Prions and serpins: structural analogs and their consequences. I. Protease-transport hypothesis

The structural analogy between prions pathogenic form and serine proteinase inhibitors (serpins) was laid into the basis of explaining the prion diseases main peculiarities--nucleic-acid-free transfer of infection, neurodegenerative processes, existence of the minimal infective dose, long-term latent period and some others. The assumption about pathogenic prions as the proteins supplying the extracellular proteinases transport into the intracellular space permits to bring the pathogenesis of prion diseases to the known and partially proved processes order regarding the case of prion diseases.