A Prion-like Protein Discovered in Bacteria

originally posted by: InTheLight
a reply to: soficrow

Thanks for that, but I still have a nagging doubt about this as many traits/characteristics, behaviours of a prion seem to be missing. Anyway, thanks for a wonderful thread subject to get my brain moving.

Thank you! S &

Glad we got that sorted out.

a reply to: InTheLight

Although prions have been uncovered in evolutionarily diverse eukaryotic species, it is not known whether prions exist in bacteria.

science.sciencemag.org...

RE: "Although prevalent in eukaryotes, prions have not been identified in bacteria."

That was the "contextual" background. You skipped the defining bit:

Although prevalent in eukaryotes, prions have not been identified in bacteria. Here we found that a bacterial protein, transcription terminator Rho of Clostridium botulinum (Cb-Rho), could form a prion. ...Thus, Cb-Rho functions as a protein-based element of inheritance in bacteria, suggesting that the emergence of prions predates the evolutionary split between eukaryotes and bacteria.

[Just catching up. ]

a reply to: soficrow

Again...suggesting that...not absolutely defining it. Perhaps I want a declaration as it being bona fide. Perhaps I am reading too many other papers, but, hey, a rose by any other name (prion-like or whatever).

microbialcell.com... ces-pombe/

But, yes, the study does suggest they have identified the footprints of prion formation via Rho...this is a very complex study. I am looking forward to upcoming studies that can delve deeper into this mechansim and hopefully, in the near future, allow us to eradicate disease.

In a series of experiments, the researchers demonstrated that in addition to its main role, Rho could also assume the behavioral characteristics of a prion maker. Indeed, the experiments show that Rho can form telltale protein deposits called amyloids, the footprints of prion formation. When the researchers inserted bacterial prions in yeast cells, the prions began self-propagating and multiplying, a sign of their infectivity. Furthermore, when the researchers introduced C. botulinum-derived prions into the lab-made form of the bacterium E. coli, the prions were, once again, capable of propagating inside the new organism. “What we observed were the hallmarks of prion behavior—abilities to propagate and induce heritable changes in the structure and function of proteins in two model organisms,” says study investigator Andy Yuan, a research fellow at HMS.

hms.harvard.edu...

a reply to: InTheLight

Cool!

... Rho could also assume the behavioral characteristics of a prion maker. ...What we observed were the hallmarks of prion behavior—abilities to propagate and induce heritable changes in the structure and function of proteins...

But our concerns differ somewhat. I am excited to learn about the role prions play in adaptation and evolution. Perhaps once that role (and its mechanisms) are clarified, we will see it's pollution and environmental contamination that create prions - and cause disease. [Because prions allow us and other organisms to adapt quickly to rapid environmental change.]

So the take home message will be: Clean up the planet; stop polluting and contaminating and creating prions; stop causing prion diseases. Simple fix. lol.

a reply to: soficrow

I absolutely agree with you that our toxic environment is either creating or triggering disease, but I just can't help but wonder if they are really stumbling around in the healing process/mechanism via Rho and are just guessing that it is another mechanism (attributing it to prion-like proteins) at work. I could be very wrong with the direction of my thought about this, but whatever mechanism it is, it is extremely fascinating and I hope they crack the code.

a reply to: InTheLight

originally posted by: InTheLight
a reply to: soficrow

I absolutely agree with you that our toxic environment is either creating or triggering disease, but I just can't help but wonder if they are really stumbling around in the healing process/mechanism via Rho and are just guessing that it is another mechanism (attributing it to prion-like proteins) at work. I could be very wrong with the direction of my thought about this, but whatever mechanism it is, it is extremely fascinating and I hope they crack the code.

To be clear, I think it's obvious that ONE of the things our toxic environment does is create LOTS of prions - some of which sometimes result in disease. I do not think the Rho protein is a "healing process/mechanism" - just that it may represent part of the molecular foundation leading to the emergence of eukaryotes.

Again, the main difference between our "takes" on prions is that you see them as a disease-causing agent/mechanism, while I see them as adaptation's and evolution's "DEW line." ...This difference colours each of our perceptions.

Good coverage here:

Bacterial Protein Acts as Prion in Yeast and E. coli

Clostridium botulinum produces a transcription factor that can aggregate and self-propagate a prion-like form, leading to genome-wide changes in gene expression in E. coli, according to a study.

So this could mean that not only could we create engineer humans with preloaded knowledge,

we could also create a perfect species with preloaded info that makes the believe they are nothing but servants.

Kinda makes the whole " humans were engineered " even more interesting because so much of what we think is natural might just of been the best info set to provide us with.

Very interesting, breaking the whole concept of reality we think we understand.


Wonder if we inherit social ques as well.

a reply to: Tranceopticalinclined

So you're the hacker reading my files!!!


lol. S&

a reply to: Tranceopticalinclined

Somewhat related - you might find it interesting:

A New Device Could Make Memory Implants a Reality