'Lifeless' prion proteins are 'capable of evolution'
Devils Advocaat
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8435320.stm
Here is the abstract of the paper it refers to:
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/science.1183218
Sadly to get the rest one has to have a subscription.
el cid
You're late. The link was posted yesterday.
Don't you news hounds ever bother to read the groups
you spew this stuff to?
On top of it all, it's your typical mountain out of
a molehill over-hype. Basically somebody pretends they
have discovered something when it was generally well
know and certainly expected for decades.
Prions precipitate in cells. Cells try to clean up
but can't.
Lots of proteins misfold in cells and cells generally
can clean up after them.
When prions misfold they recruit other prions to
misfold by provoding a scaffolding. It's like
catalysis in a way. Prion particles are not pure
prion protein but often contain other cellular
shrapnel. Depending on the cell type, different
proteases are available to clean up and different
prion particle structures survive. Some are being
cleaned up mind you, but others evade intracellular
proteolysis and build up to lethal levels.
This is all old hat but the articles you cite
make it out as if it's new. If that doesn't
piss you off, it should.
Devils Advocaat
> On Jan 2, 3:30 am, Devils Advocaat <mankyg...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>
> > Here is the media report on an interesting development:
>
> >http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8435320.stm
>
> > Here is the abstract of the paper it refers to:
>
> >http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/science.1183218
>
> > Sadly to get the rest one has to have a subscription.
>
> You're late. The link was posted yesterday.
> Don't you news hounds ever bother to read the groups
> you spew this stuff to?
So I was a bit slow, why does that get your goat?
>
> On top of it all, it's your typical mountain out of
> a molehill over-hype. Basically somebody pretends they
> have discovered something when it was generally well
> know and certainly expected for decades.
Perhaps you could enlighten us as to who already knew this, like by
citing a research paper from decades back?
>
> Prions precipitate in cells. Cells try to clean up
> but can't.
>
> Lots of proteins misfold in cells and cells generally
> can clean up after them.
The research in question actually shows adaptation not just simple
misfolding as you seem to be suggesting.
Adaptations which in fact result in drug resistance, much like the
adaptations in bacteria which resulted in the evolution of MRSA from
normal staph bacteria.
>
> When prions misfold they recruit other prions to
> misfold by provoding a scaffolding. It's like
> catalysis in a way. Prion particles are not pure
> prion protein but often contain other cellular
> shrapnel. Depending on the cell type, different
> proteases are available to clean up and different
> prion particle structures survive. Some are being
> cleaned up mind you, but others evade intracellular
> proteolysis and build up to lethal levels.
>
> This is all old hat but the articles you cite
> make it out as if it's new. If that doesn't
> piss you off, it should.
You haven't actually supported your contention that this is "all old
hat".
Actually I cited one news article and one research paper.
And I don't see why it should bother me.
Iain
>'Lifeless' prion proteins are 'capable of evolution'
I'm very happy for them.
--Iain
RAM
Well yes and no. No, if you are ignorant of this process as I am; it
is good to have someone explain the context of the mis-asserted
evolutionary process. And yes if I were a professional in what ever
discipline and it had misleading information in the article I would be
equally pissed.
Unfortunately, too much of science reporting is just like the BBC
article.
Thanks for the information/clarification (and direct that stream
toward BBC)!
Vend
> >'Lifeless' prion proteins are 'capable of evolution'
>
> I'm very happy for them.
Their hosts are less happy.