Description

The nuclear gene FXN encodes a mitochondrial protein which belongs to the FRATAXIN family. The protein functions in regulating mitochondrial iron transport and respiration. The expansion of intronic trinucleotide repeat GAA from 8-33 repeats to >90 repeats results in Friedreich ataxia (FRDA), an inherited neurodegenerative disorder classically characterized by progressive gait and limb ataxia, dysarthria, dysphagia, oculomotor dysfunction, loss of deep tendon reflexes, pyramidal tract signs, scoliosis, and in some, cardiomyopathy, diabetes mellitus, visual loss and defective hearing (Evans-Galea et al., 2011).

External Information

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