Science / Medicine : Scientists Clone Gene for ‘Learning Protein’ in Brain

Scientists said last week that they have cloned the long-sought gene for a brain protein that plays a key role in learning, an advance welcomed as the capture of a scientific “Holy Grail.” The cloning may eventually help lead to new therapies for stroke, epilepsy and possibly some other disorders by aiding research into how the structure functions, researchers said.

The gene gives rise to a protein that forms what is called the NMDA receptor. The receptor is a structure that helps brain cells communicate by responding to a substance called glutamate, a so-called neurotransmitter that cells secrete to signal each other.

The NMDA receptor is important because it plays a role in acquisition of memory and the development of the nervous system, and is thought to be involved in brain damage that occurs in strokes, said neurophysiologist Mark Mayer of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. In addition, some drugs that block the functioning of the receptor also serve as anticonvulsants in laboratory animals, suggesting a possible lead to epilepsy treatments, Mayer said.

The cloning was reported in the journal Nature by Shigetada Nakanishi and colleagues at Kyoto University in Japan.