//www.koonmotors.com/news/plants_animals/prions/ Learn all about prions and prion disease. How are prions linked to mad cow disease, TSE, Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease and chronic wasting disease? en-us Mon, 16 Oct 2023 13:23:51 EDT Mon, 16 Oct 2023 13:23:51 EDT 60 //www.koonmotors.com/images/scidaily-logo-rss.png//www.koonmotors.com/news/plants_animals/prions/ For more science news, visit ScienceDaily. //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230707153844.htm A new study finds that ticks can harbor transmissible amounts of the protein particle that causes Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), implicating the parasites as possible agents in the disease's spread between deer in Wisconsin. Fri, 07 Jul 2023 15:38:44 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230707153844.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220912132337.htm In a new study, researchers have identified the structure of protein fibrils linked to a hereditary form of human prion disease. This insight, they say, reveals the mechanism for how prions can jump between some animal species, while retaining a transmissibility barrier between other species. Mon, 12 Sep 2022 13:23:37 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220912132337.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/03/220317111917.htm A promising new treatment for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) has shown 'very encouraging' early results following its use in six patients. Thu, 17 Mar 2022 11:19:17 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/03/220317111917.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/11/211124154006.htm China's Père David's deer was nearly gone in the late 1800s. Just 18 deer -- the very last of their kind -- were brought into captivity after the rest had been hunted to extinction. When 11 of the deer reproduced, the species had a chance. Today, after centuries of reintroductions and breeding under human care, the population sits at around 3,000. It's a success story. But that success could come crashing down if chronic wasting disease (CWD) were to infect the population. Wed, 24 Nov 2021 15:40:06 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/11/211124154006.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/09/210921185141.htm Proteins in the brain called prions are well known for their involvement in causing disease, but a new study suggests they may help yeast cope with rapidly changing environmental conditions. Tue, 21 Sep 2021 18:51:41 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/09/210921185141.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/08/210823125824.htm The highest-ever resolution imaging of an infectious prion provides the first atomic-level data of how these abnormal proteins are assembled to cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases in people and animals -- and how they can be potentially targeted by new therapies. Mon, 23 Aug 2021 12:58:24 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/08/210823125824.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/06/200609144455.htm Human prion diseases include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease (GSS). A new study reports a significant advance in the development of mouse models of human prion diseases. The study demonstrates spontaneous formation of disease-relevant, transmissible prion protein assemblies in mice bearing only human forms of the prion protein. Tue, 09 Jun 2020 14:44:55 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/06/200609144455.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/05/200505190552.htm A professor of biochemistry and molecular biology report an unanticipated role for prion nucleation seeds that enhances their ability to appear and resist curing. Tue, 05 May 2020 19:05:52 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/05/200505190552.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/10/191004155223.htm A 5-minute soak in a 40% solution of household bleach decontaminated stainless steel wires coated with chronic wasting disease (CWD) prions, according to a new study. The scientists used the wires to model knives and saws that hunters and meat processors use when handling deer, elk and moose - all of which are susceptible to CWD. Fri, 04 Oct 2019 15:52:23 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/10/191004155223.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/06/190611102715.htm Researchers have developed a new gene-targeted approach to study chronic wasting disease in mice, allowing opportunities for research that has not previously existed. Tue, 11 Jun 2019 10:27:15 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/06/190611102715.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/06/190606183226.htm Some deer are more susceptible to chronic wasting disease that is spreading through herds of white-tailed deer across much of the United States, according to researchers, who have identified a panel of genetic markers that reliably predict which animals are most vulnerable to the contagious neurological disorder. Thu, 06 Jun 2019 18:32:26 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/06/190606183226.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/03/190327131911.htm Scientists studying the progression of inherited and infectious eye diseases that can cause blindness have found that microglia, a type of nervous system cell suspected to cause retinal damage, surprisingly had no damaging role during prion disease in mice. In contrast, the study findings indicated that microglia might delay disease progression. Wed, 27 Mar 2019 13:19:11 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/03/190327131911.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/01/190122125537.htm Prions can infect both humans and animals, causing Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans, mad cow disease in cattle, and chronic wasting disease in elk and deer. The infectious, misfolded protein particles often go undetected as they destroy brain tissue, causing memory loss, mobility issues, and ultimately death. Preclinical detection of prions has proven difficult, but new research suggests skin samples hold early signs of prion disease that precede neurologic symptoms. Tue, 22 Jan 2019 12:55:37 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/01/190122125537.