Call for Papers

Prion is the first international peer-reviewed journal to focus exclusively on protein folding and misfolding, protein assembly disorders, protein-based and structural inheritance. The goal of Prion is to foster communication and rapid exchange of information through timely publication of important results using traditional, as well as, electronic formats.

www.landesbioscience.com/journals/prion

We believe this is an excellent time to start this new journal for several reasons. Considerable experimental evidence challenges the traditional concept implying that protein conformation and quarternary structure are completely determined by protein sequence. Folding alterations lead to the protein assembly disorders, dangerous, frequently fatal and mostly incurable diseases in animals and humans. Some protein assembly disorders are age-dependent, and their importance for humankind is increased with the increase of life expectancy and eradication of other diseases. Moreover, proteins of and the same sequence are sometimes able to generate a range of self-perpetuating isoforms demonstrates that proteins can become information carriers transmitting infection diseases or controlling heritable phenotypes. Examples of protein-based inheritance are found in various biological systems and are not restricted only to protein assembly alterations. Self-modifying enzymes may become information carriers as well. Moreover, large high-order complexes may possess templating properties, influencing and directing formation of the new structures. Existence of the additional mechanism of biological coding based on the structure rather than sequence may have far reaching and not yet completely understood consequences for biology and evolution.

Prion is a quarterly publication. Accepted manuscripts will be made available on the website immediately. The overriding criteria for publication in Prion are originality, scientific merit and general interest.

Papers will cover the topics including (but not limited to) the following:

• Mechanisms of protein misfolding, refolding and aggregation • Molecular and cellular aspects of prion diseases • Amyloid and neural inclusion disorders • Molecular and cellular basis of prion-related and amyloid-related pathologies • Prion-based heritable elements and protein-based inheritance • Inheritance of pre-formed multimolecular structures.

Feel free to contact Dr. Yury Chernoff, Editor-in-Chief (yury.chernoff@biology.gatech.edu), or Nicole Todd, Managing Editor, (nicole@landesbioscience.com) at Landes Bioscience, 1002 West Avenue, 2nd Floor, Austin, TX 78701, ph 512.637.6050