Prion
Infectious agents composed solely of misfolded proteins that induce conformational changes in normal proteins, leading to neurodegenerative diseases. Unlike viruses or bacteria, prions lack nucleic acid and propagate through protein templating.
Historical Context: Kuru Epidemic
- Fore tribe of Papua New Guinea practiced ritual cannibalism (consuming brain tissue of deceased relatives) as part of funeral rites.
- This led to the Kuru epidemic in the 1980s, a fatal prion disease transmitted through consumption of infected neural tissue.
- Kuru provided critical evidence for prion transmission mechanisms and established the field of prion research.
Protein World Hypothesis
- Proposed in Anton Petrov - Prion and start of life, suggesting prions may represent an ancient form of biological replication predating RNA-based life.
- Posits that protein-based self-replication could have initiated life’s complexity before nucleic acid systems evolved.
2026 04 14 Anton Petrov Prion and start of life