http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/prions/ Learn all about prions and prion disease. How are prions linked to mad cow disease, TSE, Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease and chronic wasting disease? en-us Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:05:01 EST Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/prions/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209152814.htm Scientists have identified a single prion protein that causes neuronal death similar to that seen in "mad cow" disease, but is at least 10 times more lethal than larger prion species. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209152814.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111229091638.htm Scrapie is a neurodegenerative disease which can function as a model for other diseases caused by an accumulation of proteins resulting in tissue malformations (proteinpathies), such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Many questions regarding these diseases still remain unanswered. A new study has uncovered a number of factors relating to the uptake of the prion protein (PrPSc) associated with the development of this disease and how this protein interacts with the immune cells in the intestines. Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:16:16 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111229091638.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110722213431.htm Biochemists have identified a yeast protein called Lsb2 that can promote spontaneous prion formation. Prions can cause neurodegenerative disorders, such as mad cow/Creutzfeld-Jakob disease, in humans and animals. Fri, 22 Jul 2011 21:34:34 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110722213431.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110630091701.htm Researchers have identified an altered expression of endogenous retroviruses in BSE-infected macaques. Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:17:17 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110630091701.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110526122911.htm Researchers have discovered two classes of yeast genes that may hold clues as to why proteins take on the misfolded prion form, a condition associated with several neurodegenerative diseases, such as "mad cow." Thu, 26 May 2011 12:29:29 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110526122911.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110523075314.htm Researchers have examined the potential for human exposure to prion diseases, looking at hunting, venison consumption, and travel to areas in which prion diseases have been reported in animals. Three prion diseases in particular -- bovine spongiform encephalopathy, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and chronic wasting disease -- were specified in the investigation. Mon, 23 May 2011 07:53:53 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110523075314.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110518141710.htm Certain lichens can break down the infectious proteins responsible for chronic wasting disease (CWD), a troubling neurological disease fatal to wild deer and elk and spreading throughout the United States and Canada. Wed, 18 May 2011 14:17:17 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110518141710.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110509171851.htm Scientists have developed a method -- 10,000 times more sensitive than other methods -- to detect variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (vCJD) in blood plasma. vCJD is a type of prion disease in humans that leads to brain damage and death. The researchers also used the test to rapidly detect scrapie, a prion disease of sheep, in infected hamsters, some pre-symptomatic. Mon, 09 May 2011 17:18:18 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110509171851.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110314163602.htm New research may shed light on possible treatments for prion diseases. Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:36:36 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110314163602.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110217125111.htm Researchers have identified the motors that move non-infectious prion proteins -- found within many mammalian cells -- up and down long, neuronal transport pathways. Identifying normal movement mechanisms of PrPC may help researchers understand the spread of infectious prions within and between neurons to reach the brain, and aid in development of therapies to halt the transport. Thu, 17 Feb 2011 12:51:51 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110217125111.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110119191350.htm Transmission of prion brain diseases such as bovine spongiform enecephalopathy (BSE) -- also known as mad cow disease -- and human variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is generally attributed to the consumption of the brain or organ meat of infected animals but new research demonstrates lambs exposed to milk from prion-infected sheep with inflamed mammary glands can develop prion disease as well. The research has major implications for human and livestock health. Wed, 19 Jan 2011 19:13:13 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110119191350.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110113213056.htm Airborne prions are also infectious and can induce mad cow disease or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disorder, new findings suggest. Researchers recommend precautionary measures for scientific labs, slaughterhouses and animal feed plants. Thu, 13 Jan 2011 21:30:30 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110113213056.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110110103838.htm Scientists have discovered that plasminogen, a protein used by the body to break up blood clots, speeds up the progress of prion diseases such as mad cow disease. Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:38:38 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110110103838.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101217083232.htm Scientists have shown that prions, bits of infectious protein that can cause fatal neurodegenerative disease such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or "mad cow disease," have the ability to adapt to survive in a new host environment. Fri, 17 Dec 2010 08:32:32 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101217083232.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101202181124.htm A fast test to diagnose fatal brain conditions such as mad cow disease in cattle and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans could be on the horizon, according to a new study. Researchers have developed a highly sensitive and rapid new method to detect and measure infectious agents called prions that cause these diseases. Thu, 02 Dec 2010 18:11:11 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101202181124.