All the Same? The Secret Life of Prion Strains within Their Target Cells.

摘要: Prions are infectious β-sheet-rich protein aggregates composed of misfolded prion (PrPSc) that do not possess coding nucleic acid. replicate by recruiting and converting normal cellular PrPC into isoforms. In the same host species, strains target distinct brain regions cause different disease phenotypes. Prion associated with biophysically PrPSc conformers, suggesting strain properties enciphered within alternative quaternary structures. So far it is unknown how specific cells initiate productive infections. Deeper mechanistic insight life cycle came from cell lines permissive to a range strains. Still, why certain refractory infection one but another. While pharmacologic genetic manipulations revealed subcellular compartments involved in replication, little known about strain-specific requirements for endocytic trafficking pathways. This review summarizes our knowledge on prions their differences biology.