By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    An Expert’s Guide To Building and Improving Endurance
    June 30, 2022
    medical assistants
    What Do Medical Assistants Do On a Day to Day Basis?
    April 5, 2022
    superfoods to help with prostate health
    10 Healthy Foods That Can Help Protect Your Prostate
    August 29, 2022
    Latest News
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
    Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
    July 20, 2025
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    healthcare cost crisis
    What If the Health Care Cost Crisis Solves Itself?
    May 11, 2013
    Do You Need Life Insurance? What Does It Cover?
    December 23, 2022
    HIE metal plans
    The Four “Metal Plans” of Health Insurance Exchanges
    May 28, 2013
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Prion Proteins in Their Native State Can Inhibit the Formation of Amyloid Fibrils
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Wellness > Home Health > Prion Proteins in Their Native State Can Inhibit the Formation of Amyloid Fibrils
Home HealthWellness

Prion Proteins in Their Native State Can Inhibit the Formation of Amyloid Fibrils

Ryan Kh
Ryan Kh
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

Prions are infectious proteins that were first discovered in the early 80s. At that time, it was difficult to predict the potential significance of the discovery. New technologies have allowed us to better understand the full complexity of the ways that these molecules behave and how they are involved in the causes of many diseases.

Contents
More Than a Simple ProteinUnderstanding Prion Diseases

More Than a Simple Protein

Prions are made of amino acids. Amino acids are the components of long chains that build the Prion protein (PrP); a polymer that can be found throughout the body in both people and animals. If these proteins acquire a misfolded infectious state and become resistant to proteases, these complex enzymes become responsible for the normal breakdown of proteins (1). An infectious prion protein is called PrPsc and can be transmitted from one organism to another. The manner in which this epidemically happens is not yet fully understood, but it is well known that when a prion enters a healthy organism, it can induce misfolding of previously properly folded proteins (1). Once these proteins become a prion, they can replicate exponentially and lead to disease. Prions are also believed to cause transmissible spongiform encephalopathies in animals, such as the bovine spongiform encephalopathy, better known as ?Mad Cow disease.? The same prions that cause disease in animals can also affect the neural tissues in humans. Fatal familial insomnia and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are two such examples (2). It has been proven that the destabilization of the native state of the prion promotes amyloid formation in neurological tissue (3). The conversion of globular proteins into amyloid fibrils is what triggers many diseases. Modern technology has found that prion protein stability in its native state is either an uncompetitive or noncompetitive inhibitor of amyloid formation (3). This recent finding is expected to bring new insights into the epidemiology of misfolding diseases and their associated treatments.

Understanding Prion Diseases

New techniques now allow us to monitor the intrinsic fluorescence signal of proteins as a measure of its folding state. This can serve as a method to predict protein polymerization into an aggregate or to treat protein unfolding or misfolding diseases associated with the conversion of globular proteins into amyloid fibrils. Pharmacological chaperones are used, for example, to treat misfolding diseases (4). There is currently no effective medical treatment for prion diseases in mammals. These neural illnesses affect the brain and are always fatal. Like PrP, PrPsc is also a very stable isoform of PrP and resistant to denaturation. Therefore, early detection of critical denaturant concentrations is important for understanding the kinetic of the prion. Any diseases that have been studied for years can now be classified as prion diseases. In 2015, a study concluded that multiple system atrophy (MSA), a rare disease, was caused by the misfolded version of protein alpha-synuclein (5). Moving forward, researchers will need to continue using efficient tools to fully explore the complex world of prions in order to produce higher quality results and gain the ability to make better decisions.

  1. Das A., Wen-Quan Z (2016). Prions: Beyond a Single Protein. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2016 Jul; 29(3): 633?658. Published online 2016 May 25. doi: 10.1128/CMR.00046-15
  2. Prion Diseases. United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  3. Honda R., Kuwata K. (2017). The native state of prion protein (PrP) directly inhibits formation of PrP-amyloid fibrils in vitro. Sci Rep. 2017; 7: 562.

Published online 2017 Apr 3. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-00710-x

More Read

Hip Fractures in Women Deadly
5 Simple And Important Tips For Sticking To A Ketogenic Diet
The Surprising Connection Between the Microbiome and Childhood Development
10 Common Issues Aging Adults Face
Eat, Drink and Be Merry (But Choose Wisely): Taking Individual Responsibility to Reduce Healthcare Costs
  1. Tao Y., Conn P. M. Chaperoning G Protein-Coupled Receptors: From Cell Biology to Therapeutics (2014). Endocr Rev. 2014 Aug; 35(4): 602?647. Published online 2014 Mar 24. doi: 10.1210/er.2013-1121. PMCID: PMC4105357
  2. Prusiner, Stanley B.; Woerman, Amanda L.; Mordes, Daniel A.; Watts, Joel C.; Rampersaud, Ryan; Berry, David B.; Patel, Smita; Oehler, Abby; Lowe, Jennifer K.; Kravitz, Stephanie N.; Geschwind, Daniel H.; Glidden, David V.; Halliday, Glenda M.; Middleton, Lefkos T.; Gentleman, Steve M.; Grinberg, Lea T.; Giles, Kurt (2015). Evidence for ?-synuclein prions causing multiple system atrophy in humans with parkinsonism. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 112 (38): E5308?17. PMC 4586853 . PMID 26324905. doi:10.1073/pnas.1514475112. Lay summary ? Scientific American (September 1, 2015).
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share
By Ryan Kh
Follow:
Ryan Kh is an experienced blogger, digital content & social marketer. Founder of Catalyst For Business and contributor to search giants like Yahoo Finance, MSN. He is passionate about covering topics like big data, business intelligence, startups & entrepreneurship. Email: ryankh14@icloud.com

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

technology in medical research
The Tools Helping Medical Researchers See the Full Picture
News Technology
August 3, 2025
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
Health
July 31, 2025
holistic dental
Holistic Dentist Services Are Natural and Safe
Dental health Specialties
July 28, 2025
botox certification
Help Improve People’s Skin Health Via Botox Certification
Skin Specialties
July 22, 2025

You Might also Like

Home HealthWellness

5 Reasons Why KETO Diet Is Effective For Weight Loss

May 11, 2018

Celebrating Partnerships in Cancer

March 9, 2015
Wellness

Overcoming Emotional Eating Can Help You Shed Up to 100 Pounds

April 21, 2017
healthy budgeting tips
Home HealthWellness

Essential Budgeting Tips to Safeguard Your Health and Well-Being

February 4, 2021
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?