infections proteins Flashcards
what is a prion?
a protein with unique properties that are capable of causing inherited, spontaneous, or infectious disease
prion protein (PrP)
Brain protein that may exist in two forms, one of which is pathogenic and may cause transmissible prion disease
PrP c
Normal, “cellular” form of the prion protein
PrP sc
Pathogenic, “scrapie” form of the prion protein
how do prions spread disease?
rogue prions will bind to normal prions and induce them to refold in a disease causing way -> bad prions can change a whole normal population.
leads to neural degeneration and death
Prnp gene
Gene that encodes the prion protein - causes hereditary prion disease
what is the most common hereditary prion disease
creutzfeldt-jakob disease (CJD)
amyloid aggregate
Insoluble clump of misfolded proteins found in several disease conditions including Alzheimer’s and prion disease - has high beta sheet content
transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE)
Infectious form of prion disease - passed from one living organism to another by entry of the PrPsc prion
Kuru
a disease of CANNIBALS RAWRRRRR
Mad Cow Disease
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)
Prion disease of deer and elk in the northern United States
yeast prions (yeet)
Behaves like the prion protein of mammals
variant CJD
(variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease) Name used for human cases of mad cow disease
conformation dependent immunoassay CDI
Assay that uses specific binding of monoclonal antibodies to distinguish between different forms of the prion protein
