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Blessings in disguise: biological benefits of prion-like mechanisms

Gregory A Newby1, Susan Lindquist

  • 1Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.

Trends in Cell Biology
|March 15, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Prion-like mechanisms (PriLiMs) offer beneficial functions beyond disease. These self-templating protein structures can diversify microbial phenotypes, acting as heritable bet-hedging devices.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Prions and amyloids are typically linked to diseases.
  • However, similar self-templating protein mechanisms, termed prion-like mechanisms (PriLiMs), exist in nature.
  • These PriLiMs can confer beneficial functions across diverse organisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To discuss the beneficial roles of PriLiMs.
  • To highlight their presence from bacteria to humans.
  • To encourage research and collaboration on these functional prion-like behaviors.

Main Methods:

  • Review and discussion of existing literature on PriLiMs.
  • Identification of common features, such as self-templating protein structures and chaperone dependence.
  • Exploration of proposed functions, including phenotypic diversification.

Main Results:

  • PriLiMs are widespread, found in various organisms.
  • They exhibit self-templating conformational switches, similar to amyloids.
  • PriLiMs can function as heritable bet-hedging devices, promoting microbial adaptation.

Conclusions:

  • Prion-like mechanisms are not solely pathogenic but play crucial beneficial roles.
  • Understanding PriLiMs can reveal novel biological strategies for adaptation and survival.
  • Further investigation into PriLiMs is warranted to explore their full functional spectrum.

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