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/12/181213112117.htm A study has confirmed that some vials of a hormone used in discontinued medical treatments contained seeds of a protein implicated in Alzheimer's disease, and are able to seed amyloid pathology in mice. Thu, 13 Dec 2018 11:21:17 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/12/181213112117.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/11/181129142435.htm A major compound in soil organic matter degrades chronic wasting disease prions and decreases infectivity in mice, according to a new study. Thu, 29 Nov 2018 14:24:35 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/11/181129142435.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/11/181120125755.htm By the time symptoms of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) are typically discovered, death is looming and inevitable. In a new study, researchers report finding tell-tale evidence of the condition's infectious agent in the eyes of deceased sCJD patients, making the eye a potential source for both early CJD detection and prevention of disease transmission. Tue, 20 Nov 2018 12:57:55 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/11/181120125755.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/10/181018141118.htm The first example of prion strains that replicate independently in vitro and in vivo suggests that strain diversity may be greater than previously thought, according to a new study. Thu, 18 Oct 2018 14:11:18 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/10/181018141118.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/09/180921113459.htm A new study has shed light on the mechanisms underlying the progression of prion diseases and identified a potential target for treatment. Fri, 21 Sep 2018 11:34:59 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/09/180921113459.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/06/180621141017.htm A hamster prion that replicated under conditions of low RNA levels in mouse brain material resulted in altered disease features when readapted and transmitted back to hamsters, according to new research. Thu, 21 Jun 2018 14:10:17 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/06/180621141017.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/04/180425195624.htm Chronic wasting disease (CWD) did not cross the species barrier to infect cynomolgus macaque monkeys during a lengthy investigation exploring risks to humans. Wed, 25 Apr 2018 19:56:24 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/04/180425195624.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/03/180308120549.htm Familial human prion diseases are passed within families and are associated with 34 known prion protein mutations. To determine whether three of the unstudied mutations are transmissible, scientists exposed research mice to brain samples from three people who died from a familial prion disease. After observing the mice for about two years, they found two of the mutations, Y226X and G131V, are transmissible. Thu, 08 Mar 2018 12:05:49 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/03/180308120549.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/02/180205195605.htm Deer infected with chronic wasting disease are doomed to a slow and certain death, eventually wasting away as they lose the ability to eat and drink. There is no cure and no vaccine, and the number of infected deer continues to rise every year. But scientists recently published a new study that could help explain the movement of the disease across the landscape. Mon, 05 Feb 2018 19:56:05 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/02/180205195605.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2017/09/170926105415.htm New research summarizes the efforts in disease surveillance and risk management of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer and shows that past management strategies such as selective culling, herd reduction, and hunter surveillance have had only limited effectiveness. The summary points towards new advice for optimal, cost-effective strategies in aggressive disease control. Tue, 26 Sep 2017 10:54:15 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2017/09/170926105415.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2017/01/170117141259.htm Nerve-damaging protein particles called prions have long been known to exist in mammals. Now, in a surprising discovery, investigators report they have found evidence that bacteria can also make prions. Prions—self-propagating clumps of misfolded protein—have been identified as the cause of several rare but universally fatal neurodegenerative conditions, including bovine spongiform encephalopathy, popularly known as mad cow disease. Tue, 17 Jan 2017 14:12:59 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2017/01/170117141259.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2016/09/160908151240.htm Groundbreaking research has identified the structure of the infectious prion protein, the cause of 'mad cow disease' or BSE, chronic wasting disease in deer and elk and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, which has long remained a mystery. Thu, 08 Sep 2016 15:12:40 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2016/09/160908151240.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2016/04/160429095144.htm Scientists have determined that a plant protein involved in the timing of flowering could in fact be a prion. This is the first time that a possible prion has been identified in plants, and it may play a role in a plant's 'memory' of cold exposure during winter. Fri, 29 Apr 2016 09:51:44 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2016/04/160429095144.