Small changes in protein chemistry play large role in Huntington's disease
Saturday, December 26, 2009 - 23:21
in Biology & Nature
In Huntington's disease, a mutated protein in the body becomes toxic to brain cells. Recent studies have demonstrated that a small region adjacent to the mutated segment plays a major role in the toxicity. Two new studies supported by the National Institutes of Health show that very slight changes to this region can eliminate signs of Huntington's disease in mice.