Figure 1.
Free energy diagram representing the role of cofactors in prion protein (PrP) conformational conversion. DNA, RNA, phospholipid (PL), and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) candidates may interact with PrPC, lowering the energy barrier that prevents its spontaneous conversion to the PrPSc. Different cofactor molecules may stimulate the conversion to the different PrP pathogenic forms and may result in the generation of PrPSc with varying conformations, providing a possible explanation for the existence of various prion strains. I: intermediate state; U: unfolded state. Reproduced from [9].