Reduced expression of the mitochondrial protein Frataxin (FXN) is the underlying cause of Friedreich's ataxia. We propose a model of premature termination of FXN transcription induced by pathogenic expanded GAA repeats that links R-loop structures, antisense transcription, and heterochromatin formation as a novel mechanism of transcriptional repression in Friedreich's ataxia.

Read More: Friedreich's ataxia - a case of aberrant transcription termination?