The hidden costs of imperfection: transcription errors in protein aggregation diseases

Abstract

At first glance, biological systems appear to operate with remarkable precision and order. Yet, closer examination reveals that this perfection is an illusion, biological processes are inherently prone to errors. Here, we describe recent evidence that indicates that errors that occur during transcription play an important role in neurological diseases. These errors, though transient, can have lasting consequences when they generate mutant proteins with amyloid or prion-like properties. Such proteins can seed aggregation cascades, converting wild-type counterparts into misfolded conformations, ultimately leading to toxic deposits seen in diseases like Alzheimer’s and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. These observations help to paint a fuller picture of the origins of neurodegenerative diseases in aging humans and suggest a unified mechanism by which they may arise.