1. Heritable activity: a prion that propagates by covalent autoactivation.
- Author
-
Roberts BT and Wickner RB
- Subjects
- Phenotype, Prions biosynthesis, Endopeptidases metabolism, Prions metabolism, Yeasts metabolism
- Abstract
Known prions (infectious proteins) are self-propagating amyloids or conformationally altered proteins, but in theory an enzyme necessary for its own activation could also be a prion (or a gene composed of protein). We show that yeast protease B is such a prion, called [beta].[beta] is infectious, reversibly curable, and its de novo generation is induced by overexpression of the pro-protease. Present in normal cells but masked by the functionally redundant protease A, [beta] is advantageous during starvation and necessary for sporulation. We propose that other enzymes whose active, modified, form is necessary for their maturation might also be prions.
- Published
- 2003
- Full Text
- View/download PDF