Mutations of X-linked gene Methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2) are the major causes of Rett syndrome (RTT), a severe neurodevelopmental disorder. Duplications of MECP2-containing genomic segments lead to severe autistic symptoms in human. MECP2-coding protein methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2) is involved in transcription regulation, microRNA processing and mRNA splicing. However, molecular mechanisms underlying the involvement of MeCP2 in mRNA splicing in neurons remain largely elusive. In this work we found that the majority of MeCP2-associated proteins are involved in mRNA splicing using mass spectrometry analysis with multiple samples from Mecp2-null rat brain, mouse primary neuron and human cell lines. We further showed that Mecp2 knockdown in cultured cortical neurons led to widespread alternations of mRNA alternative splicing. Analysis of ChIP-seq datasets indicated that MeCP2-regulated exons display specific epigenetic signatures, with DNA modification 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) and histone modification H3K4me3 are enriched in down-regulated exons, while the H3K36me3 signature is enriched in exons up-regulated in Mecp2-knockdown neurons comparing to un-affected neurons. Functional analysis reveals that genes containing MeCP2-regulated exons are mainly involved in synaptic functions and mRNA splicing. These results suggested that MeCP2 regulated mRNA splicing through interacting with 5hmC and epigenetic changes in histone markers, and provide functional insights of MeCP2-mediated mRNA splicing in the nervous system.
Pubmed ID: 28211484 RIS Download
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A neuroscience research program that studies genes, the brain and behavior in an integrated manner, established to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of learning and memory, and shed light on the pathogenesis of disorders of cognition. Central to G2C investigations is the NMDA receptor complex (NRC/MASC), that is found at the synapses in the central nervous system which constitute the functional connections between neurons. Changes in the receptor and associated components are thought to be in a large part responsible for the phenomenon of synaptic plasticity, that may underlie learning and memory. G2C is addressing the function of synapse proteins using large scale approaches combining genomics, proteomics and genetic methods with electrophysiological and behavioral studies. This is incorporated with computational models of the organization of molecular networks at the synapse. These combined approaches provide a powerful and unique opportunity to understand the mechanisms of disease genes in behavior and brain pathology as well as provide fundamental insights into the complexity of the human brain. Additionally, Genes to Cognition makes available its biological resources, including gene-targeting vectors, ES cell lines, antibodies, and transgenic mice, generated for its phenotyping pipeline. The resources are freely-available to interested researchers.
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