About one child in 2,000 worldwide is afflicted by hydrocephalus. Identification of the mouse gene provides a means for researchers to study the possible genetic origins of this common birth defect in humans.
The gene was discovered when researchers noticed that pups in one line of transgenic mice from a completely different study developed head swelling and neurological abnormalities shortly after birth. The NIEHS research team then cloned the defective gene and found that it was responsible for development of a critical structure in the brain that controls cerebrospinal fluid drainage. All of the mice with the defective gene developed the classic symptoms of hydrocephalus, whereas none of the littermates with the normal gene developed this condition. Although the head-swelling led to rapid neurological deterioration and death in many of the transgenic animals, a number have survived to reproduce and propagate the line.
"Animal models of human diseases are often an invaluable tool for studying the underlying causes of a disease, in this case a severe and common birth defect," Darryl C. Zeldin, M.D., one of the authors of the study said. "Identifying the genetic sources of this birth defect in mice may lead to the development of better treatment or prevention of hydrocephalus in humans."
Dr. Zeldin points out that this study is based on the discovery of the mouse gene and its relationship to development of hydrocephalus in mice. The study also describes the cloning of the human homolog of this gene, but the authors cannot say this gene is associated with hydrocephalus in humans yet.
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Contact: Tom Hawkins
hawkins@niehs.nih.gov
919-541-1402
NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
21-Aug-2003