title: Mammalian X-chromosome inactivation and the XIST gene.
abstract: X-chromosome inactivation is a unique developmental event that results in the cis-limited transcriptional inactivation of most genes on one of the two X chromosomes in female mammals. Studies in both human and mouse have demonstrated that X inactivation requires the presence in cis of a locus, the X-inactivation center, that is thought to be involved in the initiation and/or spreading of the inactivation signal in early development. Identification and characterization of a gene, XIST, which is located at or near the X-inactivation center and which is expressed specifically from the inactive X chromosome in both humans and mouse, suggests that it may be involved in X inactivation.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ballabio
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Willard
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002843:Chromatin / Q000502:physiology; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D004303:Dosage Compensation, Genetic; D006801:Humans; D008745:Methylation; D051379:Mice
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D004247:DNA