bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/819573; this version posted October 28, 2019. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. Methyl-CpG2-binding protein 2 mediates overlapping mechanisms across brain disorders. Snow Bach1,2, Niamh M. Ryan2, Paolo Guasoni1,3, Aiden Corvin2, Daniela Tropea2,4* 1 School of Mathematical Sciences, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, D09 W6Y4, Ireland 2 Neuropsychiatric Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, School of Medicine, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, St James Hospital, Dublin, Ireland 3 Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Boston University, 111 Cummington Street, Boston, MA 02215, USA 4 Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Lloyd Building, Dublin 2, Dublin, Ireland *Correspondence should be addressed to D.T. (email:
[email protected]) bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/819573; this version posted October 28, 2019. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. Abstract Methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) is a chromatin-binding protein and a modulator of gene expression. Initially identified as an oncogene, MECP2 is now mostly associated to Rett Syndrome, a neurodevelopmental condition, though there is evidence of its influence in other brain disorders. We design a procedure that considers several binding properties of MeCP2 and we screen for potential targets across neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions. We find MeCP2 target genes associated to a range of disorders, including - among others- Alzheimer Disease, Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Multiple Sclerosis.