Prion

Pathogenic type of misfolded protein

A prion is a misfolded protein that induces folding problems in normal variants of the same protein, leading to cellular death. Prions are responsible for prion diseases, which are fatal and transmissible neurodegenerative diseases affecting animals, including humans. These proteins can misfold sporadically, due to genetic mutations, or through exposure to an already misfolded protein, leading to an abnormal three-dimensional structure that can propagate misfolding in other proteins.

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