title: Yeast prions: Paramutation at the protein level?
abstract: Prions are proteins that have the potential to refold into a novel conformation that templates the conversion of like molecules to the altered infectious form. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, trans-generational epigenetic inheritance can be mediated by a number of structurally and functionally diverse prions. Prionogenesis can confer both loss-of-function and gain-of-function properties to the prion protein and this in turn can have a major impact on host phenotype, short-term adaptation and evolution of new traits. Prionogenesis shares a number of properties in common with paramutation and can be considered as a mitotically and meiotically heritable change in protein conformation induced by trans-interactions between homologous proteins.
authors.affiliation: Kent Fungal Group, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NJ, UK. Electronic address: M.F.Tuite@kent.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Mick F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Tuite
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation; D011328:Prions / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D015003:Yeasts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D011328:Prions
keywords: Amyloid; Conformational conversion; Epigenetic inheritance; Prion variants; Prions; Propagons; Protein conformation; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Transcription factors; Yeast