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By Paul Recer
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A rare disorder that
urns children into old people and often causes
hem to die in their teens has been linked to a sin
gle genetic mutation, a finding that may help sci-
nce learn more about normal aging as well.
The disorder, called Hutchinson-Gilford proge-
ia syndrome, is caused by a single “misspelling”
misplaced DNA molecule within the human
jenome that contains some three billion DNA
wits, said Dr. Francis Collins, head of the
National Human Genome Research Institute and
he senior author of a report appearing this week
n the journal Nature.
Victims of progeria appear nor-
nal at birth, but by 18 months begin
:o develop symptoms of accelerated
aging. The skin takes on the appear
ance of the very old, bones become
fagile and most of the children are
aald by the age of four. The children
aever grow much taller than three
feet. Their internal organs also
quickly age and death is usually
:aused by heart disease or stroke at
w average age of 13.
Children with the disorder, how-
aver, tend to have above-average
intelligence, said Brown, a co-author who has
studied progeria for 20 years at the New York
State Institution for Basic Research in
Development Disabilities.
Progeria affects only about one baby per 4 mil-
ion to 8 million worldwide, according to the
Vogeria Research Foundation.
The disease was first identified in 1886, but
Brown said it has been difficult to study because
‘there are only a handful or so alive at one time.”
He said about one patient with progeria is born
each year in the United States.
How could these
bland-looking
mutations lead to
such terrible
consequences?
Collins and his co-authors found the mutation
on a gene called lamin A in DNA specimens from
18 of 20 progeria patients. A similar study, appear
ing in the journal Science, found the gene muta
tion in two progeria patients.
Lamin A, or LMNA, has been linked to six other
diseases. The mutation and the effect is slightly dif
ferent, on a molecular basis, in each disease.
Linking LMNA to aging, said Collins, means
that studying the gene “may provide us with a bet
ter understanding of what occurs in the body as we
all grow older.”
Collins said that disease is not genetically inher
ited but develops “de novo,” or new, in each patient.
He said there is a suggestion that the progeria gene
is transferred to the embryo through a flaw in the
genes of the father’s spenn.
In the study, Collins said
researchers looked at the genetic
compliment of 20 progeria patients
and their parents. He said they
found 18 of the patients shared the
same mutation in the LMNA gene
on Chromosome 1.
The flaw, he said, was a substitu
tion of a single DNA base. The amino
acid guanine is switched to adenine.
“Initially, we could hardly believe
that such a small substitution was the
culprit,” said Maria Eriksson, a
researcher at the NHGRI and the first
author of the study in Nature. “How could these
bland-looking mutations lead to such terrible conse
quences?”
Collins said that only recent advances in
sequencing of the human genome, or genetic
structure, enabled researchers to find the mis
placed amino acid.
Collins said that the next step for progeria
researchers is to find a drug that corrects the spe
cific flaw from the mutate LMNA gene.
Eventually, it may be possible to correct the gene
itself, he said.
— Maria Eriksson
NHGRI researcher
Aggdsiand 2004
Now Hiring
If you are interested in editing, designing pages, writing stories, or
taking pictures for Texas A&M’s yearbook, simply fill out this form
and drop it off in 004 Reed McDonald Bldg, (across from Chem. Bldg).
• Earn extra cash • Gain publications experience • Enhance your resume
Openings Include:
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you are interested in:
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□ Corps Life
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□ Copy Editor’*'
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Applicants:
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to the following questions on a
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to be turned in with this form.
Also, attach any samples of
work that you have along with
a resume. Applicants are
encouraged to include any
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Editor Positions:
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publications? Leadership roles?
Staff Positions:
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applying for?
Applications Are Due By 5 p.m. Thursday, April 24
If you have any questions, please call 845-2681 or drop by our office.
David Bauder
OCIATED PRESS
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WASHINGTON — More change is coming to more change.
The design of the nickel likely will change for the first time since
938 in honor of the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark
xpedition, under legislation passed in Congress last week.
The proposed change comes as the U.S. Mint continues to roll
[nit new quarters featuring designs chosen by the 50 states. The
lesigns have spurred new interest in coin collecting.
Thomas Jefferson _ author of the Declaration of Independence,
“ B 1 oo
mobile,”
allowed I
to
remark^
clear p
of him
atop a
the
desert,
af the most visible
dents covering the
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who covered H
>M
By Matt Stearns
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
cle, called hird president of the United States and proud alumnus of the
8 “ B 1 oof -ollege of William and Mary _ will remain on the nickel’s obverse,
mobile,”: or front side.
allowed K But the legislation allows the replacement of the familiar pony-
to trail a >kd profile of Jefferson with a likeness that recognizes his role in
remarkal he Louisiana Purchase and the exploration of that territory by
clear picW Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. The purchase and expedition
of him rit recurred during Jefferson’s presidency.
atop a tail The nickel’s reverse side now features a likeness of Monticello,
'efferson’s home outside Charlottesville, Va. It would be replaced
vith a design celebrating the Louisiana Purchase and the expedition.
Should President Bush sign the legislation, as expected, the sec-
etary of the Treasury would make any design decisions with the
input of an 11-member citizens’ advisory committee.
The new designs would grace the coins until 2006, when the tra-
itional style would return.
The Jefferson nickel replaced a famed design that featured an
ndian head on the obverse and a buffalo on the reverse. It was mint-
d from 1913 until 1938.
w praised Bit" Coin collectors, many bored with current coin designs, will be
enthusiasm,” <r pleased by a potential new design, said John Ryan, a Kansas City-
ility and thirst fori area coin expert.
stories. I “Collectors don’t like dead presidents on their coins anymore,”
i had a lot off ^y an said. “They’re looking for more Americana and representa-
none better than ii° n s of history,
nobile,’ which trl
n and transformed Ji
,” the veteran I
n said. h
Battalion bill may
ppear on ballot
After a lengthy debate airing
Ordinal Edward E- grievances with The Battalion,
Bloom atteifte Student Senate passed a
Mass there after Dill Wednesday that would
show duties. allow students to vote in a
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
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of the funeral
i MSNBC, CNN*
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;orge Pataki, T
press secretary
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e mourners
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lis best friend,
nonbinding referendum
whether more should be done
to hold the newspaper
accountable to students.
Student Body President Zac
oventry spoke in favor of the
easure, saying there is cur
rently no mechanism to hold
he Battalion accountable.
"(The Battalion) has a
responsibility to reflect posi
tively on A&M, and that's not
eing done right now,"
oventry said.
ibed as a manwbo|] The original bill called for stu-
>ersonal problem 1 (lents t0 vote on whether the
ars and was atW^or in chief of The Battalion
rospect of dying in' should be elected by students.
before he died After some senators voiced
e-mail to Melanie concerns that such a move
xperience of cove would politicize The Battalion,
had transformed 1
the bill was amended and
passed 23-8.
The question put to students
will read, "Would you prefer
The Battalion be held more
accountable for grievances
through its selection process?"
"The opinions in The
Battalion really bother me a
lot," said Student Senator
Kevin Capps. "They can write
whatever they want and don't
have to be responsive to stu
dents."
While there was agreement
that more should be done to
hold The Battalion accountable
to students, many senators
said elections would exacer
bate the perception that the
newspaper is biased.
"I can imagine the spectacle
of one candidate running as
the more Republican editor,
promising more conservative
news," said Student Senator
Matt Wilkins. "1 don't think
(politicization) is what the
campus wants."