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Characterization of a murine gene expressed from the inactive X chromosome

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Abstract

IN mammals, equal dosage of gene products encoded by the X chromosome in male and female cells is achieved by X inactivation. Although X-chromosome inactivation represents the most extensive example known of long range cis gene regulation, the mechanism by which thousands of genes on only one of a pair of identical chromosomes are turned off is poorly understood. We have recently identified a human gene (XIST) exclusively expressed from the inactive X chromosome1. Here we report the isolation and characterization of its murine homologue (Xist) which localizes to the mouse X inactivation centre region and is the first murine gene found to be expressed from the inactive X chromosome. Nucleotide sequence analysis indicates that Xist may be associated with a protein product. The similar map positions and expression patterns for Xist in mouse and man suggest that this gene may have a role in X inactivation.

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Author notes

  1. Andrea Ballabio: To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, 77030, USA

    Giuseppe Borsani, Markus Grompe, Antonio Pizzuti & Donna Muzny

  2. Department of Cell Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, 77030, USA

    Charles Lawrence

  3. Unite de Genetique Moleculaire Marine, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Docteur Roux, F-75724, Paris, Cedex 15, France

    M. Christine Simmler, Luisa Dandolo, Danielle Arnaud & Philip Avner

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

    Huntington F. Willard

  5. On leave from G. Gaslini Institute, Genoa, Italy

    Rossana Tonlorenzi & Valeria Capra

Authors
  1. Giuseppe Borsani
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  2. Rossana Tonlorenzi
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  3. M. Christine Simmler
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  4. Luisa Dandolo
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  5. Danielle Arnaud
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  6. Valeria Capra
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  7. Markus Grompe
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  8. Antonio Pizzuti
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  9. Donna Muzny
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  10. Charles Lawrence
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  11. Huntington F. Willard
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  12. Philip Avner
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  13. Andrea Ballabio
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Borsani, G., Tonlorenzi, R., Simmler, M. et al. Characterization of a murine gene expressed from the inactive X chromosome. Nature 351, 325–329 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/351325a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/351325a0

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