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Meiotic inactivation of sex chromosomes in mammals

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Abstract

During meiosis, heteromorphic mammalian X and Y chromosomes in males undergo transcription silencing and form a compact structure, the XY body, containing specific modifications of the chromatin. In this review, we consider the dynamics of sex chromosome inactivation and discuss the suggestion that the paternally inherited X-chromosome preserves inactivated state in zygote. This state results from meiotic silencing and is prone to imprinted inactivation, which is observed in mammalian females at early embryogenetic stages.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia

    E. A. Vaskova, S. V. Pavlova, A. I. Shevchenko & S. M. Zakian

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  1. E. A. Vaskova
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  2. S. V. Pavlova
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  3. A. I. Shevchenko
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  4. S. M. Zakian
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Original Russian Text © E.A. Vaskova, S.V. Pavlova, A.I. Shevchenko, S.M. Zakian, 2010, published in Genetika, 2010, Vol. 46, No. 4, pp. 437–447.

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Vaskova, E.A., Pavlova, S.V., Shevchenko, A.I. et al. Meiotic inactivation of sex chromosomes in mammals. Russ J Genet 46, 385–393 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1022795410040010

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