Assam El-Osta, PhD Principal Investigator
Peter MacCallum Cancer Inst., Melbourne, Australia, $35,000

by Michael Tranfaglia, 2/2001

This group is studying mechanisms of methylationdependent silencing of FMR1, as well as regulation by histone acetylation/deacetylation. They have previously worked with MeCP2, the gene that causes Rett Syndrome, and present interesting pilot studies of the regulatory interactions of the Rett Syndrome gene with FMR1. They plan to extend these findings by studying other members of the methyl-CpG binding family with FMR1. This study is important because understanding the mechanism of transcriptional repression of FMR1 may point to ways to reactivate the gene so that it can function normally.