2. Academic Validation
  3. A transcriptional repressor MeCP2 causing Rett syndrome is expressed in embryonic non-neuronal cells and controls their growth

A transcriptional repressor MeCP2 causing Rett syndrome is expressed in embryonic non-neuronal cells and controls their growth

  • Brain Res Dev Brain Res. 2005 Jun 9;157(1):103-6. doi: 10.1016/j.devbrainres.2005.03.011.
Kaoru Nagai 1,  Kunio Miyake,  Takeo Kubota
Affiliations

Affiliation

  • 1 Department of Epigenetic Medicine, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, University of Yamanashi, 1110 Shimokato, Tamaho, Yamanashi, 409-3898, Japan. kaoru@yamanashi.ac.jp
PMID: 15939091 DOI: 10.1016/j.devbrainres.2005.03.011
Abstract

An epigenetic key protein MeCP2 is thought to be expressed exclusively in mature neurons. Here, we show that MeCP2 is expressed in embryonic non-neuronal cells by immunocytochemistry and Western blotting, and that knockdown of MeCP2 levels using RNA interference reduces their proliferation. These findings suggest that MeCP2 is essential to non-neuronal cell growth during brain development, which may be associated with microcephaly of Rett syndrome patients with MeCP2 mutations.

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