Abstract: The present invention relates generally to a nucleic acid molecule which is expressed in at least red gastrocnemius muscle or its equivalent under particular physiological conditions. It is proposed that the nucleic acid molecule is differentially expressed under differing conditions of healthy state, myopathy, obesity, anorexia, weight maintenance, diabetes, disorders associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, genetic disorders, cancer, heart disease, inflammation, disorders associated with the immune system, infertility, disease associated with the brain and/or metabolic energy levels.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to a method for detecting an aberrant cell in a subject or in a biological sample from said subject and agents useful for same. The presence of the aberrant cell or group of aberrant cells provides an indication of a particular disease or condition or a propensity for development of a disease or condition. More particularly, the present invention contemplates a method for detecting a cell associated with cancer or having a propensity to develop into a cancer cell in a subject or in a biological sample from said subject by determining the relative increase in the presence of a LIM kinase protein or a related enzyme or a relative increase in LIM kinase activity or a relative increase in the presence of expression products from a gene encoding a LIM kinase or a related protein.