Fig. 7: Model for the contribution of transcription errors to non-familial cases of disease.
From: Transcript errors generate amyloid-like proteins in human cells
Familial cases of protein aggregation diseases are caused by genetic mutations that generate mutant proteins with increased amyloid or amyloid-like behavior. In non-genetic cases, identical mutant proteins (and potentially unique mutant proteins) are generated by non-genetic mutations such as transcription errors. Over time, these proteins convert WT proteins to an amyloid state, leading to a later onset of amyloid and amyloid-like diseases compared to familial cases. Because these amyloid and amyloid-like proteins are generated by mutations that are only present in transcripts though, they have thus far gone undetected in the clinic.
