Virology Final Exam - Prions

Front 1

Kuru is an unusual disease that led to two Nobel Prizes. What was each awarded for and to whom?

Back 1

Daniel Gadjusek studied Kuru and found it was non-inheritable and was new kind of disease, Stanley Prusiner proved that CJD was caused by new infectious particle called prion

Front 2

What are the chemical characteristics of prions? Describe the protein's altered shape.

Back 2

they are misfolded proteins which clump together because of changes in amino acid sequence

Front 3

What role did the chimpanzee play in proving Kuru was not hereditary?

Back 3

chimpanzees brains injected with brain suspensions from kuru patients - caused Kuru

Front 4

What are the three major ways a TSE occur?

Back 4

infxn - diet, surgery, hormone injxns, corneal transplant, hereditary - CJD, sporadic - vCJD

Front 5

What is meant by latrogenic transmission of CJD?

Back 5

transmission by surgery from patient with CJD of transplant

Front 6

What is the significance of being homozygous for methionine codon at position 129?

Back 6

genetic susceptibility factor, all victims of vCJD had methionine at this position

Front 7

What is the function of protein?

Back 7

Possibly to transport copper, signal transduction, cell adhesion, cellular differentiation, resistance to free radicals

Front 8

What is the current theory of how BSE developed in cattle in Great Britain?

Back 8

Cattle at offal made from the ground-up and bones from scrapie-infected sheep, ground-up cattle fed to other cattle

Front 9

Did BSE spread to humans?

Back 9

Yes

Front 10

What is know about the immune response to TSE?

Back 10

immune system treats prions as part of self because they are.

Front 11

What is the promise of vaccine based on results from cell culture?

Back 11

none, antiPrP antibodies injected into mice brains caused neurotoxicity

Front 12

What is the usual age of onset for CJD? How is vCJD different?

Back 12

68-70, and vCJD is 28-30 with fast death after onset