Projects

Although the genetic region on chromosome 15 that is responsible for Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) has been known for many years, how the gene or genes within this large region cause the complex clinical features of PWS is still unknown. We have identified a small deletion on chromosome 15 of a patient with PWS features that narrows the causative...

Many people with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) frequently engage in severe skin picking behavior, often causing open wounds and sores that can become infected. Why do people with PWS do this? How often and under what circumstances does it occur? Are people with PWS more likely to exhibit skin picking when they are bored or anxious? Does the skin...

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a lack of muscle tone at birth, a failure to thrive in infancy, and mild learning disabilities. On emerging from infancy, children with PWS show reduced skeletal growth and an insatiable appetite, which, when combined with an obsession with food, results in obesity....

Two lines of evidence are promoted this proposal. First, recently, smaller microdeletions in the region between the human SNRPN and UBE3A genes have been reported in several cases with features consistent with PWS, including childhood obesity, hyperphagia, and hypogonadism. Second, interestingly, recent studies of genomewide survey of imprinting...

Overcoming the severe drive to overeat and obesity that provides the greatest threat to life expectancy and life quality is of upmost and crucial importance for PWS individuals and families. Despite advances in understanding the genetic causes of PWS and the establishment of different mouse models that mimic some clinical components, the...

Background: Hypogonadism (impaired sex hormone production) is a major feature of PWS, although the clinical expression is variable. Nevertheless, early onset of puberty has been seen in both sexes, and pregnancies have been documented in some PWS women. The causes of hypogonadism in PWS are heterogeneous, encompassing a spectrum which includes...

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetic disorder characterized by impairment of a myriad of physiological systems including growth, development, metabolism and reproduction. Although the physiological deficits observed in individuals with PWS come to be well-recognized, the mechanisms and/or cause for the generation of these characteristics are...

The overall goals of our research are to elucidate the pathophysiologic pathways that lead to the metabolic and behavioral changes in PWS, and to evaluate two types of treatments for persistent hunger and food seeking behavior. We have focused on the role of a special type of RNA, called Snord116 (formally PWCR1/HBII-85) small nucleolar RNA...

One of the major clinical problems of patients with PWS is decreased muscle tone and muscle weakness leading to delayed gross motor milestones and additional clinical problems (e.g. scoliosis) later in life. Interestingly, there is significant lack of knowledge regarding the underlying abnormalities of skeletal Muscle in patients with PWS, nor is...

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a known genetic etiology but a complex epigenetic basis. PWS is an imprinted disorder, meaning that genes expressed only on the paternal but not the maternal chromosome 15 are responsible. Furthermore, unlike genetic mutations that affect protein-coding genes, the smallest genetic...