Navigation Links
Gladstone, Stanford scientists block toxic protein that plays key role in Lou Gehrig's disease
Date:10/28/2012

SAN FRANCISCO, CAOctober 28, 2012 Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes and the Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered how modifying a gene halts the toxic buildup of a protein found in nerve cells. These findings point to a potential new tactic for treating a variety of neurodegenerative conditions, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease)a fatal disease for which there is no cure.

The Gladstone and Stanford scientists began their experiments independently before realizing that combining their efforts could strengthen their results. Their discoverywhich involved the work of both neuroscientists and geneticistsunderscores the importance of collaborative and cross-disciplinary research when dealing with complex neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS.

ALS usually strikes between the ages of 40 and 75, ravaging the body's motor neuronsnerve cells that control muscle movement. This causes muscle weakness, difficulty swallowing and breathing, paralysis and, ultimately, deathoften just three to five years after diagnosis. At any given time, as many as 30,000 Americans are living with ALSwhich afflicts physicist Stephen Hawking and which killed baseball legend Lou Gehrig.

In a paper published today online in Nature Genetics, researchers in the laboratories of Stanford Associate Professor Aaron D. Gitler, PhD, and Gladstone Senior Investigators Robert V. Farese, Jr., MD and Steve Finkbeiner, MD, PhD, describe how shutting off a gene called Dbr1 in yeast cells and in neurons obtained from rats can protect both cell types from the toxic effects of TDP-43a protein that plays a key role in ALS.

"Mutations in the gene that produces TDP-43 can cause this protein to build up in cells," said Dr. Farese, who is also a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, with which Gladstone is affiliated. "Over time, TDP-43 accumulation inside motor neurons can reach toxic levels
'/>"/>

Contact: Anne Holden
anne.holden@gladstone.ucsf.edu
415-734-2534
Gladstone Institutes
Source:Eurekalert  

