A recombinant nucleic acid coding for a protein or peptide involved in a neurodegenerative disorder is modified to enable said protein or peptide to be directed to a given cell compartment. The disorder may particularly be Alzheimer's disease, CJD or Huntington's chorea and the recombinant nucleic acid may be obtained by modification of the cDNA encoding for the beta amyloid (1-42) peptide, the prion protein or the huntingtin protein. Cells, or animals comprising such cells, comprising the recombinant molecule or vector therefor may be used to identify molecules which interfere with the development of such disorders or to screen for compounds able to inhibit aggregation of the proteins or peptides produced.
Models for neurodegenerative diseases