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Nature 428, 265-267 (18 March 2004) | doi:10.1038/428265a

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Cell biology:  The strain of being a prion

Mick F. Tuite1

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Prions are remarkable infectious agents associated with certain brain diseases. But they also occur in fungi, experiments with which now provide plausible answers to some critical questions about prion biology.

A widely (but not universally) accepted dogma about the agents known as prions is that they are protein-based entities that are self-perpetuating, 'infectious' and devoid of any transmissible nucleic acids. Yet despite intensive research into this 'protein only' hypothesis1, two crucial challenges have remained unanswered.

  1. Mick F. Tuite is in the Department of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NJ, UK.
    e-mail: Email: M.F.Tuite@kent.ac.uk

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