Cytological evidence for an inactive X chromosome in murine oogonia.
Purified fetal mouse germ cell preparations have been analyzed for the presence of a heterochromatic X chromosome at cell division. A single large heterochromatic chromosome is found in oogonia stage germ cells, but such a chromosome is not present in 16-day fetal oocytes. These results support the idea that mitotic stage germ cells are subject to X-chromosome inactivation and that they go through a reactivation step at meiosis.
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008540:Meiosis; D051379:Mice; D009030:Mosaicism; D009867:Oogonia / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010063:Ovum / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D012730:Sex Chromosomes; D014960:X Chromosome