The search for the mouse X-chromosome inactivation centre.
The phenomenon of X-chromosome inactivation in female mammals, whereby one of the two X chromosome present in each cell of the female embryo is inactivated early in development, was first described by Mary Lyon in 1961. Nearly 30 years later, the mechanism of X-chromosome inactivation remains unknown. Strong evidence has accumulated over the years, however, for the involvement of a major switch or inactivation centre on the mouse X chromosome. Identification of the inactivation centre at the molecular level would be an important step in understanding the mechanism of X-inactivation. In this paper we review the evidence for the existence and location of the X-inactivation centre on the mouse X-chromosome, present data on the molecular genetic mapping of this region, and describe ongoing strategies we are using to attempt to identify the inactivation centre at the molecular level.
Rastan
S
S
Section of Comparative Biology, Clinical Research Centre, Harrow, Middlesex, UK.
Brown
S D
SD
D000818:Animals; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D004303:Dosage Compensation, Genetic; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D014178:Translocation, Genetic; D014960:X Chromosome