Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 13, 2025
12:57
Investigating the Spreading and Toxicity of Prion-like Proteins Using the Metazoan Model Organism C. elegans
Published on: January 8, 2015
16.1K
A stochastic model of prion dynamics with conversion and fragmentation
Arpan Ghosh1, Peter Olofsson1, Suzanne S Sindi2
1Department of Mathematics, Physics, and Chemical Engineering, Jönköping University, Sweden.
Mathematical Biosciences
|July 27, 2025
Summary
Prion diseases stem from misfolded proteins forming infectious aggregates. This study models prion dynamics, revealing how aggregate growth and fragmentation influence disease progression.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Molecular Biology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Prions are infectious proteins causing neurodegenerative diseases.
- Prion diseases involve misfolded protein aggregates that propagate via conversion and fragmentation.
- Understanding prion aggregate dynamics is crucial for disease mechanism research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a stochastic model for prion aggregate population dynamics.
- To analyze the influence of conversion and fragmentation on prion proliferation.
- To investigate factors affecting prion aggregate population growth and size.
Main Methods:
- Formulation of a continuous-time Markov chain model.
- Tracking both the number of prion aggregates and misfolded monomers.
- Derivation and solution of a partial differential equation (PDE) for the joint probability generating function.
Main Results:
- Established mathematical framework for prion aggregate population dynamics.
- Derived analytical results for population growth and mean aggregate size.
- Identified key model parameters influencing aggregate population dynamics.
Conclusions:
- The stochastic model provides insights into prion propagation mechanisms.
- Model parameters significantly impact prion aggregate population behavior.
- This work offers a foundation for further theoretical and experimental investigations into prion diseases.
Related Concept Videos
03:03Amyloid Fibrils
9.9K
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,...
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen. In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining,...
9.9K
01:29Subviral Agents
113
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...
113
01:10Entropy Change in Reversible Processes
2.7K
In the Carnot engine, which achieves the maximum efficiency between two reservoirs of fixed temperatures, the total change in entropy is zero. The observation can be generalized by considering any reversible cyclic process consisting of many Carnot cycles. Thus, it can be stated that the total entropy change of any ideal reversible cycle is zero.
The statement can be further generalized to prove that entropy is a state function. Take a cyclic process between any two points on a p-V diagram.
The statement can be further generalized to prove that entropy is a state function. Take a cyclic process between any two points on a p-V diagram.
2.7K
01:09Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift
59.5K
In a population that is not at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the frequency of alleles changes over time. Therefore, any deviations from the five conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium can alter the genetic variation of a given population. Conditions that change the genetic variability of a population include mutations, natural selection, non-random mating, gene flow, and genetic drift (small population size).
59.5K
00:57Viral Recombination
23.8K
Cells are sometimes infected by more than one virus at once. When two viruses disassemble to expose their genomes for replication in the same cell, similar regions of their genomes can pair together and exchange sequences in a process called recombination. Alternatively, viruses with segmented genomes can swap segments in a process called reassortment.
23.8K
02:08Gene Conversion
10.0K
Other than maintaining genome stability via DNA repair, homologous recombination plays an important role in diversifying the genome. In fact, the recombination of sequences forms the molecular basis of genomic evolution. Random and non-random permutations of genomic sequences create a library of new amalgamated sequences. These newly formed genomes can determine the fitness and survival of cells. In bacteria, homologous and non-homologous types of recombination lead to the evolution of new...
10.0K