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Related Concept Videos

Subviral Agents01:29

Subviral Agents

Subviral agents are infectious entities that resemble viruses but lack one or more viral components, such as a capsid or essential replication machinery. These agents include viroids, prions, and satellites, each possessing distinct structural and functional characteristics that influence their mode of infection and replication.Viroids are the simplest subviral agents, consisting of circular, single-stranded RNA molecules without a protein coat. They exclusively infect plants, relying entirely...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Assessing Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Species Barriers with an In Vitro Prion Protein Conversion Assay
11:41

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Published on: March 10, 2015

Preventing prion pathogenicity by targeting the cellular prion protein.

Andrew J Nicoll1, John Collinge

  • 1Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, MRC Prion Unit, UCL Institute of Neurology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, UK.

Infectious Disorders Drug Targets
|February 10, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Prion diseases involve misfolded cellular prion protein (PrP). Targeting PrP offers potential therapeutic strategies, with recent studies showing promise for small molecules in treating these neurodegenerative conditions.

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Last Updated: Jun 25, 2026

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Biochemistry
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Prions are infectious agents composed of misfolded cellular prion protein (PrP), lacking nucleic acid.
  • Prion diseases exhibit distinct strains and interspecies transmissibility.
  • The atomic structure of infectious prion species remains largely unknown, hindering therapeutic development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore therapeutic strategies for prion diseases.
  • To investigate the potential of targeting cellular prion protein (PrP) for treatment.
  • To review recent advancements in understanding and treating prion infections.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on prion protein structure, function, and disease.
  • Analysis of studies involving gene knockout models for prion protein.
  • Evaluation of immunotherapy and small molecule compound approaches.

Main Results:

  • Constitutive knockout of PrP confers resistance to prion infection in mice.
  • Neuronal PrP knockout during infection reverses pathology and behavioral deficits.
  • Immunotherapy with anti-PrP antibodies prevents disease onset in mice.
  • Proof-of-principle for small molecules selectively binding PrP as therapeutics.

Conclusions:

  • Stabilizing cellular PrP and preventing misfolding are potential therapeutic avenues.
  • Targeting cellular PrP, through antibodies or small molecules, shows therapeutic promise.
  • Further research is needed to discover a small molecule capable of curing prion infection in vivo.