PROTEINS:: PART 6

PRIONS

·         An infectious protein is called a prion.

                                     

·         These are often misfolded proteins.

·         Cellular prion proteins (PrPc) may act as acetylcholine      receptors and help in nerve transmission, these are normally found in cell membranes.

·         The infectious form is called prion proteins scrapie (PrPSc).

·         When PrPSc are injected into a body they convert PrPc into PrPSc.

                                           

·         PrPSc cause neurodegenerative diseases by aggregating in the central nervous system and disrupt the healthy tissue.

·         The best known disease caused by prions is Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or commonly called the mad cow disease.