Guilt by association: non-coding RNAs, chromosome-specific proteins and dosage compensation in Drosophila.
Dosage compensation is a striking example of the interplay between gene-specific regulation and chromosomal architecture. This process has evolved to make X-linked gene expression equivalent in males with one X chromosome and females with two. Examining species at the molecular level has shown that dosage compensation is mediated by sex-specific factors that decorate the X chromosomes to regulate chromatin structure and gene expression. In Drosophila, dosage compensation is achieved, at least in part, through site-specific histone H4 acetylation, which is modulated by a male- and X-specific protein complex. The discovery of non-coding RNAs that 'paint' dosage-compensated X chromosomes in mammals and in Drosophila suggests that RNAs play an intriguing, unexpected role in the regulation of chromatin structure and gene expression.
Stuckenholz
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Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Department of Cell Biology, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA. CS691546@bcm.tmc.edu
Kageyama
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Kuroda
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MI
D000818:Animals; D002843:Chromatin / Q000235:genetics / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004303:Dosage Compensation, Genetic; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008957:Models, Genetic; D014960:X Chromosome / Q000235:genetics*
D002843:Chromatin; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D019476:Insect Proteins