In the same mouse-brain dataset, GPT-Rosalind found a possible clue to why TSC2 mutations tend to cause more severe tuberous sclerosis than TSC1 mutations.
The two genes work together to regulate mTOR. Yet in one group of cerebellar neurons, disrupting TSC2 changed the expression of dozens of genes, including genes involved in neuronal communication. Disrupting TSC1 had little effect on gene expression in the same cell type.
Existing treatments already target mTOR. Do they reverse these changes, or is there more to TSC2’s role in these neurons?