Prion Diseases Essay -- Medical Prions Disease TSE

Prion DiseasesAbstractTransmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are neurodegenerative diseases that are thought to be caused by the misfolding of prion proteins. Prions are able to replicate in the absence of nucleic acids. TSEs include scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, kuru, Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease, and Fatal Familial Insomnia. They can affect many polar animals, including humans. Currently, there are no ways to diagnose, treat, or cure TSEs, as much more research is needed before these diseases are completely understood.1. OverviewPrions are a type of protein effectuate naturally in the brain and other regions of the central nervous system. The diseases associated with prions are collectively known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Transmissible refers to their potentially infectious nature, and spongiform encephalopathies indicates the microscopic sponge-like deterioration of the brain caused by the p rogression of the disorders. While these fatal neurodegenerative diseases exhibit different clinical symptoms, have different incubation periods, and even target different areas of the brain, they do share a number of characteristics. They occur in both animals and humans. During a silent incubation period, there are no detectable signs of the disease, although depending on the specific disease, the length of the incubation period can vary from a few weeks to up to 40 years (Baker & Ridley, 1996, 1). Due to their unique method of propagation (which go away be addressed later), TSEs present a seeming paradox in that inherited cases give rise to a disease that is transmissible but acquired cases do not produce heritable diseases (Baker & Rid... ...(Soto, 2006, 105).15. ConclusionOn a closing note, prion research is significant not only for possible breakthroughs in understanding TSEs, but because of the vast implications the very concept of prions holds for the entire field of biol ogy. As the first substance discovered that can replicate in the absence of nucleic acids, prions defy virtuoso of the most central biological doctrines. The similarities between TSEs and dementia disorders like Alzheimers disease and findings of proteins with a prion-like behavior in yeast and other fungi (Soto, 2006, 143) call forth that prions and proteins like them may be much more common than ever expected (Soto, 2006, 154).10BibliographyBaker, Harry F., & Ridley, Rosalind M. (1996). Prion Diseases. Totowa, New Jersey HumanaPress.Soto, Claudio. (2006). Prions The New Biology of Proteins. Boca Raton, Florida CRC Press.