Email this page

Print this page

Mini-Review

Prion Propagation, The Role of Protein Dynamics

John A. Pezza and Tricia R. Serio

 Download PDF

If the document does not open, please right-click on the link (control-click on a Macintosh) and select the option to save the file to disk.

The transfer of phenotypes from one individual to another is a fundamental aspect of biology. In addition to traditional nucleic acid-based genetic determinants, unique proteins known as prions can also act as elements of inheritance, infectivity, and disease. Nucleic acids and proteins encode genetic information in distinct ways, either in the sequence of bases in DNA or RNA or in the three dimensional structure of the polypeptide chain. Given these differences in the nature of the genetic repository, the mechanisms underlying the transmission of nucleic acid-based and protein-based phenotypes are necessarily distinct. While the appearance, persistence and transfer of nucleic acid determinants require the synthesis of new polymers, recent studies indicate that prions are propagated through dynamic transitions in the structure of existing protein.

Authors

John A. Pezza

Brown University, Providence, RI

Tricia R. Serio

Brown University, Providence, RI

 Download PDF

If the document does not open, please right-click on the link (control-click on a Macintosh) and select the option to save the file to disk.