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Prion - Dictionary Definition and Overview |
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Prion : (noun)
1: (microbiology) an infectious protein particle similar to a
virus but lacking nucleic acid; thought to be the agent
responsible for scrapie and other degenerative diseases
of the nervous system
Based on WordNet 2.0
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Prion : Prion: A disease-causing agent that is neither bacterial nor fungal nor viral and contains no genetic material. A prion is a protein that occurs normally in a harmless form. By folding into
an aberrant shape, the normal prion turns into a rogue agent. It then coopts other normal prions to become rogue prions.
Prions have been held responsible for a number of degenerative brain diseases, including Alzheimer's disease .
Dr. Stanley B. Prusiner received the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of prions. See also: Prusiner, Stanley B. .
Based on WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003)
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