Chapter category: Adhesion Molecules
Biological Roles of Prion Domains
Protein-Based Inheritance
Edited by: Yury O. ChernoffISBN: 978-1-58706-138-7
» Get more information about this book at landesbioscience.com «
Chapter authors:
Sergey G. Inge-Vechtomov, Galina A. Zhouravleva and Yury O. Chernoff
In vivo amyloid formation is a widespread phenomenon in eukaryotes. Self-perpetuating amyloids provide a basis for the infectious or heritable protein isoforms (prions). At least for some proteins, amyloid-forming potential is conserved in evolution despite divergence of the amino acid (aa) sequences. In some cases, prion formation certainly represents a pathological process leading to a disease. However, there are several scenarios in which prions and other amyloids or amyloid-like aggregates are either shown or suspected to perform positive biological functions. Proven examples include self/nonself recognition, stress defense and scaffolding of other (functional) polymers. The role of prion-like phenomena in memory has been hypothesized. As an additional mechanism of heritable change, prion formation may in principle contribute to heritable variability at the population level. Moreover, it is possible that amyloid-based prions represent by-products of the transient feedback regulatory circuits, as normal cellular function of at least some prion proteins is decreased in the prion state.
Sergey G. Inge-Vechtomov
Department of Genetics, St. Petersburg State University; St. Petersburg Branch of Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences
Galina A. Zhouravleva
Department of Genetics, St. Petersburg State University
Yury O. Chernoff
School of Biology and Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology
» Download Open Access Chapter
Additional chapters from this book:
Yeast Prions: Evolution of the Prion Concept
Reed B. Wickner, Herman K. Edskes, Frank Shewmaker, Toru Nakayashiki, Abbi Engel, Linsay McCann and Dmitry Kryndushkin
Prions (infectious proteins) analogous to the scrapie agent have been identified in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Podospora anserina based on their special genetic character istics. Each is a prot...
A Short History of Small s: A Prion of the Fungus Podospora Anserina
Sven J. Saupe
Prions are infectious proteins. In fungi, prions correspond to non-Mendelian genetic elements whose mode of inheritance has long eluded explanation. The [Het-s] cytoplasmic genetic element of th...
Prion and Nonprion Amyloids: A Comparison Inspired by the Yeast Sup35 Protein
Vitaly V. Kushnirov, Aleksandra B. Vishnevskaya, Ilya M. Alexandrov and Michael D. Ter-Avanesyan
Yeast prion determinants are related to polymerization of some proteins into amyloid-like fibers. The [PSI+] determinant reflects polymerization of the Sup35 protein. Fragmen- tation of prion pol...
Biological Roles of Prion Domains
Sergey G. Inge-Vechtomov, Galina A. Zhouravleva and Yury O. Chernoff
In vivo amyloid formation is a widespread phenomenon in eukaryotes. Self-perpetuating amyloids provide a basis for the infectious or heritable protein isoforms (prions). At least for some protei...
Preformed Cell Structure and Cell Heredity
Janine Beisson
This chapter will first recall the phenomena of “cortical inheritance” observed and genetically demonstrated in Paramecium 40 years ago, and later in other ciliates (Tetrahymena, Oxytricha, Para...
Chaperone Effects on Prion and Nonprion Aggregates
Eugene G. Rikhvanov, Nina V. Romanova and Yury O. Chernoff
Exposure to high temperature or other stresses induces a synthesis of heat shock proteins. Many of these proteins are molecular chaperones, and some of them help cells to cope with heat-induced ...
Prion Stability
Brian S. Cox, Lee Byrne and Mick F. Tuite
The rate of spontaneous change from y- to the y+ condition determined in yeast by states of the Sup35p protein is briefly discussed, together with the conditions necessary for such change to occ...
Prion-Prion Interactions
Irina L. Derkatch and Susan W. Liebman
The term prion has been used to describe self-replicating protein conformations that can convert other protein molecules of the same primary structure into its prion conformation. Several differ...
The Genetic Control of the Formation and Propagation of the [PSI+] Prion of Yeast
Mick F. Tuite and Brian S. Cox
It is over 40 years since it was first reported that the yeast Saccahromyces cerevisiae contains two unusual cytoplasmic ‘genetic’ elements: [PSI+] and [URE3]. Remarkably the underlying determin...
Centriole Inheritance
Patricia G. Wilson
Early cell biologists perceived centrosomes to be permanent cellular structures. Centrosomes were observed to reproduce once each cycle and to orchestrate assembly of a transient mitotic apparat...