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2016/04/160408112336.htm Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), or prion diseases, are a family of rare progressive, neurodegenerative illnesses that affect both humans and animals. TSE surveillance is important for public health and food safety because TSEs have the potential of crossing from animals to humans, as seen with the spread of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). A new study describes an advanced assay that offers better sensitivity than currently available tests for detecting a prion disease affecting elk. Fri, 08 Apr 2016 11:23:36 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2016/04/160408112336.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2015/08/150806144421.htm Rabbits have long been considered immune to prion disease, but recently scientists have shown that they can -- under certain circumstances -- get transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (or TSE, the scientific term for the fatal brain disease caused by prions). Two studies address what makes rabbits hard to infect with prions and how their resistance can be overcome. Thu, 06 Aug 2015 14:44:21 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2015/08/150806144421.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2015/07/150702151255.htm Prions are fascinating, enigmatic, and might teach us not only about rare prion diseases like Creutzfeld-Jakob disease, mad cow disease, or scrapie, but also about other more common neurodgenerative diseases. Two studies report progress with novel tools and paradigms to study prion disease. Thu, 02 Jul 2015 15:12:55 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2015/07/150702151255.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2015/05/150515155636.htm Grass plants can bind, uptake and transport infectious prions, according to researchers. Prions are the protein-based infectious agents responsible for a group of diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, which includes bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) in cattle, scrapie in sheep, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans and chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer, elk and moose. All are fatal brain diseases with incubation periods that last years. Fri, 15 May 2015 15:56:36 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2015/05/150515155636.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2015/02/150224083314.htm Chronic wasting disease (CWD) affects North American elk and deer, but has not been observed in humans. Using a mouse model that expresses an altered form of the normal human prion protein, researchers have determined why the human proteins aren’t corrupted when exposed to the elk prions. Their study identifies a small loop in the human prion protein that confers resistance to chronic wasting disease. Tue, 24 Feb 2015 08:33:14 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2015/02/150224083314.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2014/12/141224103019.htm The pathogens responsible for scrapie in small ruminants (prions) have the potential to convert the human prion protein from a healthy state to a pathological state, researchers have discovered for the first time. In mice models reproducing the human species barrier, this prion induces a disease similar to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. These primary results stress the necessity to reassess the transmission of this disease to humans. Wed, 24 Dec 2014 10:30:19 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2014/12/141224103019.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2014/12/141221183742.htm 研究人员说,疫苗接种重击oped to fight a brain-based, wasting syndrome among deer and other animals may hold promise on two additional fronts: protecting US livestock from contracting the disease, and preventing similar brain infections in humans. Sun, 21 Dec 2014 18:37:42 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2014/12/141221183742.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2014/08/140807103650.htm The misfolded and infectious prion protein that is a marker for variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease – linked to the consumption of infected cattle meat – has been detected in the urine of patients with the disease. Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans and bovine spongiform encephalopathy in animals – also known as Mad Cow disease – are fatal neurodegenerative disorders. There are currently no noninvasive tools available to diagnose the disease and there are no treatments. Thu, 07 Aug 2014 10:36:50 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2014/08/140807103650.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2014/06/140612174618.htm The first cases of mad cow disease in humans occurred in the late 1990s and are thought to be the consequence of eating contaminated beef products. Several cases of secondary infections caused by transfusions with blood from donors who developed vCJD have been reported, raising concerns about the safety of blood products. A new article describes an assay that can detect prions in blood samples from humans with vCJD and in animals at early stages of the incubation phase. Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:46:18 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2014/06/140612174618.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2014/04/140403212519.htm Transmission of prions between species is inefficient, and only a small proportion of exposed recipients become sick within their lifetimes. A new study takes a close look at one exception to this rule: bank voles appear to lack a species barrier for prion transmission, and their universal susceptibility turns out to be both informative and useful for the development of strategies to prevent prion transmission. Thu, 03 Apr 2014 21:25:19 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2014/04/140403212519.