Shivering mice 'warmed' by gene therapy.Shivering mice "warmed' by gene therapy Injection of a normal gene that codes for a nerve-cell-sheathingprotein can cure a type of mouse suffering from tremors and convulsions Convulsions Also termed seizures; a sudden violent contraction of a group of muscles. Mentioned in: Heat Disorders , say the authors of two reports in the Feb. 27 CELL. Mice carrying the "shiverer' gene mutation, which can lead to early death, do not produce myelin basic protein Myelin basic protein (MBP) is a protein believed to be important in the process of myelination of nerves in the central nervous system (CNS). MBP was initially sequenced in 1979 after isolation from myelin membranes [1] (MBP), essential for the conduction of nerve messages. The therapeutic genes were injected into fertilized shiverer eggs, which developed into individuals free of the abnormal behavior caused by lack of MBP. The research was done at Pasadena's California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology, at Pasadena, Calif.; originally for men, became coeducational in 1970; founded 1891 as Throop Polytechnic Institute; called Throop College of Technology, 1913–20. and at Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University. It is a prestigious American medical school located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. in Boston. |
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