Publication Date:
2001-12-18
Description:
In mammals, X-inactivation silences one of two female X chromosomes. Silencing depends on the noncoding gene, Xist (inactive X-specific transcript), and is blocked by the antisense gene, Tsix. Deleting the choice/imprinting center in Tsix affects X-chromosome selection. Here, we identify the insulator and transcription factor, CTCF, as a candidate trans-acting factor for X-chromosome selection. The choice/imprinting center contains tandem CTCF binding sites that function in an enhancer-blocking assay. In vitro binding is reduced by CpG methylation and abolished by including non-CpG methylation. We postulate that Tsix and CTCF together establish a regulatable epigenetic switch for X-inactivation.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Chao, Wendy -- Huynh, Khanh D -- Spencer, Rebecca J -- Davidow, Lance S -- Lee, Jeannie T -- New York, N.Y. -- Science. 2002 Jan 11;295(5553):345-7. Epub 2001 Dec 6.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11743158" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉
Keywords:
Animals
;
*Antisense Elements (Genetics)
;
Binding Sites
;
CpG Islands
;
DNA Methylation
;
DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics/*metabolism
;
*Dosage Compensation, Genetic
;
Enhancer Elements, Genetic
;
*Gene Silencing
;
Genomic Imprinting
;
HeLa Cells
;
Humans
;
Mice
;
Models, Genetic
;
RNA, Long Noncoding
;
RNA, Untranslated/genetics
;
*Repressor Proteins
;
Transcription Factors/genetics/*metabolism
;
X Chromosome/*genetics
Print ISSN:
0036-8075
Electronic ISSN:
1095-9203
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Computer Science
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
,
Physics
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