prion protein - a protein of unknown function that normally undergoes rapid turnover in the brain. Defective prion protein, produced by an abnormal gene, may be the infectious agent responsible for spongiform encephalopathies.
The prion protein genotype shall be determined for each positive TSE case in sheep. TSE cases found in resistant genotypes (sheep of genotypes which encode alanin on both alleles at codon 136, arginin on both alleles at codon 154 and arginin on both alleles at codon 171) shall immediately be reported to the Commission.
