob disease (CJD)|Creutzfeldt-Jaakob disease (CJD)]] or mad cow disease are in fact caused by agents called '''Prions, '''which are of similar size to viruses but are made up of only [[Protein|protein]] <ref>J. M. Berg et al. (2007) p 53, Biochemistry, Sixth edition, New York, W.H. Freeman and Company</ref> | + | Not all infectious diseases are transmitted by bacteria or [[Virus|viruses]]. Some neurological diseases, such as [[Creutzfeldt-Jaakob disease (CJD)|Creutzfeldt-Jaakob disease (CJD)]] or mad cow disease are in fact caused by agents called '''Prions, '''which are of similar size to viruses but are made up of only [[Protein|protein]] <ref>J. M. Berg et al. (2007) p 53, Biochemistry, Sixth edition, New York, W.H. Freeman and Company</ref> These diseases are can be called Prion diseases or transmissible spongiform encephalpathies (TSE). <ref>http://www.who.int/bloodproducts/tse/en/</ref> |
'''Prions '''have these characteristics: | '''Prions '''have these characteristics: | ||
| − | # "The transmissible agent consists of aggregated forms of a specific protein" <ref>J. M. Berg et al. (2007) p 53, Biochemistry, Sixth edition, New York, W.H. Freeman and Company</ref>. | + | # "The transmissible agent consists of aggregated forms of a specific protein" <ref>J. M. Berg et al. (2007) p 53, Biochemistry, Sixth edition, New York, W.H. Freeman and Company</ref>. |
| − | #These [[Protein|protein]] aggregates cannot be degraded by the agents that degrade most other proteins <ref>J. M. Berg et al. (2007) p 53, Biochemistry, Sixth edition, New York, W.H. Freeman and Company</ref>. | + | #These [[Protein|protein]] aggregates cannot be degraded by the agents that degrade most other proteins <ref>J. M. Berg et al. (2007) p 53, Biochemistry, Sixth edition, New York, W.H. Freeman and Company</ref>. |
#"The protein is largely or completely derived from a cellular protein called PrP, that is normally present in the brain" <ref>J. M. Berg et al. (2007) p 53, Biochemistry, Sixth edition, New York, W.H. Freeman and Company</ref>. | #"The protein is largely or completely derived from a cellular protein called PrP, that is normally present in the brain" <ref>J. M. Berg et al. (2007) p 53, Biochemistry, Sixth edition, New York, W.H. Freeman and Company</ref>. | ||
Revision as of 19:02, 20 October 2013
Not all infectious diseases are transmitted by bacteria or viruses. Some neurological diseases, such as Creutzfeldt-Jaakob disease (CJD) or mad cow disease are in fact caused by agents called Prions, which are of similar size to viruses but are made up of only protein [1] These diseases are can be called Prion diseases or transmissible spongiform encephalpathies (TSE). [2]
Prions have these characteristics:
- "The transmissible agent consists of aggregated forms of a specific protein" [3].
- These protein aggregates cannot be degraded by the agents that degrade most other proteins [4].
- "The protein is largely or completely derived from a cellular protein called PrP, that is normally present in the brain" [5].
So an aggregated form of a protein (that is already present in the brain) is the infectious agent in prion diseases [6].
The pathalogic mechanism of prions is often associated with structural change. Exogenous prions cause the endogenous host proteins to undergo a structural change, rendering them functionless or harmful.
References
- ↑ J. M. Berg et al. (2007) p 53, Biochemistry, Sixth edition, New York, W.H. Freeman and Company
- ↑ http://www.who.int/bloodproducts/tse/en/
- ↑ J. M. Berg et al. (2007) p 53, Biochemistry, Sixth edition, New York, W.H. Freeman and Company
- ↑ J. M. Berg et al. (2007) p 53, Biochemistry, Sixth edition, New York, W.H. Freeman and Company
- ↑ J. M. Berg et al. (2007) p 53, Biochemistry, Sixth edition, New York, W.H. Freeman and Company
- ↑ J. M. Berg et al. (2007) p 54, Biochemistry, Sixth edition, New York, W.H. Freeman and Company
