Which of the Following Is True About Spongiform Encephalopathies

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is true about spongiform encephalopathies?

A) Spongiform encephalopathies occur in a wide variety of mammals, but the infectious prions are species specific and do not cause disease in other species.
B) Spontaneous cases of Creuztfeldt- Jakob disease may be caused by mutations during cell division in neuronal stem cells.
C) The disease is tied to a normal cellular prion protein (PrPC) that is found mostly on the surface of neurons.
D) When the normal prion protein encounters an abnormally shaped version of itself, PrPSC, the normal prion's shape is changed and it becomes an infectious PrPSC.
E) Abnormal prions clump together and kill the affected neurons, which accounts for the spongelike appearance of brain tissue found in TSE autopsies.