Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Epileptic seizures caused by inactivation of a novel gene, jerky, related to centromere binding protein–B in transgenic mice

A Correction to this article was published on 01 January 1996

Abstract

Epidemiological data and genetic studies indicate that certain forms of human epilepsy are inherited. Based on the similarity between the human and mouse genomes, mouse models of epilepsy could facilitate the discovery of genes associated with epilepsy syndromes. Here, we report an insertional murine mutation that inactivates a novel gene and results in whole body jerks, generalized clonic seizures, and epileptic brain activity in transgenic mice. The gene, named jerky, encodes a putative 1.7 kD protein displaying homology to a number of nuclear regulatory proteins, suggesting that perhaps the jerky protein is able to bind DNA.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Delgado-Escueta, A.V., Ward, A.A., Woodbury, D.M. & Porter, R.G. New wave of research in the epilepsies. in Advances in Neurology, Basic mechanisms of the epilepsies. Molecular and cellular approaches. (eds Delgado-Escueta, A.V., Ward, A.A., Woodbury, D.M. & Porter, R.G.) 44, 3–55 (Raven Press, New York, 1986).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Shoffner, J.M. et al. Myoclonic epilepsy and ragged-red fiber disease (MERRF) is associated with a mitochondrial DNA tRNA(Lys) mutation. Cell 61, 931–937 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Beck, C. et al. A nonsense mutation in the α4 subunit of the nicotinergic acetylcholine receptor (CHRNA4) cosegregates with 20q-linked benign neonatal familial convulsions (EBN1). Neurobiol. Dis. 1, 95–99 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Philips, H.A., Scherfer, I.E., Berkovic, S.F., Hollway, G.E., Sutherland, G.R. & Mulley, J.C. Localization of a gene for autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy to chromosome 20q 13.2. Nature Genet. 10, 117–118 (1995).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Lehesjoki, A.E. et al. Linkage studies in progressive myoclonus epilepsy: Unverricht-Lundborg and Lafora's diseases. Neurology 42, 1545–1550 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Greenberg, D.A. & Delgado-Escueta, A.V. The chromosome 6p epilepsy locus: exploring mode of inheritance and heterogeneity through linkage analysis. Epilepsia 34, S12–S18 (1993).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Weissbecker, K.A. et al. Confirmation of linkage between juvenile myoclonic epilepsy locus and the HLA region of chromosome 6. Am. J. med. Genet. 38, 32–36 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Ottman, R. et al. Localization of a gene for partial epilepsy to chromosome 10q. Nature Genet. 10, 56–60 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Garey, C.E., Schwarzman, A.L., Rise, M.L. & Seyfried, T.N. Ceruloplasmin gene defect associated with epilepsy in EL mice. Nature Genet. 6, 426–431 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Tecott, L.H. et al. Eating disorder and epilepsy in mice lacking 5-HT2C serotonin receptors. Nature 374, 542–546 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Toth, M., Shenk, T. & Madarasz, E. Differentiation is induced in three dimensional cultures of brain cells immortalized by the lap mammalian regulatory system. J. neurosci. Res. 41, (in the press).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Racine, R.J. Modification of seizure activity by electrical stimulation. II. Motor seizure. Clin. Neurophysiol. 32, 281–294 (1972).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Rowe, L.B. et al. Maps from two interspecific backcross DNA panels available as a community genetic mapping resource. Mamm. Genome 5, 253–274 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Lossie, A.C., Gordon, D.F. & Camper, S.A. Localization of thyrotropin-releasing hormone receptor and thyrotroph embryonic factor on mouse chromosome 15. Mamm. Genome 4, 621–623 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Altschul, S.F., Gish, W., Miller, W., Myers, E.W. & Lipman, D.J. Basic local alignment search tool. J. molec. Biol. 215, 403–410 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Earnshaw, W.C. et al. Molecular cloning of cDNA for CENP-B, the major human centromere autoantigen. J. Cell Biol. 104, 817–829 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Yoda, K., Kitagawa, K., Masumoto, H., Muro, Y. & Okazaki, T. A human centromere protein, CENP-B, has a DNA binding domain containing four potential alpha helices at the NH2 terminus, which is separable from dimerizing activity. J. Cell Biol. 119, 1413–1427 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Tudor, M., Lobocka, M., Goodell, M., Pettitt, J. & O'Hare, K. The pogo transposable element family of Drosophila melanogaster. Molec. Gen. Genet. 232, 126–134 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Hohmann, S. Characterisation of PDC2, a gene necessary for high level expression of pyruvate decarboxylase structural genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Molec. Gen. Genet. 241, 657–666 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Noebels, J.L. A single gene error of noradrenergic axon growth synchronizes central neurones. Nature 310, 409–411 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Noebels, J.L., Qiao, X., Bronson, R.T., Spencer, C. & Davisson, M.T. Stargazer: a new neurological mutant on chromosome 15 in the mouse with prolonged cortical seizures. Epilepsy Res. 7, 129–135 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. McNamara, J.O. Cellular and molecular basis of epilepsy. J. Neurosci. 14, 3413–3425 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Labow, M.A., Baim, S.B., Shenk, T. & Levine, A.J. Conversion of the lac repressor into an allosterically regulated transcriptional activator for mammalian cells. Molec. cell. Biol. 10, 3343–3356 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Toth, M., Grimsby, J., Buzsaki, G. et al. Epileptic seizures caused by inactivation of a novel gene, jerky, related to centromere binding protein–B in transgenic mice. Nat Genet 11, 71–75 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng0995-71

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ng0995-71

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing