Background for prions
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prions

/ˈpraɪɒnz/

Meanings
noun
A self-propagating misfolded conformer of a protein that is responsible for a number of diseases that affect the brain and other neural tissue.

Examples :

"Sentence: "Scientists believe that diseases like mad cow disease are caused by infectious prions that damage the brain." "
medicine disease biochemistry biology organism

Related Words

Illustration infectious

infectious adjective

/ɪnˈfɛkʃəs/

(of an illness) Transmitted from one person to another, usually through the air breathed.

"Cancer is not infectious."

Illustration propagating

propagating verb

/ˈprɒpəɡeɪtɪŋ/ /ˈproʊpəɡeɪtɪŋ/

(of animals or plants) To cause to continue or multiply by generation, or successive production

"The gardener is propagating new rose bushes by taking cuttings from the existing plant. "

Illustration birdwatching

birdwatching noun

/ˈbɜː(ɹ)dˌwɒtʃ.ɪŋ/

Observing or identifying wild birds in their natural environment.

"My grandma enjoys birdwatching in her backyard, where she can see many different types of birds. "

Illustration sentence

sentence noun

[ˈsɛntn̩t͡s]

The decision or judgement of a jury or court; a verdict.

"The court returned a sentence of guilt in the first charge, but innocence in the second."

Illustration blending

blending verb

/ˈblɛndɪŋ/

To mingle; to mix; to unite intimately; to pass or shade insensibly into each other.

"To make hummus you need to blend chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic."

Illustration conformer

conformer noun

/ˈkɑn.fɚmɚ/ /kənˈfɔɹmɚ/

Any of a set of stereoisomers characterised by a conformation that corresponds to a distinct potential energy minimum.

"While rotating my arm, the different bent positions it could adopt each represent a different conformer, each having a slightly different level of energy. "

Illustration scientists

scientists noun

/ˈsaɪəntɪsts/

One whose activities make use of the scientific method to answer questions regarding the measurable universe. A scientist may be involved in original research, or make use of the results of the research of others.

"Scientists study plants to understand how they grow. "

Illustration diseases

diseases noun

/dɪˈziːzɪz/

An abnormal condition of a human, animal or plant that causes discomfort or dysfunction; distinct from injury insofar as the latter is usually instantaneously acquired.

"The tomato plants had some kind of disease that left their leaves splotchy and fruit withered."

Illustration antarctic

antarctic adjective

/ænˈtɑːktɪk/

Of, from, or pertaining to Antarctica and the south polar regions.

"The Antarctic penguins are a popular sight for tourists visiting the South Pole. "

Illustration responsible

responsible noun

/ɹɪˈspɒnsəbl̩/ /ɹɪˈspɑnsəbl̩/

The individual who bears the responsibility for something.

"The responsible for the project is Maria. "

Illustration skimming

skimming verb

/ˈskɪmɪŋ/

To pass lightly; to glide along in an even, smooth course; to glide along near the surface.

"The bird was skimming the surface of the lake, looking for food. "

Illustration protein

protein noun

/ˈpɹəʊti.ɪn/ /ˈpɹoʊtiːn/

Any of numerous large, complex naturally-produced molecules composed of one or more long chains of amino acids, in which the amino acid groups are held together by peptide bonds.

"My mother added extra protein to her lunch to help her build muscle. "