MECP2, an X-linked gene encoding the epigenetic factor methyl-CpG-binding protein-2, is mutated in Rett syndrome (RTT) and aberrantly expressed in autism. Most children affected by RTT are heterozygous Mecp2-/+ females whose brain function is impaired postnatally due to MeCP2 deficiency. While prior functional investigations of MeCP2 have focused exclusively on neurons and have concluded the ab...

MeCP2 is an abundant protein that binds to methylated cytosine residues in DNA and regulates transcription. Mutations in MECP2 cause Rett syndrome, a severe neurological disorder that affects approximately 1:10 000 females. Mice lacking MeCP2 have been generated and constitute important models of Rett syndrome. However, it is yet unclear whether certain physiological events are sensitive to a d...

Methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2) binds methylated DNA and recruits corepressor proteins to modify chromatin and alter gene transcription. Mutations of the MECP2 gene can cause Rett syndrome, whereas subtle reductions of MeCP2 expression may be associated with male-dominated social and neurodevelopmental disorders. We report that transiently decreased amygdala Mecp2 expression during a sensi...

Rett syndrome (RTT) is an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder linked to heterozygous de novo mutations in the MECP2 gene. MECP2 encodes methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2), which represses gene transcription by binding to 5-methylcytosine residues in symmetrically positioned CpG dinucleotides. Direct MeCP2 targets underlying RTT pathogenesis remain largely unknown. Here, we report that FXYD1,...

Mutations of the X-linked gene encoding methyl CpG binding protein type 2 (MECP2) are the predominant cause of Rett syndrome, a severe neurodevelopmental condition that affects primarily females. Previous studies have shown that major phenotypic deficits arising from MeCP2-deficiency may be reversible, as the delayed reactivation of the Mecp2 gene in Mecp2-deficient mice improved aspects of the...

Rett syndrome is an X-linked autism-spectrum disorder caused by mutations in MECP2, encoding methyl CpG-binding protein 2. Since the discovery of MECP2 mutations as the genetic cause of Rett syndrome, the understanding of MeCP2 function has evolved. Although MeCP2 was predicted to be a global transcriptional repressor of methylated promoters, large-scale combined epigenomic approaches of MeCP2 ...

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmetal disorder associated with mutations in the methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2) gene. MeCP2-deficient mice recapitulate the neurological degeneration observed in RTT patients. Recent studies indicated a role of not only neurons but also glial cells in neuronal dysfunction in RTT. We cultured astrocytes from MeCP2-null mouse brain and examined astroglial...

This study is to investigate the expression of methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2) in gastric cancer (GC) and its clinical significance.Expression of MECP2 was analyzed in 69 cases of GC tissues and 12 paracancerous tissues, either by qRT-PCR at the mRNA level or by Western blot and immunochemistry at the protein level. The correlation of MECP2 expression with clinicopathological parameters wa...

BACKGROUND Rett Syndrome (RTT) is an Autism Spectrum Disorder and the leading cause of mental retardation in females. RTT is caused by mutations in the Methyl CpG-Binding Protein-2 (MECP2) gene and has no treatment. Our objective is to develop viral vectors for MECP2 gene transfer into Neural Stem Cells (NSC) and neurons suitable for gene therapy of Rett Syndrome. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDIN...

JC virus (JCV) is a causative agent of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). Methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) is a transcriptional control nuclear protein that is abundantly expressed in neurons. We previously observed that the MeCP2 protein is expressed in JCV large T antigen (TAg)-expressing glial cells in PML brains. To investigate the relationship between MeCP2 and JCV TAg, ...