News Release

Yeast mimics severity of mutations leading to fatal childhood illness

Scientists express human gene mutations in yeast in order to study Batten disease, a fatal childhood neurodegenerative disorder

Peer-Reviewed Publication

The Company of Biologists

December 22, 2008, Cambridge, UK – Scientists report that human gene mutations expressed in yeast cells can predict the severity of Batten Disease, a fatal nervous system disorder that begins during childhood. The new study published in Disease Models & Mechanisms (DMM), dmm.biologists.org, describes how the extent of changes in mutated cells paralleled the severity of symptoms seen in humans.

The initial, milder symptoms of Batten disease appear in children between ages 4 and 7. Children with this disorder (also known as juvenile neuronal ceroid lipfuscinosis, or JNCL) suffer vision loss and exhibit learning difficulties and behavioral changes. This is eventually followed by the appearance of seizures, and a devastating, progressive loss of mental and physical function, eventually leading to death before young adulthood.

Mutations in the gene CLN3 cause Batten Disease, but scientists do not fully understand the role of CLN3 in cell function. Thus, in order to learn more about this gene, researchers at the University College London created a variety of mutations based on CLN3 gene defects identified in Batten disease patients. They studied the effects of these mutations in a fission yeast protein highly similar to CLN3. The research team found that human mutations that caused a severe Batten disease progression likewise caused severe cell abnormalities in the yeast. Likewise, mutations found in mild cases of Batten disease resulted in less severe yeast cell changes.

Not only does this study help researchers understand the mechanism underlying Batten disease, but this yeast model can also be used to investigate therapeutic compounds to treat Batten disease and related illnesses.

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Commentary on this work will be featured in the DMM Podcast for Volume 2, Issue 1/2 of DMM. Podcasts are available via the DMM website at: dmm.biologists.org.

The report was written by R.L. Haines, S. Codin, and S.E. Mole at the MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology at University College London. The report is published in the January/February issue of a new research journal, Disease Models & Mechanisms (DMM), published by The Company of Biologists, a non-profit based in Cambridge, UK.

About Disease Models & Mechanisms:

Disease Models & Mechanisms (DMM) is a new research journal publishing both primary scientific research, as well as review articles, editorials, and research highlights. The journal's mission is to provide a forum for clinicians and scientists to discuss basic science and clinical research related to human disease, disease detection and novel therapies. DMM is published by the Company of Biologists, a non-profit organization based in Cambridge, UK.

The Company also publishes the international biology research journals Development, Journal of Cell Science, and The Journal of Experimental Biology. In addition to financing these journals, the Company provides grants to scientific societies and supports other activities including travelling fellowships for junior scientists, workshops and conferences. The world's poorest nations receive free and unrestricted access to the Company's journals.


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