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Sniffing out a function for prion proteins

When prion proteins go wrong, they can do serious damage, but little is known about their normal function, despite their ubiquitous expression in the brain. A new report in this issue suggests a critical role for prions in olfactory discrimination.

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Figure 1: Representation of the cellular (PrPc) and pathological (PrPSc) isoforms of prion proteins.
Figure 2

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Wilson, D., Nixon, R. Sniffing out a function for prion proteins. Nat Neurosci 12, 7–8 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn0109-7

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