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Water and the Biology of Prions and Plaques

Graham K. Steel¹ & Phillippa M. Wiggins²

Correspondence: (Login to view email address)

1. CJD Alliance
2. University of Auckland

PDF (96.3 KB)

Document Type:

Manuscript

Date:

Received 01 December 2007 11:53 UTC; Posted 17 December 2007

Subjects:

Microbiology, Molecular Cell Biology

Tags:

• water density
• virus-like structures
• tubulovesicular structures
• Prion
• plaques

Abstract:

This is an attempt to account for the insolubility and/or aggregation of prions and plaques in terms of a model of water consisting of an equilibrium between high
density and low density microdomains. Hydrophobic molecules, including proteins,
accumulate selectively into stable populations, enriched in high density water, at
charged sites on biopolymers. In enriched high density water, proteins are probably
partially unfolded and may precipitate out when released. All extracellular matrices
contain such charged polymers. Prions, which have been shown to accumulate in soils
and clays containing silicates and aluminates also probably accumulate in
extracellular matrices.

Release of proteins follows hydrolysis of the charged groups by highly reactive high
density water. This is normally a slow process but is greatly accelerated by urea.
Plaques may form with age and disease because of accumulation of urea and, perhaps,
glucose in the blood. This favours precipitation of proteins emerging from matrices,
rather than refolding and solution. Dialysis should, therefore, interfere with plaque
formation and impede the development of some age-related diseases.

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Bernd Kastenholz on 09 February 2008 10:32 UTC

A very interesting theory with practical consequences!

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License:

This document is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License

How to cite this document:

Steel, Graham and Wiggins, Phillippa. Water and the Biology of Prions and Plaques. Available from Nature Precedings <http://hdl.handle.net/10101/npre.2007.1381.1> (2007)

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