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Updated: Nov 8, 2025
10:12
Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification of Prions
Published on: November 7, 2012
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Environmental and host factors that contribute to prion strain evolution
1Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE, 68178, USA. jbartz@creighton.edu.
Acta Neuropathologica
|April 26, 2021
Summary
Prion strains, defined by specific PrPSc conformations, are influenced by environmental and host factors. Understanding these factors is key to comprehending prion strain distribution and prevalence in populations.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Infectious Diseases
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Prions are novel infectious agents composed of misfolded prion proteins (PrPSc).
- Prion strains are characterized by distinct, heritable disease phenotypes encoded by specific PrPSc conformations.
- Factors governing prion strain distribution remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore environmental and host-derived factors influencing prion strain prevalence and distribution.
- To elucidate mechanisms shaping the prion population structure.
Main Methods:
- This study is a review and synthesis of existing research on prion biology and strain diversity.
- Analysis of factors affecting prion transmission, host interactions, and strain emergence.
Main Results:
- Environmental factors like surface binding and weathering impact prion availability for transmission.
- Host factors, particularly the host PrPC amino acid sequence, significantly dictate the range of emergent prion strains.
- Prion conversion efficiency, post-translational modifications, and cellular co-factors influence the prevalence of specific strains.
- Interactions between prion strains can lead to the dominance of one strain over others.
Conclusions:
- Both environmental conditions and host genetics play crucial roles in determining the repertoire and distribution of prion strains.
- A comprehensive understanding of prion pathogenesis requires considering the interplay between the pathogen and its host environment.
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