Question

After no size or post-translational differences between PrP^c and PrP^Sc what was left that could make Sc abnormal?

A) Abnormal glycosylation
B) Altered folding pattern
C) Lack of disulfide bonds
D) Excessive phosphorylation

Answer 1

The abnormality of PrPSc compared to PrPc is an altered folding pattern that disrupts the protein's functionality and leads to the accumulation of toxic forms in the brain. The correct option is B.

Step-by-step explanation:

After determining that there were no size or post-translational differences between normal prion protein (PrPc) and the disease-causing form (PrPSc), it is clear that the difference resulting in the abnormality of PrPSc is an altered folding pattern.

This altered folding of the protein is vital, as for proteins to function correctly, they depend on their three-dimensional shape, which is based on the interactions between the amino acids within the protein.

When the folding pattern is disturbed, proteins can lose functionality and start to accumulate in toxic forms, as seen with amyloid plaques in neurodegenerative diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, a human variant of prion disease, and Alzheimer's Disease.