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Article

  • The EMBO Journal (2004) 23, 2853 - 2861
  • doi:10.1038/sj.emboj.7600299

Published online: 1 July 2004

Sequence-specific targeting of MSL complex regulates transcription of the roX RNA genes

Xiaoying Bai1,2, Artyom A Alekseyenko2 and Mitzi I Kuroda2

  1. Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
  2. Department of Genetics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard-Partners Center for Genetics & Genomics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

Correspondence to:

Mitzi I Kuroda, Harvard-Partners Center for Genetics & Genomics, NRB Room 168, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Tel.: +1 617 525 4520; Fax: +1 617 525 4522; E-mail: mkuroda@genetics.med.harvard.edu

Received 18 March 2004; Accepted 7 June 2004

In Drosophila, dosage compensation is controlled by the male-specific lethal (MSL) complex consisting of at least five proteins and two noncoding RNAs, roX1 and roX2. The roX RNAs function in targeting MSL complex to the X chromosome, and roX transgenes can nucleate spreading of the MSL complex into flanking chromatin when inserted on an autosome. An MSL-binding site (DHS, DNaseI hypersensitive site) has been identified in each roX gene. Here, we investigate the functions of the DHS using transgenic deletion analyses and reporter assays. We find that MSL interaction with the DHS counteracts constitutive repression at roX1, resulting in male-specific expression of roX1 RNA. Surprisingly, the DHS is not required for initiation of cis spreading of MSL complex, instead local transcription of roX RNAs correlates with extensive spreading.

  • Keywords:

    • dosage compensation,
    • noncoding RNA,
    • transcriptional regulation