1. In order to investigate the biological function of the human CLN3 gene that 
is defective in Batten disease, we created a yeast strain by PCR-targeted 
disruption of the yeast gene (YHC3), which is a homologue of the human CLN3 
gene. 2. The phenotypic characterization revealed that the yhc3 delta mutants 
are more sensitive to combined heat and alkaline stress than the wild-type 
strains as determined by inhibition of cell proliferation. 3. This suggests that 
the yhc3 delta mutant is a good model to investigate the biological function of 
human CLN3 gene in mammalian cells and to understand the pathophysiology of 
juvenile Batten disease.