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2014/03/140304102600.htm A blood test accurately screened for infection with the agent responsible for variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), a fatal neurological disease. vCJD is a fatal degenerative brain disorder thought to be caused by a misfolded protein (prion) in the brain and contracted most commonly through eating infected beef. Up to 3 million cattle in the United Kingdom may have been infected with BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), and establishing accurate prevalence estimates through screening for vCJD infection would guide public health initiatives. Tue, 04 Mar 2014 10:26:00 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2014/03/140304102600.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2014/02/140204111806.htm 发布的一项新研究显示了pa相似之处thogenesis of prion disease -- misfolded proteins that can lead to neurological diseases -- and the HIV virus. Tue, 04 Feb 2014 11:18:06 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2014/02/140204111806.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2014/01/140124082602.htm Prions are unique infective agents -- unlike viruses, bacteria, fungi and other parasites, prions do not contain either DNA or RNA. Despite their seemingly simple structure, they can propagate their pathological effects like wildfire, by "infecting" normal proteins. PrPSc (the pathological form of the prion protein) can induce normal prion proteins (PrPC) to acquire the wrong conformation and convert into further disease-causing agents. Fri, 24 Jan 2014 08:26:02 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2014/01/140124082602.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2014/01/140116144649.htm New research has uncovered a quality control mechanism in brain cells that may help keep deadly neurological diseases in check for months or years. 星期四,2014年1月16日14:46:49 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2014/01/140116144649.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2013/10/131021131005.htm Chronic wasting disease, the deer-equivalent of mad cow disease, has crept across the US landscape from west to east, and was first detected in the Midwest in 2002. Little is known about its potential to infect humans. Now researchers offer a first look at the long-term effectiveness of the practice of culling deer in areas affected by CWD to keep the disease in check. Mon, 21 Oct 2013 13:10:05 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2013/10/131021131005.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2013/08/130819162519.htm By directly altering the gene coding for the prion protein (PrP), researchers have created mouse models of two neurodegenerative prion diseases, each of which manifests in different regions of the brain. These new models for fatal familial insomnia (FFI) and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) accurately reflect the distinct patterns of destruction caused by the these diseases in humans. Mon, 19 Aug 2013 16:25:19 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2013/08/130819162519.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2013/07/130731133117.htm Prion proteins are the infectious pathogens that cause Mad Cow Disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. They occur when a normal prion protein becomes deformed and clumped. The naturally occurring prion protein is harmless and can be found in most organisms. In humans, it is found in our brain cell membrane. By contrast, the abnormally deformed prion protein is poisonous for the brain cells. Scientists have now discovered that the prion protein has a kind of switch that controls its toxicity. Wed, 31 Jul 2013 13:31:17 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2013/07/130731133117.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2013/07/130702100120.htm The key to treating neurodegenerative prion diseases such as mad cow disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease may lie in the ribosome, the protein synthesis machinery of the cell. Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative diseases caused by misfolding of prion proteins. Examples of prion diseases are scrapie in sheep, mad cow disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in human. Tue, 02 Jul 2013 10:01:20 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2013/07/130702100120.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2013/04/130403154305.htm Scientists have for the first time identified a pair of drugs already approved for human use that show anti-prion activity and, for one of them, great promise in treating rare and universally fatal disorders, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, caused by misfolded proteins called prions. Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:43:05 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2013/04/130403154305.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2013/03/130328142139.htm A team of scientists has added markedly to the job description of prions as agents of change, identifying a prion capable of triggering a transition in yeast from its conventional single-celled form to a cooperative, multicellular structure. This change, which appears to improve yeast's chances for survival in the face of hostile environmental conditions, is an epigenetic phenomenon -- a heritable alteration brought about without any change to the organism’s underlying genome. Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:21:39 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2013/03/130328142139.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2013/03/130313131902.htm An iron imbalance caused by prion proteins collecting in the brain is a likely cause of cell death in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, researchers have found. The breakthrough follows discoveries that certain proteins found in the brains of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients also regulate iron. Wed, 13 Mar 2013 13:19:02 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2013/03/130313131902.