A dynamic mutation in the fragile X mental retardation 1 gene, FMR1, was found to cause fragile X syndrome almost 20 years ago. Since, a wealth of information regarding the function of the gene has been gathered. It plays a role in RNA transport and stability and RNA-binding influences the function of a multitude of other genes. In this review, we focus on the recent knowledge of molecular and ...

Fragile X syndrome occurs as a result of a mutation of the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene on the bottom of the X chromosome (Pic. 1), which encodes fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). This protein, most commonly found in the brain, is essential for normal cognitive development and female reproductive function. The CGG triplet that means gene segment consisting of a cytosine...

Deficits in cognitive functions lead to mental retardation (MR). Understanding the genetic basis of inherited MR has provided insights into the pathogenesis of MR. Fragile X syndrome is one of the most common forms of inherited MR, caused by the loss of functional Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein (FMRP). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, single-stranded RNAs between 18 and 25 nucleotides i...

Gene amplification is frequently found in human glioblastoma but the mechanisms driving amplifications remain to be elucidated. Hypoxia as hallmark of glioblastoma is known to be involved in the induction of fragile sites that are central to gene amplification. We analyzed the potential of hypoxia (pO2 0%) and mini hypoxia (pO2 5%) to induce fragile sites within a homogeneously staining region ...

The fragile X syndrome (FraX), the most common inherited form of mental retardation, has been located to Xq27.3. As a step in the molecular analysis of this mutation, we have cloned a contiguous 1.8 Mb region containing the entire fragile X region in YAC and cosmid clones. The cloned area defines a region of 50 kb containing a CpG island, found to be selectively methylated in patients expressin...

Many of the diverse functional consequences of activating group 1 metabotropic glutamate receptors require translation of pre-existing mRNA near synapses. One of these consequences is long-term depression (LTD) of transmission at hippocampal synapses. Loss of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), the defect responsible for fragile X syndrome in humans, increases LTD in mouse hippocampus....

BACKGROUND Fragile X is the most common form of inherited intellectual disability and the leading known genetic cause of autism. There is currently no cure or approved medication for fragile X although various drugs target specific disease symptoms and a large number of therapeutics are in various stages of clinical development. Multiple recent clinical trials have failed on their primary endpo...

Fragile X testing is a priority in the evaluation of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) cases because identification of the FMR1 mutation leads to new treatment options. This study is focused on determining the prevalence of the FMR1 gene mutation among ASD cases in Indonesia. DSM-IV-TR criteria were administered to diagnose ASD; symptom severity was classified using the Childhood Autism Rating Sc...

Fragile X syndrome is caused by the expansion and concomitant methylation of a CGG repeat in the 5' untranslated region of the FMR1 gene which results in the transcriptional silencing of the FMR1 gene, delayed replication of the FMR1 locus, and the formation of a folate sensitive fragile site (FRAXA) at Xq27.3. The mechanism by which repeat expansion and methylation causes these changes is unkn...