Water and the biology of *prions* and plaques

This is an attempt to account for the insolubility and/or aggregation of prions and plaques in terms of a model of water consisting of an equilibrium between high density and low density microdomains. Hydrophobic molecules, including proteins,
accumulate selectively into stable populations, enriched in high density water, at
charged sites on biopolymers. In enriched high density water, proteins are probably
partially unfolded and may precipitate out when released. All extracellular matrices
contain such charged polymers. Prions, which have been shown to accumulate in soils
and clays containing silicates and aluminates also probably accumulate in extracellular matrices.