In female mammals, one X chromosome is transcriptionally silenced to achieve dosage compensation between XX females and XY males. This process, known as X-inactivation, occurs early in development, such that one X chromosome is silenced in every cell. Once X-inactivation has occurred, the inactive X chromosome is marked by a unique set of epigenetic features that distinguishes it from the active X chromosome and autosomes. These modifications appear sequentially during the transition from a transcriptionally active to an inactive state and, once established, act redundantly to maintain transcriptional silencing. In this review, we survey the unique epigenetic features that characterize the inactive X chromosome, describe the mechanisms by which these marks are established and maintained, and discuss how each contributes to silencing the inactive X chromosome.
CITATION STYLE
Cohen, H. R., Royce-Tolland, M. E., Worringer, K. A., & Panning, B. (2005). Chromatin modifications on the inactive X chromosome. Progress in Molecular and Subcellular Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-27310-7_4
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