A mutation of the DYT1 gene, which codes for TorsinA, has been identified as the cause of one form of autosomal dominantly inherited dystonia. Early-onset torsion dystonia is a movement disorder, characterized by twisting muscle contractures, that begins in childhood. Symptoms are believed to result from altered neuronal communication in the basal ganglia. TorsinA comprises 332 amino acids. TorsinA is widely expressed throughout the mouse central nervous system and is detected in the majority