Influence of single amino acid polymorphisms on the in vitro convertibility of goat prion protein [Elektronische Ressource] / vorgelegt von Elizabeth Ortega-Soto

Influence of single amino acid polymorphisms on the in vitro convertibility of goat prion protein I n a u g u r a l d i s s e r t a t i o n zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades doctor rerum naturalium (Dr. rer. nat.) an der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald vorgelegt von Elizabeth Ortega-Soto geboren am 24.04.1980 in Zacatlán Puebla, Mexiko Insel Riems, Juli 2010 Dekan: Prof. Dr. Klaus Fesser 1. Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Thomas Mettenleiter 2. Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Detlev Riesner Tag der Promotion: 23. 09. 2010 Table of Contents 1. Objectives of the work ___________________________________________________ 1 2. Introduction ___________________________________________________________ 3 2.1 Prio n diseases ___________________________________________________________ 3 2.1.1 Prion diseases in animals ________________________________________________________ 3 2.1.1.1 Scrapie in sheep and goats __________________________________________________ 3 2.1.1.2 Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in cattle ___________________________________ 4 2.1.1.3 Other prion diseases in animals ______________________________________________ 5 2.1.2 Prion diseases in humans ________________________________________________________ 6 2.1.2.