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Prion Protein (2HH0)

2HH0 is a prion protein that manifests in bovine(cattle) and can lead to degenerative central nervous system tissues. The word “prion” is derived from “protein + infection.” Prions were discovered in 1997 by Stanley B. Prusiner of the University of California. ^[1] They are infected proteins and may lay dormant for many years before they activate and cause damage to the brain and spinal cord. ^[2]

Structure

2HH0 is a crystal structured beta-protein. It has seven strands and a “Greek key” sandwich structure. 2HH0 is a carrier protein. ^[2]

Role in Disease

Prion diseases are named differently, depending on which species they affect. In sheep, the disease is called scrapie; in humans, it is called Creutzfeldt-Jakob(CJD) and named for two German researchers; in deer and elk, it is chronic wasting disease; and in cattle, it is mad cow disease. ^[3] For reasons that are not clear, prions unfold and create holes in the central nervous system. Cases of bovine spongioform encephalopathy (BSE), or “mad cow disease,” were identified in 1986 in British cattle. Nine years later, almost half the British herds had been affected and led to the demise of more than 150,000 cattle. ^[4]