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101201102601.htm In a new study, scientists have found that a protein our body uses to break up blood clots speeds up the progress of prion diseases. This substance, called plasminogen, is a new drug target for prion diseases in both humans and animals. Wed, 01 Dec 2010 10:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101201102601.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101028141751.htm In a study that challenges the conventional wisdom about infections caused by proteins called prions, researchers report that the size of protein structures, rather than their abundance, determines their transmission among cells. Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:17:17 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101028141751.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101019152606.htm Researchers have discovered that the eyes of sheep infected with scrapie return an intense, almost-white glow when they're hit with blue light. That finding suggests technologies can be developed to quickly and non-invasively test for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, progressive and fatal neurological diseases such as mad cow disease. Tue, 19 Oct 2010 15:26:26 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101019152606.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100813110225.htm A new sporadic prion protein disease has been discovered. Variably protease-sensitive prionopathy, as it has been named, is the second type of complete sporadic disease to be identified since Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was reported in the 1920s. Fri, 13 Aug 2010 11:02:02 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100813110225.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100614121556.htm Prion diseases are lethal neurodegenerative disorders that include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, commonly known as mad cow disease) in cows. New data generated in mice provides greater understanding of the factors that determine how easy it is for prion diseases to be transmitted to a new host species. This information provides new insight into a highly important food safety issue. Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:15:15 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100614121556.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100602121111.htm The eyes may or may not be windows to the soul, as the old adage goes, but scientists are reporting evidence that a peek into the eyes of cattle may become the basis for a long-sought test to detect infection with the agent that causes Mad Cow Disease. That test could help prevent the disease from spreading in the food supply. Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:11:11 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100602121111.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100526103906.htm Scientists have generated a mouse model of cervid chronic wasting disease. Chronic wasting disease is a fatal prion-induced disease, similar to mad cow disease, that affects cervids such as deer, elk, and moose. It is a neurodegenerative disease typified by chronic weight-loss leading to death. Wed, 26 May 2010 10:39:39 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100526103906.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100304202246.htm Scientists investigating how prion diseases destroy the brain have observed a new form of the disease in mice that does not cause the sponge-like brain deterioration typically seen in prion diseases. Instead, it resembles a form of human Alzheimer's disease, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, that damages brain arteries. Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:22:22 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100304202246.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100226211408.htm Researchers have conducted a study on prion disease and found that transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) can be induced without an outside catalyst like a virus. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:14:14 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100226211408.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205115944.htm The fatal brain disease Creutzfeldt-Jakob in humans, BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) in cattle and scrapie in sheep are so-called prion diseases, whereby one of the body's normal proteins, the prion protein PrPc misfolds into a pathogenic form: PrPSc. In spite of several years of extensive research, little is still known about what actually happens in this process. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:59:59 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205115944.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100128142137.htm Scientists have determined how a normal protein can be converted into a prion, an infectious agent that causes fatal brain diseases in humans and mammals. The finding, in mice, is expected to advance the understanding of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, or TSEs, a family of neurodegenerative diseases that include Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, kuru and fatal familial insomnia in humans, scrapie in sheep, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle, also known as "mad cow disease." Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:21:21 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100128142137.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091231164747.htm Scientists have determined for the first time that prions, bits of infectious protein devoid of DNA or RNA that can cause fatal neurodegenerative disease, are capable of Darwinian evolution. Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:47:47 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091231164747.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119210836.htm A new treatment route for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and its human form Creutzfeldt Jakob disease could be a step closer based on new results from scientists in the UK. The team has found that a protein called Glypican-1 plays a key role in the development of BSE. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:08:08 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119210836.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118101401.htm The regulating protein Srebp2 drives cholesterol formation, which prions need for their propagation, in prion-infected neuronal cells. Scientists anticipate new approaches in drug development to combat prion infection, as a result of these new findings Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:14:14 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118101401.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005161324.htm Scientists have discovered the first direct information about the molecular structure of prions. In addition, the study has revealed surprisingly large structural differences between natural prions and the closest synthetic analogs that scientists have created in the lab. Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:13:13 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005161324.