title: The FMRP regulon: from targets to disease convergence.
abstract: The fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) is an RNA-binding protein that regulates mRNA metabolism. FMRP has been largely studied in the brain, where the absence of this protein leads to fragile X syndrome, the most frequent form of inherited intellectual disability. Since the identification of the FMRP gene in 1991, many studies have primarily focused on understanding the function/s of this protein. Hundreds of potential FMRP mRNA targets and several interacting proteins have been identified. Here, we report the identification of FMRP mRNA targets in the mammalian brain that support the key role of this protein during brain development and in regulating synaptic plasticity. We compared the genes from databases and genome-wide association studies with the brain FMRP transcriptome, and identified several FMRP mRNA targets associated with autism spectrum disorders, mood disorders and schizophrenia, showing a potential common pathway/s for these apparently different disorders.
authors.affiliation: Center for the Biology of Disease, Vlaams Institut voor Biotechnologie Leuven, Belgium ; Center for Human Genetics, Leuven Institute for Neuroscience and Disease, KU Leuven Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Esperanza
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rajan
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bagni
keywords: FMRP; RNA-binding proteins; autism; fragile X syndrome; local protein synthesis; major depressive disorders; schizophrenia; synaptic plasticity