prions
Infectious folded proteins
Prions are misfolded proteins that cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases in humans and animals.
Unlike viruses or bacteria, prions contain no genetic material—they spread by inducing normal proteins to adopt their abnormal shape.
Prion diseases include mad cow disease in cattle, scrapie in sheep, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans.
The diseases are untreatable and invariably fatal, characterized by sponge-like holes in brain tissue.
Prion disease from cannibalism
- scrapieOvine prion disease
- mad cowBrain-wasting livestock illness
- transmissibleAble to spread between individuals
- incurableCannot be healed
neurodegenerative · iatrogenic · sporadic · familial · incubation · epidemic · zoonotic · contamination
Progressive loss of neurons
- spongiformResembling a sponge's structure
- plaquesCommemorative mounted inscriptions
- dementiaChronic cognitive impairment
- ataxiaImpaired voluntary movement control
myoclonus · cerebellar · brainstem · thalamus · cortical · neurotoxicity · apoptosis · cognitive decline
Improper protein conformation
- conformationStructural form or arrangement
- amyloidCross-beta protein aggregate
- polypeptideAmino acid polymer
- aggregationCombined collection of items
fibril · insoluble · folding · template · propagation · nucleation · oligomer · chaperone
Highest academic honor
- strainExcessive stretching force
- species barrierLimit on interbreeding
- decontaminationRemoving dangerous substances
- autoclavePressurized steam sterilization chamber
sterilization · bioassay · infectivity · titer · surveillance · diagnostic · seed · amplification
Tube-nosed ocean bird
- Southern OceanSea around Antarctica
- planktonDrifting marine microlife
- beakHorny avian mouthpart
- lamellaeThin parallel plates
filter-feeding · pelagic · nesting · burrow · subantarctic · fulmar · colonial · seabird
kuru
Prion disease from cannibalism
- scrapieOvine prion disease
- mad cowBrain-wasting livestock illness
- transmissibleAble to spread between individuals
incurable · neurodegenerative · iatrogenic · sporadic · familial · incubation · epidemic · zoonotic · contamination · cannibalism
neurodegeneration
Progressive loss of neurons
- spongiformResembling a sponge's structure
- plaquesCommemorative mounted inscriptions
- dementiaChronic cognitive impairment
ataxia · myoclonus · cerebellar · brainstem · thalamus · cortical · neurotoxicity · apoptosis · cognitive decline · tremor
misfolding
Improper protein conformation
- conformationStructural form or arrangement
- amyloidCross-beta protein aggregate
- polypeptideAmino acid polymer
aggregation · fibril · insoluble · folding · template · propagation · nucleation · oligomer · chaperone · glycoprotein
Nobel Prize
Highest academic honor
- strainExcessive stretching force
- species barrierLimit on interbreeding
- decontaminationRemoving dangerous substances
autoclave · sterilization · bioassay · infectivity · titer · surveillance · diagnostic · seed · amplification
petrel
Tube-nosed ocean bird
- Southern OceanSea around Antarctica
- planktonDrifting marine microlife
- beakHorny avian mouthpart
lamellae · filter-feeding · pelagic · nesting · burrow · subantarctic · fulmar · colonial · seabird
- Pathogenspathogen, germ, germs, bacteria, bacterium
- cell inclusionsinclusion bodies, ferritin, glycogen, melanin, Howell-Jolly bodies
- Proteostasisdeubiquitinase, protease, degradation, parkin, CHOP
- discoveriesbreakthrough, scientific discovery, finding, uncovering, detection
- seabirdspenguin, penguins, pelican, pelicans, seagull
- microbiologybacteria, bacterium, microbe, microbes, microorganisms
prionsDNA viruses
Pathogens storing genes in deoxyribonucleic acid
viruses · bacteria · retroviruses · bacteriophages · virus
- prion diseaseNeurodegeneration from misfolded proteins