title: Dosage compensation and chromatin structure in Drosophila.
abstract: The past year has brought significant advances in our understanding of the male-specific lethal (msl genes and dosage compensation in Drosophila. The molecular characterization of the msl-2 gene has, to a great extent, solved the question of how msl-mediated dosage compensation is restricted to males. Molecular analyses of the msl genes have substantiated the proposal that the MSL proteins function as a multimeric complex to mediate dosage compensation. The finding that MSL-2 protein has a RING finger and the demonstration that an insulator protein facilitates the dosage compensation of X-linked genes inserted into the autosomes have opened promising avenues to identify the cis-acting dosage-compensation determinants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305-5020, USA. gbashaw@cmgm.stanford.edu
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Bashaw
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Baker
mesh_terms: D000107:Acetylation; D000818:Animals; D002828:Choristoma; D002843:Chromatin; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D004265:DNA Helicases; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004303:Dosage Compensation, Genetic; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D015870:Gene Expression; D006657:Histones; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014960:X Chromosome; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D006657:Histones; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C070837:mle protein, Drosophila; C094166:msl-2 protein, Drosophila; D004265:DNA Helicases