Disease relevance of Atx2

• Mutations that reduce Datx2 activity or transgenic overexpression of Datx2 result in female sterility, aberrant sensory bristle morphology, loss or degeneration of tissues, and lethality [1].
• Mutations resulting in the expansion of a polyglutamine tract in the protein ataxin-2 give rise to the neurodegenerative disorders spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 and Parkinson's disease [2].

High impact information on Atx2

• Our results raise the possibility that polyglutamine expansions within ataxin-2 cause neurodegeneration by interfering with the translational regulation of particular mRNAs [2].
• Here, we demonstrate that ataxin-2 and its Drosophila homolog, ATX2, assemble with polyribosomes and poly(A)-binding protein (PABP), a key regulator of mRNA translation [2].

Anatomical context of Atx2

• Ataxin-2 and its Drosophila homolog, ATX2, physically assemble with polyribosomes [2].

Associations of Atx2 with chemical compounds

• The normal cellular function of ataxin-2 and the mechanism by which polyglutamine expansion of ataxin-2 causes neurodegeneration remain unknown [1].

References