RettBASE: IRSF MECP2 Variation Database |
Isoform e2 cDNA Acc. No: NM_004992
Isoform e1 cDNA Acc. No: AY541280
Isoform e1 Protein Acc. No: AAS55455
Guy J, Hendrich B, Holmes M, Martin JE, Bird A.
A mouse Mecp2-null mutation causes neurological symptoms that mimic Rett
syndrome.
Nat Genet 2001 Mar;27(3):322-6
Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology, Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Edinburgh, The King's Buildings, Edinburgh, UK.
PMID: 11242117 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
"Rett syndrome (RTT) is an inherited neuro-developmental disorder of
females that occurs once in 10,000-15,000 births. Affected females develop
normally for 6-18 months, but then lose voluntary movements,
including speech and hand skills. Most RTT patients are heterozygous
for mutations in the X-linked gene MECP2 (refs. 3-12), encoding a
protein that binds to methylated sites in genomic DNA and facilitates
gene silencing. Previous work with Mecp2-null embryonic stem cells
indicated that MeCP2 is essential for mouse embryogenesis. Here we
generate mice lacking Mecp2 using Cre-loxP technology. Both
Mecp2-null mice and mice in which Mecp2 was deleted in brain showed
severe neurological symptoms at approximately six weeks of age.
Compensation for absence of MeCP2 in other tissues by MeCP1 (refs.
19,20) was not apparent in genetic or biochemical tests. After
several months, heterozygous female mice also showed behavioural
symptoms. The overlapping delay before symptom onset in humans and
mice, despite their profoundly different rates of development, raises
the possibility that stability of brain function, not brain
development per se, is compromised by the absence of MeCP2."
This mouse model and others can be sourced through the Jackson Laboratories.
Chen RZ, Akbarian S, Tudor M, Jaenisch R.
Deficiency of methyl-CpG binding protein-2 in CNS neurons results
in a Rett-like phenotype in mice.
Nat Genet 2001 Mar;27(3):327-31
The Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
PMID: 11242118 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Mecp2 is an X-linked gene encoding a nuclear protein that binds
specifically to methylated DNA (ref. 1) and functions as a general
transcriptional repressor by associating with chromatin-remodelling
complexes. Mecp2 is expressed at high levels in the postnatal brain,
indicating that methylation-dependent regulation of gene expression
may have a crucial role in the mammalian central nervous system.
Consistent with this notion is the recent demonstration that MECP2
mutations cause Rett syndrome (RTT, MIM 312750), a childhood
neurological disorder that represents one of the most common causes
of mental retardation in females. Here we show that Mecp2-deficient
mice exhibit phenotypes that resemble some of the symptoms of RTT
patients. Mecp2-null mice were normal until 5 weeks of age, when they
began to develop disease, leading to death between 6 and 12 weeks.
Mutant brains showed substantial reduction in both weight and
neuronal cell size, but no obvious structural defects or signs of
neuro-degeneration. Brain-specific deletion of Mecp2 at embryonic day
(E) 12 resulted in a phenotype identical to that of the null
mutation, indicating that the phenotype is caused by Mecp2 deficiency
in the CNS rather than in peripheral tissues. Deletion of Mecp2 in
postnatal CNS neurons led to a similar neuronal phenotype, although
at a later age. Our results indicate that the role of Mecp2 is not
restricted to the immature brain, but becomes critical in mature
neurons. Mecp2 deficiency in these neurons is sufficient to cause
neuronal dysfunction with symptomatic manifestation similar to Rett
syndrome.
This mouse model is available from the Mutant Mouse Regional Resource Center (MMRRC) Node at the University of California, Davis (UCD).
Shahbazian M, Young J, Yuva-Paylor L, Spencer C, Antalffy B, Noebels J, Armstrong D, Paylor R, Zoghbi H.
Mice with truncated MeCP2 recapitulate many Rett syndrome features and display
hyperacetylation of histone H3.
Neuron. 2002 Jul 18;35(2):243-54
Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine,
Houston, TX 77030, USA.
PMID: 12160743 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Mutations in the methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene cause Rett
syndrome (RTT), a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by the loss
of language and motor skills during early childhood. We generated mice
with a truncating mutation similar to those found in RTT patients. These
mice appeared normal and exhibited normal motor function for about 6 weeks,
but then developed a progressive neurological disease that includes many
features of RTT: tremors, motor impairments, hypoactivity, increased
anxiety-related behavior, seizures, kyphosis, and stereotypic forelimb
motions. Additionally, we show that although the truncated MeCP2 protein
in these mice localizes normally to heterochromatic domains in vivo, histone
H3 is hyperacetylated, providing evidence that the chromatin architecture
is abnormal and that gene expression may be misregulated in this model of
Rett syndrome.
Den Dunnen JT, Antonarakis, SE.
Mutation nomenclature extensions and suggestions to describe complex
mutations: a discussion.
Human Mutation 2000: 15; 7 - 12.
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RettBASE: IRSF MECP2 Variation Database. Western Sydney Genetics Program,
Children's Hospital, Westmead, NSW Australia, 2002.
Or
Christodoulou J, Grimm A, Maher T and Bennetts B. 2003.
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MECP2 data is curated by:
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©2001 Western Sydney Genetics Program
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RettBASE: The
IRSA MECP2 Variation Database - A New Mutation Database in Evolution.
Human Mutation 21:466-472
Abstract
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