PWSA (USA) Research Grant Approved Dec. 2005
“The Expression and Regulation of Necdin in the Mouse Central Nervous System:
Relation to Hyperphagia”
(Dr. Teresa Reyes) Scripps Research Institute, FL

One of the proteins made by chromosome 15 genes that are disrupted in PWS is called necdin. Necdin is found in the brain (particularly in the hypothalamus) and is needed for normal development and interconnection of brain cells. Because hypothalamic dysfunction may change the secretion of neurotransmitters that affect appetite and because small hypothalamii and increased appetite are hallmarks of PWS, researchers suspect a necdin deficiency may cause the insatiable hunger associated with PWS. Dr. Reyes and her team will examine how necdin is expressed in brain cells and if expression relates to appetite. In mice, she will examine how to identify brain cells that express necdin, if necdin levels are different in varying models of over-eating, eating schedules, and chemically stimulated hunger, and if artificially deleting the necdin gene
leads to hungrier mice. Dr. Reyes will also draw upon funding she has already obtained from her K-01 grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health.

edited: 03/23/2010