Mutations in the early growth response 2 (EGR2) gene are associated with hereditary myelinopathies.
The early growth response 2 gene (EGR2) is part of a multigene family encoding Cys2His2 type zinc-finger proteins and may play a role in the regulation of cellular proliferation. Egr2, (also known as Krox20) is the mouse orthologue of human EGR2 and was first identified as an immediate-early response gene, encoding a protein that binds DNA in a sequence-specific manner and acts as a transcription factor. Stable expression of Egr2 is specifically associated with the onset of myelination in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Egr2(-/-) mice display disrupted hindbrain segmentation and development, and a block of Schwann-cell differentiation at an early stage. We hypothesized that Egr2 may be a transcription factor affecting late myelin genes and that human myelinopathies of the PNS may result from mutations in EGR2. In support of this hypothesis, we have identified one recessive and two dominant missense mutations in EGR2 (within regions encoding conserved functional domains) in patients with congenital hypomyelinating neuropathy (CHN) and a family with Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 1 (CMT1).
Warner
L E
LE
Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
Mancias
P
P
Butler
I J
IJ
McDonald
C M
CM
Keppen
L
L
Koob
K G
KG
Lupski
J R
JR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002607:Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease / Q000235:genetics; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D003711:Demyelinating Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D051767:Early Growth Response Protein 2; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D005796:Genes / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D010375:Pedigree; D017354:Point Mutation / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C497326:EGR2 protein, human; D051767:Early Growth Response Protein 2; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D004247:DNA