Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!julius.cs.uiuc.edu!wuarchive!psuvax1!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!nanotech From: KPURCELL@liverpool.ac.uk (Kevin Purcell) Newsgroups: sci.nanotech Subject: Re: Prions Message-ID: Date: 15 Jan 91 22:31:16 GMT Sender: nanotech@athos.rutgers.edu Lines: 34 Approved: nanotech@aramis.rutgers.edu On Thu, 3 Jan 91 21:51:23 EST hsv3!mvp@edu.rutgers.cs said: > >In article > cphoenix@csli.stanford.edu (Chris Phoenix) writes: >>Several years ago I heard of something called prions, which the >>discussion of self-replicating chemicals reminded me of. > >I was told recently that prions were just a hypothesis, which >turned out not to be true after all. I know I haven't seen >anything about them in years -- Anyone else have more info? >-- >Mike Van Pelt Here lies a Technophobe, >Headland Technology/Video 7 No whimper, no blast. >...ames!vsi1!headland!mvp His life's goal accomplished, > Zero risk at last. Prions are alive(?) and well and still belived to be a possible cause for: 1. Kuru (a degenerative brain disease in sheep). 2. Crutfeldt-Jakob disease (a degenerative brain disease in man.) 3. Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (a degenerative brain disease in cattle). This may all be caused by the same agent (that has species-hopped). All agents involved are resistant to chemical attack and normal heat treatments with a consequent worry of transmission from cattle to humans of BSE. Kevin _ . Kevin Purcell | kpurcell@liverpool.ac.uk _/ \ / \ kgp@cxa.dl.ac.uk Surface Science, | /----/^^^\ Liverpool University | There is now a damm fine /TWIN PEAKS\ email discussion Liverpool L69 3BX, UK | list for TPers. Mail me / / \ for details.