Publication Date:
1995-12-08
Description:
In many species, females possess two X chromosomes and males have one X chromosome. This difference is critical for the initial determination of sex. However, the X encodes many functions required equally in males and females; thus, X chromosome expression must be adjusted to compensate for the difference in dosage between the sexes. Distinct dosage compensation mechanisms have evolved in different species. A common theme in the Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans systems is that a subtle alteration of chromatin structure may impose this modest, but vital adjustment of the X chromosome transcription level.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Kelley, R L -- Kuroda, M I -- New York, N.Y. -- Science. 1995 Dec 8;270(5242):1607-10.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Department of Cell Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7502070" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉
Keywords:
Animals
;
Caenorhabditis elegans/*genetics
;
*Dosage Compensation, Genetic
;
*Drosophila Proteins
;
Drosophila melanogaster/*genetics
;
Female
;
Genes, Helminth
;
Genes, Insect
;
Male
;
Nuclear Proteins/genetics/physiology
;
RNA-Binding Proteins/genetics/physiology
;
Sex Characteristics
;
Transcription Factors/genetics/physiology
;
X Chromosome/*genetics
Print ISSN:
0036-8075
Electronic ISSN:
1095-9203
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Computer Science
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
,
Physics
