KITLG and Friedreich ataxia: Transcriptional repression of FXN is the primary molecular event in the pathogenesis of Friedreich's ataxia.3, 4 To explore potential neuroprotective mechanisms of G‐CSF and SCF, we measured frataxin messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in cerebellum and spinal cord of YG8R mice (aged 9 months) 24 hours postinjection of cytokines.