Rett syndrome: the bcl-2 gene--a mediator of neurotrophic mechanisms?

Rett syndrome affects young girls. The molecular basis is mysterious. One tenable hypothesis can be that the programmed early infantile death of neuronal cells is reprogrammed. The bcl-2 gene on chromosome 22 has been shown to play a role in the apoptosis process. No sequence abnormalities were detected in the bcl-2 gene of 6 patients with Rett syndrome which could explain the pathophysiology of Rett syndrome.