A new study conducted by SISSA's Laboratory of Cerebral Cortex Development and recently published in BMC Biology has led to a surprising revelation about the role of the FOXG1 gene: not only does it orchestrate development of the anterior brain by regulating RNA transcription, but its role includes direct regulation of RNA translation, i.e. protein production. This dual function raises interesting questions as to how this mechanism evolved, suggesting that a fine-tuning of FOXG1 gene dosage may have been selected to ensure proper development of the nervous system.
The FOXG1 gene is especially important for generating and patterning the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain that is necessary for such functions as sensory perception and conscious thought. Mutations in this gene can cause FOXG1 syndrome, a rare genetic disorder characterized by structural and functional brain anomalies leading to highly severe behavioural and cognitive symptoms. In this framework, the FOXG1 protein works as a transcriptional regulator, coordinating, activating, and deactivating hundreds of other genes that are necessary for proper brain development.
«The surprise was finding out that FOXG1 is also responsible for the direct regulation of protein synthesis, » says Antonello Mallamaci, director of SISSA's Laboratory of Cerebral Cortex Development. «This is an extremely rare phenomenon, which we were able to prove by following several unrelated clues and with a rigorous analysis of the evidence. »