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That was really instructive, thanks. Could you develop a bit the last part please? How does it go from "you have accumulating useless proteins in your body" to
by Leherenn 5y ago
That was really instructive, thanks.
Could you develop a bit the last part please? How does it go from "you have accumulating useless proteins in your body" to "you die"?
Is it because too many "good" proteins are turned into "bad" proteins and thus you don't have enough anymore to function properly? Is it because the "bad" proteins somehow "clog" the system? Something else?
- jcims 5y agoI'm sure the latter is possible in some way but the common prion-based diseases kill by misfolding functional proteins in the body (or in this case the brain). As the misfolding spreads, the cells in the immediate vicinity are destroyed and ultimately the surrounding tissue. You can google it if you want, but the end result is a brain that is essentially turned into a sponge with voids throughout.
- teachingassist 5y agoEither of these theories [not enough good protein/too much bad protein] could contribute to disease, yes. The correct function of the disease-causing 'major prion protein' in humans is not known, so I think the answer is "we don't quite know which of these factors is more important". We observe that diseased brains have 'plaques' where they have been turned into sponge, so-called "spongiform encephalopathy". The brain's neurons have simply died, one way or another.