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Related Experiment Videos

Prions as protein-based genetic elements.

Susan M Uptain1, Susan Lindquist

  • 1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA. s-uptain@uchicago.edu

Annual Review of Microbiology
|July 27, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Fungal prions are protein-based elements that change cell traits by altering protein shape. These epigenetic factors influence diverse biological roles and may explain previously mysterious fungal behaviors.

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Area of Science:

  • Molecular biology
  • Mycology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Fungal prions are protein-based genetic elements that alter cellular phenotypes through conformational changes.
  • They are transmitted cytoplasmically and influence diverse biological processes in organisms like Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Podospora anserina.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the characteristics of fungal prions.
  • To discuss their roles in biological processes and potential as an epigenetic mechanism.
  • To highlight the criteria for identifying new prions and their evolutionary conservation.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on fungal prions.
  • Analysis of genetic behaviors and biological roles.
  • Identification of criteria for prion discovery.

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Main Results:

  • Four prions in S. cerevisiae and P. anserina affect processes like translation, nitrogen regulation, and heterokaryon incompatibility.
  • Prions exhibit unusual genetic behaviors, providing criteria for identifying new ones.
  • The ability to form prions is evolutionarily conserved, and [PSI(+)] contributes to genetic variation.

Conclusions:

  • Fungal prions epigenetically modulate fundamental biological processes, with many yet to be discovered.
  • Prions offer a mechanism for phenotypic diversity and adaptation.
  • Understanding fungal prions provides insight into protein-based inheritance and cellular regulation.