Drebrin is a
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''DBN1''
gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...
.
The protein encoded by this gene is a cytoplasmic actin-binding protein thought to play a role in the process of neuronal growth. It is a member of the drebrin family of proteins that are developmentally regulated in the brain. A decrease in the amount of this protein in the brain has been implicated as a possible contributing factor in the pathogenesis of memory disturbance in Alzheimer's disease. At least two alternative splice variants encoding different protein isoforms have been described for this gene.
Model organisms
Model organism
A model organism (often shortened to model) is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the model organism will provide insight into the workin ...
s have been used in the study of DBN1 function. A conditional
knockout mouse
A knockout mouse, or knock-out mouse, is a genetically modified mouse (''Mus musculus'') in which researchers have inactivated, or "knocked out", an existing gene by replacing it or disrupting it with an artificial piece of DNA. They are importan ...
line called ''Dbn1
tm1b(KOMP)Wtsi'' was generated at the
Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
The Wellcome Sanger Institute, previously known as The Sanger Centre and Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, is a non-profit British genomics and genetics research institute, primarily funded by the Wellcome Trust.
It is located on the Wellcome G ...
.
Male and female animals underwent a standardized
phenotypic screen
In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology or physical form and structure, its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological proper ...
to determine the effects of deletion.
Additional screens performed: - In-depth immunological phenotyping
References
Further reading
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