朊病毒病是一种由朊病毒侵染动物神经系统并引发神经退行性症状的传染性疾病。朊病毒是由正常朊蛋白PrP^C通过构象转化形成具蛋白酶抗性的异常朊蛋白PrP^Se的病原微生物。最新研究表明,朊蛋白通过构象转变形成新的功能分子的现象在生物界中普遍存在,并与正常生物功能密切相关。通过研究类朊蛋白现象可以有助于揭示朊病毒感染机制以及深化对生物遗传多样性的了解。
Priori disease is an infectious disease that is induced by prion infection of mammal nervous system and accompanied with neurodegenerative symptom. Prion is an etiological factor for prion disease and derived from conformational conversion between normal type PrPc and abnormal type PrPso. According to recent reports, prion-like phenomenon is a wide hereditary phenomenon in biological kingdom and associated with the normal functions of relative factors. Study of prion-like phenomenon will help to reveal mechanism of prion disease.