HHMI News: Structural Studies Reveal New Clues to Prion Infectivity
"Detailed structural studies have revealed new insights into why the same prion protein can have different properties and be either weakly or strongly infectious. The researchers said their observations in prions that infect yeast are likely to hold true for the sorts of prions that infect humans and animals.
"A research team led by Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Jonathan S. Weissman [PhD] analyzed the structures of two unmodified yeast Sup35 prion proteins in two infectious conformations. They identified key structural differences that explain the different behaviors of these prions. The researchers published their findings online September 2, 2007, in the journal Nature. Weissman and his colleagues are at the University of California, San Francisco."
Story continues on the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research News website.
Related Links:
Structural Studies Reveal New Clues to Prion Infectivity
Research News, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, September 2, 2007
Brittle Prions Found to Be More Infectious
UCSF Today, June 29, 2006 UCSF Scientists Show Prion Shape Affects Nature of Infection UCSF Today, March 17, 2004 Prion Study Yields Clues to Infection Across Species Barrier UCSF Today, March 8, 2001 Weissman Lab
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The Structural Basis of Yeast Prion Strain Variants
Brandon H. Toyama, Mark J. S. Kelly, John D. Gross, and Jonathan S. Weissman
Nature, advance online publication September 2, 2007
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UCSF Today, June 29, 2006 UCSF Scientists Show Prion Shape Affects Nature of Infection UCSF Today, March 17, 2004 Prion Study Yields Clues to Infection Across Species Barrier UCSF Today, March 8, 2001 Weissman Lab