Definition

A tiny protein particle that can cause diseases in the brain by changing normal proteins into abnormal ones, and does not contain any genetic material like DNA or RNA.

Example

Scientists are studying prions to understand how they cause brain diseases.

Conversation

Have you heard about how prions can cause serious brain diseases?

Yeah, it's pretty scary how something so small can have such a big impact.

I know, right? It makes you think about how much we still don't understand about these proteins.

Definitely! I read that they can transform normal proteins into harmful forms.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Prion is derived from the term 'proteinaceous infectious particle', which is a combination of 'proteinaceous' (meaning relating to proteins) and 'infectious' (meaning capable of causing infection). The term was coined in the 1980s to describe a type of infectious agent composed solely of protein, without any nucleic acids.

Memory Tip

Think of 'protein' as the main component of prions, which are infectious agents made entirely of proteins.

Visually Confused Words