Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0917816 (mental retardation)
 15,867 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

It was shown recently that mutations of the ATRX gene give rise to a severe, X-linked form of syndromal mental retardation associated with alpha thalassaemia (ATR-X syndrome). In this study, we have characterised the full-length cDNA and predicted structure of the ATRX protein. Comparative analysis shows that it is an entirely new member of the SNF2 subgroup of a superfamily of proteins with similar ATPase and helicase domains. ATRX probably acts as a regulator of gene expression. Definition of its genomic structure enabled us to identify four novel splicing defects by screening 52 affected individuals. Correlation between these and previously identified mutations with variations in the ATR-X phenotype provides insights into the pathophysiology of this disease and the normal role of the ATRX protein in vivo.
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PMID:ATRX encodes a novel member of the SNF2 family of proteins: mutations point to a common mechanism underlying the ATR-X syndrome. 896 41

The XNP/ATR-X gene is involved in several X-linked mental retardation phenotypes: the ATR-X syndrome, the Juberg-Marsidi syndrome, and some severe mental retardation phenotypes without alpha-thalassemia. Using a vectorette strategy, we have identified and sequenced the intron/exon boundaries of this gene. The gene is composed of 35 exons. It encodes a potential protein of 2492 amino acids. A search of the databases identified three zinc finger motifs within the 5' end of the gene. Expression analysis in different tissues indicated that an alternative splicing event that involves exon 6 is occurring. One of these alternatively spliced transcripts is predominantly expressed in embryonic tissues. These data led us to search for mutations in the 5' region in ATRX patients without other mutations in the 3' region. In one patient a mutation was found in which part of exon 7 was removed from the XNP transcript, as a result of a mutation creating a novel splice site that is substituted for the natural splice site. This new splicing event removed one zinc finger motif. This is the first example of a mutation in XNP within the 5' coding region. It suggests that mutations will be predominantly found in the helicase region as well as in the zinc finger regions and leads us to propose a large screening of additional patients.
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PMID:Determination of the genomic structure of the XNP/ATRX gene encoding a potential zinc finger helicase. 924 31

A YAC/STS map has been assembled spanning 22 Mb across Xq12-q21.31, between markers DXS1125 and DXS95. In addition to the landmark loci for the X-inactivation center XIST and the ATRX, ATP7A, phosphoglycerate kinase, POU3F4, and choroideremia genes, the candidate disease gene regions for torsion dystonia 3 and two X-linked mental retardation syndromes are included. Also, the human voltage-dependent anion channel gene (HVDAC1) has been placed near DXS986. The current map incorporates 211 YACs from five different libraries, formatted with 185 STSs that comprise 26 genetic linkage markers, 60 newly-developed YAC-end STSs, and eight ESTs. The multiple clone coverage and average resolution of one STS per 120 kb provide resources for disease gene searches and are facilitating complete sequencing of the region.
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PMID:22-Mb integrated physical and genetic map based on YAC/STS content spanning the interval DXS1125-DXS95 in human Xq12-q21.31. 952 53

ATRX is a member of the SNF2 family of helicase/ATPases that is thought to regulate gene expression via an effect on chromatin structure and/or function. Mutations in the hATRX gene cause severe syndromal mental retardation associated with alpha-thalassemia. Using indirect immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy we have shown that ATRX protein is associated with pericentromeric heterochromatin during interphase and mitosis. By coimmunofluorescence, ATRX localizes with a mouse homologue of the Drosophila heterochromatic protein HP1 in vivo, consistent with a previous two-hybrid screen identifying this interaction. From the analysis of a trap assay for nuclear proteins, we have shown that the localization of ATRX to heterochromatin is encoded by its N-terminal region, which contains a conserved plant homeodomain-like finger and a coiled-coil domain. In addition to its association with heterochromatin, at metaphase ATRX clearly binds to the short arms of human acrocentric chromosomes, where the arrays of ribosomal DNA are located. The unexpected association of a putative transcriptional regulator with highly repetitive DNA provides a potential explanation for the variability in phenotype of patients with identical mutations in the ATRX gene.
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PMID:Localization of a putative transcriptional regulator (ATRX) at pericentromeric heterochromatin and the short arms of acrocentric chromosomes. 1057 Jan 85

We have identified two females who are mosaic for an ATRX mutation. One case, in whom the mutation was undetectable in peripheral blood and buccal cells, has two affected sons and is therefore presumed to be a germline mosaic. In another case, the ATRX mutation is weakly detectable in the peripheral blood but only one of her three children who share the disease-associated haplotype carries the mutation and therefore it is concluded that she is a gonosomal mosaic. These cases provide the first molecular evidence for the occurrence of post-zygotic mutation in X-linked alpha thalassaemia mental retardation syndrome. The possibility of germline mosaicism must therefore be considered in the genetic counselling of ATR-X families.
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PMID:Germline and gonosomal mosaicism in the ATR-X syndrome. 1060 70

Mutations in the X-encoded gene ATRX are known to give rise to profound syndromal mental retardation (MR). Here, we describe a pedigree, including 4 affected family members with a 324C-->T nonsense mutation in the ATRX gene. Although 2 patients have moderate to profound MR and the typical facial features of ATR-X syndrome, the other 2 patients presented with mild MR and epilepsy but without the characteristic facial dysmorphism. Mutations in the ATRX gene should be considered as a cause of mild MR in male patients lacking specific diagnostic features.
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PMID:A nonsense mutation of the ATRX gene causing mild mental retardation and epilepsy. 1063 11

Mutations in the ATRX gene are associated with an X-linked mental retardation (XLMR) syndrome most often accompanied by alpha-thalassaemia (ATR-X syndrome). The ATRX gene encodes a predicted protein of 280 kDa featuring a PHD zinc finger motif and an ATPase/helicase domain of the SWI/SNF type; the vast majority of mutations in the ATRX gene fall within these two motifs. Although these domains are suggestive of a role for ATRX in transcriptional regulation by affecting chromatin structure and/or function, the precise cellular role of the ATRX protein remains undefined. Using indirect immunofluorescence and biochemical fractionation, we demonstrate that the ATRX protein has a punctate nuclear staining pattern and that it is tightly associated with the nuclear matrix at interphase. At the onset of M phase, the ATRX protein was associated mainly with condensed chromatin. The association of the ATRX protein with chromosomes at mitosis is concomitant with phosphorylation of the protein and its association with heterochromatin protein 1alpha (HP1alpha). The phosphorylation-dependent changes in localization between the nuclear matrix and condensed chromatin are consistent with a dual role for ATRX, possibly involving gene regulation at interphase and chromosomal segregation at mitosis.
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PMID:Cell cycle-dependent phosphorylation of the ATRX protein correlates with changes in nuclear matrix and chromatin association. 1069 77

Mutations in the ATRX gene on the human X chromosome cause X-linked alpha-thalassemia and mental retardation. XY patients with deletions or mutations in this gene display varying degrees of sex reversal, implicating ATRX in the development of the human testis. To explore further the role of ATRX in mammalian sex differentiation, the homologous gene was cloned and characterized in a marsupial. Surprisingly, active homologues of ATRX were detected on the marsupial Y as well as the X chromosome. The Y-borne copy (ATRY) displays testis-specific expression. This, as well as the sex reversal of ATRX patients, suggests that ATRY is involved in testis development in marsupials and may represent an ancestral testis-determining mechanism that predated the evolution of SRY as the primary mammalian male sex-determining gene. There is no evidence for a Y-borne ATRX homologue in mouse or human, implying that this gene has been lost in eutherians and its role supplanted by the evolution of SRY from SOX3 as the dominant determiner of male differentiation.
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PMID:The human sex-reversing ATRX gene has a homologue on the marsupial Y chromosome, ATRY: implications for the evolution of mammalian sex determination. 1106 90

Since the identification of the ATRX gene (synonyms XNP, XH2) in 1995, it has been shown to be the disease gene for numerous forms of syndromal X-linked mental retardation [X-linked alpha thalassemia/mental retardation (ATR-X) syndrome, Carpenter syndrome, Juberg-Marsidi syndrome, Smith-Fineman-Myers syndrome, X-linked mental retardation with spastic paraplegia]. An attempt is made in this article to review the clinical spectrum associated with ATRX mutations and to analyse the evidence for any genotype/phenotype correlation.
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PMID:Molecular-clinical spectrum of the ATR-X syndrome. 1144 89

Several X-linked mental retardation syndromes are caused by mutations in the ATRX gene. Common clinical features associated with ATRX mutations include severe mental retardation, characteristic facial anomalies and variable degrees of urogenital defects and alpha-thalassemia. Although the ATRX protein is a member of the SWI/SNF family of chromatin remodeling proteins, little is known about the biochemical activity of the ATRX protein or its in vivo function during development. Here we demonstrate that ATRX is part of a large multiprotein complex similar in size to the SWI/SNF complex. Furthermore, we have generated transgenic mice that overexpress ATRX as an initial model for studying the function of this protein during development. Misexpression of ATRX was associated with growth retardation, neural tube defects and a high incidence of embryonic death. Moreover, brains from E10.5 transgenic embryos displayed abnormal growth and organization of the ventricular zone that was highly convoluted in the most severely affected embryos. Transgenic mice that survived to birth exhibited a high incidence of perinatal death, as well as seizures, mild craniofacial anomalies and abnormal behavior. Our findings indicate that ATRX dosage is crucial for normal development and organization of the cortex, and emphasize the relevance of our model for the study of ATRX function and disease pathogenesis.
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PMID:Neurodevelopmental defects resulting from ATRX overexpression in transgenic mice. 1182 44


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