MASS1 GENE, A TARGET FOR ANTICONVULSANT DRUG DEVELOPMENT

摘要

The present invention relates to a novel gene which is associated with
audiogenic seizures in mice. The gene is
known as the Monogenic Audiogenic Seizure-susceptible gene or mass1. The
product of the mass1 gene is designated MASS1.
Nucleic acid molecules that encode for MASS1 have been identified and
purified. The sequence of murine mass1 can be found at
SEQ ID NO: 1, and the sequence of human mass1 can be found at SEQ ID NO: 3.
Mammalian genes encoding a MASS1 protein are
also provided. The invention also provides recombinant vectors comprising
nucleic acid molecules that code for a MASS1 protein.
These vectors can be plasmids. In certain embodiments, the vectors are
prokaryotic or eukaryotic expression vectors. The nucleic
acid coding for MASS1 can be linked to a heterologous promoter. The invention
also relates to transgenic animals in which one or
both alleles of the endogenous mass1 gene is mutated.