In
medicine,
proteopathy (Proteo- [
pref. protein]; -pathy [
suff. disease];
proteopathies pl.;
proteopathic adj.) refers to a class of
diseases in which certain
proteins become structurally abnormal, and thereby disrupt the function of
cells,
tissues and
organs of the body. Often the proteins fail to fold into their normal configuration; in this misfolded state, the proteins can become toxic in some way (a gain of toxic function) or they can lose their normal function. The proteopathies (also known as
proteinopathies,
protein conformational disorders, or
protein misfolding diseases) include such diseases as
Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease,
Alzheimer's disease,
Parkinson's disease,
prion disease,
amyloidosis, and a wide range of other disorders (see List of Proteopathies).