Sentences with phrase «of normal prion proteins»

Not exact matches

Using a mouse model that expresses an altered form of the normal human prion protein, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have determined why the human proteins aren't corrupted when exposed to the elk prions.

Degenerative brain diseases like mad cow disease (officially known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE), scrapie in sheep, and vCJD in humans are thought to be caused by prions, misfolded versions of a normal cellular protein called PrPC.

He and colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco, injected the brains of mice with prions they had created in the lab by misfolding normal prion protein, known as PrP.

Misshapen proteins called prions lie at the root of mad cow disease and similar brain ailments, but the role of these molecules in their normal form remains unclear.

The brains of mice genetically modified to lack normal prion proteins had significantly higher beta - amyloid levels.

In an article entitled «Prion protein modulates monoaminergic systems and depressive - like behavior in mice» and published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the group shows that mice lacking normal prions show a depressive - like behavior similar to depression symptoms found in patients with Alzheimer's and prion diseases, namely Creutzfeldt - Jakob Disease (CJD), variant Creutzfeldt - Jakob Disease (vCJD), Gerstmann - Sträussler - Scheinker syndrome, Fatal Familial Insomnia and Prion protein modulates monoaminergic systems and depressive - like behavior in mice» and published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the group shows that mice lacking normal prions show a depressive - like behavior similar to depression symptoms found in patients with Alzheimer's and prion diseases, namely Creutzfeldt - Jakob Disease (CJD), variant Creutzfeldt - Jakob Disease (vCJD), Gerstmann - Sträussler - Scheinker syndrome, Fatal Familial Insomnia and prion diseases, namely Creutzfeldt - Jakob Disease (CJD), variant Creutzfeldt - Jakob Disease (vCJD), Gerstmann - Sträussler - Scheinker syndrome, Fatal Familial Insomnia and kuru.

«Our study sounds a serious warning about the possible detrimental side effects of this strategy, since we have shown that such antibodies cause dramatic degeneration of nerve cells by interfering with the normal on - off function of the prion protein,» he added.

A prion version of a protein can perpetuate itself in an infectious manner by converting normal forms of that protein into the prion version.

The researchers also found that although the normal version of Rho suppressed gene activity in E. coli, many genes were active when the protein was in its prion form.

Yeast can also carry prions, and the duo fused part of a yeast prion protein called Sup35 to a normal rat protein that controls the transcription of DNA into RNA.

Worse, instead of being destroyed and recycled by the cell — the typical fate of misfolded proteins — prions resist degradation and cause other normal prion proteins to misfold.

Finally, he looked to see whether the prion state of Rnq1 could entice Rnq1 proteins in the normal state to switch to the prion state.