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928131210.htm Scientists have uncovered the evolutionary ancestry of the prion gene, which may reveal new understandings of how the prion protein causes diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as "mad cow disease." Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:12:12 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928131210.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910191443.htm A new study suggests that gene expression profiling may allow researchers to track the progression of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle and ultimately predict their infectious status. Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:14:14 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910191443.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826152550.htm Researchers have shown definitively that mutations associated with prion diseases are sufficient to cause a transmissible neurodegenerative disease. Until now, two theories about the role mutations play in prion diseases have been at odds. Deciphering the origins of prion diseases could help farmers and policy-makers determine how best to control a prion disease outbreak in livestock and to prevent prion transmission to humans. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826152550.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090730111152.htm Data from an ongoing study in monkeys suggest that people who consume deer and elk with chronic wasting disease may be protected from infection by an inability of the CWD infectious agent to spread to people. Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:11:11 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090730111152.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090625141506.htm Researchers have discovered a link between copper and the normal functioning of prion proteins, which are associated with transmissible spongiform encephalopathy diseases such as Cruetzfeldt-Jakob in humans or "mad cow" disease in cattle. Their work could have implications for patients suffering from these diseases, as well as from other prion-related diseases such as Alzheimers or Parkinson's. Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:15:15 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090625141506.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616080143.htm Neurologists questions the safety of eating farmed fish, adding a new worry to concerns about the nation’s food supply. They suggest farmed fish could transmit Creutzfeldt Jakob disease -- commonly known as mad cow disease -- if they are fed byproducts rendered from cows. Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:01:01 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616080143.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528203819.htm Current tests to identify specific strains of infectious prions, which cause a range of transmissible diseases (such as mad cow) in animals and humans, can take anywhere from six months to a year to yield results -- a time-lag that may put human populations at risk. Thu, 28 May 2009 20:38:38 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528203819.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090419201836.htm Goats are tough, spirited animals, but they're no match for scrapie, a form of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. Now, with a "helping hand" from science, the animals' plight could take a turn for the better. Sun, 19 Apr 2009 20:18:18 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090419201836.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090417084124.htm An investigation of a rare, inherited form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease suggests that disrupted regulation of copper ions in the brain may be a key factor in this and other prion diseases. Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:41:41 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090417084124.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090402124320.htm Special proteins known as prions, which are perhaps best known as the agents of mad cow and other neurodegenerative diseases, can also serve as an important source of beneficial variation in nature. Researchers have found a large number of new prions, greatly expanding scientists' notion of how important prions might be in normal biology and demonstrating that they play many and varied roles in the inheritance of biological traits. Prions are misfolded proteins that clump together in cells. The most infamous known prion -- PrP -- causes bovine spongiform encephalitis, also known as "mad cow" disease. Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:43:43 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090402124320.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090313171316.htm The discovery of a new yeast prion may provide clues on whether prions, like proteins, can affect mass activation of gene expression. Fri, 13 Mar 2009 17:13:13 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090313171316.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090313145954.htm Imbalance of iron homeostasis is a common feature of prion disease-affected human, mouse, and hamster brains, according to a new study. These findings provide new insight into the mechanism of neurotoxicity in prion disorders, and novel avenues for the development of therapeutic strategies. Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:59:59 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090313145954.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090309205323.htm Scientists have known for some time that a normal protein in the brain, prion protein (PrP), can turn harmful and cause deadly illnesses like CJD in humans, and BSE in cattle. What they could not explain is why this normal protein is produced by our bodies. Mon, 09 Mar 2009 20:53:53 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090309205323.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090210092736.htm Harmful proteins fragments known as amyloid fibrils associated with damage to brain cells in Alzheimer's disease and to pancreatic cells in Type II diabetes can be present in the meat of poultry and mammals. These amyloids are not destroyed even with high-temperature cooking process. Tue, 10 Feb 2009 09:27:27 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090210092736.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090127214430.htm Scientists have created a new disease, comparable to BSE, in laboratory mice. They have shown that exchanging just two amino acids in the structure of the prion protein is enough to trigger a disease. Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:44:44 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090127214430.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090109095115.htm Scrapie is a transmissible, degenerative and ultimately fatal disease of the nervous system of sheep. The cause of the disease is a prion protein, and absorption from the intestine is assumed to be the natural route of infection. Lymphatic tissue associated with the intestine is important for the early accumulation of prion protein and its subsequent spread to the central nervous system. Fri, 09 Jan 2009 09:51:51 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090109095115.