Month: September 2022

MOLECULAR VARIANTS. “Prion proteins can exist in multiple structures called conformers. These different shapes are created by sigma bonds in their chemical structures that allow the rotation of parts of the protein.” https://lnkd.in/dKV3Xez View in LinkedIn

PRE-INFECTION. “The normal protein that becomes a prion has either alpha helixes or disordered structure. This shape is found in most cells and does not cause any damage.” https://lnkd.in/dKV3Xez View in LinkedIn

NEW CONFORMATION. “The prion version of the same protein has beta sheets, a completely different structure. The new prion protein forms a clump and becomes a base, which draws in other protein building a crystal mass. It is not yet clear exactly how this transformation occurs, but most cellular folding is managed by complex large proteins called chaperones. It appears that lipids act as the chaperones for prions.” https://lnkd.in/dKV3Xez View in LinkedIn

BROKEN ANALOGY. “This activity is reminiscent of virus activity. But, a virus is made of DNA or RNA. These prions are just a protein molecule.” https://lnkd.in/dKV3Xez View in LinkedIn

INITIATOR. “There are many connections between PrP, and the critical proteins amyloid beta, tau, and alpha-synuclein. Prions appear to serve as a receptor for amyloid beta to start plaques.” https://lnkd.in/dKV3Xez View in LinkedIn

SMART VIRUSES. “A virus will perform a sequence of a dozen coordinated complex actions, each involving seeming intelligence. An example is the herpes virus—enters skin cell, fools nuclear pore, creates DNA machinery to reproduce, leaves cell to enter neuron, hijacks complex transport system, fools new nuclear pore, changes behavior to be quienscent, re activates, and again hijacks the transport system.” https://lnkd.in/dKV3Xez View in LinkedIn

SMART PRIONS. “Prions are an even simpler infectious agent. While there is much less known about them than viruses, they also engage in complex behavior—exiting and entering of cells, foiling the immune system, multiplying and transporting themselves with immune cells or along neuron circuits and recruiting other proteins to form large structures.” https://lnkd.in/dKV3Xez View in LinkedIn

PRIONS AND PLANT MEMORY. “Prions, we think, are responsible for some really broad, really interesting biology,” says Lindquist. “We have only seen the tip of the iceberg so far.” https://lnkd.in/df5fVEw View in LinkedIn

SO ENDS this two weekend series on prions. They reproduce and evolve into different strains. Yet they are simply naked proteins. Is it ridiculous to ask if this is an organism? If you thought that the debate about viruses being alive was quaint, then prepare yourself for a bigger paradigm breaker. As a community, biologists have failed to define life, and thus the search for new life is deeply flawed. Time to get to grips with the basics? View in LinkedIn

SEER. “It’s easy to underestimate what the future will bring.” https://lnkd.in/eDmX9xW View in LinkedIn