Proteins may be key to Fragile X . Adds insight into Autism
NEW HAVEN, Conn., June 8 (UPI) — U.S. researchers have identified a new regulatory target for the Fragile X mental retardation protein, laying the groundwork for possible new treatments.
Fragile X syndrome, or FXS, is the leading inherited form of mental retardation.
The findings, published in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also have implications for autism, which shares a common physiological pathway with FXS, according to researchers at the Yale School of Medicine.
The research team, led by Dr. Yingqun Huang, previously found that FMRP — a protein without which brain development is hampered and nerve cells cannot communicate with each other — interacts with nuclear mRNA export protein NXF2 in the mouse brain and testes.
“Our findings explain why the NXF1 protein level is much lower in the hippocampal — brain — neurons involved in learning and memory than in many other cells,” Huang said in a statement.
“This may suggest that a high level of NXF1 might hinder the function of these cells.”
