Finding a sleepy gene

Researchers say they have identified a gene in flies, called sleepless, that is required for normal sleep processes, researchers report in the July 17 issue of Science. Sleepless is the second gene that has been directly implicated in sleep regulation, and these findings expand our knowledge of the sleep regulation process -- vital to all animals -- and may eventually help to improve sleep quality for humans. Kyunghee Koh and colleagues found that mutant flies lacking the protein encoded by the sleepless gene experienced extreme reductions in daily sleep -- up to 85 percent -- and some did not sleep at all. Flies with moderately reduced levels of the sleepless protein were not as severely affected, but experienced shorter periods of recovery sleep after being deprived of it. The researchers suggest that the sleepless protein is released in the brain to cause the urge to sleep by reducing the excitability of nerve cell membranes.

ARTICLE #11: "Identification of SLEEPLESS, a Novel Sleep-Promoting Factor," by K. Koh; W.J. Joiner; M.N. Wu; Z. Yue; C.J. Smith; A. Sehgal at Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Philadelphia, PA; K. Koh; W.J. Joiner; M.N. Wu; Z. Yue; C.J. Smith; A. Sehgal at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA.