# Function of stimulus-induced MeCP2 phosphorylation

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2020 · $317,475

## Abstract

Function of stimulus-induced MeCP2 phosphorylation
Abstract
MeCP2 is a key player in recognizing methylated DNA and interpreting the epigenetic information encoded in
different DNA methylation patterns. Alterations in sequence or copy number of the X-linked human MECP2
gene cause either Rett syndrome (RTT) or MECP2 duplication syndrome. In addition to RTT-causing
mutations, many missense mutations with unknown functional significance have been identified in the MECP2
gene in humans. Two of those mutations are at or close to serine 80 or serine 421, whose phosphorylation
status is important for regulating MeCP2 function. To fully understand the significant role of MECP2 in
regulating the development and function of the nervous system, it is important to study all aspects of MeCP2
function. We have previously demonstrated that phosphorylation at serine 421 (S421) can be induced by
spatial learning, and that S421 phosphorylation plays critical roles in regulating MeCP2 binding to gene
promoters, neuronal gene transcription, excitatory synaptogenesis, two types of synaptic plasticity (long-term
potentiation and synaptic scaling), locomotion, learning and memory. Most recently, we discovered that S421
is also phosphorylated in adult neural progenitor cells (aNPC) isolated from the hippocampus. Interestingly, the
stimulus, the regulation and the function of S421 phosphorylation in aNPCs are completely different from those
in post-mitotic neurons. In aNPCs, MeCP2 S421 phosphorylation is induced by growth factors, linked to cell
cycle, directly regulated by aurora kinase B, and plays critical roles in regulating the proliferation and
differentiation of aNPCs through the Notch signaling pathway. These new findings further generalize MeCP2
phosphorylation as a common regulatory module in cellular functions. More interestingly, phosphorylation at
serine 80 (S80) appears to be regulated differentially from phosphorylation at S421 in post-mitotic neurons,
and plays opposing functional roles against S421 phosphorylation in both post-mitotic neurons and aNPCs.
Collectively, these studies raise the possibility that dynamic phosphorylation states at multiple sites on MeCP2
may form a combinatorial code, presenting another epigenetic regulatory module in addition to DNA
methylation and histone codes. To test this hypothesis, we propose to generate several novel Mecp2 knockin
alleles carrying combinations of point mutations that either abolish or mimic phosphorylation at S80 and S421,
and study the functional output of each combinatorial code in the well-established paradigm of neurogenesis in
both mouse and human models. Our specific aims are: 1) To study the effects of double mutations at S80 and
S421 on aNPC proliferation and differentiation in mouse models, 2) To study the effects of single and double
mutations at S80 and S421 on NPC proliferation and differentiation in human stem cell models, and 3) To
define the molecular mechanism linking MeCP2 phosphorylati...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9977282
- **Project number:** 5R01HD064743-09
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** Qiang Chang
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $317,475
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2010-04-01 → 2022-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9977282

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9977282, Function of stimulus-induced MeCP2 phosphorylation (5R01HD064743-09). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9977282. Licensed CC0.

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