Remember that Star Trek episode in which a planet of children were found, and that when they finally hit puberty, the 'longevity virus' they'd been given morphed into a killer? (blue skin nodules, madness, character 'Miri') This gene might have been the target of that made-up virus:
<earnest William Shatner mode=on> "I'm a grup... and I can help!" (Kirk clutches Miri in a disgusting full body hug) <Shatner mode=off his rocker>
http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/75/89851.htm?printing=true "...The mice won't mature sexually because they lack a crucial gene. Some humans who never hit puberty have mutant forms of the same gene. Dubbed Gpr54, the gene appears to be a key part of the mysterious machinery that turns children into adults...
<William Taylor mode=on> Shouldn't that be Grp if it's short for Grup? <Taylor mode=off, ducking mode=on>
"...Paradigm was looking for new drug targets by creating mice that lack genes whose function is not yet known. Genetically engineered mice lacking these so-called orphan genes are called orphan mice. The Paradigm team names each strain of these mice after famous orphans. The Harry Potter strain, as it happened, lacked Gpr54.
I wonder how prevalent that is in the drug industry, just randomly taking out genes to see what happens.
"Gpr54 isn't the only factor in the complex chain of events that leads to puberty. But puberty can't happen without it. The Harry Potter mice were normal in every way -- except that they never became sexually mature..."
I couldn't find the abstract in PubMed, so maybe it isn't officially published yet.
<cheezy announcer voice=on> Ladies and gents, you heard it here first! <cheezy voice=off>
Debbi VFP Foolie ;)
Would that be the "Anti-Grup Liberation Foolie?" http://3sygma.com/fiveminute/nextgen/tooshortaseason.html
By the way, there is a really funny summary of "Miri," foolie and all, at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEML/message/65717?source=1 or http://makeashorterlink.com/?O21021E56 And it's work-safe despite the newsgroup it comes from.
Reggie Bautista Loopy Today Maru
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