Sequencing studies over the past few years have made a dramatic and unexpected discovery: Many of the mutations in individuals with autism are in genes that regulate chromatin, which helps package DNA in the cell nucleus, say Gerald Crabtree and Aryaman Shalizi.

Using newly discovered molecules from algae, researchers can control the activity of two families of neurons in a single mouse or fly, they reported 9 February in Nature Methods.

A newly discovered spontaneous mutation, described 27 August in Molecular Psychiatry, links autism to changes in the regulation of the chemical messenger dopamine.

An enzyme that may keep RNA tangle-free as it’s translated into protein is missing in some people with schizophrenia and learning difficulties. The enzyme also cooperates with the protein missing in fragile X syndrome to bind RNA, suggesting a role in protein synthesis. That’s the upshot from two studies published in the September Nature Neuroscience.

The genes involved in Rett and Angelman syndromes may collaborate to regulate the expression of other proteins, according to a study published 19 July in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. This may explain the overlap in symptoms between the two disorders, the researchers say.

A mild form of the fragile X mutation produces an unusual protein that may trigger fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome, a neurodegenerative disorder, according to a study published 8 May in Neuron.

Neuroligin-2, an autism-linked protein, functions at both sides of neuronal junctions in fruit flies, according to a study published 7 November in The Journal of Neuroscience. The proteins have only been seen at the signal-receiving ends of these junctions in vertebrates.

RNA editing, which creates multiple forms of a protein, is common among proteins involved in neuronal signaling, and may be abnormal in people with autism, according to a study published 7 August in Molecular Psychiatry.

Researchers have generated and sequenced almost 200 different strains of fruit flies, a widely used model organism, according to a study published 8 February in Nature. The resource they created, called the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel, will enable researchers to link genetic variants with aspects of fly biology and behavior.

The characteristics, interactions and roles of autism-associated genes in the fruit flies’ brain will help guide how we think about the same genes in humans, says Ralph Greenspan.