Abstract
Organisms in which gender is genetically encoded require a dosage compensation process to equalize sex-linked gene expression between the hetero- and homogametic sexes. In mammals, this dosage compensation process is termed X-chromosome inactivation (XCI). XCI results in the near-complete transcriptional silencing of a single X in XX females, ensuring that only one X per diploid genome remains active. Once stably inactivated, the silent state of the chosen X can be propagated in each cell for the life of the organism, making XCI a paradigm of epigenetic regulation. Since its discovery more than 50 years ago (Lyon, Nature 190:372–373, 1961), significant progress has been made toward understanding XCI. In this chapter, we discuss recent advances in the field, with a focus on XCI in the mouse and the roles that long noncoding RNAs play in regulating the process.
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