"Mighty mouse" gene found in humans Shaoni Bhattacharya
22:00 23 June 04
By studying the genes of an unusually muscular child,
scientists have identified a gene in humans which has also
been used to create "mighty mice" in the lab.
The discovery means that successful therapies for
degenerative muscle diseases in mice that target this gene
might be also be effective in humans.
The strapping German boy, whose mother is a professional
sprinter, is so strong that at the age of just four and a
half he can hold a three kilogram weight in each hand with
his arms outstretched horizontally.
The international team of scientists has shown that the boy
has a single mutation in the gene for a protein called
myostatin. This gene has previously been examined in mice,
and blocking it can make mice twice as brawny as normal.
However, until now no one knew its effects in humans.
"The idea was if we could find ways to interfere with
myostatin function, perhaps we could slow down muscle loss
in muscle wasting diseases and hopefully increase lifespan,"
explains Se-Jin Lee at Johns Hopkins University, Maryland,
US, and one of the team.
"But a major question was - will this work in humans?" he
says. The new study confirms that the so-called "mighty
mouse" gene does have the same effects in humans.
Read the rest at NewScientist
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Comment: Genetic manipulation will change competitive sport
(suspicion will be further stimulated upon the arrival of
three and four legged athletes).
Posted by Robert Karl Stonjek.