A Fix for One Type of Autism

jane2007 submitted, created time 1 year 2 weeks (www.time.com)

The causes of autism remain largely shrouded in mystery, but there are some types of the disorder that can be traced to specific gene defects.The most common of these — responsible for roughly 5% of autism cases — is a flaw in the X chromosome that causes a condition known as Fragile X Syndrome. Because the defect has been studied on a molecular level, it provides a unique window into understanding autism — and treating it.

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Fragile X fixed in mice

Fragile X mental retardation protein modulates the fate of germline stem cells in Drosophila

diggman submitted, created time 1 year 7 months (hmg.oxfordjournals.org)

"FMRP, which may regulate translation in neurons, associates not only with specific mRNAs and microRNAs, but also with components of the microRNA pathway, including Dicer and Argonaute proteins. In Drosophila, dFmr1 is also known to be involved in germ cell and oocyte specification; however, the question of whether dFmr1 is required for controlling the fate of germline stem cells (GSCs) has gone unanswered. Here we show that dFmr1 is required for both GSC maintenance and repressing differentiation. "

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Dysregulated Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor-Dependent Translation of AMPA Receptor and Postsynaptic Density-95 mRNAs at Synapses in a Mouse Model of Fragile X Syndrome

alpha submitted, created time 1 year 7 months (www.jneurosci.org)

"Fragile X syndrome, a common form of inherited mental retardation, is caused by the loss of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), an mRNA binding protein that is hypothesized to regulate local mRNA translation in dendrites downstream of gp1 metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). "

Submit comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: fragile X syndrome fragile X mental retardation protein local protein synthesis synaptoneurosomes dendritic mRNA localization AMPA receptor postsynaptic density-95