Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Amyloid Fibrils

Amyloid Fibrils

Amyloid fibrils are aggregates of misfolded proteins. Under most circumstances, misfolded proteins are either refolded by chaperone proteins or degraded by the proteasome. However, in the case of a mutation or a disease, these proteins can accumulate to form large clusters and often further assemble to form elongated fibers, called fibrils.
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen. In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining,...

Inheritance

Inheritance

Gregor Mendel's pioneering work on the principles of inheritance fundamentally transformed our understanding of how traits are transmitted from generation to generation. His experiments with pea plants laid the groundwork for the discovery of genes, discrete units within organisms that control heredity.
Each gene exists in pairs, and the combination of these genes from both parents forms an individual's genotype. This genotype is a blueprint of potential traits. Examples of genotype...

Animal Mitochondrial Genetics

Animal Mitochondrial Genetics

Among all the organelles in an animal cell, only mitochondria have their own independent genomes. Animal mitochondrial DNA is a double-stranded, closed-circular molecule with around 20,000 base pairs. Mitochondrial DNA is unique in that one of its two strands, the heavy, or H, -strand is guanine rich, whereas the complementary strand is cytosine rich and called the light, or L, -strand. Compared to nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA has a very low percentage of non-coding regions and is marked by...

Chromosomal Theory of Inheritance

Chromosomal Theory of Inheritance

In 1866, Gregor Mendel published the results of his pea plant breeding experiments, providing evidence for predictable patterns in the inheritance of physical characteristics. The significance of his findings was not immediately recognized. In fact, the existence of genes was unknown at the time. Mendel referred to hereditary units as “factors.”

Subviral Agents

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...

Probability Laws

Probability Laws

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Prion-based protein self-assembly tunes mutagenesis to enable rapid adaptation.

Cell·2026

Same author

Pseudouridylation landscape across 42 <i>S. cerevisiae</i> cytosolic tRNA isoacceptors via Nanopore direct RNA sequencing.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Pediatric sinogenic and otogenic intracranial infections requiring neurosurgical intervention: a North American multicenter study in the era of COVID-19.

Journal of neurosurgery. Pediatrics·2026

Same author

Chronology of tRNA structural dynamics prior to and during interaction with a pseudouridine synthase.

RNA (New York, N.Y.)·2026

Same author

tRNA isodecoder analysis using Nanopore ionic current signals and deep learning.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

A pseudouridine synthase shapes tRNA structural dynamics through both catalysis and remodeling.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Same journal

Vigorous Physical Activity Mitigates Susceptibility to Obesity Associated with Risk Genotypes of <i>FTO</i> and <i>MC4R</i>, and <i>SREBF1</i> Is Hypermethylated: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study.

Epigenomes·2026

Same journal

Remodelling of miRNA Regulatory Landscape During West Nile Virus (WNV) Infection.

Epigenomes·2026

Same journal

The Role of Epigenetics in Corneal Fibrosis.

Epigenomes·2026

Same journal

Dual Functionality of miRNAs During HIV Infection: From Viral Genome Suppression to Immune Response Modulation.

Epigenomes·2026

Same journal

Nuclear Transfer Perturbs Genomic Balance.

Epigenomes·2026

Same journal

5mC and 6mA DNA Methylation in the Fungal Kingdom: From Genome Defense to Epigenetic Regulation.

Epigenomes·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 2, 2025

High-throughput Screening for Protein-based Inheritance in S. cerevisiae

High-throughput Screening for Protein-based Inheritance in S. cerevisiae

Published on: August 8, 2017

Biochemical Principles in Prion-Based Inheritance.

Emily M Dennis¹, David M Garcia²

¹Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.

|February 28, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Prions are proteins with unique self-templating abilities, leading to heritable changes. Recent discoveries reveal their widespread presence and beneficial roles, expanding our understanding of epigenetics.

Keywords:

amyloid epigenetics prion prion-like protein aggregation transgenerational inheritance

More Related Videos

Investigating the Spreading and Toxicity of Prion-like Proteins Using the Metazoan Model Organism C. elegans

Investigating the Spreading and Toxicity of Prion-like Proteins Using the Metazoan Model Organism C. elegans

Published on: January 8, 2015

Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification of Prions

Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification of Prions

Published on: November 7, 2012

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 2, 2025

High-throughput Screening for Protein-based Inheritance in S. cerevisiae

High-throughput Screening for Protein-based Inheritance in S. cerevisiae

Published on: August 8, 2017

Investigating the Spreading and Toxicity of Prion-like Proteins Using the Metazoan Model Organism C. elegans

Investigating the Spreading and Toxicity of Prion-like Proteins Using the Metazoan Model Organism C. elegans

Published on: January 8, 2015

Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification of Prions

Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification of Prions

Published on: November 7, 2012

Area of Science:

Biochemistry
Molecular Biology
Epigenetics

Background:

Prions are proteins capable of adopting alternative structures with altered activities.
These altered structures can self-template, leading to inheritance across cell divisions and generations.
Despite decades of study, prion discovery has been limited due to their complex nature.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the biochemical principles of prion proteins, including sequences, characteristics, and structures.
To summarize current knowledge on prion self-templating mechanisms.
To provide a framework for defining prions as new examples emerge.

Main Methods:

Literature review of prion protein biochemistry.
Analysis of prion sequences, characteristics, and structures.
Examination of prion self-templating mechanisms across organisms.

Main Results:

Prions are widespread in nature and can confer beneficial phenotypes.
Significant advancements in understanding prion structures and inheritance modes have been made.
Prion-based inheritance represents an understudied area of epigenetics.

Conclusions:

Prions are fundamental molecules with diverse roles and inheritance mechanisms.
A biochemical foundation is essential for defining and identifying new prions.
Further research into prion-based inheritance will deepen our understanding of epigenetics.