Article

2007-11-02 Science & Technology

Scientists at Case Western Reserve University have genetically engineered mice that outrun, outlive, and out-eat ordinary mice while staying lean, light, and fertile well into old age.

Chalk it up to a change in a single gene. That genetic tweak boosted levels of an enzyme called PEPCK-C in the mice's skeletal muscles, knocking mice's muscle metabolism into orbit. "They are metabolically similar to Lance Armstrong biking up the Pyrenees," researcher Richard Hanson, PhD, says in a news release.

Will they be entered in the Tour de Mouse?

The mighty mice were seven times more active than normal mice. They showed unusually high levels of activity in their cages from the time they were 2 weeks old. Running on special treadmills designed for mice, the genetically engineered mice left ordinary mice in the dust. . . .

A major unanswered question, Hanson's team notes, is what brain changes accompany the genetically engineered mice's hyped-up activity.

"What're we gonna do tonight, Brain?"
"The same thing we do every night, Pinky: try to take over the world!"
"Egad, Brain, brilliant!"

Posted by Mike 2007-11-02 11:26|| || Front Page|| [8 views ] Top

#1 I sure hope their lab has some serious security. All we need is for some 'animal rights' bozo (or distracted grad student) to let 'em out and then we've got 100 trillion mice locusts in short order.

Posted by PBMcL 2007-11-02 12:06|| 2007-11-02 12:06|| Front Page Top

#2 I have this mental image, a note on the front door.
"If you want to see the cat again, leave 10 pounds of cheddar by the mailbox".

Posted by Redneck Jim 2007-11-02 15:28|| 2007-11-02 15:28|| Front Page Top

#3 Yes, doctor. We can rebuild them, we can make them better, we can turn them into super mice.
Or, we can pick them up by the tail and...BANG...crush their little skulls on the washing machine.
Bow down to me, Super Mice.

Posted by tu3031 2007-11-02 15:59|| 2007-11-02 15:59|| Front Page Top

#4 I have suspected for years that the key problem underlying Type II diabetes & obesity is a restriction on energy output at the cellular level. Not due to overeating. Not due to insufficient exercise. Not due to defective will-power. Just what causes this restriction is still being researched. These PEPCK-C mice have their energy output vastly bumped up, like turbocharging an engine, by the genetic modification.
The study did not mention what might happen to these mice if they went on a diet. Critters which burn up a lot of energy regardless of how little they eat will tend to waste away/starve to death sooner than critters that are able to conserve their body's energy/weight. A tendency to obesity may be a side-effect of a beneficial genetic adaptation to deal with too little food, a problem which has been much more frequent in human history than too much food.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2007-11-02 17:55|| 2007-11-02 17:55|| Front Page Top

#5 ROFL @ tu

Posted by Thomas Woof 2007-11-02 18:25|| 2007-11-02 18:25|| Front Page Top

#6 MICE-ZILLAS? JURASSIC PARK series . GMed 'Dactyls and 'Teranodons, etc. flying OTH to distant, civilized lands and nesting??? Jinx the Kat got trouble now.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2007-11-02 20:26|| 2007-11-02 20:26|| Front Page Top

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