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. Stanford scientists develop gene therapy approach to grow blood vessels in ischemic limbs
2. Keck award enables Carnegie Mellon and Stanford to dramatically expand crowdsourced RNA design
3. Climate change may create price volatility in the corn market, say Stanford and Purdue researchers
4. Stanford and MIT scientists win Perl-UNC Neuroscience prize
5. Americas clean energy policies need a reality check, say Stanford researchers
6. Support for climate change action drops, Stanford poll finds
7. Stanford scientists document fragile land-sea ecological chain
8. Stanford researchers help predict the oceans of the future with a mini-lab
9. Stanford marine biologist Barbara Block wins Rolex Award for Enterprise
10. Stanford scientists find molecule to starve lung cancer and improve ventilator recovery
11. Stanford researchers calculate global health impacts of the Fukushima nuclear disaster
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
Related Image:
Gladstone, Stanford scientists block toxic protein that plays key role in Lou Gehrig's disease
(Date:5/16/2013)... to Research Careers) Program has announced the travel ... Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA from June ... the entry of students, postdoctorates and scientists from ... science community and to encourage the participation of ... , Awards are given to poster/platform presenters and ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... ancient shorelines to predict the stability of today,s largest ice ... from three million years ago, for example when Earth ... be evidence of a high sea level due to ice ... scientists to think that if the world,s largest ice sheets ... same in our modern, progressively warming world. , However, ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... cellular layer lining the body,s blood vessels, is ... in thickness, this super-tenuous structure routinely withstands blood ... create a unique and highly dynamic barrier that ... the body,s circulatory system. , It,s also extremely ... physically breached to enable immune cells to ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):World's biggest ice sheets likely more stable than previously believed 2Endothelium, heal thyself 2Endothelium, heal thyself 3Endothelium, heal thyself 4
... release is available in Spanish . A ... a new source of biofuel, according to U.S. Department of ... Service (ARS), USDA,s principal intramural scientific research agency, have found ... could be used in biodiesel production. Field ...
... Botanists at the Missouri Botanical Garden have described eight new ... areas located on the eastern slopes of the Andes in ... and families and are published in a recent edition of ... Missouri Botanical Garden scientists and colleagues from the National Herbarium ...
... world,s population lives in areas at risk of malaria transmission. ... mosquitoes, and each year causes hundreds of thousands of deaths ... The malaria-causing parasite, Plasmodium falciparum , is ... on human blood. P. falciparum invades red ...
Cached Biology News:Pennycress could go from nuisance weed to new source of biofuel 2Missouri Botanical Garden researchers discover 8 new species in Boliva national parks 2UC Riverside cell biologist to investigate how malaria parasite multiplies in red blood cells 2
(Date:5/16/2013)... 2013 Cambridge Healthtech Institute will host ... 2013 at the Renaissance Waterfront Hotel in Boston, MA. ... close-up look at the current strategies and innovations for ... Leaders in the field will reveal how their ... with greater specificity and efficiency. , “In this age ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... , May 16, 2013  HealthSparq, a trusted ... the nation,s largest regional health plans, will debut ... Insurance Plans (AHIP) Institute 2013 conference on June ... results showing how health insurance companies across the ... consumer and marketplace demands for increased healthcare transparency. ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... 16, 2013 Scientists at the Center for ... , and the California -based biopharmaceutical ... novel therapy for reversing memory decline in mice with ... significant cognitive improvement in advanced stage AD mice. The ... reversing cognitive decline for advanced stage AD mice, and ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... On average, developing a new drug ... dollars. Despite this investment, less than 10% of drugs ... your clinical trial design optimally structured to balance time, ... Dr. Frederic Sax, Global Head of the Center for ... data, information and technology in upfront clinical trial planning ...
Breaking Biology Technology:The 2013 Bioprocessing Summit to Bring Together International Leaders to Discuss Today's Bioprocess Issues From Cell Line Selection to Manufacturing in Boston, MA 2HealthSparq to Reveal New Healthcare Transparency Benchmark Study at AHIP Institute 2013 2HealthSparq to Reveal New Healthcare Transparency Benchmark Study at AHIP Institute 2013 3Elevation of Brain Magnesium Reverses Memory Deficits in Alzheimer Mice 2Elevation of Brain Magnesium Reverses Memory Deficits in Alzheimer Mice 3Optimizing Clinical Trials Outcomes through Computer Assisted Design, New Life Science Webinar Hosted by Xtalks 2
... Invasive and Robotic-Assisted Coronary ... Artery Bypass Surgery, REDWOOD ... announced that it has received European CE Mark,(Conformite Europeenne) approval for ... a variation of Cardica,s C-Port(R) xA,Distal Anastomosis System product line and ...
... Test Kits, Water ... Filters and Reusable Bottles, MONROVIA, Calif., Sept. 12 ... in the minds of consumers who fear the impact of,bottled water ... Discover Testing has assembled a family of products on its website, ...
... Israel and NORTH BRUNSWICK, New Jersey, September ... a leader in,the development of microRNA-based diagnostics ... Prof. Zvi Bentwich will present AACR,s,upcoming Molecular ... presentation will focus on Rosetta Genomics,unique microRNA-based ...
Cached Biology Technology:Cardica Receives European CE Mark for C-Port Flex A System for Use in Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery 2Cardica Receives European CE Mark for C-Port Flex A System for Use in Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery 3Discover Testing Settles the Drinking Water Debate: Tap vs. Bottled 2Rosetta Genomics to Present at the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) "Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development" Conference 2
Mouse monoclonal [TU-20] to beta III Tubulin (FITC) ( Abpromise for all tested applications). entrezGeneID: 10381 SwissProtID: Q13509...
Phospho-FKHR (Thr24)/FKHRL1 (Thr32) Antibody...
Mouse anti-Insulin-Like-3 Class: Antibody Product Group: Adipokine and Obesity related...
... BRF2 Immunogen Synthetic peptide: QAARQAATSVPNPP, corresponding ... BRF2. Reactivity / Specificity Cross-reacts with ... Background Information BRF2 is one of the ... factor complex required for transcription of genes with ...
Biology Products: