M.A.J. McKenna who has occasionally graced our hallowed halls has
written an informative article on new findings on the weaver mouse
that naturally mimics Parkinson's. More findings are expected as several
research groups are building up 'herds'.
Copyright 1995 Business Wire, Inc.
Mouse Gene May Lead To Clues About Parkinson's Disease
Business Wire, September 28, 1995, Thursday
HEALTH WATCH, Pg. 1B; 611 words
M.A.J. McKenna; STAFF WRITER
STANFORD, Calif.
Sept. 28, 1995--Mutant mice that can't walk straight have led
researchers to a gene that may play a role in Parkinson's disease.
Stanford researchers have identified the mutant gene responsible for
the unusual mice and found that a nearly identical gene exists in
humans. The researchers describe their discovery in the October
Nature Genetics in a research article accompanied by a "News & Views"
column discussing its significance.
"This finding, both surprising and exciting, opens up a whole new
series of challenges for the realm of developmental neurogenetics,"
states the "News & Views" piece.
Because the one type of nerve cell lost in these mice (dopamine-
producing cells) is the same type lost in Parkinson's patients,
researcher have speculated that study of the mice could shed light on
Parkinson's disease.
"This finding is guaranteed to tell us more about nervous system
development. And though we can't say that this will solve the
Parkinson's disease problem, it certainly gives us one more tool to
help understand what goes wrong in people with Parkinson's," said Nila
Patil, lead author of the research article. Patil is a postdoctoral
fellow in genetics at Stanford University School of Medicine.
In the United States, Parkinson's disease affects about one in 200
people, usually beginning in old age. The gene is also of interest
because of its potential involvement in causing Down's syndrome. In
humans, the gene lies on chromosome 21 in the same region that causes
Down's syndrome when the chromosome is present in three copies instead
of the usual two. Down's syndrome affects roughly one in 10,000 people
in the United States and is a leading cause of mental retardation.
Since identifying the mutant mouse line over 30 years ago, researchers
have studied it for insights into how the mammalian brain develops. The
mice have been dubbed "weaver" mice because they weave when they walk.
Researchers have observed several other abnormalities in these mice,
including sterility among males and the loss of certain nerve cells.
Patil and her colleagues have sought out and identified the gene that,
when mutated, gives rise to weaver characteristics.
The gene's identity is something of a surprise, Patil said. "We had
expected to find a gene that coded for a protein that would send signals
between cells," Patil said. What they found instead was that the
protein (called GIRK2) forms a pore on the outer membranes of nerve
cells, controlling the outward flow of potassium ions from cells. Now
Patil and others are trying to figure out how the weaver mutation
affects the protein's function.
"Does the mutation lead to a strangely shaped protein that functions in
a new way? Or does it lead to a protein that is essentially
nonfunctional? Knowing these things will help us understand the chain of
chemical signals required for the development of these brain cells.
There is still very little known about how neurons develop," Patil said.
Patil's collaborators were Stanford professor of genetics Dr. David R.
Cox; Stanford associate professor of genetics Richard M. Myers;
University of California, San Francisco, graduate student
Malek Faham; Duke University assistant professor of genetics Andrew S.
Peterson; and Duke University technician Deepti Bhat.
The research was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health.
CONTACT: Stanford Medical Center
Rosanne Spector, 415/725-5374 or 415/723-6911
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