Fig. 4.
Requirements for DUX4 gene expression. DUX4 expression is only possible at the most distal D4Z4 repeat of the 4qA alleles. Exon 3, which is located outside the D4Z4 repeats in the pLAM1 region is carrying the variant ATTAAA that provides a PAS enabling the expression of the most distal copy of the DUX4 gene into DUX4 mRNA and then DUX4 protein [39]. Whilst healthy individuals especially generate the non-toxic splice form of DUX4-S (encodes the amino-terminal part and both homeodomains; does not contain the C-terminal domain) [73], FSHD muscle produces toxic DUX4-FL mRNA [32]
