AGITANS, A NEW MUTATION IN THE HOUSE MOUSE

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Abstract
Agitans (proposed symbol, ag) is a recessive, pleiotropic, and strongly deleterious gene of the mouse. It can be recognized as early as 10 days of age by the under-development, ataxia and tremor which is present in all the mutants. Male and female agitans are invariably sterile. The main pathological finding is an atrophy of the Purkinje cells in some regions of the cerebellum. Although all the symptoms are of variable intensity and can even be very mild, the mutants die between 20 and 90 days with paralysis and cachexia. The symptoms shown differ from the well known shaker-waltzer group, and resemble in one or more characteristics three new mutations recently described: ataxia, reeler, and ducky. These mutations seem to constitute a new group of hereditary neurological derangements of the mouse.