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Fungal prions: structure, function and propagation

Mick F Tuite1, Ricardo Marchante, Vitaly Kushnirov

  • 1Kent Fungal Group, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NJ, UK. M.F.Tuite@kent.ac.uk

Topics in Current Chemistry
|July 1, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Fungal prions in yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, are self-propagating proteins distinct from animal prions. These proteins, involved in cellular processes, can induce stable phenotypic changes upon adopting a prion state.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Yeast Genetics

Background:

  • Prions are proteins capable of self-propagation into alternative conformations.
  • While animal prions are linked to neurodegenerative diseases, prions also exist in fungi.
  • Fungal prions, like those in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, differ in sequence from mammalian prion protein (PrP).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current understanding of fungal prion structure, propagation, and de novo generation.
  • To highlight the diverse roles of fungal prions in cellular functions.
  • To discuss findings from yeast studies on prion biology.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing scientific literature on fungal prions.
  • Analysis of studies focusing on Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism.
  • Examination of protein conformations and cellular phenotypes.

Main Results:

  • Fungal prions are diverse proteins involved in essential cellular processes like transcription and translation.
  • Prion formation in yeast can lead to stable and sometimes advantageous changes in cell phenotype.
  • Significant knowledge has been gained regarding prion structure and propagation mechanisms through yeast research.

Conclusions:

  • Yeast serves as a valuable model for studying prion biology, including structure and propagation.
  • Fungal prions represent a distinct class of self-propagating proteins with significant cellular roles.
  • Understanding fungal prions offers insights into protein conformational diseases and cellular adaptation.

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