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Paul Manowitz
Professor
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Department of Psychiatry
UBHC. Room D-439
Piscataway. NJ 08854
(732) 235-4347
FAX - 5158
manowitz@umdnj.edu |
Biochemical and molecular biological studies of human behavior
Dr. Paul Manowitz is interested in the biochemistry and
genetics of mental illness. One of his main interests is the identification
of a gene for susceptibility to alcoholism. His research has identified
an abnormal protein. an enzyme (arylsulfatase A). which occurs much more
frequently in alcoholics than in normal control. Tissue culture experiments
have shown that this protein is much less stable metabolically than the
normal protein. Molecular biological studies have determined the site of
the nucleic acid change which produces the abnormal protein. Work is currently
being done to further test the hypothesis that this abnormal gene is a
susceptibility gene for alcoholism.
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