Prions clog cell traffic in brains with neurodegenerative diseases

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How long have prions been investigated? At least since 1982. What took so long?

"Prion clumps disrupt outbound traffic [in axons], causing kinesin-1 and mitochondria to jump the microtubule tracks in the swollen sections, the researchers discovered. Microtubules may be bent or broken in those spots. Mitochondria movement back toward the cell body wasn’t impaired, perhaps because dynein is better at avoiding obstacles than kinesin-1"

Prions clog cell traffic in brains with neurodegenerative diseases | Science News: Prions may derail cargo moving inside brain cells, perhaps contributing to cell death in prion diseases.