Which of the following is TRUE regarding prions?
A. It contains nuclear materialB. They are infectitious proteins
C. Immunogenic
D. DNA particle
Ans. B. (They are infectitious proteins)
Explanation
• Prions are proteinaceous infectious particles without any detectable nucleic acids, resistant to heat, UV rays and nucleas. and sensitive to proteases. They have the ability to convert the normal non-infectious form of protein in question in::
infectious prion form.
• Prion conversion is accompanied by a change in functional status of protein that allows a cell or organism to be in tso - ferent phenotypic states in which it respectively harbors the normal or the prion form of the particle.
• Prions are responsible for several fatal neurodegenerative disorders known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies or prion diseases. In these conditions secondary or tertiary structure of a protein is altered.
• They are causative agents of[MCQ]
a. Kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease
b. Scrapie and Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease)
