Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

A gene from the region of the human X inactivation centre is expressed exclusively from the inactive X chromosome

Nature volume 349, pages 38–44 (1991)Cite this article

Abstract

X-chromosome inactivation results in the cis-limited dosage compensation of genes on one of the pair of X chromosomes in mammalian females. Although most X-linked genes are believed to be subject to inactivation, several are known to be expressed from both active and inactive X chromosomes. Here we describe an X-linked gene with a novel expression pattern—transcripts are detected only from the inactive X chromosome (Xi) and not from the active X chromosome (Xa). This gene, called XIST (for Xi-specific transcripts), is a candidate for a gene either involved in or uniquely influenced by the process of X inactivation.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Lyon, M. F. Biol. Rev. 47, 1–35 (1972).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Gartler, S. M. & Riggs, A. D. A. Rev. Genet. 17, 155–190 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Lyon, M. F. Nature 190, 372–373 (1961).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Russell, L. B. Science 140, 976–978 (1963).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Cattanach, B. M. A. Rev. Genet. 9, 1–18 (1975).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Migeon, B. R., der Kaloustian, V. M., Nyhan, W. L., Young, W. J. & Childs, B. Science 160, 425–427 (1968).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Meyer, W. J., Migeon, B. R. & Migeon, C. J. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 72, 1469–1472 (1975).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Davidson, R. G., Nitowsky, H. M. & Childs, B. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 50, 481–484 (1963).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Schneider-Gadicke, A., Beer-Romero, P., Brown, L. G., Nussbaum, R. & Page, D. C. Cell 57, 1247–1258 (1989).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Fisher, E. et al. Cell 63, 1205–1218 (1990).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Nadon, N., Dorn, N. & DeMars, R. Somat. Cell molec. Genet. 14, 541–552 (1988).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Graves, J. A. M. & Gartler, S. M. Somat. Cell. molec. Genet. 12, 275–280 (1986).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Brown, C. J., Flenniken, A., Williams, B. & Willard, H. F. Nucleic Acids Res. 18, 4191–4195 (1990).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Shapiro, L. J., Mohandas, T., Weiss, R. & Romeo, G. Science 204, 1224–1226 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Goodfellow, P., Pym, B., Mohandas, T. & Shapiro, L. J. Am. J. hum. Genet. 36, 777–782 (1984).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Brown, C. J. & Willard, H. F. Am. J. hum. Genet. 46, 273–279 (1990).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Brown, C. J., Barker, D. & Willard, H. F. Am. J. hum. Genet. 45, A178 (1989).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Ballabio, A. et al. Proc. natn. Acad Sci. U.S.A. 84, 4519–4523 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Brown, C. J. et al. Nature 349, 82–84 (1991).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Migeon, B. R., Sprenkle, J. A. & Do, T. T. Cell 18, 637–641 (1979).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Willard, H. F. & Breg, W. R. Somat. Cell Genet. 6, 187–188 (1980).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Shapiro, M. B. & Senapathy, P. Nucleic Acids Res. 15, 7155–7175 (1987).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Frohman, M. A., Dush, M. K. & Martin, G. R. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 85, 8998–9002 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Fickett, J. W. Nucleic Acids Res. 10, 5303–531 (1982).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  25. Mattel, M. G., Mattel, J. F., Vidal, I. & Giraud, F. Hum. Genet. 56, 401–408 (1981).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Summitt, R. L., Tipton, R. E., Wilroy, R. S. Jr., Martens, P. & Phelan, J. P. Birth Defects: Orig. Art. Ser. 14, 219–247 (1978).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Therman, E., Sarto, G. E. & Patau, K. Chromosoma 44, 361–366 (1974).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Fiejter, W. L., Van Dyke, D. L. & Weiss, L. Am. J. hum. Genet. 36, 218–226 (1984).

    Google Scholar 

  29. Rastan, S. J. Embryol. exp. Morph. 78, 1–22 (1983).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Rastan, S. & Robertson, E. J. J. Embryol. exp. Morph. 90, 379–388 (1985).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Johnston, P. G. & Cattanach, B. M. Genet. Res. 37, 151–160 (1981).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Rastan, S. Genet Res. 40, 139–147 (1982).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Brown, S. W. & Chandra, H. S. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 70, 195–199 (1973).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Riggs, A. D. Aust. J. Zool. 37, 419–441 (1990).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Lyon, M. F. et al. J. Embryol. exp. Morph. 97, 75–85 (1986).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Keer, J. T. et al. Genomics 7, 566–572 (1990).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Chirgwin, J. M. et al. Biochemistry 18, 5294–5299 (1979).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Brown, C. J. & Willard, H. F. Am. J. hum. Genet. 45, 592–598 (1989).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  39. Grompe, M., Muzny, D. M. & Caskey, C. T. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 86, 5888–5892 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Korneluk, R. G., Quan, F. & Gravel, R. A. Gene 40, 317–323 (1985).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Gibbs, R. A., Nguyen, P.-N., McBride, L. J., Koepf, S. M. & Caskey, C. T. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 86, 1919–1923 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Andrea Ballabio, Markus Grompe and Rossana Tonlorenzi: Institute for Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA

  2. Huntington F. Willard: To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, 94305, USA

    Carolyn J. Brown, Andrea Ballabio, James L. Rupert, Ronald G. Lafreniere, Markus Grompe, Rossana Tonlorenzi & Huntington F. Willard

Authors
  1. Carolyn J. Brown
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Andrea Ballabio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. James L. Rupert
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ronald G. Lafreniere
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Markus Grompe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Rossana Tonlorenzi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Huntington F. Willard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Brown, C., Ballabio, A., Rupert, J. et al. A gene from the region of the human X inactivation centre is expressed exclusively from the inactive X chromosome. Nature 349, 38–44 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/349038a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/349038a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing