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Tracy Hampton, PhD

JAMA. 2008;300(17):1989.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Mice whose cells have only 1 copy of the "antideath gene" p73 develop degenerative brain disease, according to a recent study by investigators led by researchers at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec (Wetzel MK et al. Neuron. 2008;59[5]:708-721).

The findings may have relevance to humans because some patients with Alzheimer disease lack 1 copy of the p73 gene. Therefore, normal levels of the p73 protein may play an important role in protecting individuals against this disorder.

Motor and cognitive function were reduced in aged mice with only 1 copy of the gene compared with those with 2 copies. In addition, mice with only 1 copy of p73 had a decreased volume of brain matter in the motor cortex and other regions of the brain and accumulations of Alzheimer-related tangles of the tau protein in the brain.

The study's findings suggest that boosting expression of the p73 . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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