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081205122936.htm Scientists have created an infectious prion disease in a mouse model, in a step that may help unravel the mystery of this progressive disease that affects the nervous system in humans and animals. Fri, 05 Dec 2008 12:29:29 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081205122936.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081205094509.htm Researchers have found novel prion infectivity in white and brown fat tissues of mice. Prion diseases, also known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, are infectious progressive fatal neurodegenerative diseases which affect humans as well as wild and domestic animals. Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:45:45 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081205094509.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081126133300.htm A comprehensive mouse model of inherited prion disease exhibits cognitive, motor and neurophysiological deficits that bear a striking resemblance to the symptoms experienced by patients with the human version of "mad cow disease," Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The research, published in the journal Neuron, provides exciting insight into the mechanism of disease and may lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies for this devastating neurodegenerative disorder. Wed, 26 Nov 2008 13:33:33 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081126133300.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008113430.htm Researchers in Germany and Switzerland have developed a new general method for the synthesis of anchored proteins, such as GPI-anchored prions, which cause scrapie and mad cow disease. Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:34:34 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008113430.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080929212926.htm Prion protein, a form of protein that triggers BSE, is associated with other brain diseases in cattle, raising the possibility of a significant increase in the range of prion disease. Scientists have detected changes in the production and accumulation of the prion protein in the brains of cattle with a rare neurodegenerative disorder. Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:29:29 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080929212926.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080912075208.htm New findings about the causes of mad cow disease show that sometimes it may be genetic. Until several years ago, it was thought that the cattle prion disease bovine spongiform encephalopathy -- also called BSE or mad cow disease -- was a foodborne disease. Fri, 12 Sep 2008 07:52:52 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080912075208.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080905153643.htm Researchers have demonstrated that protein levels in urine samples can indicate both the presence and progress of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy disease in cattle. The scientists hope that their discovery might lead to the development of a urine-based test that could prevent the precautionary slaughter of many animals as now occurs when the disease is detected. Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:36:36 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080905153643.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080904144830.htm Researchers have shown that they can create entirely new strains of infectious proteins known as prions in the laboratory by simply mixing infectious prions from one species with the normal prion proteins of another species. Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:48:48 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080904144830.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080829104935.htm A nine-year study in sheep has added to the evidence that Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) can be transmitted through blood transfusion in humans. The likelihood of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) being transmitted between sheep through transfusion of infected sheep blood was 36 per cent, according to new research. Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:49:49 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080829104935.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080828220507.htm Scientists have identified a prion protein characteristic that is unique to some natural but unusual sheep scrapie cases. This finding may provide a novel method by which to study prion diversity and their possible changes during cross-species transmission. Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:05:05 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080828220507.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811095458.htm Prions, the pathogens that cause scrapie in sheep, can survive in the ground for several years, as researchers have discovered. Animals can become infected via contaminated pastures. It is not yet known whether the pathogens that cause BSE and CWD are equally resistant. Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:54:54 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811095458.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811072501.htm Abnormally folded proteins cause a number of illnesses such as the Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease, BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) and Alzheimer’s. It is still unknown why this misfolding occurs. The first stages of folding and the onset of the aggregation of the proteins, the so-called oligomerisation, appear to be decisive for pathogenesis. Mon, 11 Aug 2008 07:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811072501.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080617111831.htm Infectious proteins known as prions have been identified as the cause of “mad cow” disease (BSE). The culprits are “incorrectly folded” proteins that can “infect” healthy proteins. The molecular bases for such prion diseases are not yet fully understood. Why are some proteins infectious while others are not? Scientists examined two different forms of a prion-forming protein domain by means of NMR spectroscopy and found that the infectious and noninfectious forms differ markedly in their molecular structure. Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:18:18 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080617111831.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507105649.htm Prions, the infamous agents behind mad cow disease and its human variation, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, also have a helpful side. New research shows that normally functioning prions prevent neurons from working themselves to death. The findings appear in the May 5 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology. Wed, 07 May 2008 10:56:56 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507105649.htm