Regulation and function of stimulus-induced phosphorylation of MeCP2

Abstract

DNA methylation-dependent epigenetic regulation plays important roles in the development and function of the mammalian nervous system. MeCP2 is a key player in recognizing methylated DNA and interpreting the epigenetic information encoded in different DNA methylation patterns. Mutations in the MECP2 gene cause Rett syndrome, a devastating neurological disease that shares many features with autism. One interesting aspect of MeCP2 function is that it can be phosphorylated in response to diverse stimuli. Insights into the regulation and function of MeCP2 phosphorylation will help improve our understanding of how MeCP2 integrates environmental stimuli in neuronal nuclei to generate adaptive responses and may eventually lead to treatments for patients.

Keywords

MeCP2 / phosphorylation / Rett syndrome

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Acknowledgements

H.L. was supported by a pre-doctoral fellowship from the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a graduate student fellowship from the Friends of the Waisman Center. Q.C. was supported by a Young Investigator Award from NARSAD. This work was partially supported by grants from NICHD (R01 HD064743 and R21 HD066560 to Q.C. and P30 HD03352 to the Waisman Center).

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2014 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg