[Current developments in the problem of prions and prion diseases]

Abstract

The present paper reports data referring to the mechanism of the CNS degenerating process of prion origin, the role of the biological timing in prion diseases, the interrelations between the prion diseases and Alzheimer's disease, new data on the normal cell protein PrPc and prion protein in the PrPsc scrapie, the physico-chemical properties of the prion PrP-RN Am properties the presence of the nucleic acid in the structure of prion, interrelations between prion and AIDS/VISNA retroviruses. The paper underlines the importance, for the next decade of the molecular biology studies for clearing up: the complete structure of prion, the prion multiplication, the role of nucleic acid for the infectivity, at the molecular level, and molecular epidemiology of these cases.