Week 9 - Protein Plaques and Diseases

Question 1

Why do different proteins have different shapes?

Answer 1

Different sequence of amino acids

Question 2

What is a protein plaque?

Answer 2

Clump of protein formed in extracellular space

Question 3

What are amyloids?

Answer 3

Class of insoluble proteins that most protein plaques are composed of

Question 4

How is Alzheimer’s disease caused by protein plaques?

Answer 4

Amyloid Precursor protein is cut by beta-secretase, and then cut again by gamma-secretase. If gamma-secretase cuts off a large portion, Amyloid Beta protein-42 is created as opposed to 40 and causes protein plaques outside of the cell

Question 5

What does BSE stand for? (Mad cow disease)

Answer 5

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy

Question 6

How is BSE transmitted to humans?

Answer 6

Eating brain/spinal cord

Question 7

what is BSE called in humans

Answer 7

New variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Question 8

What are prions?

Answer 8

Proteins that misfold other proteins

Question 9

What is the relation between PrPc and PrPSc?

Answer 9

PrPc is a normal protein where PrPSc is a misfolded version of this protein that also converts PrPc into more PrPSc which accumulates and forms amyloid fibers which form protein plaques