alpha-carbons  -  the central carbon atom thats connects the carboxyl group, amino group, a variable side chain, and a hydrogen atom. It is involved in the primary structure of a protein.

alpha helix -  section of the polypeptide that coils in a right-handed spiral. It is a type of protein secondary structure.

Alzheimer's Disease -  a chronic, progressive disorder that accounts for more than 50% of all dementias (a broad term for cognitive deficit, including memory impairment). The most common form occurs in people older than 65, but the presenile form can begin between ages 40 and 60. The disease begins with mild memory loss, which then progresses to deterioration of intellectual functions, personality changes, and speech and language problems. The terminal stage may include seizures, hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, or depression.

beta sheet -  flat sections of a polypeptide due to hydrogen bonding between regions that run antiparallel to each other. It is a type of protein secondary structure.

beta strand -  a single region of the polypeptide chain involved in a beta sheet.

Bovine Sponigiform Encephalopathy(BSE) -  an infection of cattle characterized by degenerative, clumsy, apprehensive behavior, and death. Transmittable to humans who eat the infected beef.

catalyst -  a substance that speeds the rate of a chemical reaction without being permanently altered in the reaction. Catalysts are effective in small quantities and are not used up in the reaction. All enzymes are catalysts; the human body has thousands of enzymes, each specific for a particular reaction.

Chronic Wasting Disease(CWD) -  a progressive disorder of the motor neurons in the spinal cord, brainstem, and motor cortex. It is manifested clinically by atrophy and corticospinal tract signs. The disease usually affects middle life and progresses to death within 2-6 years.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease(CJD) - a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disease of unknown cause. Symptoms are progressive dementia, dysarthria (difficult or defective speech), muscle wasting, and various involuntary movements. Although CJD appears to occur as a predominantly sporadic disorder it can also occur as a dominantly inherited or infective condition.

dementia -  a progressive mental disorder characterized by personality disintegration, confusion, stupor, deterioration of intellectual capacity and function.

enzyme -  an organic catalyst produced by living cells but capable of acting outside cells or even in vitro. Enzymes are proteins. See "catalyst."

Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease(GSS) -  a form of dementia. A rare, familial disease, it is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. It usually begins in mid-life and has a duration of five years on average. Characterized by progressive ataxia (defective muscle coordination), corticospinal tract signs, dysarthria (difficult or defective speech), and nystagmus (constant, involuntary movement of the eyes).

hereditary -  transmitted from parent to offspring.

immunogens -  any substance that causes a response from the immune system.

infectious agent -  the actual cause of an illness, an example being a virus.

in vitro -  "In glass" as in a test tube; an in vitro test is one done in the laboratory, usually involving isolated tissue, organ, or cell preparations. Contrast with"in vivo."

in vivo -  in the living body or organism; an in vivo test is one performed on a living organism. Contrast with "in vitro."

Kuru -  rapidly progressive neurological disease that is invariably fatal. It occurred mainly in New Guinea with the Fore tribe when they practiced ritual cannibalism.

Molecular Dynamic Simulation -  computational methods that calculate the time depependent behavior of a molecular system.

neurodegenerative diseases -  diseases concerning the degeneration of tissue of the nervous system. i.e. Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

nucleic acid -  a long chain of nucleotides; the make up of a nucleotide includes a nitrogenous base(C,G,T,A), a phosphate group, and the sugar ribose(for RNA) or deoxyribose(for DNA). The nitrogenous bases encode for the unique sequence of amino acids necessary to make specific proteins.

pathogen -  any disease causing microorganism.

pH -  measure of acidity or alkalinity of a solution; a pH of 7 means a neutral solution, while a pH lower than 7 indicates acidic solutions and a pH higher than 7 indicates basic solutions.

prion -  proteinaceous infectious particle; linked to scrapie in sheep or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans.

prion disease -  any disease caused by a proteinaceous infectious particle (prion). These particles, which are not viruses, are responsible for human transmissible neurodegenerative diseases including kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease, and fatal familial insomnia. Prions may be responsible for transmissible and inherited disorders of proteins. How they alter normal cellular proteins is unknown.

protein -  one of the chief constituents of living matter; consisting of a chain constructed from 20 amino acids made from carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur.

protein structures:

PrP^C -  the notation of the normally occurring prion protein assisting in the function of the nervous system.

PrP^Sc -  the notation of the mutated, infectious form of the normally occurring prion protein.