A comprehensive phylogeny of mammalian PRNP gene reveals no influence of prion misfolding propensity on the evolution of this gene.

ABSTRACT: Prion diseases are invariably fatal neurodegenerative diseases that affect some mammalian species, including humans. These diseases are caused by the misfolding of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) into a pathologic isoform (PrPSc). The prion protein is highly conserved across mammals. However, some species present lower susceptibility to prion diseases than others. This behavior is likely explained by the resistance of these animal species' prion proteins to acquire a pathological conformation. Therefore, the tertiary structure and interspecific variations encoded in the primary structure determine a PrP proneness to misfolding. For this reason, we studied the PRNP gene from a phylogenetic perspective, potentially unveiling evolutionary events related to prion diseases. We generated a dat

SUBMITTER: Sampedro-Torres-Quevedo C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12208436 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature