DREAM: 1 gene regulates pain, learning and memory

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DREAM: 1 gene regulates pain, learning and memory

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-01/riom-dog011509.php

In 2002, a group of scientists at the University of Toronto was able

to identify a gene which they dubbed DREAM (downstream regulatory

element antagonistic modulator). The gene's function was highly

interesting: it obviously served as a key regulator in the perception

of pain. Mice who lacked the gene showed clear signs of markedly

reduced sensitivity to all kinds of pain, whether chronic or acute.

Otherwise, the mice appeared perfectly normal.

The work leading to these findings was carried out in the lab of

f Penninger, then principal investigator at the Amgen Institute

in Toronto. The publication describing the gene's function was

received with great interest (Cell, Vol. 108, 31-43, 11.1.2002) and

DREAM was subsequently termed the " Master-Gene of pain perception " .

f Penninger, meanwhile scientific director of IMBA, the Institute

of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in

Vienna, continued to wonder what other surprises DREAM might have in

store. In a collaborative effort with neurobiologists from the

University Pablo de Olivade (Seville) he devised experiments to

follow up on the previous findings. A team of scientists under Ángel

Carrión subjected DREAM-less mice to numerous neurological

tests and analyzed their memory skills. The results were striking:

without DREAM, mice were able to learn faster and remember better.

Fascinatingly, the brains of aged mice (18 months) showed learning

capacities similar to those of very young mice.

Thus, DREAM turns out to be a genetic candidate for explaining old

age dementia. Even a causal connection to Alzheimer's disease seems

plausible. Studies published in mid 2008 suggest that the devastating

condition may be related to Calcium regulation gone awry. The

accumulation of amyloid plaques in brain cells, usually blamed for

Alzheimer's, might be a consequence of the Calcium-imbalance rather

than the culprit for the disease.

And Calcium regulation is also responsible for tuning the activity of

the DREAM-gene. Calcium homeostasis may thus be the link between pain

perception, learning and memory. This is supported by observations of

patients suffering from chronic pain: very often their ability to

memorize is strikingly reduced and they need a lot more time to learn

than individuals without pain.

" It is absolutely fascinating that we found a gene which at the same

time regulates pain, learning and old age memory function " , says

f Penninger, " and it is of great interest to the millions of

people suffering from chronic pain that we follow up on these

results. "

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The paper „Lack of DREAM protein enhances learning and memory and

slows brain aging " by Fontán-Lozano et al. has been published in the

current issue of the Journal Current Biology [Curr Biol. 2009 Jan

13;19(1):54-60].

IMBA

IMBA, the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian

Academy of Sciences, combines basic and applied research in the area

of biomedicine. Interdisciplinary research groups work towards

understanding the fundamental molecular underpinnings of normal and

pathological behavior. The ultimate aim is to translate this

knowledge into novel approaches for diagnosis, prevention and therapy

of diseases. IMBA is financed by the City of Vienna and the Austrian

Government.

IMP-IMBA Research Center

The Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), established in

1988 by Boehringer Ingelheim, and the Institute of Molecular

Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA), which went

into operation in 2003, have agreed on a close research

collaboration. Under the name " IMP-IMBA Research Center " , the two

institutes share most of the administrative and scientific

infrastructure. Together, IMBA and IMP employ over 400 people from 30

different nations. Both institutes are members of the " Campus Vienna

Biocenter " .