Long-elusive mutant mouse gene found: a link between nerve degeneration, regeneration

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (ALSAC)
Friday, 8 March 2002

(Memphis, Tennessee, March 8, 2002) A defective gene responsible for the death of nerve cells in the adult brain of mice has been identified, according to a study led by scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Study of this gene could help doctors understand neurological diseases in humans.

The research identifying this gene was published in the March 8, 2002, edition of the journal Science.

The defective gene was discovered in a strain of mice well known for four decades for having movement disorders in adulthood. Several other nerve cells in the brain also die at adult ages in these mice, resulting in defective sense of smell and blindness. In addition, the male mice produce defective sperm leading to infertility.

"The discovery of the defective gene in these mice could shed light on the pathology of other neurological diseases in humans such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and retintitis pigmentosa (a degenerative eye disease)," said St. Jude principal investigator Jian Zuo, Ph.D., Developmental Neurobiology department. "It might also help us better understand male infertility."

The gene, Nna1, was originally known to be the gene "turned on" after nerve cells were injured and undergoing regeneration. This unexpected link between nerve degeneration and regeneration through the Nna1 gene product may help develop treatment for repairing nerve damage and protecting nerves against damage.

"This discovery may also help doctors learn how to better treat nerve degenerating accidents, such as head injuries and radiation-induced nerve damage in cancer treatment," said St. Jude's Jim Morgan, Ph.D., Developmental Neurobiology co-chair. Morgan originally identified the Nna1 gene when conducting studies into nerve regeneration.

Scientists at St. Jude collaborated on the study with researchers at Harvard Medical School, The Jackson Laboratory and the University of Washington at Seattle.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, in Memphis, Tenn., was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas. The hospital is an internationally recognized biomedical research center dedicated to finding cures for catastrophic diseases of childhood. The hospital's work is supported through funds raised by ALSAC. ALSAC covers all costs not covered by insurance for medical treatment rendered at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Families without insurance are never asked to pay.

For more information, or to contact St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (ALSAC), see their website at: www.stjude.org