Suppression of MeCP2beta expression inhibits neurite extension in PC12 cells.

Regulation of gene expression is critical to the proper development of neuronal cells. The methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) operates as a transcriptional repressor by facilitating histone deacetylation and DNA methylation-dependent transcriptional silencing. This study examined the importance of MeCP2 in the regulation of neurite formation in PC12 cells.

BMP-1-mediated proteolytic processing of alternatively spliced isoforms of collagen type XI.

Collagen type XI is a minor constituent of heterotypic collagen fibrils of developing cartilage and plays a regulatory role in fibril diameter. Collagen type XI is a heterotrimer composed of the alpha1, alpha2 and alpha3 chains. The mRNA encoding exons 6a, 6b and 8 of the alpha1 chain are expressed alternatively to generate six possible isoforms.