A Whiff of Mad Cow

piggy submitted, created time 1 week 6 days (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)

Talk about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Misfolded proteins known as prions cause mad cow disease and other fatal neurodegenerative illnesses. But in their properly folded form, the proteins may be important to survival, helping mice and other animals keep their sniffing skills sharp, new research shows.

Prions get the bad reputation--and the lion's share of research attention--but interest in the normal form of prion proteins is increasing

3 comments | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: neurodegenerative illnesses neuroscience proteomics protein folding prion diseases mad cow disease olfaction smell PrPc neurons prions

The spreads of prion disease through sheep milk

sea-maid submitted, created time 6 months 1 week (www.newscientist.com)

Ewes infected with scrapie, the sheep equivalent of mad cow disease, can transmit the disease to lambs through their milk. Should we be worried? Does BSE spread to calves or even humans in cows' milk? And do mothers with variant Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (vCJD), the human equivalent of BSE, spread it to breastfeeding infants?

And after reading this study, you will find the answer.

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Prion's Infectious Secret Identified By Scientists

dovechocolate submitted, created time 1 year 7 months (www.medicalnewstoday.com)

Researchers have known for decades that certain neurodegenerative diseases, such as mad cow disease or its human equivalent, Cruetzfeldt-Jakob disease, result from a kind of infectious protein called a prion. Remarkably, in recent years researchers also have discovered non-pathogenic prions that play beneficial roles in biology, and prions even may act as essential elements in learning and memory.

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New twist in tale of BSE's beginnings

BIOBOSS submitted, created time 1 year 9 months (www.newscientist.com)

The discovery that a rare brain disease in cows can mutate into BSE has given new life to the theory that the disease originated in cattle, not sheep.

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9th Case of Mad Cow Disease in Canada

amanda submitted, created time 1 year 10 months (hosted.ap.org)

The United States said Thursday it would dispatch a specialist to help investigate Canada's latest case of mad cow, but that Washington did not expect the new finding to hurt trade between the two countries.

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Reversed fortunes: rescue mad cow disease

captainclaw submitted, created time 1 year 11 months (www.newscientist.com)

Animals and humans naturally produce “normal” prion proteins in the nervous system. However, abnormal prions that are misfolded can disrupt normal prions. This disruption causes healthy prions to misfold too, leading to mad cow disease or, in its human form, vCJD. The result is brain damage, characterised by a lack of coordination, dementia, and ultimately death

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