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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Molecular mechanisms: Rett syndrome gene regulates RNA

by  /  14 September 2012
THIS ARTICLE IS MORE THAN FIVE YEARS OLD

This article is more than five years old. Autism research — and science in general — is constantly evolving, so older articles may contain information or theories that have been reevaluated since their original publication date.

Hub size: Stem cells lacking MeCP2 (right) have smaller nuclei as they differentiate into neurons than controls do (left).

MeCP2, the gene mutated in people with Rett syndrome, may regulate rates of RNA production in developing neurons, according to a study published 3 August in Stem Cells1.

MeCP2 expression spikes between days three and eight of stem cells’ transformation into neurons, the new study found. During this time, the cells’ nuclei — which contain all their genetic information — increase in size by about one-third.

Cells lacking MeCP2 do not show this increase in nuclear size, the study found. Nuclei in the brains of 1-month-old mice lacking MeCP2 are also smaller than those in controls. 

At day eight, MeCP2-deficient neurons have significantly less overall RNA than control neurons do. The bulk of the RNA in cells is made up of cellular machinery, such as ribosomes, which translate genetic messages into proteins. This suggests that lack of MeCP2 could lead to an overall problem with gene expression, the researchers say.

References:

1: Yazdani M. et al. Stem Cells Epub ahead of print (2012) PubMed