This gene is involved in cardiac morphogenesis and myogenesis and vascular development. It may also be involved in neurogenesis and in the development of cortical architecture. Mice without a functional copy of the
Mef2c gene die before birth and have abnormalities in the
heart and
vascular system. It is one of the targets of an oncomiR,
MIRN21. In humans mutations of this gene result in
autosomal dominant mental retardation 20 (MRD20), characterised by severe psychomotor impairment, periodic
tremor and an abnormal motor pattern with mirror movement of the upper limbs observed during infancy,
hypotonia, abnormal
EEG,
epilepsy, absence of speech,
autistic behavior,
bruxism, and mild
dysmorphic features, mild thinning of the
corpus callosum and delay of
white matter myelination in the
occipital lobes MEF2C-binding site is associated with minor allele of SNP rs630923, associated with the risk of multiple sclerosis, and responsible for reduced
CXCR5 gene promoter activity in B-cells during activation, that could lead to decreased autoimmune response == See also ==