How to silence an X chromosome

Trotman, Jackson B.; Calabrese, J. Mauro

doi:10.1038/d41586-020-00207-0

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05 February 2020

How to silence an X chromosome

The non-coding RNA Xist has been shown to enlist the SPEN protein to recruit a team of protein complexes — initiating the process that prevents transcription of one of the two X chromosomes found in female mammalian cells.

Jackson B. Trotman ⁰ &
J. Mauro Calabrese ¹

Jackson B. Trotman
1. Jackson B. Trotman is in the Department of Pharmacology and the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA.
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J. Mauro Calabrese
1. J. Mauro Calabrese is in the Department of Pharmacology and the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA.
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Female mammals have two X chromosomes, whereas males have only one. A remarkable solution has therefore evolved to prevent a gross imbalance in gene expression occurring between the sexes: in every cell that has two X chromosomes, one entire X chromosome is ‘silenced’ to prevent RNA from being transcribed from it. This process is called X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) and initiates early in the development of female embryos. Once complete, XCI is essentially stable for life¹ — thus, by extension, a human X chromosome can be propagated in the silenced state for more than 100 years.

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Nature 578, 365-366 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-00207-0

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