prion protein

noun

: a glycoprotein found especially on the cell surface of neurons in the brain and spinal cord that sometimes occurs in an abnormal misfolded form which proliferates by inducing the normal protein to convert to the misfolded pathogenic form

When the normal prion protein misfolds, it resists recycling and forms a hardy gunk. Some aspect of this process produces lethal sponge-like holes in brain cells.

—Sandra Blakeslee

—abbreviation PrP see prion entry 2

Examples of prion protein in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In a separate experiment, researchers in the United States and Austria used a prion protein generated by E. coli to infect hamsters with a transmissible brain disease. —Amber Angelle, Discover Magazine, 3 Oct. 2010

Béringue also worked with mice that stocked the human prion protein, and exposed them to the strain that causes BSE in cows. —Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 30 Jan. 2012

While some investigators focus on the disease-causing version of the prion protein, others are looking into what the healthy forms of those proteins do in the body. —Amber Angelle, Discover Magazine, 3 Oct. 2010

But these conditions are increasingly being seen as variants of the same disease, all stemming from the misfolding of one specific protein: the prion protein, or PrP. Vallabh and Minikel believe this protein is a suitable target for ASO treatments. —Bret Stetka, Scientific American, 15 Aug. 2019

Why these prion proteins change in harmful ways is not yet understood. —Korin Miller, SELF, 20 Feb. 2019

Generally, prions are infectious, deformed versions of the normal prion protein (PRNP), which functions on the outside of healthy cells in the brain. —Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 26 Apr. 2018

The gnarled versions prompt normal prion proteins to deform and malfunction, setting off a cascade that leads to telltale clumps of contorted proteins. —Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 26 Apr. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1982, in the meaning defined above