medical news
Feb. 26th, 2006 08:54 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lauraanne_gilmanfor those with an academic or personal interest...
WASHINGTON: Wondered why males are more prone to Parkinson's disease?
Well the answer has probably been found, what with a recent study stating that SRY, the male protein that forms the testes is also produced in that region of the brain that's affected by Parkinson's disease.
"Our research has shown that a gene only present in males contributes to the control of physical movement, a fundamental brain function," said Associate Professor Vincent Harley, Head of the Human Molecular Genetics Group at Prince Henry's Institute, Melbourne.
Prof. Harley conducted the study along with researchers from University of California, Los Angeles.
Parkinson's disease is a chronic movement disorder, and men are 1.5 times more likely to develop the degenerative disease compared to women.
British scientists first discovered SRY, the protein that determines male gender, in 1990. It is passed from father to son on the Y chromosome and is not present in females.
Co-investigators Dr Eric Vilain of UCLA and Dr Harley have now traced SRY protein to a region of the brain called the substantia nigra, which deteriorates in Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's disease develops when cells in the substantia nigra begin to malfunction and die, producing less dopamine. Dopamine, a chemical messenger, communicates with the brain to control movement and co-ordination. People with Parkinson's disease become unable to initiate or control their physical movements, eventually leading to paralysis.
For their study, Prof. Harley and his team developed sensitive new tools to detect SRY protein in the brain. They lowered the level of SRY in the substantia nigra in animal models and detected a corresponding drop in tyrosine hydroxylase, which plays a key role in the brain's production of dopamine. The consequent low dopamine levels resulted in Parkinson's-like movement problems.
Researchers now believe that the variations in genes that control SRY or in the SRY gene itself may be linked to the onset of Parkinson's disease, and men with low levels of SRY may be at greater risk of developing the disease.
"We were surprised to find a function for SRY outside the testes," said Dr Harley.
"The SRY gene may also explain the sex differences in other dopamine-linked disorders with a higher incidence in males, such as schizophrenia or addiction," said Dr Vilain.
This research was published in the recent edition of Current Biology.
(story originally found here)
WASHINGTON: Wondered why males are more prone to Parkinson's disease?
Well the answer has probably been found, what with a recent study stating that SRY, the male protein that forms the testes is also produced in that region of the brain that's affected by Parkinson's disease.
"Our research has shown that a gene only present in males contributes to the control of physical movement, a fundamental brain function," said Associate Professor Vincent Harley, Head of the Human Molecular Genetics Group at Prince Henry's Institute, Melbourne.
Prof. Harley conducted the study along with researchers from University of California, Los Angeles.
Parkinson's disease is a chronic movement disorder, and men are 1.5 times more likely to develop the degenerative disease compared to women.
British scientists first discovered SRY, the protein that determines male gender, in 1990. It is passed from father to son on the Y chromosome and is not present in females.
Co-investigators Dr Eric Vilain of UCLA and Dr Harley have now traced SRY protein to a region of the brain called the substantia nigra, which deteriorates in Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's disease develops when cells in the substantia nigra begin to malfunction and die, producing less dopamine. Dopamine, a chemical messenger, communicates with the brain to control movement and co-ordination. People with Parkinson's disease become unable to initiate or control their physical movements, eventually leading to paralysis.
For their study, Prof. Harley and his team developed sensitive new tools to detect SRY protein in the brain. They lowered the level of SRY in the substantia nigra in animal models and detected a corresponding drop in tyrosine hydroxylase, which plays a key role in the brain's production of dopamine. The consequent low dopamine levels resulted in Parkinson's-like movement problems.
Researchers now believe that the variations in genes that control SRY or in the SRY gene itself may be linked to the onset of Parkinson's disease, and men with low levels of SRY may be at greater risk of developing the disease.
"We were surprised to find a function for SRY outside the testes," said Dr Harley.
"The SRY gene may also explain the sex differences in other dopamine-linked disorders with a higher incidence in males, such as schizophrenia or addiction," said Dr Vilain.
This research was published in the recent edition of Current Biology.
(story originally found here)
