Special Issue "Factors Affecting Prion Disease Pathogenesis and Susceptibility"
A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Prions".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2021.
Special Issue Editor
Interests: prion diseases/transmissible spongiform encephalopathies; host-pathogen interactions in the mucosal immune system; neuroimmunology; pathogenesis; aging
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Prion diseases are a unique group of infectious chronic neurodegenerative disorders that affect a range of mammalian species including humans to which there are no cures. Infectious prions are considered to comprise solely abnormally folded isoforms of PrPC, the cellular prion protein. The accumulation of prions within the brains of infected individuals is accompanied by glial cell activation, vacuolar (spongiform) degeneration, and ultimately neurodegeneration and death. Increasing evidence shows how factors such as variations in PRNP genotype (which encodes PrPC) or other genetic loci, inflammation, ageing and pathogen co-infection can each affect prion disease pathogenesis and susceptibility in infected individuals. For example, for the acquired prion disease, changes to the abundance, function and activation status of key immune cell populations in peripheral tissues can modulate the transmission of prion diseases to the brain. Once the prions reach the brain, their interactions with other cell populations such as the microglia or astrocytes can either provide host protection or accelerate the neurodegeneration depending on their activation status. Host age can also modulate host susceptibility to certain prion diseases due to effects on the abundance or function of critical cell populations involved in the disease process.
A detailed understanding of the factors that influence prion disease transmission and pathogenesis is essential for the development of novel diagnostics and intervention strategies.
This Special Issue therefore focuses on our current understanding of how factors such as genetic variation, inflammation, ageing and pathogen co-infection can modulate prion disease pathogenesis and susceptibility in infected individuals.
Prof. Dr. Neil Andrew Mabbott
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- prion diseases/transmissible spongiform encephalopathy
- brain
- PrP, prion protein
- neuron
- microglia
- astrocyte
- susceptibility, genotype
- aging
- inflammation
- pathogenesis