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A new regulatory pathway for fragile X syndrome?

One out of every 4,500 males suffers cognitive impairment due to alterations in the fragile X gene. The gene has a complicated biology, and it may have just gotten a bit more complex. The fragile X gene product in flies could play a role in regulation by small RNA molecules.

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Figure 1: Some adult males with premutation alleles of the fragile X syndrome have presented with a late-onset, neurological syndrome not evident in patients with classic fragile X syndrome.

a, courtesy of C. Greco and P. Hagerman; b, reprinted with permission from Brain.

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Hansen, R., Laird, C. A new regulatory pathway for fragile X syndrome?. Nat Med 8, 1204–1205 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1102-1204

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