Figure 4

Expression of CO1 , CLU , DNMI and GNBI in vitro following RNAi-mediated knockdown of MECP2. mRNA expression levels of selected genes of interest were assessed following RNAi-mediated knockdown of MECP2. Expression levels were evaluated in SH-SY5Y cells with or without RA-induced differentiation over a 14-day period. Expression levels of genes of interest were compared to that of GAPDH mRNA expression in the same sample. (a) Clusterin expression levels were higher in MECP2 knockdown samples than in controls in both differentiated and undifferentiated cells. This was more pronounced in differentiated cells where an increase in clusterin expression above basal levels was observed; (b) Cytochrome c oxidase (subunit 1) levels remained at basal levels following MECP2 knockdown in both undifferentiated and differentiated cells, whereas there was approximately a two hundred fold increase in CO1 expression levels in the control cells; (c) Dynamin I shows an increase in expression levels following MECP2 knockdown at Day 4, however this returned to basal levels at Day 6; (d) An increase in Guanine nucleotide binding protein β-polypeptide was observed in differentiated cells in both the MECP2 knockdown sample and the control sample, however this was 2-fold greater in the MECP2 knockdown sample.