The television division of Health News Digest . Correspondents Are you interested in becoming a contributor to HealthNewsDigest. Submit News Contact Us Click here to learn how to advertise on this site. It is the first time a gene that causes paralysis in rodents has been found and may be the key to identifying similar genes in humans. A report on this work will appear in the May 24th issue of the journal Neuron and the cover of that issue will feature this research.
Neurons function much like electric wires conveying an electrical impulse.
And, similar to a metal wire, require insulation in order for the impulse to move down the wire without leaking and losing strength as it goes. Rather than the plastic that coats wires, nerves are insulated by a material called myelin. Manzoor Bhat, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and colleagues have discovered the gene that makes the protein that acts as a glue that holds myelin to a specific portion of the nerve. This is the first study to identify a gene that controls the connection between myelin and the portion of the nerve cell known as the axon the part of a nerve cell that carries a message away from the cell to another nerve cell or a muscle. When this gene, known as NCP1, is knocked out in mice the myelin peals away from the axon.