Role of conserved cis -regulatory elements in the post-transcriptional regulation of the human MECP2 gene involved in au
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PRIMARY RESEARCH
Open Access
Role of conserved cis-regulatory elements in the post-transcriptional regulation of the human MECP2 gene involved in autism Joetsaroop S Bagga1,3 and Lawrence A D’Antonio2*
Abstract Background: The MECP2 gene codes for methyl CpG binding protein 2 which regulates activities of other genes in the early development of the brain. Mutations in this gene have been associated with Rett syndrome, a form of autism. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of evolutionarily conserved cis-elements in regulating the post-transcriptional expression of the MECP2 gene and to explore their possible correlations with a mutation that is known to cause mental retardation. Results: A bioinformatics approach was used to map evolutionarily conserved cis-regulatory elements in the transcribed regions of the human MECP2 gene and its mammalian orthologs. Cis-regulatory motifs including G-quadruplexes, microRNA target sites, and AU-rich elements have gained significant importance because of their role in key biological processes and as therapeutic targets. We discovered in the 5′-UTR (untranslated region) of MECP2 mRNA a highly conserved G-quadruplex which overlapped a known deletion in Rett syndrome patients with decreased levels of MeCP2 protein. We believe that this 5′-UTR G-quadruplex could be involved in regulating MECP2 translation. We mapped additional evolutionarily conserved G-quadruplexes, microRNA target sites, and AU-rich elements in the key sections of both untranslated regions. Our studies suggest the regulation of translation, mRNA turnover, and development-related alternative MECP2 polyadenylation, putatively involving interactions of conserved cis-regulatory elements with their respective trans factors and complex interactions among the trans factors themselves. We discovered highly conserved G-quadruplex motifs that were more prevalent near alternative splice sites as compared to the constitutive sites of the MECP2 gene. We also identified a pair of overlapping G-quadruplexes at an alternative 5′ splice site that could potentially regulate alternative splicing in a negative as well as a positive way in the MECP2 pre-mRNAs. Conclusions: A Rett syndrome mutation with decreased protein expression was found to be associated with a conserved G-quadruplex. Our studies suggest that MECP2 post-transcriptional gene expression could be regulated by several evolutionarily conserved cis-elements like G-quadruplex motifs, microRNA target sites, and AU-rich elements. This phylogenetic analysis has provided some interesting and valuable insights into the regulation of the MECP2 gene involved in autism. Keywords: G-quadruplex, Post-transcriptional regulation, MECP2, MicroRNAs, AU-rich elements, Autism
Background The methyl CpG binding protein 2 gene codes for the protein MeCP2, which is essential for normal brain development [1]. This protein is responsible for regulated transcription of neuron-specific genes and is vital for connecting nerve cells, where cell–cell communication * Correspondenc
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