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2013/03/130311124205.htm Medical researchers have made a discovery that may explain how prion diseases, like chronic wasting disease and mad cow disease, adapt in order to spread between various types of animals. Mon, 11 Mar 2013 12:42:05 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2013/03/130311124205.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2012/11/121129093341.htm Researchers have shown that neuro-inflammation plays a crucial role in initiating prion disease. Thu, 29 Nov 2012 09:33:41 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2012/11/121129093341.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2012/10/121017181250.htm Crows fed on prion-infected brains from mice can transmit these infectious agents in their feces and may play a role in the geographic spread of diseases caused by prions, such as chronic wasting disease or scrapie. Wed, 17 Oct 2012 18:12:50 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2012/10/121017181250.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2012/09/120912093829.htm A simple blood test for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and Mad Cow disease is a step closer, following a breakthrough by medical researchers in Australia. Wed, 12 Sep 2012 09:38:29 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2012/09/120912093829.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2012/08/120809190725.htm Many of us are familiar with prion disease from its most startling and unusual incarnations —- the outbreaks of “mad cow” disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) that created a crisis in the global beef industry. Or the strange story of Kuru, a fatal illness affecting a tribe in Papua New Guinea known for its cannibalism. Both are forms of prion disease, caused by the abnormal folding of a protein and resulting in progressive neurodegeneration and death. Thu, 09 Aug 2012 19:07:25 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2012/08/120809190725.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2012/07/120723134856.htm Researchers have identified a new class of compounds that inhibit the spread of prions, misfolded proteins in the brain that trigger lethal neurodegenerative diseases in humans and animals. Scientists have now developed compounds that clear prions from infected cells derived from the brain. Mon, 23 Jul 2012 13:48:56 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2012/07/120723134856.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2012/07/120709093117.htm Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or "mad cow disease") is a fatal disease in cattle that causes portions of the brain to turn sponge-like. This transmissible disease is caused by the propagation of a misfolded form of protein known as a prion, rather than by a bacterium or virus. Previous research has reported that the autonomic nervous system (ANS) becomes affected by the disease only after the central nervous system (CNS) has been infected. In a new study researchers found that the ANS can show signs of infection prior to involvement of the CNS. Mon, 09 Jul 2012 09:31:17 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2012/07/120709093117.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2012/04/120424095704.htm Toxic prions in the brain can be detected with self-illuminating polymers. The originators, at Linköping University in Sweden, has now shown that the same molecules can also render the prions harmless, and potentially cure fatal nerve-destroying illnesses. Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:57:04 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2012/04/120424095704.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2012/04/120423105000.htm One of the greatest mysterious in cellular biology has been given a new twist. Researchers now show that prions, proteins that transmit heritable information without DNA or RNA, can contribute to drug resistance and cellular adaptation. Their discovery of a yeast prion with these properties demonstrates the active role of the prion conversion in cellular fitness adaptation, providing new insights into the potentially broader function of prions in living organisms. Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:50:00 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2012/04/120423105000.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2012/02/120209152814.htm Scientists have identified a single prion protein that causes neuronal death similar to that seen in "mad cow" disease, but is at least 10 times more lethal than larger prion species. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:28:14 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2012/02/120209152814.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2011/12/111229091638.htm Scrapie is a neurodegenerative disease which can function as a model for other diseases caused by an accumulation of proteins resulting in tissue malformations (proteinpathies), such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Many questions regarding these diseases still remain unanswered. A new study has uncovered a number of factors relating to the uptake of the prion protein (PrPSc) associated with the development of this disease and how this protein interacts with the immune cells in the intestines. Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:16:38 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2011/12/111229091638.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2011/07/110722213431.htm Biochemists have identified a yeast protein called Lsb2 that can promote spontaneous prion formation. Prions can cause neurodegenerative disorders, such as mad cow/Creutzfeld-Jakob disease, in humans and animals. Fri, 22 Jul 2011 21:34:31 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2011/07/110722213431.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2011/06/110630091701.htm Researchers have identified an altered expression of endogenous retroviruses in BSE-infected macaques. Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:17:01 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2011/06/110630091701.htm