Examples of prion in the following topics:
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- Prions are infectious particles that contain no nucleic acids, and viroids are small plant pathogens that do not encode proteins.
- Prions, so-called because they are proteinaceous, are infectious particles, smaller than viruses, that contain no nucleic acids (neither DNA nor RNA).
- It is this variant that constitutes the prion particle.
- Once introduced into the body, the PrPsc contained within the prion binds to PrPc and converts it to PrPsc.
- (a) Endogenous normal prion protein (PrPc) is converted into the disease-causing form (PrPsc) when it encounters this variant form of the protein.
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- A misfolded protein, known as prion, appears to be the agent of a number of rare degenerative brain diseases in mammals, like the mad cow disease.
- Prion, the misfolded protein, is a normal constituent of brain tissue in all mammals, but its function is not yet known.
- Prions cannot reproduce independently and not considered living microoganisms.
- A complete understanding of prion diseases awaits new information about how prion protein affects brain function, as well as more detailed structural information about the protein.