December 30, 2003
Prion proteins may store memories
Study hints at vital job for two-faced proteins.
Mystery proteins called prions, which can flip between two different shapes, might help in laying down memories, according to US researchers. The finding hints at an entirely new set of roles for the proteins.
Prions are unusual in the protein world: when they adopt one of their guises, they can reproduce, converting other identical proteins into copies of themselves. Often such replicating prions are harmful – they clog up the brains of cattle with mad cow disease and patients with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).
