Methylation gets SMRT. Functional insights into Rett syndrome.

Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder, is caused by mutations in the methyl-CpG binding protein MeCP2. A recent report demonstrates that MeCP2 cooperates with the SMRT corepressor complex to inhibit expression of a hairy-related repressor during primary neurogenesis in Xenopus, and that this can be modulated by Notch signaling. Rett syndrome mutations that disrupt interaction with the SMRT corepressor complex also prevent regulation of MeCP2 by activated Notch."Well-timed silence hath more eloquence than speech."-Martin Farquhar Tupper (1810-1889)