title: Histone underacetylation is an ancient component of mammalian X chromosome inactivation.
abstract: Underacetylation of histone H4 is thought to be involved in the molecular mechanism of mammalian X chromosome inactivation, which is an important model system for large-scale genetic control in eukaryotes. However, it has not been established whether histone underacetylation plays a critical role in the multistep inactivation pathway. Here we demonstrate differential histone H4 acetylation between the X chromosomes of a female marsupial, Macropus eugenii. Histone underacetylation is the only molecular aspect of X inactivation known to be shared by marsupial and eutherian mammals. Its strong evolutionary conservation implies that, unlike DNA methylation, histone underacetylation was a feature of dosage compensation in a common mammalian ancestor, and is therefore likely to play a central role in X chromosome inactivation in all mammals.
authors.affiliation: School of Genetics and Human Variation, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Melbourne, 3083, Australia. genmjw@genome.latrobe.edu.au
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Wakefield
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Keohane
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Graves
mesh_terms: D000107:Acetylation; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006657:Histones / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008394:Marsupialia; D014960:X Chromosome
chemical_list: D006657:Histones