The famous mad cow disease is caused by prions. Such prion diseases not only affect animals, but also seriously endanger human health. American researchers recently published Artificial strain of human prions created in vitro in the journal Nature-Communication. They first synthesized human prions, which are important for understanding the structure and replication of the virus and developing therapeutic methods.

The essence of prions is protein. If the protein in the central nervous system of humans and some animals is folded incorrectly, it will form a prion with infectious properties. They are constantly combined with adjacent normal proteins in the brain, causing cavernous cavities in the brain, leading to symptoms such as degeneration of the brain and dementia and eventually death.

Previously, researchers were able to extract several prions from rodents, but mouse experiments have shown that these prions are not contagious to humans, and their structure and replication are different from human prions.

Researchers have used genetic technology to engineer E. coli to produce human prions, eventually resulting in a new, highly destructive human prion. The ability to synthesize human prions in test tubes will allow us to gain a deeper understanding of its structure and replication, which is critical for the development of inhibitors.

The researchers also discovered a cofactor involved in prion diseases: ganglioside GM1. It plays a regulatory role in intercellular signaling and can trigger the spread of prions. This finding helps to find new ways to fight prion diseases.