Prions

A prion or proteinacious infections particle is simply a protein. They exist as normal proteins in our brain termed PrP, however in certain ecepalopathy diseases these prions are thought to alter shape to a more resistant tertiary protein structure (more beta pleated sheets than alpha helices) and are termed PrPsc. It is theorised the PrPsc are able to convert normal prions to pathogenic ones. Mode of transmission between organisms is unknown as the blood brain barrier should prevent them from getting to the brain of the infected organism.

A viriod however is a naked strand of DNA/RNA that causes disease mainly in plants. It does this by cell infection, and then expression of its own genetic code, hijacking the cellular protein synthesis apparatus of the cell to copy itself.

Prions are considered parasitic because they can infect normal proteins in the body, causing them to misfold and aggregate into harmful structures. This process can lead to neurodegenerative diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Mad Cow Disease. Prions are able to self-replicate and spread within the body, acting in a similar manner to infectious agents like viruses.

In normal prions, the protein folds into a predominantly alpha-helical structure. However, in infected prions, the protein misfolds into a beta-sheet-rich conformation, leading to aggregation and formation of amyloid plaques. This misfolding is responsible for the infectious nature of prions.

Viroids are small infectious agents consisting of a short, single-stranded RNA molecule, while prions are misfolded proteins without nucleic acid. In contrast, viruses are composed of genetic material (DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein coat. Viroids and prions lack the ability to replicate independently, unlike viruses which require a host cell for replication.

SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) is caused by a virus, specifically a coronavirus. It is not caused by a prion or a viroid.

there are many reasons someone with alzheimer's can die. in my experiences, mostly i have seen patients die from pneumonia, which they get after aspirating. during the late stages of alzheimer's, difficulty swallowing is a very common thing, often patients may "pocket" food or liquid in their mouth and forget or refuse to swallow it, resulting in aspiration, which results in pneumonia often. i have also seen many people die from complications of some other condition they may have, like heart failure, cancer, etc.

Prions multiply by a process which is, at present, not fully understood. The protein PrPr is present in healthy cells of all mammals, in the brain and central nervous system. It is only when the gene that creates PrPr undergoes mutation that it begins to produce a harmful strain of PrPr, the prion. Prions replicate by causing the surrounding healthy proteins to fold abronmally, turning them into prions. These newly-formed prions in turn cause other proteins to fold abnormally. This process creates vacuoles in the cells of the brain, resulting in diseases such as Creutzfeld-Jakob disease in humans, and Bovine Spongiform Enphysema in cows. Prions multiply by a process which is, at present, not fully understood. The protein PrPr is present in healthy cells of all mammals, in the brain and central nervous system. It is only when the gene that creates PrPr undergoes mutation that it begins to produce a harmful strain of PrPr, the prion. Prions replicate by causing the surrounding healthy proteins to fold abronmally, turning them into prions. These newly-formed prions in turn cause other proteins to fold abnormally. This process creates vacuoles in the cells of the brain, resulting in diseases such as Creutzfeld-Jakob disease in humans, and Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease)

Prions are misfolded proteins and may form because of some misreading of the DNA code. Virions are extracellular state of a virus with nucleocapsid.

Protists are often stained using a silver stain, not a Gram stain.

No, cooking does not destroy or disable prions. If you were able to cook a meat that contains prions to the point where the prions were disabled, the meat would be rendered inedible.


You can use chemicals mixed with heat to destroy prions, but that's not a process you would want to subject your food to.

What was once an oddity is now being understood as a nerve disease caused by a commonly found misfolded protein made by a gene in DNA, This is a common gene is seen in yeast to mammals. So to get to your question, I don't think that there will be any animal immune to prions.

Prion diseases are caused by misfolded forms of the prion protein, also known as PrP. These diseases affect a lot of different mammals in addition to humans and even yeast. There is Scrapie in sheep, mad cow disease in cows, and chronic wasting disease in deer. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

(CJD), fatal familial insomnia (FFI), Gertsmann-Straussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS),

Kuru and variably protease-sensitive prionopathy (VPSPr) are found in humans. There was a famous epidemic of Kuru, a prion disease which was passed from person to person by cannibalism (eating the brains of the dead). Fatal familial insomnia are also prions found in humans.

Over the past several years, it's increasingly common to hear people use the term "prion" to refer to amyloid beta (the protein involved in Alzheimer's), alpha synuclein (the culprit in Parkinson's Disease).

In each disease, the prion protein (PrP) folds up the wrong way, becoming a prion, and then causes other PrP molecules to do the same. Prions can then spread "silently" across the brain for years without causing any symptoms. Then it starts to kill neurons.

Everyone has a gene called PRNP which codes for the protein called PrP, and most of the time this protein is perfectly healthy and fine. Some people have mutations in the DNA of their PRNP gene, which cause it to produce mutant forms of PrP. These mutant forms don't form prions instantly, and most people with PRNP mutations live perfectly healthy for decades. But as people get older, the

mutant forms of PrP are more and more likely to fold up the wrong way and form prions.

Once they do, the person has a rapid neurodegenerative disease.

its the size of your brain which is very small

in order to answer this question, you must first determine where the PRION is coming from. What causes the (any infected body) protein to begin the mal folding process? Or is the prion simply ingested from diseased tissue? (beef, sheep, goat..... and which tissue? And why were cannibals suseptible? What cannibal source initiated the disease? (brain tissue, or affected motor related, ie nerve related matter?) If incubation is two to twenty three years....?? what implications does that factor suggest?

where or what is the source of the deadly protein...that is the question.

Secondary structure of prion proteins in prion disease like Creutz feldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is

Prions are made of abnormal proteins that have the ability to misfold and aggregate in the brain. This misfolding causes a chain reaction, leading to the conversion of normal proteins into abnormal prions, which build up and damage brain tissue.

Stanley B. Prusiner discovered prions in the 1980s. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1997 for his discovery of these infectious proteins, which can cause neurodegenerative diseases.

yes

Prion diseases are acquired through exposure to abnormal prion proteins that can enter the body through consumption of contaminated food, surgical procedures using contaminated instruments, or inheritance of mutated genes. Once inside the body, these abnormal prion proteins convert normal proteins into infectious forms, leading to disease.

Prions are difficult to get rid of because they are very resilient to common sterilization methods like heat, radiation, and disinfectants. Their unique structure allows them to resist breakdown and maintain their infectious properties, making them challenging to eliminate completely. Additionally, prions can persist in the environment for long periods, increasing the risk of transmission.

Prions are misfolded proteins that induce abnormal folding of normal proteins in the brain, leading to the accumulation of harmful aggregates. This disrupts cellular function, causing neurodegeneration and the formation of sponge-like lesions in brain tissue. In diseases like mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), the accumulation of these prion aggregates ultimately results in severe neurological symptoms and death in affected organisms. The infectious nature of prions allows them to spread between individuals, exacerbating the disease's impact.

Prions are misfolded proteins that, when they enter the brain, can convert normal proteins into their misfolded forms. This can lead to a build-up of abnormal proteins, causing damage to nerve cells and ultimately leading to neurodegenerative diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Cheese is generally safe from prion disease because prions, the infectious proteins that cause the disease, are typically not found in dairy products like cheese. Prion diseases are more commonly associated with meat products. However, it is always important to follow proper food safety guidelines to prevent contamination with pathogens.

One disease of cattle caused by a prion is BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) aka Mad Cow Disease