Merck Genome Research Institute and Lexicon Genetics Announce Selection of New Mouse Models for Research.WEST POINT, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 28, 1997--The Merck Genome Research Genome Research is the title of a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. The focus of the journal is on genome-wide studies in any organism, including single gene studies that are placed in a genomic context. Institute Inc. (MGRI) and Lexicon Genetics Inc. today announced the selection of ten novel mouse mutation models from Lexicon's OmniBank(TM). Omnibank is a library of thousands of mouse embryonic stem cell Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) are stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of an early stage embryo known as a blastocyst. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4-5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist of 50-150 cells. ES cells are pluripotent. clones catalogued by DNA sequence DNA sequence Genetics The precise order of bases–A,T,G,C–in a segment of DNA, gene, chromosome, or an entire genome. See Base pair, Base sequence analysis, Chromosome, Gene, Genome. of the single gene which has been mutated in each clone. The selected models will be used to create new lines of mutant mice specific to the genes of interest, allowing researchers to determine the function of those genes. "MGRI has prioritized genes with potential roles in cancer, neurologic disease, and mammalian development, as well as those genes related to control of basic cellular processes," said Dr. C. Thomas Caskey, president of MGRI. "An important objective of this initial selection is the validation of the overall strategy. The mouse models resulting from this program should be of great utility across a broad spectrum of biomedical research." The ten new mouse models announced today are the first installment of the 150 lines which will be created during the five-year, $8 million MGRI-Lexicon project. (See attached for GenBank database accession numbers of the ten selected genes and brief descriptions.) This agreement and resulting resources are designed to empower researchers worldwide to move from gene sequence to function at unprecedented speed, the primary purpose of the MGRI. All of the mice produced in the project will be distributed on a not-for-profit basis to any requesting researcher. Dr. Arthur T. Sands, president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Lexicon Genetics, discussed the announcement in a scientific presentation at the Mouse Molecular Genetics molecular genetics n. The branch of genetics that deals with hereditary transmission and variation on the molecular level. meeting today in Heidelberg, Germany. "Lexicon's automated processing of gene trapping, our method for mutating and identifying genes in mouse embryonic stem cells, has already allowed us to generate a library of mutations representing approximately two percent of the genome," said Dr. Sands, "I believe the Mutation Selection Committee has chosen well given the difficult task of prioritizing genes within such a large collection." Dr. Caskey noted, "The mice that have been selected are those whose genes have recently been identified by molecular methods, but whose functional impact is not fully known. Therefore, the development of knockout mice allows one the opportunity to study the loss of the gene in an intact, in vivo in vivo /in vi·vo/ (ve´vo) [L.] within the living body. in vi·vo adj. Within a living organism. in vivo adv. integrated system -- the mouse." In the coming weeks, the embryonic stem cell clones containing mutations of the selected genes will be retrieved from OmniBank's liquid nitrogen stores and microinjected into mouse embryoes to generate lines of mice which are mutant for the genes of interest. By studying the physiological, cellular, and biochemical consequences of those mutations in mice, researchers will be able to determine the function of those genes. The choices were made by the project's Mutation Selection Committee, whose members include Dr. Webster Cavenee of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research The Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR) is a global non-profit medical research institute that undertakes laboratory and clinical research into cancer, conducting and sponsoring its own early-phase clinical trials to investigate its discoveries. , Dr. Thomas Curran of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, founded in 1962, is a leading pediatric treatment and research facility focused on children's catastrophic diseases. It is located in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1996, Peter Doherty, Ph.D., of St. , Dr. David Housman of Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology, at Cambridge; coeducational; chartered 1861, opened 1865 in Boston, moved 1916. It has long been recognized as an outstanding technological institute and its Sloan School of Management has notable programs in business, , Dr. Roger Perlmutter of Merck & Co. Inc., Dr. Shirley Tilghman of Princeton University, and Dr. Caskey. The Merck Genome Research Institute Inc. is a not-for-profit organization established to promote and sponsor projects which will enable scientists to develop assays and methodologies which can be applied broadly across genomics research in order to improve the accuracy and speed in which functional associations can be made with sequences of genetic information. One of the Institute's broad objectives is to support development high-throughput methods which create gene-targeted models for the purposes of studying gene function in specific models, including mice. In general, application for sponsorship by the MGRI should propose research projects of one to two years' duration which broadly address the program objectives. It is expected that requests will generally range from $100,000 to $150,000 per project year and, in some cases, renewal may be possible. For more information, or to obtain an application, please contact Dr. Finley Austin, Administrative Director, Merck Genome Research Institute, at "mgri@merck.com" or write P.O. Box 4, WP 42-300, Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania, 19486 (USA). Lexicon Genetics Inc. is a genomics pharmaceutical company dedicated to the identification of novel drug targets through the large-scale definition of gene function. The company has created OmniBank -- a functional genomics resource using high-throughput gene trap technologies to mutate mu·tate intr. & tr.v. mu·tat·ed, mu·tat·ing, mu·tates To undergo or cause to undergo mutation. [Latin m all genes in the mouse genome. Lexicon Genetics, founded in 1995, is a privately held company privately held company A firm whose shares are held within a relatively small circle of owners and are not traded publicly. based in The Woodlands, Texas, USA. Note to Editors: OmniBank is a trademark of Lexicon Genetics Incorporated. -0- MERCK GENOME RESEARCH INSTITUTE AND LEXICON GENETICS ANNOUNCE SELECTION OF NEW MOUSE MODELS FOR RESEARCH The GenBank database accession numbers of the selected genes and brief descriptions follow. - U43836 - murineVEGF-related factor, a member of a family of secreted proteins involved in vascular formation - U59914 - Smad6, a protein that plays a role in TGFbeta signaling, a pathway implicated im·pli·cate tr.v. im·pli·cat·ed, im·pli·cat·ing, im·pli·cates 1. To involve or connect intimately or incriminatingly: evidence that implicates others in the plot. 2. in the regulation of tumor growth - U79115 - RAIDD, a protein thought to relay cell death signals during apoptosis - P40748 - Synaptotagmin III, a protein present at nerve terminals and involved in neural transmission - P51437 - CRAM, a protein; it is similar to previously characterized human antimicrobials - U78109 - Neurturin, a secreted neuronal survival factor thought to be involved in nervous system development - P26884 - FKBP FKBP FK506 Binding Protein 25, a member of the immunophilin family, the cellular proteins that bind immunosupressive drugs such as cyclosporin cy·clo·spor·ine also cy·clo·spor·in n. An immunosuppressive drug obtained from certain soil fungi, used mainly to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs. - U66461 - PIN, a key regulator for the synthesis of the neurotransmittor nitric oxide nitric oxide or nitrogen monoxide, a colorless gas formed by the combustion of nitrogen and oxygen as given by the reaction: energy + N2 + O2 → 2NO; m.p. −163.6°C;; b.p. −151.8°C;. - X97755 - MSI MSI: see integrated circuit. (1) (MicroSoft Installer) See Windows Installer. (2) (Medium Scale Integration) Between 100 and 3,000 transistors on a chip. See SSI, LSI, VLSI and ULSI. , a potential molecular target for anti-ischemic drugs - P35128 - Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, a protein originally identified in flies based on its ability to alter nerve connections More information about the selections including the OmniBank Sequence Tag match with the GenBank sequence can be found on the Lexicon Genetics' Web Page (http://www.lexgen.com) . CONTACT: Merck & Co. Inc. Eileen Undercoffler, 908/423-7220 or Lexicon Genetics Inc. Lori Pinkerton, 281/364-0100 |
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