Abstract
Prions are unusual proteinaceous infectious agents that are typically associated with a class of fatal degenerative diseases of the mammalian brain. However, the discovery of fungal prions, which are not associated with disease, suggests that we must now consider the effect of these factors on basic cellular physiology in a different light. Fungal prions are epigenetic determinants that can alter a range of cellular processes, including metabolism and gene expression pathways, and these changes can lead to a range of prion-associated phenotypes. The mechanistic similarities between prion propagation in mammals and fungi suggest that prions are not a biological anomaly but instead could be a newly appreciated and perhaps ubiquitous regulatory mechanism.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 823-833 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2010 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
Cite this
The prion hypothesis : From biological anomaly to basic regulatory mechanism. / Tuite, Mick F.; Serio, Tricia R.
In: Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, Vol. 11, No. 12, 12.2010, p. 823-833.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The prion hypothesis
T2 - From biological anomaly to basic regulatory mechanism
AU - Tuite, Mick F.
AU - Serio, Tricia R
PY - 2010/12
Y1 - 2010/12
N2 - Prions are unusual proteinaceous infectious agents that are typically associated with a class of fatal degenerative diseases of the mammalian brain. However, the discovery of fungal prions, which are not associated with disease, suggests that we must now consider the effect of these factors on basic cellular physiology in a different light. Fungal prions are epigenetic determinants that can alter a range of cellular processes, including metabolism and gene expression pathways, and these changes can lead to a range of prion-associated phenotypes. The mechanistic similarities between prion propagation in mammals and fungi suggest that prions are not a biological anomaly but instead could be a newly appreciated and perhaps ubiquitous regulatory mechanism.
AB - Prions are unusual proteinaceous infectious agents that are typically associated with a class of fatal degenerative diseases of the mammalian brain. However, the discovery of fungal prions, which are not associated with disease, suggests that we must now consider the effect of these factors on basic cellular physiology in a different light. Fungal prions are epigenetic determinants that can alter a range of cellular processes, including metabolism and gene expression pathways, and these changes can lead to a range of prion-associated phenotypes. The mechanistic similarities between prion propagation in mammals and fungi suggest that prions are not a biological anomaly but instead could be a newly appreciated and perhaps ubiquitous regulatory mechanism.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=78649417132&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/nrm3007
DO - 10.1038/nrm3007
M3 - Article
C2 - 21081963
AN - SCOPUS:78649417132
VL - 11
SP - 823
EP - 833
JO - Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
JF - Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
SN - 1471-0072
IS - 12
ER -