title: The hypothesis of the catalytic action of nucleic acid on the conversion of prion protein.
abstract: The main hypothesis for prion diseases proposes that the cellular protein (PrP(c)) can be altered into a misfolded, beta-sheet-rich isoform (PrP(Sc)). We describe here that host nucleic acid may catalyze the conversion between PrP(c) and PrP(Sc) isoforms, by reducing the protein mobility and by making the protein-protein interactions more likely. We summarize the findings, focusing in the biological relevance of the catalytic action of nucleic acid.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica Médica, Centro Nacional de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear de Macromoléculas, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-590, Brazil.
authors.forename: Yraima
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cordeiro
authors.forename: Jerson L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Silva
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D018621:PrPC Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D018620:PrPSc Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017510:Protein Folding; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009696:Nucleic Acids; D018621:PrPC Proteins; D018620:PrPSc Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D004247:DNA