THE WEIZMANN INSITTUTE OF SCIENCE

REHOVOT - ISRAEL 76100 Sxeaw? ) miainn

 

Mavs ApoSnon

Department of Virology

YG/pw January 13, 1986

Professor Joshua Lederberg
President

The Rockefeller University
New York, N.Y. 10021

U. S.A,

Dear Dr. Lederberg:

My research group at the Weizmann Institute of Science has been engaged,

for some time, in studies concerning the molecular biology of Down's syndrome.
What we would like to understand is how trisomy 21q22 produces Down's syndrome.
During the last couple of years we have isolated and cloned the gene encoding
the Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD-1) which as you probably know resides at
the 21q22 segment of chromosome 21, This gene, according to our results, is
overexpressed in various organs of Down's syndrome fetuses and, more recently,
we obtained indications, from experiments with cell cultures, that it may be
involved in some of the clinical symptoms associated with the syndrome (see
enclosed preprint). In parallel, we have started microinjecting the human
gene into mouse embryos to produce transgenic mice overexpressing the human
SOD-1. While being excited and impatient to wait for the outcome of these
experiments, I was stirred and humbled to find out that twenty years ago,

in your article "Experimental Genetics and Human Evolution! (Oct.1966, Bull,
Atom. Sci.) you have envisaged this experimental approach, So I have not
only studied your classical experiments in molecular genetics during my
university years, but am now performing experiments which you have predicted
when I was a student. This is really something to admire and I do.

Sincerely yours,

_M .Ghon fe

Vy Yoram Groner, Ph.D.

Professor
Department of Virology.
Enc:

 

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