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NAL Agricultural Thesaurus
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Concept Breadcrumbs

Research, Technology, Methods > chemical substances > biochemical compounds > amino acids, peptides and proteins > proteins > prions
Fields of Study > biochemistry > biochemical compounds > amino acids, peptides and proteins > proteins > prions
Preferred Term:

prions

Definition:
Small proteinaceous infectious particles which resist inactivation by procedures that modify nucleic acids and contain an abnormal isoform of a cellular protein which is a major and necessary component. The abnormal (scrapie) isoform is PrPSc; the cellular isoform is PrPC. The primary amino acid sequence of the two isoforms is identical. Among diseases caused by prions are scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and Creuzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome.
Concept Schemes:
NALT Core
Broader Concept:
proteins
Narrower Concepts:
Related Concepts:
Entry Terms:
  • prion proteins
  • PrP proteins
URI:
https://lod.nal.usda.gov/nalt/40965
Download this Concept:
RDF/XMLCreated 2006-01-19, last modified 2015-12-30
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