SGD Paper Help  Tuite MF  (2013) The natural history of yeast
prions. Adv Appl Microbiol 84():85-137  Abstract: Although
prions were first discovered through their link to severe brain
degenerative diseases in animals, the emergence of prions as
regulators of the phenotype of the yeast Saccharomyces
cerevisiae and the filamentous fungus Podospora anserina has
revealed a new facet of prion biology. In most cases, fungal
prions are carried without apparent detriment to the host cell,
representing a novel form of epigenetic inheritance. This raises
the question of whether or not yeast prions are beneficial
survival factors or actually gives rise to a "disease state"
that is selected against in nature. To date, most studies on the
impact of fungal prions have focused on laboratory-cultivated
"domesticated" strains of S. cerevisiae. At least eight prions
have now been described in this species, each with the potential
to impact on a wide range of cellular processes. The discovery
of prions in nondomesticated strai