Prion Biology - Stanley Prusiner B

Written and edited by experts in the field, this collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology examines the expanding roles of prions and prion-like proteins in health and disease. The contributors review the structures of prions and prion-like proteins, how they aggregate into amyloid fibrils and other insoluble complexes, and the unique biological properties of the aggregated forms (e.g., infectivity, gain/loss of function, and self-templating). The normal physiological roles of prion-like proteins (e.g., CPEB in the brain and MAVS in the immune response) are discussed, as is the formation of abnormal protein aggregates via prion-like mechanisms in various human diseases.

The authors also discuss prions in yeast and other fungi, which are convenient models for studying mechanisms of amyloid formation and propagation. This volume is therefore an essential reference for biochemists, cell and molecular biologists, and all who wish to understand how these alternatively folded, self-propagating proteins function.

EAN: 9781621822844